| Biogeography and ecology of southern Portuguese butterflies and burnets (Lepidoptera) During several visits to the western part of the Algarve (southern Portugal), the author mapped the butterflies and burnets of this region. In total, I observed 58 butterfly species (51 Papilionoidea, 7 Hesperiidae) and 6 Zygaenidae during my observations in spring and summer. More than 80% of the species are Palaearctic faunal elements, three species are considered Holarctic, three are Nearctic and four are Palaeotropic. Around 75% of the Palaearctic species are Mediterranean faunal elements. Within the Palaearctic group, the 23 species belonging uniquely to the Atlanto- Mediterranean faunal type are by far the largest group. Siberian elements are lacking. Thus, the... |
