Butterflies are one of the best‐known insect groups, and they have been the subject of numerous studies in ecology and evolution, especially in the tropics. Much attention has been given to the fruit‐feeding butterfly guild in biodiversity conservation studies, due to the relative ease with which taxa may be identified and specimens sampled using bait traps. However, there remain many uncertainties about the macroecological and biogeographical patterns of butterflies in tropical ecosystems. In the present study, we gathered information about fruit‐feeding butterfly species in local communities from the Atlantic Forests of South America. The ATLANTIC BUTTERFLIES data set, which is part of ATLANTIC SERIES data papers, results from a compilation of 145 unpublished inventories and 64 other references, including articles, theses, and book chapters published from 1949 to 2018. In total, the data set contains 7,062 records (presence) of 279 species of fruit‐feeding butterflies identified with taxonomic certainty, from 122 study locations. The Satyrini is the tribe with highest number of species (45%) and records (30%), followed by Brassolini, with 13% of species and 12.5% of records. The 10 most common species correspond to 14.2% of all records. This data set represents a major effort to compile inventories of fruit‐feeding butterfly communities, filling a knowledge gap about the diversity and distribution of these butterflies in the Atlantic Forest. We hope that the present data set can provide guidelines for future studies and planning of new inventories of fruit‐feeding butterflies in this biome. The information presented here also has potential use in studies across a great variety of spatial scales, from local and landscape levels to macroecological research and biogeographical research. We expect that such studies be very important for the better implementation of conservation initiatives, and for understanding the multiple ecological processes that involve fruit‐feeding butterflies as biological indicators. No copyright restrictions apply to the use of this data set. Please cite this Data paper when using the current data in publications or teaching events.

Abstract:To address how seasonality affects the richness and abundance of tropical insects, we compared the canopy and understorey communities of fruit-feeding butterflies in a seasonal Atlantic forest in south-eastern Brazil. Butterflies were sampled over 1 y using a standardized design with baited traps. A total of 2047 individuals in 69 species were recorded (1415 in the canopy, 632 in the understorey). Clear differences were found between canopy and understorey, with significantly higher butterfly abundances in the canopy. We observed two marked peaks of abundance and richness in both strata; one at the transition from dry to the wet seasons, and the other at the transition from wet to dry seasons. We found lower species turnover throughout the year in the canopy. We interpret this as evidence that temperature is more important than rainfall in explaining the yearly variation of abundance in vertical strata. The higher temperatures found in the canopy may allow butterflies to maintain activity in this stratum all year round, whereas the understorey is subject to colder temperatures, thus presenting a higher species turnover. These results improve our understanding of diversity gradients between evergreen and seasonal tropical forests, allowing insights into how climate and beta diversity gradients interact.

Aim:To assess the distributional patterns of fruit-feeding butterfly species richness in Atlantic Forest (AF) based on stack species distribution models (SSDM); to evaluate the relative contribution of climate and landscape in the patterns of butterfly species richness; and to recommend conservation guidelines for AF regions based on the obtained results.Location: Brazilian Atlantic Forest. Methods:We used SSDMs to generate potential distribution maps of butterfly species richness in AF. Our dataset comprises 7,062 records of 279 species, distributed across 122 local communities. We built richness maps based on climate and landscape models and analysed them separately to understand their contribution to the pattern of richness distribution. Then, we combined both models to build a consensus map. Finally, we designed specific conservation strategies based on richness categories distributed on the consensus map. Results:The regions with high-predicted species richness for both climate and landscape models supported the main endemism locations described for other AF taxa in previous studies. Both models predicted intermediate values of species richness for most regions, but the patterns of richness distribution were not fully congruent.High species richness based on landscape metrics was frequently concentrated in the south. Furthermore, locations suitable for high species richness according to climate are near to the endemism centres, but also to dense urban centres, highlighting the potential impacts of the landscape modification on butterfly species richness.Main conclusions: The distribution of fruit-feeding butterfly species richness and endemism reflect the classic division of AF in different sub-regions according to the endemism centres proposed by previous authors for other taxa. The availability of forested habitats seems to be a determining factor for the maintenance of high species richness in AF. Therefore, the loss of natural forest remnants due to landscape modification is the primary threat to butterfly diversity. | 197SANTOS eT Al.

This study presents a compilation of fruit-feeding butterflies species for Rio Grande do Sul Atlantic Forest aiming to be a tool for identification of these lepidopterans from two phytophysiognomies of this biome. Samples were carried out for more than four years with entomological nets and bait traps techniques in areas of Subtropical Atlantic Forest (SAF) and Araucaria Moist Forest (AMF). Seventy-six butterfly species were recorded in this region of Atlantic Forest, 60 species for SAF and 53 for AMF. Fruit-feeding butterflies represent about 50% of the total species richness of the Nymphalidae recorded for the region, a value of the same order of those found for similar studies in tropical forests regions. Dasyophthalma rusina is a new record for Rio Grande do Sul.

No abstract