First high-altitude record of Bucculatrix mirnae Vargas and Moreira (Lepidoptera, Bucculatricidae) on a newly documented host plant: the importance of host plant distribution for conservation on the western slopes of the Andes mountains of northern Chile

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Abstract

ABSTRACT Bucculatrix mirnae Vargas and Moreira, 2012 (Lepidoptera, Bucculatricidae) is a micromoth native to the coastal valleys of the Atacama Desert previously known to occur only in the type locality of the Azapa Valley, close to sea level. Its immature stages are associated with the shrub Baccharis salicifolia (Ruiz & Pav.) Pers. (Asteraceae). We report data on the occurrence of B. mirnae found for the first time at 3500 m above sea level on the western slopes of the Andes mountains of northern Chile. In addition, Baccharis alnifolia Meyen & Walp. is recorded as a new host plant for B. mirnae. The implications of this finding for conservation in the arid western slopes of the Andes habitats in northern Chile are discussed.

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Terrestrial insects along elevation gradients: species and community responses to altitude.

Ian D Hodkinson (2005)

The literature on the response of insect species to the changing environments experienced along altitudinal gradients is diverse and widely dispersed. There is a growing awareness that such responses may serve as analogues for climate warming effects occurring at a particular fixed altitude or latitude over time. This review seeks, therefore, to synthesise information on the responses of insects and allied groups to increasing altitude and provide a platform for future research. It focuses on those functional aspects of insect biology that show positive or negative reaction to altitudinal changes but avoids emphasising adaptation to high altitude per se. Reactions can be direct, with insect characteristics or performance responding to changing environmental parameters, or they can be indirect and mediated through the insect's interaction with other organisms. These organisms include the host plant in the case of herbivorous insects, and also competitor species, specific parasitoids, predators and pathogens. The manner in which these various factors individually and collectively influence the morphology, behaviour, ecophysiology, growth and development, survival, reproduction, and spatial distribution of insect species is considered in detail. Resultant patterns in the abundance of individual species populations and of community species richness are examined. Attempts are made throughout to provide mechanistic explanations of trends and to place each topic, where appropriate, into the broader theoretical context by appropriate reference to key literature. The paper concludes by considering how montane insect species will respond to climate warming.

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Butterflies of the high-altitude Atacama Desert: habitat use and conservation

Emma Despland (2014)

The butterfly fauna of the high-altitude desert of Northern Chile, though depauperate, shows high endemism, is poorly known and is of considerable conservation concern. This study surveys butterflies along the Andean slope between 2400 and 5000 m asl (prepuna, puna and Andean steppe habitats) as well as in high and low-altitude wetlands and in the neoriparian vegetation of agricultural sites. We also include historical sightings from museum records. We compare abundances between altitudes, between natural and impacted sites, as well as between two sampling years with different precipitation regimes. The results confirm high altitudinal turnover and show greatest similarity between wetland and slope faunas at similar altitudes. Results also underscore vulnerability to weather fluctuations, particularly in the more arid low-altitude sites, where abundances were much lower in the low precipitation sampling season and several species were not observed at all. Finally, we show that some species have shifted to the neoriparian vegetation of the agricultural landscape, whereas others were only observed in less impacted habitats dominated by native plants. These results suggest that acclimation to novel habitats depends on larval host plant use. The traditional agricultural environment can provide habitat for many, but not all, native butterfly species, but an estimation of the value of these habitats requires better understanding of butterfly life history strategies and relationships with host plants.

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Lycaenid caterpillars (Lepidoptera, Lycaenidae) eating flowers of Dalea pennellii var. chilensis (Fabaceae) in the northern Chilean Andes

HÉCTOR VARGAS (2014)

Lycaenid caterpillars (Lepidoptera, Lycaenidae) eating flowers of Dalea pennellii var. chilensis (Fabaceae) in the northern Chilean Andes. The shrub Dalea pennellii var. chilensis (Fabaceae) is reported for the first time as a host plant for three Neotropical Polyommatini (Lepidoptera, Lycaenidae, Polyommatinae): Hemiargus ramon (Dognin, 1887), Leptotes trigemmatus (Butler, 1881) and Nabokovia faga (Dognin, 1895), based on two collections performed in the western slopes of the northern Chilean Andes in two consecutive summers. The relative abundance was always above 90% for N. faga while it was always less than 5% for H. ramon and L. trigemmatus. Furthermore, N. faga was not found on inflorescences of other native Fabaceae examined in the study site. This pattern suggests a close relationship between N. faga and D. pennellii var. chilensis, at least at a local scale.

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Author and article information

Contributors

Héctor A. Vargas: Role: ND

Enrique A. Mundaca: Role: ND

Journal

Journal ID (publisher): rbent

Title: Revista Brasileira de Entomologia

Abbreviated Title: Rev. Bras. entomol.

Publisher: Sociedade Brasileira De Entomologia

ISSN: 1806-9665

Publication date (Print): December 2016

Volume: 60

Issue: 4

Pages: 356-358

Affiliations

[1 ] Universidad de Tarapacá Chile

[2 ] Universidad Católica del Maule Chile

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Publisher ID: S0085-56262016000400356

DOI: 10.1016/j.rbe.2016.06.007

SO-VID: d75187dd-debc-4948-9945-562aafbd6b27

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

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Self URI (journal page): http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_serial&pid=0085-5626&lng=en

First high-altitude record of Bucculatrix mirnae Vargas and Moreira (Lepidoptera, Bucculatricidae) on a newly documented host plant: the importance of host plant distribution for conservation on the western slopes of the Andes mountains of northern Chile

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SciELO Brazil

Most cited references 29

Terrestrial insects along elevation gradients: species and community responses to altitude.

Butterflies of the high-altitude Atacama Desert: habitat use and conservation

Lycaenid caterpillars (Lepidoptera, Lycaenidae) eating flowers of Dalea pennellii var. chilensis (Fabaceae) in the northern Chilean Andes

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