AGUDELO-MARTINEZ, Juan Carlos; GOMEZ-TAPIA, Evelin María    PEREZ-BUITRAGO, Néstor. Temporal dynamics of species richness and abundance of fruit-feeding butterflies (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) in the flooding savannas of Arauca (Colombia). []. , 42, 164, pp.246-254. ISSN 0370-3908.  https://doi.org/10.18257/raccefyn.672.

The insect order Lepidoptera is one of the most diverse and well known. However, the ecological aspects of this group in the Colombian Orinoquia have been poorly investigated. In this study, we documented the temporal dynamics of species richness and abundance of fruit-feeding butterflies in the flooded savanna of the municipality of Arauca. These temporal dynamics were related to the climatic variables of temperature and precipitation. The study was conducted near the town of Arauca (9 km). We sampled for five days per month for 24 months. We captured 227 butterflies from 21 species representing between 87.9 % and 91.2 % of fruit-feeding butterflies in the study area as shown by the non-parametric estimators of diversity. Cluster and ANOSIM analyses evidenced a positive relationship with rainfall resulting in greater species richness and abundances during the rainy season. There was a negative correlation between the temperatures during sampling days and the number of butterflies captured. This study is the first approach to the temporal dynamics of the richness and abundance of Lepidoptera and their relationship with climatic variables in the northern Colombian Orinoquia.

: Seasonality; Diurnal butterflies; Orinoquia; Biodiversity.

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