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Herein we describe a new species of Entomobrya Rondani from Cerrado biome, Brazil. Entomobrya uai sp. nov. differs from its congeners in having triangle-shaped spot on trunk, dorsal chaetotaxy pattern, unguis morphology, unguiculus inner lamella truncate, and manubrial plate with 9–13 chaetae and 3 pseudopores. Entomobrya barbata Siqueira & Bellini known only from its type locality (Caatinga domain, Bahia state, Brazil), is herein recorded from Atlantic Forest (Minas Gerais, Paraná and Santa Catarina states) and Cerrado (Goiás state) biomes for the first time. The record of E. spectabilis Reuter in Brazil is herein dismissed due to a probable misidentification with E. barbata. From the description of E. uai sp. nov. and new records of E. barbata, the number of Entomobrya species in Brazil increased from 11 to 12 endemic species, and the genus is now recorded from 14 Brazilian states. In addition, this is the first record of a Collembola species from Distrito Federal and Goiás state, Brazil.

Planicapritermes Emerson, 1949 is a South American termite genus with two nominal species: Planicapritermes planiceps (Emerson, 1925) and Planicapritermes longilabrum Constantino, 1998. The soldiers of this genus are characterized by strongly asymmetrical mandibles. Planicapritermes planiceps was described from soldiers and workers, and P. longilabrum only from soldiers. Here we describe and illustrate workers of P. longilabrum based on specimens collected in Rondônia state, Brazil. We also present a comparison between workers and soldiers of P. planiceps and P. longilabrum, and describe the nest of P. planiceps.

Here we present a survey of the Trogolaphysa fauna of the Brazilian Amazon, including five new species: amazoccidentalensis sp. nov., T. nigrocephala sp. nov., T. nigrolineata sp. nov., T. pseudomaculata sp. nov., and quinquedentomucronata sp. nov. The new species resemble each other in having 3 macrochaetae in the p3 complex (except for T. amazoccidentalensis sp. nov. with 5) on the second thoracic segment, but differ from each other in color pattern, head chaetotaxy, empodial complex morphology, and number of mucronal teeth. In addition to describing the new species, we describe for the first time diagnostic chaetotaxy features on the antennae, femurs I–III and tibiotarsus. We also provide a description of the dorsal chaetotaxy of the first instar of T. nigrolineata sp. nov., including a comparison with T. jataca (Wray) and T. paracarpenteri Soto-Adames. An identification key to the Brazilian species of Trogolaphysa is provided. This is the first record of nominal species of Trogolaphysa for Northern Brazil and now the number of species endemic to Brazil increases from 8 to 13.

Here a new subgenus of Lepidocyrtus Bourlet from South America is proposed. Fractocyrtus subgen.n. differs from other subgenera by tergal polychaetosis, dental tubercle truncate and dentes with numerous spine-like chaetae. Four new species of Lepidocyrtus are described, two of Setogaster Salmon and two of Fractocyrtus subgen.n. Lepidocyrtus (S.) amazonicus sp.n. and L. (S.) multisensillatus sp.n. are similar to L. nigrosetosus Folsom by basomedian field with chaetae smooth and dental tubercle rounded, but differ in dorsal chaetotaxy. Lepidocyrtus (F.) americanus sp.n. and L. (F.) mateosi sp.n. are similar by presence of numerous dental spines, but differ in chaetotaxy. Due to inconsistencies concerning scales on appendages of Lepidocyrtus subgenera, four synonyms are proposed, and the characteristics diagnostic to subgenera are shape and presence of dental tubercle, dental spines, mucronal spinelet and apical bulb of fourth antennal segment. An identification key to subgenera is also provided.

Herein Lepidocyrtinus Börner is reviewed based on African species and a new diagnosis to the genus is provided, including the description of intermediary stages of two species and a proposal for the interpretation of the dorsal chaetotaxy based in juveniles. In total, 17 species previously assigned as Seira Lubbock are transferred to Lepidocyrtinus, and three of them are redescribed: L. barnardi Womersley and L. dayi Yosii from South Africa, and L. voeltzkowi (Börner) from Madagascar. Neotypes are designated for these last two species. In addition, nine new species are described from Africa: one from Botswana, two from Republic of the Congo, two from South Africa, and four from Madagascar. Finally, identification keys for the current genera of Seirinae and for the African species of Lepidocyrtinus are provided. After our revision, Lepidocyrtinus has now its generic status revalidated with 36 species, 29 of them from African continent, two from Oceania and five from Brazil.

