Species richness and abundance of Saturniidae (Lepidoptera) in a tropical semi-deciduous forest of Veracruz, Mexico and the influence of climatic variables

Abstract

The knowledge of saturniid moths is relevant because of their susceptibility to environmental conditions and the important number of ecological interactions they exhibit. In this study we report the species richness and abundance of the saturniids captured in a fragment of tropical semi-deciduous forest in central Veracruz, Mexico. The moths were attracted using 250 W mercury vapor lamp 1 night per month from September 2014 to August 2015. Thirty-one species belonging to 18 genera, 2 tribes and 4 subfamilies were determined. The total number of species constitutes 6.87% and 30.39% of the species known from Mexico and Veracruz, respectively. Coverage-based rarefaction and an extrapolation curve showed high diversity compared with previous studies in Mexico. Antheraea polyphemus mexicana, Automeris montezuma, Citheronia lobesi jordani, Hylesia coinopus, Molippa ninfa, and Pseudodirphia mexicana are endemic from Mexico. The highest richness and abundance of species were observed in May with 77% of the species collected during this month. These variables are thought to extend periods of flight activity for copulations. This study provides a survey of Saturniidae family species richness and abundance in one of the most diverse, but disturbed ecosystems of Veracruz.