SPATIAL INTERACTIONS IN NOVEL HOST-PLANTS OF THE BLUE MORPHO IN MEXICO

Background. Plants in the neotropical region provide different ecological services and sustain entomofauna biodiversity. The butterfly, Morpho helenor montezuma, has high economic value worldwide, derived from recreational activities. To enhance its sustainable use, it is important to know the spatial relationship of this species with its host-plants. Objective. To estimate the potential geographical areas in Mexico of three host-plants: Bauhinia divaricata, Andira inermis and Pterocarpus rohrii and their spatial relationship with M. helenor montezuma. Methodology. Distribution models of the species were generated using MaxEnt, employing predictive variables based on temperature and precipitation, and records of presence data. Subsequently, a joint analysis of layers was performed to determine the overlap in the distributions. Results. The models were appropriate as the area under the curve ranged from 0.86 to 0.96. The broadest potential host-plant distribution was for B. divaricata (30%), followed by A. inermis (21%) and P. rohrii with 7% of the country. In general, the joint distribution of the plant species is neotropical, and can be found in Veracruz, Tabasco, Chiapas and Oaxaca. Implications. The knowledge of the distributions of the plants allows their prioritization for conservation management and entomotourism. Conclusion. The joint distribution of B. divaricata against that of M. helenor montezuma had the greatest overlap (61%), with regard to the type of climate the highest concordance was found with P. rohrii. Pertinence to entomotourism and conservation planning is discussed.