Annotated checklist of the butterflies of the Tikal National Park Area of Guatemala.

Authors

  • G. T. Austin
  • N. M. Haddad
  • T. D. Sisk
  • D. D. Murphy
  • A. E. Launer
  • P. R. Ehrlich

Keywords:

Central America, conservation, distribution, faunal composition, habitat associations, Hesperiidae, inventory, Lycaenidae, Mesoamerica, Neotropical, Nymphalidae, Papilionidae, Peten, phenology, Pieridae, Rhopalocera

Abstract

An inventory of the butterflies of Tikal National Park and vicinity, in the Department of Peten in northern Guatemala, is being conducted as part of a long-term study of butterfly populations, their habitat requirements, and their responses to land use changes. Here, we present a list of 535 species recorded from the Tikal area from February 1992 through November 1994 with annotations on their phenologies, habitat associations, and relative abundances. This is the first checklist of butterflies for any region of Guatemala, and includes 92 species not previously recorded from the country. Species richness for the Tikal site is greatest during the dry season and lowest at the end of the wet season. The largest number of species was recorded from forest edge habitat and the smallest was in forested habitats. Many species (especially nymphalids) were encountered in both primary forests and secondary, often highly disturbed, forests.

Se realize un inventario de las mariposas diurnas del Parque Nacional Tikal y areas aledanas en el Departamento de Peten en el norte de Guatemala, como inicio de un estudio a largo plazo de las poblaciones de mariposas y su respuesta a los cambios del uso de la tierra. Se presenta una lista de 535 especies registradas en el area de Tikal desde febrero de 1992 hasta noviembre de 1994, con observaciones sobre su fenologfa, asociaciones con habitats, y su abundancia relativa. Esta es la primera lista de mariposas diurnas de una region de Guatemala. La lista incluye 92 especies registradas por la primera vez en Guatemala. La riqueza de especies es mayor en la epoca seca y menor al final de la epoca lluviosa. El mayor numero de especies se registro en los habitats de borde, y el menor numero en el interior del bosque. Muchas especies (particularmente Nymphalidae) comparten tanto el bosque primario como el secundario y tambien el bosque alterado.

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Published

1996-05-01

Issue

Section

Articles