Mariposas da Subfamília Ctenuchinae (Lepidoptera: Noctuoidea: Arctiidae) no Acervo Entomológico do Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi: Biodiversidade, Atualização Taxonômica, Informatização e Estudo Faunístico

Abstract

Lepidoptera (butterflies and moths) are the group of 7 invertebrates most chosen to serve as biological indicators, but taxonomic difficulties in species identification exclude almost all families of moths, except the Sphingidae and Saturniidae, from this role. The subfamily Ctenuchinae, formed from the tribes Ctenuchini and Euchromiini of the family Arctiidae, represents one of the few groups that could be chosen as environmental indicators in the Amazon. These moths, usually with a wingspan of less than 5 cm, have diurnal habits, conspicuous coloration, and slow flight. Many species have areas on their wings without scales and are mimics of other moths, butterflies, and wasps (Hymenoptera). They are often chemically protected against predation, mainly by alkaloids ingested by the caterpillar or sometimes the adult. The entomological collection of the Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi contains one of the most important collections of Ctenuchinae in the Neotropics, with 2,435 specimens belonging to 242 species distributed in 73 genera. The collection includes specimens collected from Amapá to Rio Grande do Sul, dating from 1911 to 1998. The specialized literature records that Pará State is home to 260 species of Ctenuchinae, the largest number known from anywhere in the Neotropics. Additional collections with Heliotropium indicum baits (a plant of the Boraginaceae family that contains alkaloids) and with light baits (mercury vapor lamps) would be useful to determine the degree of completeness of the survey and to ascertain seasonal variations. With the reorganization, computerization, and updating of the collection, the Ctenuchinae could be used in studies of ecology, mimicry, behavior, zoogeography, and larval development, as well as in environmental monitoring]. To facilitate the identification of Amazonian species, a photographic record is made available and a sampling protocol of the Ctenuchinae fauna will be tested and disseminated.