Abstract

ARANGO-B, Liliana; MONTES-R, José Mauricio; LOPEZ-P, Diego Alejandro  and  LOPEZ-P, José Orlando. BUTTERFLIES (LEPIDOPTERA: PAPILIONOIDEA, HESPEROIDEA), DUNG BEETLES (COLEOPTERA: SCARABAEINAE) AND ANTS (HYMENOPTERA: FORMICIDAE) FROM THE ALCAZARES-ARENILLO ECOPARK (MANIZALES, CALDAS - COLOMBIA). Bol. Cient. Mus. Hist. Nat. Univ. Caldas [online]. 2007, vol.11, n.1, pp.390-409. ISSN 0123-3068.

Diurnal butterflies, dung beetles and ants are useful in obtaining fast and efficient data on the diversity of an ecosystem. The latter was the objective of the characterization carried out on these groups of insects in forest fragments and pastures in the Alcázares-Arenillo Ecopark (EAA) located in Manizales in the Caldas department. The butterflies were collected with Van Someren Rydon traps and an entomological net; the dung beetles with pitfall traps baited with excrement; and the ants by means of manual capture, epigeous baits, pitfall traps and Winkler traps installed in linear transects. The results showed that 43% of the collected butterflies species are exclusive of the forest fragments and that the similarity in the composition between the components of the EAA landscape is low. The dung beetles obtained the highest values of species abundance and richness in the biggest fragment, and the lowest in pasture. The ants presented similar diversity and low similarity among the transects, showing that 19 out of the 57 collected species obtained just one entry in all the sampling. These results led to the conclusion that EAA is a refuge for some species of these biological groups, each element of the landscape contributes to the diversity of the zone. Therefore, immediate actions must be taken to conserve, especially species associated with forest fragments and that are susceptible of disappearing in the future.

Keywords : Alcazares Ecopark; Biodiversity; Ants; Butterflies; Dung Beetles.

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