Anderson Puker

Occurrence, biology and behavior of Liogenys fuscus Blanchard (Insecta, Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae) in Aquidauana, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil

Due to the importance of some Pleurosticti Scarabaeidae as agricultural pests allied to information absence on the species that occur in Brazilian Central-West region, on studies occurrence, biology and behavior on this group of scarabs were conducted. Biology and behavioral studies started with Liogenys fuscus Blanchard, 1850 (Melolonthinae), a very common species and were developed in Aquidauana, Mato Grosso do Sul. Adult beetles were collected from light traps from February 2005 to January 2007, at the experimental farm of the Universidade Estadual de Mato Grosso do Sul in Aquidauana (UEMS). In the laboratory adults were placed in plastic containers with soil with sprouts of Brachiaria decumbens Stapf (Poaceae). Eggs were transferred to a climatized chamber at 26 ± 1o C with a 12hourlight, 12hour darkness photoperiod cycle. Adult flight activity occurred in August and in September to December from 06:00 pm to 06:00 am, with the largest number of individuals flying from 07:00 to 10:00 pm. Eggs measured 1 x 1.5 mm and were laid individually or in groups in soil chambers; eggs were initially white and became yellow near hatching. The embryonic period lasted 14.3 days; first, second and third instars lasted 28.5, 48.8, and 68.2 days, respectively. The prepupal period lasted 120.2 days and the prepupa stayed inactive in soil. The mean duration of pupal stage was 27.5 days and the mean longevity of adults was 23.6 days. In laboratory the calling behavior between males and females was observed; copulation lasted, in mean, 25 minutes.

Aspectos biológicos de Leucothyreus dorsalis Blanchard (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae, Rutelinae)

No Brasil existe uma escassez de informacoes sobre a bioecologia da maioria das especies de Scarabaeidae. O objetivo do presente trabalho foi estudar os aspectos biologicos de Leucothyreus dorsalis Blanchard, 1850 em laboratorio e a campo. A dinâmica populacional dos adultos foi avaliada de janeiro de 2006 a dezembro de 2007, com uso de armadilha luminosa. Adultos coletados em campo foram mantidos em recipientes de plastico contendo solo e mudas de Brachiaria decumbens Stapf, para obtencao de ovos e dar inicio aos estudos. Todos os estagios de desenvolvimento foram acompanhados e adultos e imaturos foram mensurados para obtencao de dados biometricos. Foram coletados 3.607 adultos e os picos populacionais de coleta ocorreram em novembro de 2006 e outubro de 2007, com media de 145 e 241 individuos coletados, respectivamente. O periodo embrionario durou em media 15,5 dias, o primeiro instar 32,4 dias, o segundo 38,9 dias, o terceiro 52,7 dias, a fase de pre-pupa 130,7 dias, a fase pupal 23,5 dias e a longevidade 18 dias. O ciclo biologico completou-se em 273,5 dias, o que caracteriza a especie como univoltina. Verificou-se que do primeiro ao terceiro instar houve um aumento de 4,5 vezes no comprimento e de 3,5 vezes na largura das larvas. Observou-se um aumento de 53,1 vezes no peso larval do primeiro para o terceiro instar. As pupas das femeas foram significativamente maiores e mais pesadas que a dos machos. As femeas adultas foram maiores que os adultos machos, porem, apresentaram peso semelhante.

Ocorrência e aspectos biológicos de Anomala testaceipennis Blanchard (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae)

Beethes of the Scarabaeidae family are important pests in areas of cultivations and pastures, mainly due the action of larvae, which damage the radicular system. The information about this group of pests are rare, thus, this work had as a purpose to study the occurrence and the biologic cycle of Anomala testaceipennis Blanchard, 1856. From November 2005 to November 2006 it was carried out daily collections with a lighting trap, and in laboratories the adult ones were kept in plastic containers, containing soil and seedlings of Brachiaria decumbens, to the biology study. It was collected an amount of 263 adults of A. testaceipennis, in almost all the months of the year, not being registered in March and June. Concerning the biology it was verified that embrionary period took in the average 13.2 days, the 1o instar 26.7 days, the 2o instar 19.4 days, the 3o instar 58.2 days, the pre-pupa phase 50.2 days and the pupa phase 13.6 days. The longevity of the adults was similar to males and females, and it took in the average 14.1 days. In the laboratory the females laid 7.3 eggs in the average. The cycle from the egg to adult took 139.4 days in the average.

