Coleopterans prospection associated to forest ecosystems of Swietenia macrophylla (King), Eastern Amazonia

Abstract

Few research on the entomofauna associated to forest plantations with Swietenia macrophylla (King) in Brazil has been reported. The aim of this study was to analyze the Coleoptera communities in forest ecosystems with S. macrophylla, Brazilian mahogany, with emphasis on the diversity of families and the main functional groups. The insects were collected through pitfall traps in three forest ecosystems: monoculture, consortium and forest enriched with Brazilian mahogany, during dry and rainy periods in two consecutive years. The identification of the captured insects occurred in the entomology laboratory of the Federal Rural University of Amazonia. The analysis was performed through Past Paleontological Statistic 3.14 and ANAFAU, where the difference was considered significant only when p ? 0.05. 11,358 specimens from 21 families were captured, of which 8,058 were sampled in the rainy season and 3,299 in the dry season. There was influence of seasonality and types of forest ecosystems during collection. The families Nitidulidae, Staphylinidae, Carabidae and Meloidae presented greater abundance and richness in the complex ecosystems. Anobiidae, Cerambycidae, Bostrichidae, Brentidae, Buprestidae, Curculionidae, Elateridae, Chrysomelidae and Lagriidae were considered to be pests and common to all studied ecosystems; however, the families Nitidulidae, Scarabaeidae, Tenebrionidae and Passalidae had the function of decomposers; Carabidae, Coccinellidae, Histeridae, Meloidae, Staphylinidae, Cantharidae and Hydrophilidae were the predators.