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Ronaldo Bastos Francini

  • Biodiversity Journal, 13 (1): 0037-0054

    Ronaldo Bastos Francini, Renato Rogner Ramos, Ednaldo Ferreira da Silva-Filho & Mirella Baldacconi Gondeck
    Temporal dynamics of ther butterfly Heliconiinae assemblage in a typical ruderal environment in Southeastern Brazil
    https://doi.org/10.31396/Biodiv.Jour.2022.13.1.37.54

    ABSTRACT
    This study aimed to verify the response of the Heliconiinae assemblage and of the flowering plants used as food resources for these butterflies to climate and weather conditions during 2019 along a dirt road in the Atlantic Forest. Many parts of the dirt roadside are occupied by anthropogenic ruderal vegetation. Climate conditions in that period were very different to climate normals mainly in respect to rainfall, spring 2019 being wetter and autumn drier. Flowers of at least 33 plant species were used by Heliconiinae butterflies during the study with six species being flowering in all seasons. In autumn (April to June) all 16 Heliconiinae species were on the fly. Flowering was affected by the accumulated rainfall and photoperiod availability of the previous three months. Acraeini species were less sensitive to bad weather conditions than Heliconiini. Heliconiinae species responded negatively to photoperiod.