Rodrigo Aranda

Spatial–temporal distribution of the Hymenoptera in the Brazilian Savanna and the effects of habitat heterogeneity on these patterns

AbstractThe Brazilian Savanna is considered a global hotspot and habitat loss has posed a serious threat to insect fauna, including Hymenoptera parasitoids. We tested the effect of fragment size, seasonal abundance, and vegetation structure, on Hymenopteran community composition. This is the first study that describes the Hymenoptera community at the morphospecies level for the Brazilian Savanna. No relationship between community structure and fragment size was found. Instead, variation in individual abundance was higher with low rainfall and temperature. It was possible to identify two groups, with different compositions. One group was influenced by leaf-litter and the shrub layer, whilst the other had an affinity with vertical variables and the arboreal stratum. In the Brazilian Savanna, the Hymenopteran fauna is not well known and the effect of fragmentation and habitat structure are important factors for the structure and composition of the Hymenopteran community. Savanna, with its high biodiversity, confirms this biogeographical region as a hotspot for Hymenoptera. We can conclude from the results of this study that seasonality, spatial arrangement, and variations in the structural complexity of fragments affects the composition and distribution of Hymenoptera in the Brazilian Savanna biome.

First report of Exomalopsis fulvofasciata (Hymenoptera: Anthophoridae) as host of two Timulla species (Hymenoptera: Mutillidae)

Two species of Timulla Ashmead that parasitize nests of Exomalopsis fulvofasciata (Hymenoptera: Apidae) in riparian vegetation in the Miranda Pantanal, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil were recorded. Also, the behavior of Timulla species, and first report of T. intermissa in the Brazilian Pantanal was reported.

Potential geographic distribution niche modeling based on bioclimatic variables of three species of Temnomastax Rehn and Rehn, 1942 (Orthoptera: Eumastacidae)

ABSTRACT Predictive modeling of geographic distribution based on ecological niche has become an important tool in ecology. It uses previous information about distribution of species and environmental variations associated with this distribution, restricting to the models the closest prediction of the ecological niche. The eumastacid grasshoppers are distributed mainly in the Neotropical region, and Temnomastacinae is the subfamily with the largest geographic distribution. Little is known about the biology of Eumastacidae, the only data available reporting the association between some grasshopper species and plants of several families. In the Cerrado only Temnomastax is recorded, which has a wide distribution in the central region of Brazil. The aim of this work was to determine the potential geographic distribution of three species of Temnomastax occurring in the Cerrado biome. We used 446 records of occurrence obtained in specialised literature, inventories, museums and photographs, from the following species: Temnomastax hamus, Temnomastax ricardoi and Temnomastax tigris. The niche modeling was generated with the bioclimatic model DOMAIN through DIVA-GIS. The potential geographic distribution of T. hamus is the largest among all Temnomastax species. Temnomastax ricardoi has its potential distribution in the central-north of Mato Grosso do Sul, in regions surrounding the type locality, while T. tigris. exhibits a restricted potential distribution along the carbonate arc of the Corumbá Formation, which outcrops in the region of Serra da Bodoquena and Corumbá, entering the eastern portion of Bolivia.

Preliminary Study of Species-Area, Isolation and Impact of Environmental Heterogeneity on Insect Communities in Natural Patches in The Brazilian Pantanal

ABSTRACT: The Pantanal is the largest floodplain in the word with more than 140,000 km2, and the annual cycles of flood and drought are the most important factors that determine ecological interactions and patterns of diversity. Usually, capões are elongated or rounded arboreal patches of herbaceous vegetation found in flooded fields. This study aimed to determine the effect of size, distance, and heterogeneity of capões on selected components of insect communities in Brazilian Pantanal, testing the hypotheses that (I) larger capões show greater ecological metrics, (II) the closer one is more similar in insect composition, and (III) heterogeneity affects the composition of the insect community. We used Malaise traps to capture insects. There was a positive relationship between richness and abundance and capão size and this influenced insect community composition. The distance between capões also affected insect community composition. The variation in heterogeneity of capões influenced community composition at the family level, and these characteristics are important in determining the components of community.

First records and distribution extensions of ericrocidine and epeoline bees (Apidae, Apinae and Nomadinae) in the Brazilian Pantanal

In the last check list of bee species for Mato Grosso do Sul state, neither Ctenioschelus goryi (Romand, 1840) nor Mesocheira bicolor (Fabricius, 1804) were recorded from this state. Hopliphora velutina (Lepeletier & Serville, 1825 and Thalestria spinosa (Fabricius, 1804), although reported from Mato Grosso do Sul, were not previoulsy known in the Pantanal. This paper reports the first records and extends the current distributions of these 4 species of Ericrocidini and Epeolini bees in the Brazilian Pantanal.

Are Anatomical Measurements Useful for Interspecific and Sexual Differentiation of Temnomastax (Orthoptera: Eumastacidae) Species?

Species of Temnomastax have wide morphological similarities, and differentiation is usually based on male and female genitalia. In this study, we tested whether morphometric differences contribute to differentiation of species of Temnomastax, proposed an identification key for males, and morphometrically studied the sexual dimorphism of Temnomastax hamus and Temnomastax ricardoi. Analysis was performed using 204 specimens belonging to six species; fifteen morphometric variables were used. We used MANOVA and ANOVA to test the morphometric differences among species and Discriminant Analysis for sexual distinction. Temnomastax sp. nov. 1 had the highest values in ⅓ of all analyzed variables used for morphometric distinction of males, followed by Temnomastax latens, T. ricardoi and Temnomastax sp. nov. 2, and T. hamus and Temnomastax tigris. Two groups were formed by the MANOVA, with length of body, length of hind femur, and length of tegmen as the main variables that distinguished them. Overall, females of T. hamus and T. ricardoi presented higher averages for measurement values used in morphometric distinction between sexes than conspecific males and based on discriminant analysis we found significant differences between sexes. There are significant differences in morphometric variations and the ratio between body length and tegmen length provided reliable evidence for differentiation among species, which can be used as a valid tool that complements the identification of Temnomastax species.

First record of Conura morleyi (Ashmead, 1904) (Hymenoptera: Chalcididae) parasitizing Brassolis sp. (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) for Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil

We report the first record of Conura morleyi (Hymenoptera: Chalcididae) parasitizing pupae of Brassolis sp. (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil. Fifty-four individuals of C. morleyi emerged from two pupae of Brassolis collected in an urban area of Campo Grande. With our new record, the genus Conura is now represented in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul by 15 species. Our record of C . morleyi in Mato Grosso do Sul represents a range extension for this species.