Abstract
Conservation Units are an important tool for the Brazilian biota protection. However, various taxa, including the social wasps, are undersampled or are unknown in these areas. Therefore, our study aimed to assess the social wasp richness and distribution in the Conservation Units in Minas Gerais state, southeastern Brazil. The social wasps were sampled between 2015 and 2019 in the Ritápolis National Forest (FLONA Ritápolis), in the Alto-Montana Private Natural Heritage Reserve (RPPN Alto-Montana), in the Rio Machado Basin State Environmental Protection Area (APA Rio Machado) and in the Serra de São José Environmental Protection Area (APA Serra de São José), using two different sampling methodologies. Fourteen species were sampled for FLONA Ritápolis, 10 for RPPN Alto-Montana, 35 for APA Rio Machado and 19 for APA Serra de São José. Ninety-six social wasp species of the known richness in Minas Gerais were sampled in 14 Conservation Units, representing 90% of the fauna of the state. Thirty-four species are exclusive to these areas, with emphasis on the Rio Doce State Park, the Serra do Papagaio State Park, the Pandeiros River Wildlife Regufe and the APA Rio Machado. Most of the Conservation Units sampled are in the Atlantic Forest areas, but further efforts are needed in this biome, because of its accelerated destruction. There is still an urgent need for more studies in the Cerrado and Caatinga areas in the state, especially in Conservation Units.
Highlights
Brazil harbors one of the greatest biodiversity in the entire world and, habitat destruction is threatening its environmental richness in a dangerously fast way
Thirty-five species of social wasps were registered for the APA Rio Machado, 19 for the APA Serra de São José, 14 for the FLONA Ritápolis and 10 for the RPPN Alto-Montana (Table 2)
Avulsos Zool., 2021; v.61: e20216125 3/10 cies were registered for the first time in this Conservation Unit at intermediate and high altitudes of the campos rupestres: Agelaia vicina (Saussure 1854) (1,000, 1,300 and 1,400 m), Brachygastra lecheguana (Letreille 1824) (1,400 m) and Polistes pacificus Ducke 1918 (1,100 m); in addition, Mischocyttarus giffordi Raw, 1987 was reported in a semideciduous seasonal forest on this same mountain in 2018
Summary
Brazil harbors one of the greatest biodiversity in the entire world and, habitat destruction is threatening its environmental richness in a dangerously fast way. There are about 2,446 Brazilian Conservation Units covering around 1.6 million km on continental areas, and their main purpose is nature protection, including species, landscapes and any resources and ecosystem services (MMA, 2019). Conservation Units are distributed into five categories of fully protected areas (Ecological Station, Biological Reserve, Park, Natural Monument and Wildlife Refuge), and seven of sustainable use protected areas They cover about 18% of the national territory, but only 6% of these are fully protected areas (Schiavetti et al, 2013; MMA, 2019)
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