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The butterflies of a Cerrado–Atlantic Forest ecotone at Laguna Blanca reveal underestimation of Paraguayan butterfly diversity and need for conservation

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Abstract

The insect diversity of Paraguay remains poorly studied despite its position at the meeting point of some of South America’s most diverse biomes and has obscured the true level of diversity and conservation value of the species present. Here, we investigate the butterfly species present across a disjunct Cerrado–Atlantic Forest ecotone in the fragment of natural habitat at Laguna Blanca in an otherwise entirely deforested landscape, after 7 years of collection. We found 290 species (33% of species known from Paraguay), of which 47 (16%) were new records and four undescribed. They constituted a unique mix of species typical of the Atlantic forest, Cerrado, Pampas and Chaco, with 28% endemic to these regions, with half-a-dozen interior mesophytic forest specialists and even equatorial species. Diversity was higher in the forests compared to the Cerrado, contradicting trends from similar ecotones in Brazil and is likely the result of it’s nutrient-poor soils, supporting lower species diversity. We estimate the actual number of species present in Paraguay to be around 1500 with around half remaining undetected. The high richness and conservation value of the species present at Rancho Laguna Blanca makes its protection critical for the persistence of these species and is especially urgent considering the imminent threats to its existence. It also indicates that other fragments of natural habitat may also still support significant levels of diversity. Their protection provides a ‘silver-bullet’ strategy to protect species from a variety of different biodiversity hotspots in a single area.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank Fundación Para La Tierra for providing all the support for the present research and all the staff and volunteers who contributed to the collection efforts. We thank Andre Freitas, Thamara Zacka, Fernando Dias, Christophe Faynel and Diego Rodrigo Dolibaina for assistance in specimen identification and Karina Attkinson and Paul smith for their critical remarks on the text. Leigh McMahon, Daniel Schoenberger and Jeremy Dickens took all the included photos. We declare that we have no conflict of interest. Permits for specimen collection were granted by the Secretaria del Ambiente (SEAM).

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  1. Fundación Para La Tierra, Centro IDEAL, 321 Mariscal José Félix Estigarribia, c/Teniente Capurro, Barrio General Diaz, Pilar, Ñeembucú, Paraguay

    Jeremy K Dickens, Leigh McMahon & Sarah E Binnie

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Dickens, J.K., McMahon, L. & Binnie, S. The butterflies of a Cerrado–Atlantic Forest ecotone at Laguna Blanca reveal underestimation of Paraguayan butterfly diversity and need for conservation. J Insect Conserv 23, 707–728 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10841-019-00165-7

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