Coleópteros edáficos em unidades de conservação da ilha de São Luís 3 MA

Abstract

Coleoptera have been used in several environmental studies, as indicators of quality and environmental preservation. Therefore, the objective was to identify the coleopterofauna in four Conservation Units on the Island of São Luís3 MAThe research was carried out in the Conservation Units Apa do Itapiracó, Apa do Maracanã, Sítio Aguahy and Parque Estadual do Sítio do Rangedor, totaling sixteen collections between 2019 and 2020. Pitfall traps were used, consisting of 750 ml plastic cups buried at ground level. Thirty pitfal traps were installed per area, arranged at 5 points (200 m apart from each other). Each point had six repetitions (20m apart). The traps were kept in the field for 48 hours and after this period the insects were collected and taken to the Entomology laboratory/DFF/UEMA for cleaning, sorting and identification. For classification at family level, taxonomic keys were used. A total of 1,457 specimens of Coleoptera were collected in the four protected areas studied, belonging to the families Scarabaeidae, Hidrophilidae, Histeridae, Tenebrionidae, Nitidulidae, Curculionidae, Lucanidae, Phalacridae, Carabidae, Elateridae and Carambydae.The Scarabaeidae family stood out as the most representative, among the others,in all sampled Conservation Units. The genera Canthidium, Dichotomius, Canthon, Ateuchus, Phanaeus, Trichillum, Deltochilum and the species Canthon septemmaculatus, Coprophanaeus jasius were found in the family Scarabaeidae. The greatest number of beetles, collected occurred in the Sítio Aguahy reserve. In contrast, few specimens of Coleoptera were collected in Parque do Rangedor. In the rainy season, the Scarabaeidae family was classified as superdominant, superabundant and superfrequent in the Conservation Units of Sítio Aguahy and Apa do Itapiracó.However, the Hidrophilidae family was the best represented family in the dry period in the Apa do Maracanã and Sítio Aguahy Conservation Units. The population peak of edaphic beetles occurred in January, the period of greatest rainfall. Conservation of UC is essential for the preservation of beneficial organisms such as edaphic beetles, which perform various ecosystem functions such as nutrient cycling and decomposition of organic matter