Total environment sentinels: Dragonflies as ambivalent/amphibiotic bioindicators of damage to soil and freshwater.

Discerning the impact of anthropogenic impacts requires the implementation of bioindicators that quantify the susceptibilities and vulnerabilities of natural terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems to perturbation and transformation. Although legal regulations in Brazil recognize the value of bioindicators in monitoring water quality, the depreciation of soil conditions has yet to receive adequate attention. Thus, our study aimed to evaluate the potential of odonates (dragonflies and damselflies) as amphibiotic bioindicators to reflect the correlation between the degradation of aquatic and terrestrial habitats in pasture-dominated landscapes. We assessed the relationship between the biotic indices of Odonata and the conservation status of preserved riparian landscapes adjacent to anthropogenically altered pastures in 40 streams in the Brazilian savannah. Our results support the hypothesis that Odonata species composition may be a surrogate indicator for soil and water integrity, making them promising sentinels for detecting environmental degradation and guiding conservation strategies in human-altered landscapes. Importantly, while the Zygoptera/Anisoptera species ratio is a useful bioindicator tool in Brazilian forest, it is less effective in the open savannah here, and so an alternative index is required. Importantly, while the Zygoptera/Anisoptera species ratio is a useful bioindicator tool in Brazilian forest, it is less effective in the open savannah here, and so an alternative index is required. On the other hand, our results showed the Dragonfly Biotic Index to be a suitable tool for assessing freshwater habitats in Brazilian savannah. We also identified certain bioindicator species at both ends of the environment intactness spectrum.

New Species of Entypus (Hymenoptera: Pompilidae) and notes on the natural history of some Atlantic Forest spider wasps.

We describe the new species Entypus renata, sp. nov., from the Brazilian Atlantic Forest and report on its host. We also provide the first host records for Ageniella (Priophanes) erythroptera (Banks), Entypus bituberculatus (Gurin-Meville) and an undetermined species of Poecilopompilus Ashmead. In addition, we report behavioral aspects for these species, including a new ethological sequence for Poecilopompilus.

Revision of the Traumatomutilla americana species group (Hymenoptera: Mutillidae).

Traumatomutilla is a diverse genus of Neotropical velvet ants (Mutillidae). Here we revise the T. americana species group, recognizing three species. Mutilla dubia Fabricius, 1804, M. simulans Smith, 1855, M. albata Smith, 1879, and M. obsoleta (Klug, 1821) are proposed as junior synonyms of Traumatomutilla americana (Linnaeus, 1758). Traumatomutilla maula Casal, 1969, Ephuta punctosignata André, 1906, Mutilla latevittata Cresson, 1902, and M. oculifera Smith, 1855 are proposed as junior synonyms of Traumatomutilla quadrum (Klug, 1821). Mutilla acara Cresson, 1902, M. polita Smith, 1855, M. gemina Gerstaecker, 1874, M. trinacria Gerstaecker, 1874, M. lasiogastra Burmeister, 1875, and M. cuyana Burmeister, 1875 are proposed as junior synonyms of Traumatomutilla ocellaris (Klug, 1821). Traumatomutilla bellifera (Gerstaecker, 1874) is transferred to the T. trochanterata species-group; T. lunigera (Gerstaecker, 1874) and T. compar (André, 1898) are transferred to the T. inermis species-group. Both sexes are redescribed for all species. Notes on the biology and host association for T. ocellaris are provided. Finally, identification keys to the species and color forms of the T. americana group are provided.

Male description of Horcomutilla projectifrons (Cresson, 1902) Hymenoptera, Mutillidae) and the first host record for the genus.

Velvet ants (Mutillidae) are solitary wasps whose larvae act as ectoparasitoids of encapsulated immatures of other insects, especially other solitary Hymenoptera (Luz et al. 2016). The natural history of most mutillids is unknown; for example, only 2-3% of the species have their hosts reported (Brothers 1989). Apidae species, however, are among the hymenopterans most commonly parasitized by velvet ants, with over 30 recorded cases in literature involving different genera of both host and parasite (Luz et al. 2016).

Description of the male of Darditilla araxa (Cresson, 1902) (Hymenoptera, Mutillidae) with geographical distribution, biological notes and key to males of Brazil.

The previously unknown male of Darditilla araxa is here described based on association with females in copula. We also present a map with its geographical distribution, additional biological notes and a key for known Brazilian males of Darditilla.

First host record of Epipompilus (Hymenoptera: Pompilidae) from Brazil and discussion of prey carriage mechanism

ABSTRACT We register for first time the occurrence of Epipompilus tucumanus Evans, 1967 in Brazil, and record the spider Ariadna boliviana Simon, 1907 as its host. The observations were made in the National Park of Chapada dos Guimarães, Mato Grosso, Brazil. The prey carriage mechanism is described for first time for this genus, and we provide a video showing this behavior.