To determine the effect of rivers, environmental conditions, and isolation by distance on the distribution of species in Amazonia. Location: Brazilian Amazonia. Time period: Current. Major taxa studied: Birds, fishes, bats, ants, termites, butterflies, ferns + lycophytes, gingers and palms. We compiled a unique dataset of biotic and abiotic information from 822 plots spread over the Brazilian Amazon. We evaluated the effects of environment, geographic distance and dispersal barriers (rivers) on assemblage composition of animal and plant taxa using multivariate techniques and distance- and raw-data-based regression approaches. Environmental variables (soil/water), geographic distance, and rivers were associated with the distribution of most taxa. The wide and relatively old Amazon River tended to determine differences in community composition for most biological groups. Despite this association, environment and geographic distance were generally more important than rivers in explaining the changes in species composition. The results from multi-taxa comparisons suggest that variation in community composition in Amazonia reflects both dispersal limitation (isolation by distance or by large rivers) and the adaptation of species to local environmental conditions. Larger and older river barriers influenced the distribution of species. However, in general this effect is weaker than the effects of environmental gradients or geographical distance at broad scales in Amazonia, but the relative importance of each of these processes varies among biological groups.

Dihoplotermes, a previously monotypic genus, is now composed of two species. Dihoplotermes taurus sp. nov., a new Termitinae termite species, is illustrated and described based on morphological characters from soldiers, workers, and imago. The new species is distinguished from Dihoplotermes inusitatus Araujo by having a spine-like protuberance with blunt apex on the postmentum, the presence of a spine on the gizzard and the absence of dimorphic soldiers. Furthermore, the internal morphological characteristics of a Dihoplotermes worker are described for the first time. Both internal and external morphological characters were used to improve the characterization of the species. RESUMO Dihoplotermes, que era um gênero monotípico, agora é composto por duas espécies. Dihoplotermes taurus sp. nov., uma nova espécie de cupim Termitinae, é descrita e ilustrada com base nos caracteres morfológicos dos soldados, operários e imago. A nova espécie se diferencia de Dihoplotermes inusitatus Araujo por apresentar uma protuberância em forma de espinho não pontiagudo no posmento, presença de um espinho na moela e ausência de soldados dimórficos. Além disso, são descritas pela primeira vez as características morfológicas internas de um operário de Dihoplotermes e utilizamos ambos caracteres morfológicos internos e externos para melhor caracterizar as espécies.

1. Understanding the causes of the spatial variation of biodiversity is an important goal in community ecology. This study investigated the response of fruit‐feeding butterfly assemblages to environmental gradients resulting from the transition from ombrophilous forests to white‐sand forests in northern Brazil by assessing taxonomic, functional and phylogenetic descriptors of community structure. 2. Butterflies were sampled with bait traps in the Brazilian Amazon, while their traits and phylogenetic relatedness were either measured directly or gathered from the literature. Then, the effects of plant species turnover, light intensity, and flood risk on butterfly community patterns were tested. 3. Butterfly abundance increased with light intensity in non‐forested white‐sand habitats, whereas ombrophilous forests harboured higher species richness. A trade‐off was observed between richness and abundance across the gradient. Plant turnover strongly drove shifts in butterfly species composition. In white‐sand habitats, butterflies had higher dispersal capacity, faster flights and generalist larvae, whereas in periodically flooded plots the functional diversity of flight‐related traits was higher. No phylogenetic response to environmental gradients was detected. 4. These results exposed the complexity of community structure across a mosaic landscape and how analysing more than one dimension of biodiversity may reveal underlying relationships not apparent under isolated approaches. Caution is required when using phylogeny as a proxy for functional similarity, as the responses were not congruent in this study. The ecological patterns revealed here, aligned with further regional‐scale studies, can provide complementary perspectives on butterfly spatial distribution and ensure that appropriate conservation policies are developed.