Abundance and diversity of coprophagous beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) caught with a light trap in a pasture area of the Brazilian Cerrado

Coprophagous beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) play an important ecological role in grazing agroecosystems, especially for the removal and bury of herbivore feces. In this study we identified coprophagous Scarabaeidae species found in an area of Brachiaria brizantha (Poaceae) pasture in the Brazilian Cerrado, analyzing community structure with environmental variables in the area. The insects were captured with a light trap from November 2007 to October 2008 every 15 days, totaling 24 hours of sampling/month. A total of 2541 individuals were collected and from two subfamilies (Aphodiinae and Scarabaeinae), 17 genera and 33 species. The numbers of individuals and species captured were positively correlated with monthly precipitation. Os besouros coprófagos (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) desempenham importante papel ecológico em agroecossistemas de pastagens, com ênfase na remoção e enterrio das fezes de herbívoros. Nesse estudo nós identificamos as espécies de Scarabaeidae coprófagos que ocorrem em área de pastagem de Brachiaria brizantha (Poaceae) no Cerrado brasileiro, analisando a estrutura da comunidade com as variáveis ambientais da área. Os insetos foram capturados com uma armadilha luminosa a cada quinze dias de novembro de 2007 a outubro de 2008, totalizando 24 horas de amostragem/mês. Um total de 2.541 indivíduos foram capturados e estão distribuídos em duas subfamílias (Aphodiinae e Scarabaeinae), 17 gêneros e 33 espécies. O número de indivíduos e de espécies capturadas foram positivamente correlacionados com a precipitação mensal.

New Records of Termite Hosts for Two Species of Hoplopyga, with Notes on the Life Cycle of Hoplopyga brasiliensis (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Cetoniinae)

ABSTRACT We provide the first report of larvae of Hoplopyga brasiliensis (Gory and Percheron) and H. singuhris (Gory and Percheron) (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Cetoniinae) in nests of Cornitermes cumulans (Kollar) (Isoptera: Termitidae: Syntermitinae) and Dwersitermes diversimiles (Silvestri) (Isoptera: Termitidae: Nasutitermitinae), respectively. We also provide new information on the life cycle of H. brasiliensis and the feeding behavior of adults of H. singularis. In total, 44 larvae of H. brasiliensis were found in a single nest of C. cumulans in apastureland in Coimbra, state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. Larvae of H. singularis were found under nests of D. diversimites at two urban parks in the state of Parana, Brazil. ≈15 larvae of H. singulis in different stages of development and some opened pupal cells were found in some nests of D. diversimiles. We increase the number of known termitophilous Hoplopyga species to three and discuss such relationships in light of published data and new information provided here.

Diversidade de besouros coprófagos (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae) coletados com armadilha de interceptação de voo no Pantanal Sul-Mato-Grossense, Brasil

Coprophagous scarab beetles play an important ecological role in the ecosystems; however, studies on diversity of such insects are scarce for distinct biomes. The present study aimed to identify the Scarabaeidae coprophagous species which occur in the Pantanal of Mato Grosso do Sul. This study was carried out at the Nhumirim ranch (Embrapa Pantanal), located in the Nhecolândia sub-region of the Pantanal, from June 1992 to May 1993. For insect sampling, two window flight traps (1 × 1 m) were set up monthly during two to four consecutive days. The traps were placed in an open native grassland area (native pasture) and in a cerradao (dense savanna) area, remaining active from 19:00 PM to 07:00 AM, when caught insects were removed and fixed in 70% alcohol solution. It was collected 19587 individuals of Scarabaeidae, belonging to two subfamilies (Aphodiinae and Scarabaeinae), 11 genera, and 21 species. Coprophagoues scarab species found in the Southern Pantanal belonged to the genera Ataenius, Aphodius, Ateuchus, Canthidium, Dichotomius, Labarrus, Nialaphodius, Ontherus, Trichillum, Trichiopsammobius and Uroxys. Among the Aphodiinae, Ataenius sp.2 (96.17%) was the most abundant specie. On the other hand, Canthidium sp.1 (0.39%), Dichotomius sp. (0.28%), and D. bos (Blanchard, 1843) (0.16%) showed the highest abundance among the Scarabaeinae. Regarding their reproductive nesting behavior, 42.86% of the species were paracoprids (tunnelers) while 57.14% were endocoprids (dwellers).

