Relação do tamanho e da coloração com a ocorrência de borboletas nordestinas em diferentes micro-habitats

Abstract

Coloration patterns in butterflies, which include cryptic signals for camouflage and conspicuous signals for communication, are influenced by the intensity and spectral composition of light, as well as by the distance between the signaler and the receiver. Butterflies with reddish or bluish colors may benefit from the dominant light spectrum in certain microhabitats. Size may be related to the persistence of the visual signal of color in reddish and bluish butterflies. Although butterfly coloration has been extensively studied to understand some functions (e.g., thermoregulation, sociosexual signaling) and compared across families and biomes, no study has evaluated their occurrence in microhabitats. This study investigated whether butterfly coloration patterns are associated with their occurrence in microhabitats and whether they are related to the average size of these species. Records in the literature for butterfly species in microhabitats in the northeastern region of Brazil were analyzed, evaluating the coloration of the dorsal side and measuring wing length. We found no significant differences in the frequency of coloration patterns between microhabitats or in the average size between reddish and bluish butterflies. Methodological limitations, such as the absence of data on ultraviolet light reflectance, the use of photographs of specimens from other South American countries for length analysis, and the lack of precision regarding the use of microhabitats by the species, may have influenced the results. We suggest including ultraviolet light analysis, using regional butterfly collections, and collecting more precise information on species presence in their habitats to deepen the understanding of how coloration patterns, microhabitat light spectra, and animal size are related. In conclusion, the results of this study demonstrated that coloration does not affect butterfly size or the microhabitat location in which they may occur.