In this contribution, Colacus rubrofemoratus Sobral, Morais, & Grossi new species (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Dynastinae: Agaocephalini) is described and illustrated based on male specimens found in a transitional area of Caatinga, Atlantic Forest, and Cerrado in Brazil. In addition, the female of Colacus morio Ohaus, 1910 is redescribed, a distribution map for the genus is provided, and a new key to the species of Colacus is presented.

We present the first record for Loxosceles gaucho Gertsch, 1967 in the Amazonian region of Brazil. Four males, fifteen females and forty-nine immatures were collected in different places in Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil. This is the third species of Loxosceles reported in the Amazon region along with L. amazonica Gertsch, 1967, and L. similis Moenkhaus, 1898. This is the first record of an invasive species of a venomous animal in the state of Amazonas, Brazil, which is noteworthy due to its synanthropic habit, which increases the risk to the local population. © 2019, Universidade de Sao Paulo. All rights reserved.

Tyranonoseira is revised and new diagnostic characters to the genus and its species are proposed. The genus is now characterised by distinct chaetotaxic patterns of head, in lacking M2, S1, S4, S5 macrochaetae and Th II to Abd IV with 21–27, 7, 0, 3, 1 and 8–10 central macrochaetae, as well as anterior legs of males with modified chaetae. The five species of the genus are redescribed based on type material: T. raptora Zeppelini & Bellini, T. bicolorcornuta Bellini & Zeppelini, T. diabolica Bellini & Godeiro, T. gladiata Zeppelini & Lima and T. sex Bellini & Zeppelini. We include an identification key and comparison of the species. The dorsal chaetotaxy is similar for all species. Characters omitted from the original descriptions such as chaetotaxy of the clypeus, labral papillae, collophore chaetae and manubrial formula are now used to distinguish species more clearly. We compare the morphology of Seira and Tyrannoseira using dorsal chaetotaxy and the modified chaetae on anterior legs of males.

Surveys on tropical invertebrates must gather as much information as possible over the shortest period, mainly because of financial limitations and hyperdiversity. Fruit-feeding butterflies in the subfamilies Biblidinae, Charaxinae, Nymphalinae and Satyrinae (Nymphalidae) are attracted to decaying material and can be sampled with standardized methodologies, but (1) some groups can be difficult to collect, despite being quite common in Amazonian forest understorey; moreover, (2) the duration of the sampling period is not consistent among studies and (3) the sufficient effort for financially limited projects remains unknown. With this study, we aimed to fulfill points 1–3 in order to recommend a less costly protocol for monitoring purposes in the Amazon. In 25 km2 of rainforest in the state of Amazonas, Brazil, we evaluated the performance of sampling schemes for these butterflies (four, three, two and one visit in 250 m-long plots), using both nets and bait traps, while considering reductions in sampling effort and the removal of rare and infrequent taxa to optimize field and laboratory work. Reduced-effort schemes are only validated if they reflect both taxonomic and ecological information provided by the maximum effort. Procrustes superimposition was used to estimate the dissimilarity in the spatial distribution of species between schemes. Spatial turnover in herb, liana, palm tree and diameter-at-breast-height > 10 cm tree species composition was used as predictor for the butterfly community through linear regressions. The three-visit scheme was sufficient to retrieve high species similarity and the ecological patterns observed with maximum effort. The two-visit scheme lost a significant amount of information on species composition similarity, but recovered stronger environmental relationships than those observed with the four-visit scheme. The removal of uncommon species did not affect the ecological response of the community, thereby suggesting that common species are driving the spatial patterns of the studied butterflies. Thus, large reductions in costs by reducing sampling effort could be achieved with relatively little loss of information on the species turnover of butterflies and their relationships with the environment. The proposed sampling protocols with reduced effort will allow projects to use their time and financial supply more effectively, showing that cost-effective shortcuts for biodiversity assessments can be useful for conservation, biomonitoring and land use management.

