ABSTRACT
ABSTRACT The SISBIOTA-BRASIL was a three-year multimillion-dollar research program of the Brazilian government to document plants and animals in endangered/understudied areas and biomes in Brazil. Distributional patterns and the historical events that generated them are extensively unknown regarding Brazilian fauna and flora. This deficiency hinders the development of conservation policies and the understanding of evolutionary processes. Conservation decisions depend on precise knowledge of the taxonomy and geographic distribution of species. Given such a premise, we proposed to research the diversity of Diptera of the Brazilian western arc of Amazon, Cerrado, and Pantanal in the states of Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul, and Rondônia. Three important biomes of the South American continent characterize these Brazilian states: Amazon forest, Cerrado (Brazilian Savannah), and Pantanal. Besides their ecological relevance, these biomes historically lack intensive entomological surveys. Therefore, they are much underrepresented in the Brazilian natural history collections and in the scientific literature, which is further aggravated by the fact that these areas are being exponentially and rapidly converted to commercial lands. Our project involved over 90 collaborators from 24 different Brazilian institutions and one from Colombia among researchers, postdocs, graduate and undergraduate students, and technicians. We processed and analyzed nearly 300,000 specimens from ~60 families of Diptera collected with a large variety of methods in the sampled areas. Here, we provide a detailed overview of the genera and species diversity of 41 families treated. Our results point to a total of 2,130 species and 514 genera compiled and identified for the three states altogether, with an increase of 41% and 29% in the numbers of species and genera known for the three states combined, respectively. Overall, the 10 most species-rich families were Tachinidae, Cecidomyiidae, Tabanidae, Psychodidae, Sarcophagidae, Stratiomyidae, Bombyliidae, Syrphidae, Tephritidae, and Asilidae. The 10 most diverse in the number of genera were Tachinidae, Stratiomyidae, Asilidae, Mycetophilidae, Syrphidae, Tabanidae, Muscidae, Dolichopodidae, Sarcophagidae, and Chloropidae. So far, 111 scientific papers were published regarding taxonomic, phylogenetic, and biogeographical aspects of the studied families, with the description of 101 new species and three new genera. We expect that additional publications will result from this investigation because several specimens are now curated and being researched by specialists.
ABSTRACT
Tropical forests are among the most biodiverse biomes on the planet. Nevertheless, quantifying the abundance and species richness within megadiverse groups is a significant challenge. We designed a study to address this challenge by documenting the variability of the insect fauna across a vertical canopy gradient in a Central Amazonian tropical forest. Insects were sampled over two weeks using 6-m Gressitt-style Malaise traps set at five heights (0 m-32 m-8 m intervals) on a metal tower in a tropical forest north of Manaus, Brazil. The traps contained 37,778 specimens of 18 orders of insects. Using simulation approaches and nonparametric analyses, we interpreted the abundance and richness of insects along this gradient. Diptera, Hymenoptera, and Coleoptera had their greatest abundance at the ground level, whereas Lepidoptera and Hemiptera were more abundant in the upper levels of the canopy. We identified species of 38 of the 56 families of Diptera, finding that 527 out of 856 species (61.6%) were not sampled at the ground level. Mycetophilidae, Tipulidae, and Phoridae were significantly more diverse and/or abundant at the ground level, while Tachinidae, Dolichopodidae, and Lauxaniidae were more diverse or abundant at upper levels. Our study suggests the need for a careful discussion of strategies of tropical forest conservation based on a much more complete understanding of the three-dimensional distribution of its insect diversity.