Espécies de Scarabaeidae fitófagos (Insecta: Coleoptera) associadas ao sistema radicular de Acrocomia aculeata (Jacq.) Lodd. ex Mart. (Arecaceae)

A palmeira Acrocomia aculeata (bocaiuva) representa uma importante fonte de renda para pequenos agricultores que a exploram em sua maioria, na forma de extrativismo, e alem da importância socioeconomica e abrigo e recurso alimentar para um grande grupo de animais. Entretanto, poucos sao os estudos sobre a artropodofauna associada a esta planta, assim, o presente trabalho teve por objetivo conhecer as especies e os aspectos biologicos dos coleopteros fitofagos da familia Scarabaeidae que estao associados com o sistema radicular desta palmeira. A coleta dos Scarabaeidae foi realizada quinzenalmente, de abril a outubro de 2007, atraves de escavacoes realizadas na base das plantas, e os especimes encontrados eram quantificados e conduzidos ao laboratorio de entomologia para estudo dos aspectos biologicos. Foram coletados 150 especimes de Scarabaeidae, dos quais 138 (92,0%) eram larvas, duas (1,3%) eram pupas e 10 (6,7%) adultos. As larvas foram encontradas em maiores quantidades nos meses de abril e maio, onde registrou-se respectivamente 4,88 e 5,38 larvas por planta. A maior quantidade de larvas foi encontrada em maio, onde registrou-se a media de 5,38 larvas por planta. As pupas foram coletadas em julho e agosto, e os adultos de agosto a outubro. Os escarabeideos fitofagos encontrados associados ao sistema radicular de A. aculeata estao distribuidos em tres subfamilias, cinco generos e sete especies. As especies encontradas foram, Astaena sp., Cyclocephala verticalis Burmeister, Leucothyreus dorsalis Blanchard, Leucothyreus sp., Liogenys fuscus Blanchard, Phyllophaga sp.1 e Phyllophaga sp.2. Os especimes de Leucothyreus sp. representaram 30,8% do total de insetos obtidos.

Biodiversity of Cetoniinae beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) in introduced and native habitats in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest

The ecology of the beetles of the subfamily Cetoniinae (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) is relatively poorly known worldwide. In the neotropics in particular, there are far less studies than in other biogeographic regions. In part due to this lack of knowledge, cetoniines are not considered indicators of habitat quality in the Neotropical region. In this study, we compare the abundance, diversity, and species composition of cetoniines in three different habitats in Brazil: two exotic (Brachiaria pasturelands and eucalyptus plantation) and one native (Brazilian Atlantic Forest). We also provide diagnostic images of both sexes and of the genitalia of males of all species to facilitate species identification in further studies. The beetles were collected weekly from September to December 2012 with traps baited with fermented fruit, in five eucalyptus plantations (Eucalyptus grandis Hill ex Maiden), five exotic pasturelands (Brachiaria spp.), and five patches of Brazilian Atlantic Forest. The abundance and diversity of cetoniines was found to be lower in the eucalyptus plantations and about the same in the forest and pasturelands. The low diversity found and the little information available on the ecology of Neotropical Cetoniinae is insufficient to propose these beetles as candidates for the habitat evaluation in Brazil.

Cetoniinae (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) Attracted to Fruit-Baited Traps Near Aquidauana, Mato Grosso Do Sul, Brazil

Approximately 4,000 species are reported in the subfamily Cetoniinae (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae), which possess high levels of endemism within the various biogeographic regions. In the Neotropical region, 44 genera are distributed among four tribes (Cetoniini, Cremastocheilini, Goliathini, and Gymnetini) (Krikken 1984). In Brazil, 47 species in 15 genera have been reported in the tribes Cetoniini and Gymnetini, as well as various subspecies (Krajcik 1998; Morón 2004). Larvae of Cetoniinae are found feeding on various substrates in the various habitats in which they live, such as soil organic matter, feces, rotting wood, termite nests, and ant nests. cetoniine adults feed on the exudates of plants, flowers or ripe fruits, nectar or pollen, or even crops without causing considerable economic damage. In Brazil, there have been few studies on Cetoniinae, including those describing the immature stages (Vanin and Costa 1984; Costa et al. 1988; Micó et al. 2000, 2001), review and description of adults (Ratcliffe and Deloya 1992; Ratcliffe and Micó 2001; Ratcliffe 2011, 2005), and species diversity (Gonçalves and Louzada 2005; Puker et al. 2012). The occurrence of cetoniine species in the midwestern region of

Deltochilini and Phanaeini dung beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae) in introduced and native ecosystems of Brazil

The dung beetle tribes Deltochilini and Phanaeini (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae) play an important ecological role in the habitats in which they live. Despite much field work on these beetles in the Neotropical region, biological information on many taxa is still unknown. Here we provide information on species of Deltochilini and Phanaeini including temporal distribution of adults, sex ratio (Male : Female) and measurements of the individuals as well as on ecology and general biology of all species sampled in introduced (pasturelands of Brachiaria spp.) and native (patch of the Brazilian savanna) ecosystems of Brazil. Furthermore, our findings may help to understand the complexity of the effects of mixed ecosystems on the biodiversity of dung beetles.