The spatial distribution of species is affected by dispersal barriers, local environmental conditions and climate. However, the effect of species dispersal and their adaptation to the environment across geographic scales is poorly understood. To investigate the distribution of species from local to broad geographic scales, we sampled termites in 198 transects distributed in 13 sampling grids in the Brazilian Amazonian forest. The sampling grids encompassed an area of 271,500 km2 and included the five major biogeographic regions delimited by Amazonian rivers. Environmental data for each transect were obtained from local measurements and remote sensing. Similar to previous studies, termite species composition at the local scale was mostly associated with measures of soil texture and chemistry. In contrast, termite species composition at broad geographic scales was associated with soil nutrients, and the geographic position of the transects. Between 17% and 30% of the variance in termite species composition could be attributed exclusively to the geographic position of the transects, but could not be attributed to measured environmental variables or the presence of major rivers. Isolation by distance may have strong effects on termite species composition due to historic processes and the spatially structured environments along distinct geological formations of Amazonia. However, in contrast to many taxa in Amazonia, there is no evidence that major rivers are important barriers to termite dispersal. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

A new species of Ami Pérez-Miles, 2008 is described from the state of Amazonas in Brazil based on three males from Manaus. Ami valentinae sp. nov. is closely related to A. armihuariensis and A. caxiuana by the presence of a granular area on the embolus, but it differs from the first species by the presence of two retrolateral process on the male palpal tibia and differs by the latter by the morphology of the male palpal organ. A. valentinae sp. nov. is the first species of Ami reported for the Amazonas state and second species described for Brazil. © TÜBİTAK.

Here three new species of Seira from Madagascar are described and illustrated, all with Lepidocyrtus-like habitus, as short antennae, truncate unguiculus, and overall reduction of dorsal macrochaetae. The new species Seira lepidochaetosa sp. nov., Seira semicaerulea sp. nov. and Seira metafemurata sp. nov. can be distinguished from each other by color patterns and chaetotaxic elements. An identification key for these three species is also provided, including a discussion on truncate unguiculus on Seira species with dense and reduced macrochaetotaxy.

Over the last 50 years, the genus Aganacris has undergone several taxonomic changes. In this study, an infrared spectrum analysis as a complementary and alternative analysis method was carried out for 112 Aganacris specimens belonging to five species. Significant differences were observed between males and females of the species, thus taking into account a new taxonomic status for the genus and the revalidation of Aganacris sphex (Rehn) stat. rev. The ability of Near Infrared Reflectance Spectroscopy (NIRS) to reproduce phenotypic (intra and interspecific) patterns in Aganacris populations was also verified. This method was applied, for the first time, as a taxonomic tool in the definition of individual sexual association and for the resolution of a taxonomic problem concerning Orthoptera, Tettigoniidae.

Here we present a survey of Seira fauna from Iberian Peninsula and Canary Islands, including the description of three new species from Spain: Seira barrai sp. nov., Seira betica sp. nov. and Seira burgersi sp. nov., the latter with unprece-dented antennal morphology for Seira. Five species from Western Europe are redescribed and their dorsal detailed chaetotaxy is revealed for the first time: S. domestica (Nicolet), S. dinizi Gama, S. ferrarii Parona, S. mantis Zeppelini & Bellini and S. pini Jordana & Arbea, the first two from type locality, and the latter two based on analysis of the type material. A note on chaetal interpretation of the first abdominal segment for Seira is presented. An identification key to 31 species with known dorsal chaetotaxy from Western Palearctic region is also provided, including a discussion on dense macrochaetotaxy present in Palearctic and Oriental species and its reduction in species from others biogeographic regions.

Mygalomorphs are a diverse spider group with primitive characteristics composed of the largest spider species in the world, however some species may be very small (Bond et al. 2012; Rogerio et al. 2013). The small spiders of the subfamily Masteriinae (Dipluridae, Mygalomorphae) can be found in Asia and South America (Raven 1981; Pedroso et al. 2015; WSC 2017). The subfamily is represented by two genera: Masteria L. Koch, 1873 and Striamea Raven, 1981. Masteria species can be identified by the following combination of characters: absence of cuspules in endites and labium; zero, two, six or eight eyes; and with or without paraembolic apophysis on the male palpal bulb (Raven 1981, 1985, 1991; Alayón 1995; Bertani et al. 2013; Pedroso et al. 2015). Currently, 24 species of Masteria are described, with 6 species found in South America: Masteria colombiensis, Raven, 1981 from Colombia; M. manauara Bertani, Cruz & Oliveira 2013 and M. emboaba Pedroso, Baptista & Bertani, 2015 from Brazil; M. cyclops (Simon 1889), M. tovarensis (Simon, 1889) and M. lucifuga (Simon, 1889) from Venezuela (WSC 2017). We document herein the first record and description of a new species of the genus Masteria from Guyana.

