Patterns of Richness, Composition, and Distribution of Sphingid Moths Along an Elevational Gradient in the Andes-Amazon Region of Southeastern Peru

Abstract

The adult sphingid communities of three sites in southeastern Peru representative of the moist tropical forest of the lowland Amazon, the pluvial tropical forest of the upper Amazon and Andean foothills, and the montane cloud forest of the eastern slopes of the Andes were sampled during 2004–2006 by using mercury vapor light traps. In total, 119 species of Sphingidae were documented. Species diversity was highest in the upper Amazon and Andean foothills, with 94 species (21 genera), followed by 80 species (21 genera) in the Amazonian lowlands, and 43 species (17 genera) in the montane cloud forest. The greatest number of endemics (22) was registered at the upper AmazonAndean foothills site. The montane cloud forest site was characterized by the highest relative percentage of endemic species. The species assemblages of the lowland Amazon and the Andean foothills were more similar in composition to each other than to the montane assemblage. All three assemblages proved to be more distinctive than expected based on the proximity of the sampled sites and seemingly good flight capabilities of sphingid moths. This was reflected by the endemics accounting for nearly 40% of the total species pool. By contrast, cosmopolitans numbered only 26 species, or 22% of the total assemblage. We hypothesize that the composition and distribution of sphingid species along this elevational gradient may reflect floristic similarities and differences between the study sites and the extent to which different species are adapted to cope with certain environmental conditions, such as temperature and air humidity.

Armament Imbalances: Match and Mismatch in Plant-Pollinator Traits of Highly Specialized Long-Spurred Orchids

“…It is known that insects of this group are prone to fluctuations in their abundance due to changes in climatic conditions, as well as resource availability for their larvae [31], [52]-[54]. It is possible, therefore, that selection on spur length in these orchids may have operated in a period in which hawkmoths with long proboscises were more abundant.…”

Species richness and community composition of sphingid moths (Lepidoptera: Sphingidae) along an elevational gradient in southeast Peru

“…Detailed descriptions are given for the two sites not pre viously reported in the literature, Vitobabma and Culebrayoc. Short descriptions of the remaining three sites, Los Amigos, Atalaya, and Wayquecha, are included, but for more detailed information see Ignatov et al (2011). Site descriptions are given in order of elevation ( Fig.…”

“…org), while data for Atalaya and Wayquecha was obtained from John P. Janovec (unpublished data). The procedure described in Ignatov et al (2011) was used in order to facilitate the incor poration of their data into these analyses. Wei et al (2010) and Walther and Morand (1998) determined that the performance of species richness estimators varies with sampling intensity, so standardized sampling intensity was used by only using June, August, and October data from Los Amigos and Atalaya and July, September, and November data from Wayquecha.…”

Environmental Determinants Affecting the Occurrence of Defoliator Caterpillars onEucalyptus(Myrtaceae) plantations in the Brazilian Amazonian Region

“…Light traps are commonly used for monitoring, collecting, and defining methods of controlling insects. These traps have been used to evaluate Lepidoptera populations in eucalyptus crops (Pereira et al 2001;Zanuncio et al 1993Zanuncio et al , 2001aZanuncio et al ,b, 2003Zanuncio et al , 2014a, native forests (Ignatov et al 2011;Santos et al 2015;Vieira et al 2015), and grazing areas (Delfina & Teston et al 2013). They also are effective in the assessment of biodiversity.…”