Morphological grouping of Mexican butterfliesin relation to habitat association

Current rates of destruction of natural ecosystems call for rapid and efficient ways of assessing the successional state or degree of perturbation, and of monitoring management efforts. In this paper we propose that butterfly species, grouped by morphological and ethological traits, can be used for these purposes. The groups, each composed of species from many taxa, appear to be strongly correlated with types of habitat. We re-define the groups originally distinguished by de la Maza and de la Maza (1988), and, using data from Quintana Roo and Morelos states in Mexico, show a statistical association between certain coloration groups and types of habitat. The existence of such consistent, non-taxonomic groupings is of theoretical interest and may also be used to monitor habitats or to predict the effects of disturbance.