Vertical stratification of insect abundance and species richness in an Amazonian tropical forest.

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.

Two new species of Medeventor Wheeler from South America (Diptera, Chloropidae, Oscinellinae).

The oscinelline genus Medeventor Wheeler, 2007 was originally proposed for a single quite aberrant species from Central America, M. nubosus Wheeler, 2007. In this paper, we present two new Brazilian species of Medeventor-M. minimus sp. n. and M. tschirnhausi sp. n. (both from the State of Mato Grosso). A key for the species of the genus is provided. Some comments are made on the diagnosis of the genus.

Prey of the Patagonian species Hilarempis sigillata Collin (Diptera, Empididae, Empidinae, Hilarini), and the first record of nocturnal activity in the tribe

ABSTRACT The Empididae fauna of Chile is basically known from a taxonomic perspective. Herein, we have added biological data based on a species of Hilarini, improving our knowledge regarding the southern temperate fauna of the family. We report for the first time the prey and nocturnal activities of the Patagonian empidid species Hilarempis sigillata Collin, 1933. Specimens were collected until two hours after sunset on a white light sheet at a river margin in the Chilean region of Los Lagos, close to the Puyehue National Park. Adults were found on the sheet with prey of the Chironomidae genera Cricotopus, Xestochironomus, Microtendipes, Podochlus, Heptagyia and Reissmesa (Diptera), as well as a species of the Coniopterygidae genus Semidalis (Neuroptera) and a species of the Limoniidae genus Erioptera (Diptera). The empidids held the prey close to their body using the mid tarsi, in most cases with the ventral side of the prey turned up or laterally.

Soldier flies (Diptera: Stratiomyidae) on semideciduous seasonal forest fragments, with a list of species for São Paulo State, Brazil, and two new records of species for the country

ABSTRACT Although the species richness of Stratiomyidae (Diptera) in Brazil (~340 species) is one of the highest for the family worldwide, we still do not know the actual number of species, the extent of their distribution, or the species seasonal dynamics for a single area in the Neotropics. The soldier fly fauna in the semideciduous seasonal forests, which cover a major area of the countryside of the state of São Paulo, is poorly known compared to the best-known areas in the Atlantic Forest for stratiomyids, such as the ombrophilous forests on the southeast coast. With the constant habitat fragmentation of the remnants of the semideciduous forests in the state for crops and pastures for cattle, we are losing valuable data about biodiversity. This study details the stratiomyids for a single area in the Neotropical Region, using a standardized collecting methodology with Malaise traps, from May 2010 to December 2011. Here, we provide a list of 41 stratiomyid species and 25 genera in eight subfamilies from a total of 1,533 specimens collected in the Reserva Biológica e Ecológica Augusto Ruschi, Sertãozinho, Brazil. The current number of species/morphospecies reported for the state of São Paulo is raised to 113, with Merosargus golbachi James, 1971 in James and McFadden, 1971 and M. tripartitus James, 1971 in James and McFadden, 1971 reported for the first time to Brazil. Our analyses estimate even higher richness in the studied area, probably between 48 to 114 species, indicating that further collection efforts are needed.

The SISBIOTA-Diptera Brazilian Network: A long-term survey of Diptera from unexplored Brazilian Western Arc of Amazon, Cerrado, and Pantanal

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.

Checklist of the dipterofauna (Insecta) from Roraima, Brazil, with special reference to the Brazilian Ecological Station of Maracá

Roraima is a Brazilian state located in the northern portion of the Amazon basin, with few studies regarding its biodiversity. The Ecological Station of Maracá (Brazil, state of Roraima) harbors the third largest Brazilian pluvial island and is composed of a transitional landscape of savanna and Amazon rainforest components. Despite its ecological importance and strategic localization, few studies covered the dipterofauna of this locality. An updated checklist addressing 41 families of true flies (Diptera) occurring in Roraima is presented based on the literature and the specimens collected during a field expedition that occurred in 2015. This checklist brings several improvements such as new records of 165 taxa to the state of Roraima, 29 taxa to Brazil, and 259 morphotypes, mostly likely representing undescribed species.(AU)

FAMILY LAUXANIIDAE.

