The composition and seasonality of the lepidopteran community visiting inflorescences of S. cayennensis at Estação Ambiental de Peti, were analyzed. The visits of 445 lepidopterans belonging to 98 species, distributed in 6 families, were registered. Hesperiidae (81,8%), Pieridae (10,8%), Lycaenidae (3,6%), Nymphalidae (2,2%), Papilionidae (1,3%), and Sesiidae (0,3%). Skippers presented the highest species richness, with 70 species. Only four of these had a relative abundance above 5% (Pyrgus orcus (Stoll, 1780), Pompeius pompeius (Latreille, [1824]), Urbanus dorantes dorantes (Stoll, 1790) and Corticea corticea (Plötz, 1882)). According to Palma classification, two species were common, 12 intermediary and 84 were considered rare. Diversity and evenness value were high (H'= 3.98 and E = 0.87). There was a sharp difference in the composition and abundance of the species throughout the year, attributed mainly to a higher richness and abundance during the rainy season. Accordingly, the similarity between rainy and dry season was relatively low, with 18 common species, 25 present only in the dry season and 93 during the wet season. The period of highest foraging activity corresponded to temperatures between 23 and 32ºC and the highest abundance were registered about 10:00h.
Diversity; seasonality; Stachytarpheta cayennensis
