BUTTERFLIES OF CARIRI : PAPILIONOIDEA AND HESPERIOIDEA IN THE SLOPES OF THE CHAPADA DO ARARIPE IN CEARÁ , BRAZIL

This study aimed at conducting the first species inventory of butterflies in a location in the slopes of the Chapada do Araripe, in Ceará's Cariri region, in the Riacho do Meio Ecological Park. Specimens were collected from June 2009 to July 2010. We collected butterflies actively using insect nets, totaling 96 sampling hours. We collected a total of 236 individuals of 28 species and 5 families [Hesperiidae (N= 3), Lycaenidae (N= 1), Nymphalidae (N= 15), Pieridae (N= 7) and Riodinidae (N= 1)]. Nymphalidae was the most diverse family with 16 species and Heliconius erato phyllis (Fabricius) was the most abundant species.

In Brazil there approximately between 3,130 and 3,300 described species of butterflies (BROWN Jr.;FREITAS 1999).Butterflies are known as one of the most adequate taxonomic groups for environmental assessments (SPARROW et al. 1994;BROWN Jr.;FREITAS 2000aFREITAS , b, 2003)).Brown Jr. and Freitas (2000a) have used lists of butterfly species from several locations across the Atlantic forest and Cerrado to develop methods to measure biodiversity and its preservation.They reached the conclusion that Hesperiidae diversity is a solid indicator when assessing total fauna wealth.In that sense, in order to carry out environmental assessments the first step is to conduct species inventories, also known as species lists.They provide reliable data bases and may provide reference to studies related to those species; they also contribute to promoting biodiversity and to preserving and monitoring environments.Adult butterfly inventories have been useful tools to plan and manage nature reserves, and for genetic, ecological and taxonomic diversity studies (BROWN Jr.;FREITAS 1999;MOTTA 2002).
There is no substantial information about butterfly species that form the Lepidoptera fauna of Southern Ceará.This study is an attempt to gather knowledge about the diversity of butterflies across the Cariri region in Ceará.It will provide information that will contribute significantly toward gathering knowledge about biodiversity in Brazil and helping its conservation.

Area of Study
The Chapada do Araripe is scattered across 55,000 km 2 (AUGUSTO; GÓES, 2007).It is located in Southern Ceará, in the border with the States of Pernambuco and Piauí.Its slopes in the state of Ceará are covered by wet woods and it is a priority biodiversity conservation area.In addition to its biological importance, this region has hundreds of water springs that provide water to the entire Cariri region and it also has some of the main rivers in the State of Ceará (AQUASIS, 2009).
This study was conducted in the Riacho do Meio Ecological Park (7° 22' S and 39° 20' W), Geosite Arajara, which is close to the Caldas district in the city of Barbalha, State of Ceará.It covers approximately 34.2 ha and its altitude ranges from 690 to 800 meters.Its climate is considered subhumid with average temperatures ranging from 21º to 25ºC; total rainfall is above 900 mm and its wet season runs from January to May (URCA; SEBRAE, 2008).The predominant vegetation cover is tree layers of more than 15 meters, similar to the vegetation of the Araripe National Forest -FLONA (FUNCEME, 2006).
The Riacho do Meio Ecological Park is part of Geopark Araripe with Geotope Arajara.Its water resources consist of three natural springs and it is crossed by easy and moderate access tracks.Five sampling points were recorded using an Explorist 100 GPS unit: A) the first one at the park's entrance (7º 21' 53" S -39º 19' 53" W at 757 meters); B) the second one at the first spring (7º 22' 0" S -39º 19' 49" W at 737 meters); the third one at the second spring (7º 22' 4" S -39º 19' 50" W at 661 meters); D) the fourth one at the third spring (7º 21' 58" S -39º 19' 47" W at 761 meters) and the last one E) at Pedra do Morcego (7º 22' 0" S -39º 19' 43" W at 682 meters).

Sampling Procedures
Specimens were actively collected from June 2009 to July 2010 using insect nets from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, during butterflies' most active period.We recorded the location, date and time each specimen was collected.They were placed into entomological envelopes and taken to the Invertebrate Zoology Department of URCA -LZI, where they were assembled and dried in a drying sterilizer at approximately 45°C and later registered in URCA's entomological collection.The a license for animal collection was granted by Brazilian Institute for the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources -IBAMA (permanent license number 20135); We used specialized bibliography to identify specimens, such as: Brown Jr. (1992); Brown Jr. and Freitas (1999); Barlow et al. (2007); Canals (2000,2003); D'Abrera (1984,1988,1994,1995); Fernandez-Díaz (2007); Klimatis (2007); Varga (2000).We used the terminology adopted by Brown Jr. (1992) and Freitas and Brown Jr. (2004), Lamas (2004) and Mielke (2005).André Victor L. Freitas confirmed identifications.

Results and Discussion
Below there is a list of specimens we found and their respective collection information.We collected a total of 237 specimens from 5 families, 12 subfamilies, 24 genders and 28 species.Heliconius erato phyllis (Fabricius) was the most abundant species with 93 specimens; it was followed by Lycorea halia discreta (Haensch) and Episcada hymenaea hymenaea (Prittwitz) with 25 and 17 specimens, respectively (Table 1).The large number of collected H. erato phyllis we found is related to the presence of sources of water; according to Pinheiro et al. (2008), species from the same gender may form small populations in the banks of rivers and streams, close to riparian woods, although not always throughout the year.The Nymphalidae family was the most diverse one with 16 species.Lycaenidae and Riodinidae families were not very diverse in this study and we did not find any specimens of the Papilionidae family.In studies conducted in the South, Southeast (SACKIS; MORAIS 2008) and Northeast (NOBRE et al. 2008) regions in Brazil the Nymphalidae family was also the most diverse.However, the Lycaenidae family was the third most diverse in a study conducted in the Catimbau National Park in semi-arid Northeast, in the State of Pernambuco (NOBRE et al. 2008).
We did not find any species of the Papilionidae family in this study; this is probably due to the fact that species of that family are associated with another type of habitat.According to Brown Jr. (1992) and Schwartz and Di Mare (2001), species of that family can usually be found in places disrupted by humans or in urban perimeters.This can also be associated with the fact that papilionidae are considered difficult to sample; this has been confirmed by Brown Jr. (1992) andBrown Jr. andFreitas (1999).
We observed a greater number of butterflies in the months of August (49), September (34) and October (34) and a smaller number in the months of February (0) and April (2) 2010.The fact that there were no butterflies in the months of August, September and October 2009 can be explained by the occurrence of precipitation postseason above the historical average of Ceará in 2009 (FUNCEME, 2009).The rainy season in the region, which extends from

Table 1 .
Number of butterfly species and specimens according to family and subfamily, collected in Riacho do Meio Ecological Park, in the Slopes of the Chapada do Araripe in the Municipality of Barbalha -CE, from June 2009 to July 2010.