An updated Catalogue of the Lauxaniidae of Colombia is presented. This acalyptratae family is poorly known in Colombia, with only 36 described species in 33 genera. This paper expands the distribution of 24 species to Colombia. At total, 63 species are reported here for Colombia.

FAMILY SEPSIDAE.

An updated Catalogue of the Sepsidae of Colombia is presented. This small acalyptratae family is poorly known in Colombia, with only ten reported species in four genera.

Insect (Hexapoda) diversity in the oceanic archipelago of Fernando de Noronha, Brazil: updated taxonomic checklist and new records

ABSTRACT Hexapods, commonly known as insects, are a neglected taxonomic group in the Fernando de Noronha archipelago, with unanswered questions about their species richness and the ecological processes in which they are involved (e.g., colonization, introduction, establishment, and extinction). Herein, we provide an updated Hexapod checklist with current nomenclatural combinations. The entomofauna of the Fernando de Noronha archipelago is currently composed of 453 species in 21 orders. The orders, and their respective number of species, are: Blattaria (9), Coleoptera (118), Collembola (29), Dermaptera (3), Diplura (1), Diptera (134), Embioptera (1), Hemiptera (29), Hymenoptera (59), Isoptera (2), Lepidoptera (25), Mantodea (1), Neuroptera (3), Odonata (5), Orthoptera (11), Phasmatodea (1), Phthiraptera (6), Psocoptera (3), Siphonaptera (1), Thysanoptera (10), and Zygentoma (2). The archipelago has 263 new taxon records (family + genera + species). Thirty-eight species (3.39%) were described from local specimens and most of them are likely endemic species. This study more than doubles our knowledge (from the previous 190 records) of the entomofauna in this large Brazilian archipelago. This study also provides a baseline for studies on its conservation status and for implementing future environmental management programs.

Taxonomic revision of the Neotropical Lauxaniidae genus Neopachycerina Malloch, 1933 (Diptera: Schizophora), with description of a new species

A systematic review of the Neotropical Lauxaniidae genus Neopachycerina Malloch, 1933 is presented. The genus is characterized mainly based on some features of the head, like the anterior pair of fronto-orbital setae conspicuously shorter than posterior one and rather close to them; face with a distinct elevation between antennal bases; antenna slightly elongate, first flagellomere tapered to tip and about three times as long as its basal width, arista thickened by dense black short hairs both above and below, with some longer outstanding hairs on upper side basally. Although some authors have grouped it with some other genera based on chaetotaxy of the head, it was considered closer to Parapachycerina Stuckenberg. Other authors, on the other hand, noted very important differences in the male terminalia, shape of the syntergosternite 7+8 and phallic complex, stressing a view that there are many convergent similarities in unrelated Old and New World lauxaniid genera. This shows that there is some conflicting evidence about the position of Neopachycerina within the Lauxaniidae, but a precise affiliation of Neopachycerina to any genus or group of genera still depends on a global cladistic analysis of the Lauxaniidae genera. In the present paper, Neopachycerina nigra sp. nov., from Argentina, is described and N. aristata Malloch, 1933 is redescribed, with illustrations of both species.

Taxonomic revision of the Neotropical Lauxaniidae genus Neopachycerina Malloch, 1933 (Diptera: Schizophora), with description of a new species

A systematic review of the Neotropical Lauxaniidae genus Neopachycerina Malloch, 1933 is presented. The genus is characterized mainly based on some features of the head, like the anterior pair of fronto-orbital setae conspicuously shorter than posterior one and rather close to them; face with a distinct elevation between antennal bases; antenna slightly elongate, first flagellomere tapered to tip and about three times as long as its basal width, arista thickened by dense black short hairs both above and below, with some longer outstanding hairs on upper side basally. Although some authors have grouped it with some other genera based on chaetotaxy of the head, it was considered closer to Parapachycerina Stuckenberg. Other authors, on the other hand, noted very important differences in the male terminalia, shape of the syntergosternite 7+8 and phallic complex, stressing a view that there are many convergent similarities in unrelated Old and New World lauxaniid genera. This shows that there is some conflicting evidence about the position of Neopachycerina within the Lauxaniidae, but a precise affiliation of Neopachycerina to any genus or group of genera still depends on a global cladistic analysis of the Lauxaniidae genera. In the present paper, Neopachycerina nigra sp. nov., from Argentina, is described and N. aristata Malloch, 1933 is redescribed, with illustrations of both species.(AU)

