Diversity of Lepidotera associated with Cordia dodecandra in forest and mayan tradicional home gardens

This study documents the butterfly community associated with the flowers of the ciricote tree, Cordia dodecandra, in both forested areas and home gardens in the Yucatán Peninsula. This tree species is currently threatened in the wild due to its use in furniture production. However, in home gardens, it is valued for its edible fruits used in traditional sweets and its leaves, which serve as natural cleaning agents. Lepidoptera were collected using Van der Someren traps baited with a fermented mixture of pineapple, banana, and beer, prepared three days prior to deployment. The sampling was conducted during two periods, from February to March in the 2020 and from March to April in the year 2021. Traps were placed every fifteen days and remained active for three days at a time. Collected butterflies were euthanized and identified to species level. Data were analyzed to assess species richness, abundance, and diversity using the Shannon-Wiener and Simpson indexes, comparing forest and home garden environments. A total of 617 butterfly specimens were collected, representing 20 different species, all within the family Nymphalidae. The analysis revealed significant differences in butterfly diversity between forest and home garden habitats. Furthermore, all observed flower-visiting butterflies belonged to the same family, known for its prevalence in the Yucatán region. These findings contribute to the understanding of Lepidoptera biodiversity in the area and highlight the ecological importance of the ciricote tree as a resource for native pollinators in both natural and anthropogenic environments.