The genus Titidius Simon, 1895 belongs to the family Thomisidae Sundevall, 1833 and can be easily identified from the related genera Tmarus Simon, 1875 and Acentroscelus Simon, 1886 by the high carapace, anterior eye row straight and posterior eye row recurve-;pd in dorsal view, carapace smooth with moderate setation, abdomen longer than wide, legs long, slender and setose and clypeus vertical (Esmerio & Lise 1996). It is currently composed of 20 species, all occurring in Brazil with exception of Titidius ignestii Caporiacco, 1947 from Guyana (World Spider Catalog 2017). Eight species are distributed in the Amazon region (Esmerio & Lise 1996): T. caninde Esmerio & Lise, 1996, T. gurupi Esmerio & Lise, 1996, T. multifasciatus Mello-Leitão, 1929 and T. rubrosignatus (Keyserling, 1880) from Pará; T. galbanatus (Keyserling, 1880) from Amazonas and Pará; T. quinquenatus Mello-Leitão, 1929 and T. urucu from Amazonas; and T. rubescens Carporiacco, 1947 from Amazonas and Roraima.

In most ectotherms, adult body size decreases with warming, the so-called ‘temperature–size rule' (TSR). However, the extent to which the strength of the TSR varies naturally within species is little known, and the significance of this phenomenon for tropical biota has been largely neglected. Here, we show that the adult body mass of the soil mite Rostrozetes ovulum declined as maximum temperature increased over seasons in a central Amazonian rainforest. Further, per cent decline per °C was fourfold higher in riparian than in upland forests, possibly reflecting differences in oxygen and/or resource supply. Adding our results to a global dataset revealed that, across terrestrial arthropods, the seasonal TSR is generally stronger in hotter environments. Our study suggests that size thermal dependence varies predictably with the environment both locally and globally.

Predation is a key determinant of prey community structure, but few studies have measured the effect of multiple predators on a highly diverse prey community. In this study, we asked whether the abundance, species richness, and species composition of a species-rich assemblage of termites in an Amazonian rain forest is more strongly associated with the density of predatory ants or with measures of vegetation, and soil texture and chemistry. We sampled termite assemblages with standardized hand-collecting in 30 transects arranged in a 5 km × 6 km grid in a terra firme Amazonian rain forest. For each transect, we also measured vegetation structure, soil texture, and soil phosphorus, and estimated the density of predatory ants from baits, pitfall traps, and Winkler samples. Seventy-nine termite species were recorded, and the total density of predatory ants was the strongest single predictor of local termite abundance (r = −0.66) and termite species richness (r = −0.44). In contrast, termite abundance and species richness were not strongly correlated with edaphic conditions (¦r¦

This study investigated the spatial distribution of an Amazonian fruit-feeding butterfly assemblage by linking species taxonomic and functional approaches. We hypothesized that: 1) vegetation richness (i.e., resources) and abundance of insectivorous birds (i.e., predators) should drive changes in butterfly taxonomic composition, 2) larval diet breadth should decrease with increase of plant species richness, 3) small-sized adults should be favored by higher abundance of birds, and 4) communities with eyespot markings should be able to exploit areas with higher predation pressure. Fruit-feeding butterflies were sampled with bait traps and insect nets across 25 km(2) of an Amazonian ombrophilous forest in Brazil. We measured larval diet breadth, adult body size, and wing marking of all butterflies. Our results showed that plant species richness explained most of the variation in butterfly taxonomic turnover. Also, community average diet breadth decreased with increase of plant species richness, which supports our expectations. In contrast, community average body size increased with the abundance of birds, refuting our hypothesis. We detected no influence of environmental gradients on the occurrence of species with eyespot markings. The association between butterfly taxonomic and functional composition points to a mediator role of the functional traits in the environmental filtering of butterflies. The incorporation of the functional approach into the analyses allowed for the detection of relationships that were not observed using a strictly taxonomic perspective and provided an extra insight into comprehending the potential adaptive strategies of butterflies.

