Butterflies in Seasonal Semi-deciduous Forest and Fields in Brazilian Grassland Biome (Lepidoptera: Papilionoidea)

The Brazilian Grassland Biome comprises ecosystems which harbor unique flora and fauna for the country. It remains largely unknown, which can be a major cause of threat to biodiversity. To contribute to the knowledge of butterflies in the region, an inventory was conducted for Seasonal Semideciduous Forest and Fields of Pampa Biome in Morro Redondo and Capao do Leao, Southeast of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Sampling was carried out monthly by using entomological nets from October 2012 to June 2013. Totalizing 540 net-hours, 3,065 individuals belonging to 154 species and six families of butterflies have been recorded. Of these, 54% correspond to Nymphalidae, 33% to Hesperiidae, 5% to Pieridae, 4% to Lycaenidae, 2% to Papilionidae and 2% to Riodinidae. Hesperiidae was the richest family followed by Nymphalidae, with Tegosa claudina (Eschscholtz, 1821) being the most abundant species. Four species are new records for the region.