Abstract This paper investigates the butterfly fauna of the ‘Serra do Rola-Moça’ State Park, Minas Gerais, Brazil. We evaluate i) the seasonal variation of species richness and composition; and ii) the variation in composition of the local butterfly assemblage among three sampling sites and between the dry and rainy seasons. Sampling was carried out monthly between November 2012 and October 2013, using entomological nets. After a total sampling effort of 504 net hours, 311 species were recorded. One of them is endangered in Brazil, and eight are probable new species. Furthermore, two species were new records for the region and eight considered endemic of the Cerrado domain. There was no significant difference in species richness between the dry and the rainy seasons, however the species composition varies significantly among sampling sites. Due to its special, heterogeneous environment, which is home to a rich butterfly fauna, its preservation is important for the conservation of the regional butterfly fauna.

A composição das faunas locais de Euglossina (Hymenoptera, Apidae) em formações vegetais abertas é pouco conhecida, o que dificulta o entendimento da ecologia e biogeografia do grupo. O objetivo deste trabalho foi responder às seguintes perguntas: i) No domínio do Cerrado, a composição da fauna, riqueza em espécies e abundância de euglossinas em áreas de cerrado s.s. e em mata ciliar são semelhantes entre si? ii) Espécies de domínios florestais adjacentes utilizam as matas ciliares como corredores mésicos para dentro do Cerrado? Duas áreas de cerrado s.s. e duas de mata ciliar foram amostradas mensalmente, um dia por mês, durante um ano (nov/2003-out/2004), no noroeste do estado de Minas Gerais, Brasil. Seis compostos aromáticos (β-ionona, cineol, cinamato de metila, eugenol, salicilato de metila e vanilina) eram expostos das 8 às 16 horas para atrair as euglossinas. Os resultados encontrados sugerem que: i) As composições das faunas em áreas de cerrado s.s. e matas ciliares são iguais; ii) As matas ciliares aparentemente não atuam como corredores mésicos para a penetração, em áreas centrais do Cerrado, de espécies de euglossinas dependentes de florestas.

The composition of local orchid-bee faunas (Hymenoptera, Apidae, Euglossina) in open-vegetation domains is poorly known, making the ecology and biogeography of the group difficult to understand. The aim of this work was to answer the following questions: i) Is the orchid-bee fauna composition, species richness and abundance in the cerrado (Brazilian savanna) sensu stricto similar to that of riparian forests immersed in that domain? ii) Do species from neighboring forest domains use riparian forests as mesic corridors into the Cerrado? Two sites in cerrado s.s. and two in riparian forests were sampled monthly, one day per month, during one year (Nov/2003-Oct/2004) in northwestern Minas Gerais state, Brazil. Six aromatic compounds (β-ionone, 1,8-cineole, eugenol, methyl trans-cinnamate, methyl salicilate and vanillin) were exposed from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM to attract orchid bees. The results suggest that: i) The composition of the orchid bee fauna in the two kinds of environments is the same; ii) Riparian forests apparently have no role as mesic corridors for penetration of forest-dependent euglossine species into the core of the Cerrado Domain.