We report for the first time the occurrence of two species of scarab beetles, Phileurus carinatus declivis Prell, 1914 (Scarabaeidae: Dynastinae) and Cyclidius elongatus (Olivier, 1789) (Cetoniinae: Cremastocheilini) inside nests of Azteca cf. chartifex Forel, 1896, a neotropical arboreal ant species. This report indicates that these two beetle species are associated, at least as inquilines, to this ant species, although the nature of this relationship remains unclear. Keywords: Central Amazonia, Flower chafer, Myrmecophily, Rhinoceros beetle

Herein one new species of Amazhomidia Cipola & Bellini from Brazilian Amazon is described and illustrated: A. thaisae sp. nov., plus one specimen no nominal due to lack of material for formal descriptionend point. Acanthocyrtus guianiensis Womersley is redescribed and transferred to Amazhomidia by presence of prelabral chaetae bifurcated, macrochaetotaxy pattern, manubrium laterally with long distal mac finely ciliate and dens ventrally unscaled. Acanthocyrtus croceus Womersley is confirmed as a junior synonymy of A. guianiensis. The juvenile description of Amazhomidia ducke is provided, and changes in chaetotaxy nomenclature are made based on them. Acanthocyrtus lineatus Womersley is redescribed based on type material and new diagnostic characters are revealed. Identification keys for both genera and a comparison for Entomobryinae genera with dental spines are provided. Amazhomidia has now three and Acanthocyrtus Handschin six valid species.

Occurrence patterns are partly shaped by the affinity of species with habitat conditions. For winged organisms, flight-related attributes are vital for ecological performance. However, due to the different reproductive roles of each sex, we expect divergence in flight energy budget, and consequently different selection responses between sexes. We used tropical frugivorous butterflies as models to investigate coevolution between flight morphology, sex dimorphism and vertical stratification. We studied 94 species of Amazonian fruit-feeding butterflies sampled in seven sites across 3341 ha. We used wing–thorax ratio as a proxy for flight capacity and hierarchical Bayesian modelling to estimate stratum preference. We detected a strong phylogenetic signal in wing–thorax ratio in both sexes. Stouter fast-flying species preferred the canopy, whereas more slender slow-flying species preferred the understorey. However, this relationship was stronger in females than in males, suggesting that female phenotype associates more intimately with habitat conditions. Within species, males were stouter than females and sexual dimorphism was sharper in understorey species. Because trait–habitat relationships were independent from phylogeny, the matching between flight morphology and stratum preference is more likely to reflect adaptive radiation than shared ancestry. This study sheds light on the impact of flight and sexual dimorphism on the evolution and ecological adaptation of flying organisms. © 2017 European Society For Evolutionary Biology. Journal of Evolutionary Biology © 2017 European Society For Evolutionary Biology

