Hedylidae (Lepidoptera: Hedyloidea) collected with light trap at 40 meter height over an Amazon forest canopy at Experimental Station of the Tropical Silviculture in Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil

• Published in: Acta amazonica 2008-06, Vol.38 (2), p.329-332
• Main Authors: Lourido, G M, Motta, CDS, Rafael, JA, de Morais, JW, Xavier Filho, FF
• Format: Article
• Language: Portuguese
• Subjects: Geometridae; Hedyloidea; Lepidoptera
• ISSN: 0044-5967

The Hedylidae is a lepidopteran group exclusively neotropical, with 35 known species in the genus Macrosorna Hiibner, 1818. The family was classified as Geometridae moths but presendy they are considered a basal and nocturnal group of butterflies. The collections were carried out monthly from January to December of 2004, during three nights of lunar transition third quarter moon/new moon from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. The insects were collected over a vertical white sheet illuminated by a 250 watt mixed light and a 20 watt black-light (BLB) lamp installed in a tower at a height of 40 m. We collected 53 male specimens and two female specimens, belonging to nine species of which one was probably new to science: M. hedylaria Wairen (1894), M. bahiata (Felder & Rogenhofer, 1875), M. conifem (Warren, 1897), M. helkoniaria (Guenee, 1857), M. hyacinthina (Warren, 1905), M. klagesi (Prout, 1916), M. lucivittata (Walker, 1863) M. nigrimacula (Warren, 1897) e Macrosoma sp. The hedylids were more abundant in the rainy season, December to May, with 65,5% of the collected specimens. They were collected mainly from 7:00 pm to 10:00 pm with 80% of the collected specimens.