Checklist das espécies de Lauxaniidae (Insecta, Diptera) do estado do Mato Grosso do Sul

ABSTRACT Lauxaniidae is one of the largest Diptera Schizophora families, worldwide in distribution, very common in tropical areas. The family comprises about 1,550 species. Adults may be small to moderately large (2-11 mm), varied in color patterns, often with marks, spots, bands, or reticulating patterns. Larval lauxaniids are widely documented as saprophages, feeding in a diverse array of decaying plant matter, and even feeding in flower heads. Adults are fungal grazers on leaves. The Brazilian fauna of lauxaniids comprises at the moment 74 species of which 8 have been recorded from the state of Mato Grosso do Sul.

RESUMO Lauxaniidae é uma das maiores famílias de Diptera Schizophora, com distribuição mundial, muito abundante nas áreas tropicais. A família está composta por cerca de 1.550 espécies. Os adultos apresentam o corpo pequeno a relativamente grande (2-11 mm), com coloração variada, muitas vezes com marcas, manchas, listras ou padrões reticulados. As larvas são conhecidas como saprófagas, alimentando-se em uma variedade de matéria vegetal em decomposição e mesmo em capítulos de flores. Adultos são raspadores de fungos em folhas. A fauna brasileira de Lauxaniidae compreende, até o momento, 74 espécies das quais 8 possuem registro assinalado para o estado do Mato Grosso do Sul.

Checklist das espécies de Lauxaniidae (Insecta, Diptera) do estado do Mato Grosso do Sul / Checklist of the species of Lauxaniidae (Insecta, Diptera) from the state of Mato Grosso do Sul

Lauxaniidae is one of the largest Diptera Schizophora families, worldwide in distribution, very common in tropical areas. The family comprises about 1,550 species. Adults may be small to moderately large (2-11 mm), varied in color patterns, often with marks, spots, bands, or reticulating patterns. Larval lauxaniids are widely documented as saprophages, feeding in a diverse array of decaying plant matter, and even feeding in flower heads. Adults are fungal grazers on leaves. The Brazilian fauna of lauxaniids comprises at the moment 74 species of which 8 have been recorded from the state of Mato Grosso do Sul.

Lauxaniidae é uma das maiores famílias de Diptera Schizophora, com distribuição mundial, muito abundante nas áreas tropicais. A família está composta por cerca de 1.550 espécies. Os adultos apresentam o corpo pequeno a relativamente grande (2-11 mm), com coloração variada, muitas vezes com marcas, manchas, listras ou padrões reticulados. As larvas são conhecidas como saprófagas, alimentando-se em uma variedade de matéria vegetal em decomposição e mesmo em capítulos de flores. Adultos são raspadores de fungos em folhas. A fauna brasileira de Lauxaniidae compreende, até o momento, 74 espécies das quais 8 possuem registro assinalado para o estado do Mato Grosso do Sul.

Checklist das espécies de Lauxaniidae (Insecta, Diptera) do estado do Mato Grosso do Sul / Checklist of the species of Lauxaniidae (Insecta, Diptera) from the state of Mato Grosso do Sul

Lauxaniidae is one of the largest Diptera Schizophora families, worldwide in distribution, very common in tropical areas. The family comprises about 1,550 species. Adults may be small to moderately large (2-11 mm), varied in color patterns, often with marks, spots, bands, or reticulating patterns. Larval lauxaniids are widely documented as saprophages, feeding in a diverse array of decaying plant matter, and even feeding in flower heads. Adults are fungal grazers on leaves. The Brazilian fauna of lauxaniids comprises at the moment 74 species of which 8 have been recorded from the state of Mato Grosso do Sul.(AU)