Arthropod abundance and diversity are remarkable in tropical forests, but are also spatially patchy. This has been attributed either to resources, predators, abiotic conditions or disturbances, but whether such factors may simultaneously shape arthropod assemblage structure is little known. We used cockroaches to test for multiple environmental controls on assemblage structure in 25 km2 of Amazonian forest. We performed nocturnal, direct searches for cockroaches in 30 plots (250 m × 2 m) during two seasons, and gathered data on biotic and abiotic factors from previous studies. Cockroach abundance increased with dry litter mass, a measure of resource amount, while species richness increased with litter phosphorus content, a measure of resource availability. Cockroach abundance and species richness decreased with ant relative abundance. Cockroach species composition changed along the gradient of: (1) soil clay content, which correlates with a broad differentiation between flood-prone and non-flooded forest; (2) soil relative moisture, consistent with known interspecific variation in desiccation tolerance; and (3) according to the abundance of ants, a potential predator. Turnover in species composition was correlated with abiotic conditions—sorting species according to physiological requirements and to disturbance-related life history traits—and to ants' selective pressure. Cockroach abundance, diversity, and composition seem to be controlled by distinct sets of environmental factors, but predators which were represented by ants, emerged as a common factor underlying cockroach distribution. Such patterns of community structure may have been previously overlooked by undue focus on single or a few factors, and may be common to tropical forest arthropods. Resumo A abundância e diversidade de artropodos sao notaveis em florestas tropicais, mas sao espacialmente variaveis devido a fatores como recursos, predadores, condicoes abioticas ou perturbacoes. Pouco e conhecido do quanto esses fatores podem moldar simultaneamente a assembleia de artropodos. Usamos as baratas para testar multiplos controladores ambientais sobre a estrutura da assembleia em 25 km2 de floresta. Em dois periodos anuais, efetuamos busca ativa noturna em 30 parcelas (250 m × 2 m) e obtivemos dados de variaveis ambientais de estudos anteriores. A abundância e riqueza de baratas aumentaram com a disponibilidade (serrapilheira) e qualidade (porcentagem de fosforo da serrapilheira) de recursos, respectivamente. A abundância e diversidade de especies decresceu com a abundância de formigas. A composicao de especies mudou ao longo do gradiente de (i) teor de argila do solo, que se relaciona com a diferenciacao entre florestas propensas e nao propensas a inundacao; (ii) umidade do solo, consistente com a variacao interspecifica na tolerância a dissecacao e (iii) de acordo com a abundância de formigas. A mudanca na composicao foi correlacionada com fatores abioticos, selecionando especies de acordo com requerimentos fisiologicos e a historia de vida, e tambem com a pressao seletiva de formigas. A abundância, diversidade e composicao de baratas parecem ser controladas por fatores ambientais distintos, mas predadores—representados por formigas—emergem como um fator comum moldando a distribuicao de baratas. Este padrao de estrutura de comunidade tem sido negligenciado por focos em um ou em alguns fatores e pode ser comum aos artropodos tropicais.

The classification of most taxa is based exclusively on morphological characters which have limited capacity to discriminate species with phenotypic plasticity and to detect the existence of cryptic species. These limitations can be reduced by the use of recent techniques that quantify molecular attributes in a sample. Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS) is a non-destructive method that has been used as an efficient tool to discriminate species from several plant and animal groups in controlled laboratory conditions. We tested the efficacy of this method as an alternative to morphology to discriminate termite castes, species, genera, and families. Seven species were selected: Cylindrotermes flangiatus; Cylindrotermes parvignathus; Cornitermes pugnax; Cornitermes ovatus; Heterotermes tenuis; Heterotermes crinitus and Coptotermes testaceus. Discriminant models were created with the separation of 70% of the samples for training (creation of the model) and 30% for testing. We found a high level of accuracy for the discrimination of families, genera, species and castes, ranging from 76% to 100% of accuracy (mean of 90%). This high level of accuracy, using the soldier and worker castes, indicates that Near-Infrared Spectroscopy serves as a reliable alternative to identify termite species.

Los artrópodos pueden afectar directamente el desarrollo micelial y de basidiomas, siendo el cultivo de hongos una actividad perjudicada, produciéndose daños reflejados en pérdidas de producción y calidad del hongo. De ahí la importancia del conocimiento de artrópodos asociados a hongos comestibles en estados silvestres puede ayudar en el establecimiento de sistemas de prevención, que permitan controlar y manejar las posibles plagas potenciales de especies de hongos en el futuro. Por lo tanto, el presente estudio tuvo como objetivo determinar artrópodos asociados a seis especies de hongos comestibles de ocurrencia natural en Manaus-Amazonas-Brasil. Las muestras de artrópodos pertenecieron a colectas de basidiomas de Lentinula raphanica, Favolus brasiliensis, Oudemansiella cf. platensis, Panus strigellus, Pleurotus djamor y Pleurotus sp., encontrados en diferentes zonas de Manaus, desde noviembre del 2008 hasta mayo del 2011. Los grupos de artrópodos encontrados con mayor frecuencia fueron Staphylinidae (Coleoptera) en L. raphanica, P. strigellus y Pleurotus sp.; Siphonophorida (Diplopoda) en O. cf. platensis; Mesostigmata (Acari) en F. brasiliensis y P. djamor. Además, se observó que Staphylinidae (Coleoptera) y Formicidae (Hymenoptera) se encontraron asociados a las especies de hongos comestibles en estudio, excepto en O. cf. platensis. De esta manera podemos afirmar que los artrópodos asociados a hongos comestibles amazónicos con potencial de cultivo, se constituyen por ser posibles plagas y considerando los daños causados por artrópodos podrían afectar la calidad comercial de los hongos en un cultivo comercial. Palavras-chave: cultivo de hongos; plagas potenciales; basidioma; micofagia. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.18561/2179-5746/biotaamazonia.v3n3p54-63

