The butterflies fauna of subfamily Satyrinae of the Ampay massif (Peru): Diversity, endemism and conservation (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae)

The first faunal inventory of Satyrinae butterflies of the subtribes Pronophilina and Erebiina is presented for the Ampay massif (Apurímac, Peru). It comprises 19 species, a low value compared to other sampled areas of the Andes in Peru. The low local diversity is possibly due to the relative isolation of the Ampay massif, and the small area of cloud forests, main habitat of most butterflies studied, restricted to patches within a narrow 2800-3600 m altitude band. However, the ratio of endemism is high. Eight new taxa are described, six of which are endemic to Ampay. A short comparative study fauna of Ampay and the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta is presented. Similarity to the fauna of Machu Picchu is also evaluated. It is suggested to enlarge the Ampay National Sanctuary to the northern slopes of the massif in order to preserve three geographically extremely restricted endemic taxa found in that area.