Lauxaniidae é uma das maiores famílias de Diptera Schizophora, com distribuição mundial, muito abundante nas áreas tropicais. A família está composta por cerca de 1.550 espécies. Os adultos apresentam o corpo pequeno a relativamente grande (2-11 mm), com coloração variada, muitas vezes com marcas, manchas, listras ou padrões reticulados. As larvas são conhecidas como saprófagas, alimentando-se em uma variedade de matéria vegetal em decomposição e mesmo em capítulos de flores. Adultos são raspadores de fungos em folhas. A fauna brasileira de Lauxaniidae compreende, até o momento, 74 espécies das quais 8 possuem registro assinalado para o estado do Mato Grosso do Sul.(AU)

Redescription and first record in South America of Neogriphoneura timida Curran (Diptera, Lauxaniidae)

ABSTRACT The genus Neogriphoneura Malloch, 1924 is currently composed of 11 species with New World distribution. Neogriphoneura timida Curran, 1942 is recorded for the first time in South America, with occurrences in Brazil, Colombia and Trinidad and Tobago; and new Central American records are presented: Belize, Honduras and Mexico. Here we redescribe the species and present, for the first time, illustrations of the male terminalia and female spermathecae, and discuss the main diagnostic characteristics of external morphology. A brief discussion about the postcopulatory sexual selection in this species is proposed based on morphology of the spermathecae.

Four new Neotropical species of Trigonometopus Macquart, 1835 (Diptera, Lauxaniidae)

The genus Trigonometopus Macquart (1835) currently includes 13 species, found in most biogeographic regions, being absent from the Afrotropical and Australian Regions. The genus included six known Neotropical species and four new species are herein added to the genus: T. assisensis sp. nov., T. boraceiensis sp. nov., T. lourdesae sp. nov., and T. mariae sp. nov., the first two from the State of São Paulo, the other two respectively from the states of Mato Grosso do Sul and Santa Catarina. A key for the exclusively Neotropical species of the genus is provided.

O gênero Trigonometopus Macquart (1835) atualmente inclui 13 espécies e é encontrado em quase todas as regiões biogeográficas, estando ausente nas Regiões Afrotropical e Australiana. Na Região Neotropical, está composto por seis espécies. Neste trabalho, são descritas quatro novas espécies de Trigonometopus da região Neotropical: T. assisensis sp. nov., T. boraceiensis sp. nov., T. lourdesae sp. nov.; e T. mariae sp. nov., as duas primeiras do Estado de São Paulo e as outras duas respectivamente dos Estados do Mato Grosso do Sul e de Santa Catarina. Uma chave para as espécies exclusivamente neotropicais do gênero é fornecida.

Four new Neotropical species of Trigonometopus Macquart, 1835 (Diptera, Lauxaniidae)

The genus Trigonometopus Macquart (1835) currently includes 13 species, found in most biogeographic regions, being absent from the Afrotropical and Australian Regions. The genus included six known Neotropical species and four new species are herein added to the genus: T. assisensis sp. nov., T. boraceiensis sp. nov., T. lourdesae sp. nov., and T. mariae sp. nov., the first two from the State of São Paulo, the other two respectively from the states of Mato Grosso do Sul and Santa Catarina. A key for the exclusively Neotropical species of the genus is provided.(AU)

O gênero Trigonometopus Macquart (1835) atualmente inclui 13 espécies e é encontrado em quase todas as regiões biogeográficas, estando ausente nas Regiões Afrotropical e Australiana. Na Região Neotropical, está composto por seis espécies. Neste trabalho, são descritas quatro novas espécies de Trigonometopus da região Neotropical: T. assisensis sp. nov., T. boraceiensis sp. nov., T. lourdesae sp. nov.; e T. mariae sp. nov., as duas primeiras do Estado de São Paulo e as outras duas respectivamente dos Estados do Mato Grosso do Sul e de Santa Catarina. Uma chave para as espécies exclusivamente neotropicais do gênero é fornecida.(AU)