a b s t r a c t In view of the rapid loss of biodiversity, large-scale environmental monitoring programs are urgently needed, over a range of local, regional and global scales. These programs can be made more efficient and cost-effective through shortcuts such as reduction of sampling effort and the use of low-cost surrogates. We revisited a large-scale dataset composed by 161 species recorded in 72 plots of 250 m, distributed over an 8 m × 8 m sampling grid in the tropical rainforest. Samples of litter and soil were collected and oribatid mites were extracted with a Berlese-Tullgren apparatus. Using a "moving window" procedure, we delimited smaller 5 km × 5 km grids in 16 possible positions within the larger grid. We first evaluated which fraction was more important to explain environmental and spatial patterns in the species com- position: known environmental or spatial filters representing unknown causes of aggregation, and the confounded variance that might be associated with either or both. We used soil clay content, litter quan- tity, soil pH, number of trees, and distance to the nearest stream as environmental predictors. The spatial filters were generated using Moran Eigenvector mapping through the Principal Coordinates of Neighbor Matrices technique. To evaluate the influence of these fractions on the species composition, we used partial Redundancy Analysis. Using Principal Coordinates Analysis for abundance and presence/absence data, we evaluated if reduced matrices, discarding sets of less-frequent species, could identify the relation- ships captured with the complete dataset. All smaller grids contained more than 100 species. The effect of environmental variables on oribatid-mite community composition was always low, and each smaller grid position produced different results. Soil clay content and pH were the main factors associated with oribatid-mite distributions. The effects of unknown spatial patterns were greater than the environmental ones. Independently of the grid position, similar results were obtained for analyses with all oribatid-mite species, to the results obtained from analyses of only the most frequent species. Sets of more frequent and easily identifiable species proved to be a reliable surrogate for the complete assemblage. Omitting identifications of most species will improve the cost-effectiveness of monitoring programs. More empha- sis should be placed on investigating the role of spatial heterogeneity and the effects of grid position in relation to patterns in species associations. Efficient biomonitoring could target surrogate species, to enable rapid tracking of environmental change while enlarging the sampling area to provide data for conservation strategies.

Roads and road-building are among the most important environmental impacts on forests near urban areas, but their effects on ecosystem processes and species distributions remain poorly known. Termites are the primary decomposer organisms in tropical forests and their spatial distribution is strongly affected by vegetation and soil structure. We studied the impacts of road construction on termite community structure in an Amazonian forest fragment near Manaus, Brazil. One leading question was whether the fragment under study was large enough to maintain the termite species pool present in nearby continuous forests. We also asked how soil moisture and canopy openness varied with proximity to roads, and whether these changes were associated with changes in termite species richness and composition in the fragment. While the forest fragment had a termite composition very similar to that of continuous forests, roads caused important changes in soil moisture and canopy openness, especially when close to forest edges. At distances of up to 81 m from roads, changes in soil moisture were significantly related to changes in termite species composition, but there was no correlation between canopy openness and species richness or composition. These results suggest that fragmentation caused by roads impacts termites in a different and less damaging manner than fragmentation caused by other kinds of degradation, and that even fragments bisected by roads can support very diverse communities and even undescribed taxa of termites. We conclude that a buffer zone should be established for conservation purposes in the reserves surrounded by roads.

A new monotypic genus of Entomobryinae from Brazilian Amazon is described and illustrated. Amazhomidia gen. nov. is similar to other genera of the subfamily, especially to Sinhomidia Zhang, in presence of apically pointed scales on body dorsally and spines on dens. It differs from all other genera of Entomobryinae by the combination of: bifurcate prelabral chaetae, cephalic groove with scale-like chaetae and two transverse rows macrochaetae present on anterior central region of the abdominal IV segment. Amazhomidia ducke sp. nov., the type species of the new genus is described. An identification key to the genera of Entomobryidae with scales and dental spines is also provided.