author(s)
Mirella Baldacconi Gondeck, Renato Rogner Ramos, Ednaldo Ferreira da Silva Filho and Ronaldo Bastos Francini

abstract
The Acraeini and Heliconiini butterflies are widespread through the Atlantic Forest, an endangered environment considered as a hotspot for its biodiversity and high levels of endemism. Using the antagonistic life strategies of these two butterfly tribes, this study used a protocol to monitor, from winter 2016 to autumn 2017, the structure of the Heliconiinae assemblage, as well as their dynamics throughout space, in response to some abiotic and biotic factors, along a dirt road in the Atlantic Forest in the Quilombo River valley, in the continental area of the municipality of Santos, São Paulo. Climate of this area is type Af with average annual rainfall of 2550 mm and average annual temperature of 22.0°C. Original vegetation is Submontane Ombrophilous Forest currently occupied by anthropogenic ruderal vegetation. Samplings encompassed all seasons and 17 species of 26 potentially present were recorded. Heliconiini and Acraeini larval food plants, all Passifloraceae and Asteraceae, respectively were recorded. The most important flowering plant was Bidens alba, present in all seasons and used by all species. Assemblage richness was correlated with mean solar radiation of road segments. The total frequency of Heliconius species could be used to indicate a gradient of anthropogenic landscape modification. The presence of Heliconius numata robigus could be used as an indicator of less impacted environments and frequency of other species in this community, such as H. sara apseudes, H. erato phyllis, H. ethila narcaea and A. pellenea pellenea, could be used as an indicator of a gradient of anthropogenic impact.