Subject(s)
Ecosystem , Insecta/classification , Rainforest , Animals , Biodiversity , Brazil , Conservation of Natural Resources , Tropical ClimateABSTRACT
Objetivou-se investigar a comunidade de Syrphidae, do Cinturão Verde de Santa Cruz do Sul, RS, Brasil, permitindo a obtenção de informações acerca da composição e estrutura desta comunidade, suas preferências florais e interações entre as espécies na utilização de recursos alimentares. Realizaram-se coletas com rede entomológica, entre setembro/2001 a janeiro/2005. Foram capturados 1.283 espécimes de Syrphidae, representados por 88 espécies, distribuídos em 21 gêneros. Eristalinae apresentou o maior número de espécies coletadas, seguida por Syrphinae e Microdontinae. O gênero Palpada Macquart e a espécie P. urotaenia (Curran) foram os mais abundantes. As coletas alcançaram cerca de 80 por cento do que se estima para a área de estudo. Coletaram-se 1.187 sirfídeos (74 espécies) visitantes de 51 espécies de plantas, de 23 famílias, onde Apiaceae e Asteraceae apresentaram o maior número de visitantes. O grau de especialização alimentar variou de acordo com os tipos de flores visitadas. A facilidade do acesso aos recursos florais e a coloração clara das flores são os principais responsáveis pela atração dos sirfídeos em Apiaceae, Asteraceae, Lauraceae, Malvaceae, Meliaceae, Oleaceae, Poaceae e Solanaceae. A diversidade da comunidade de Syrphidae é regulada por interações locais entre as espécies, principalmente entre as condições ambientais e disponibilidade de recursos alimentares.
The aim of this study was to investigate the Syrphidae community in the area of the Green Belt of Santa Cruz do Sul, RS, Brazil, as well as to obtain information on the structure and composition of this community, its floral preferences and the interactions between the species in the food resource utilization. The specimens were collected with entomological net, from September/2001 to January/2005. A total of 1.283 syrphid specimens were collected, totaling 88 species distributed in 21 genera. Eristalinae presented the highest number of collected species, followed by Syrphinae and Microdontinae. The genus Palpada Macquart, 1834 and the species P. urotaenia (Curran) were the most abundant. 1.187 syrphids (74 species) were flower visitors of 51 plant species from 23 families, of which Apiaceae and Asteraceae presented the highest number of visitors. The feeding specialization degree varied according to the visited blooming types. The relative easy access to the floral resources with lighter coloration were the main factors regarding the syrphid attraction in the families Apiaceae, Asteraceae, Lauraceae, Malvaceae, Meliaceae, Oleaceae, Poaceae and Solanaceae. The diversity of the syrphid community is regulated by local interactions between the species, mainly between the environmental conditions and the food resources offering.
Subject(s)
Animals , Asteraceae/parasitology , Diptera/physiology , Flowers , Brazil , Host-Parasite InteractionsABSTRACT
Apesar da riqueza e abundância de Syrphidae na Região Neotropical, a literatura sobre a família nessa Região é relativamente escassa. A identificação de espécimes pertencentes a Syrphidae e, em especial, à subfamília Syrphinae, torna-se muitas vezes difícil pelo fato desse grupo possuir grande variação morfológica entre as espécies de um mesmo gênero. Com o propósito de auxiliar a identificação do grupo é apresentada uma chave ilustrada para as subfamílias Eristalinae, Microdontinae e Syrphinae e para os gêneros de Syrphinae com ocorrência nos estados do Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina e Paraná, região Sul do Brasil. Espécies de onze gêneros têm sido registradas para a região: Allograpta Osten Sacken, Argentinomyia Lynch Arribálzaga, Leucopodella Hull, Notosyrphus Vockeroth, Ocyptamus Macquart, Platycheirus Lepeletier & Serville, Pseudodoros Becker, Salpingogaster Schiner, Syrphus Fabricius, Toxomerus Macquart e Xanthandrus Verral.
Despite of the richness and abundance of the Syrphidae in the Neotropical Region, the bibliography about the family for this area is relatively scarce. Identification of specimens belonging to this family and, more specifically for those of the subfamily Syrphinae, becomes difficult because of the great variation between the species of a single genus. With the purpose in assisting specialists and non-specialists in identifying the genera of Syrphidae a pictorial key for the subfamilies Eristalinae, Microdontinae and Syrphinae and for the Syrphinae genera occurring in the states of Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina and Paraná, Southern Brazil was prepared. Species of eleven genera have been recorded for the region: Allograpta Osten Sacken, Argentinomyia Lynch Arribálzaga, Leucopodella Hull, Notosyrphus Vockeroth, Ocyptamus Macquart, Platycheirus Lepeletier & Serville, Pseudodoros Becker, Salpingogaster Schiner, Syrphus Fabricius, Toxomerus Macquart and Xanthandrus Verral.
