New Records of Insects Associated with Araucaria Trees: Phytophagous Coleoptera and Hymenoptera and their Natural Enemies

Abstract

For the recently initiated programs of sustainable forestry with the Brazilian pine, Araucaria angustifolia, knowledge of the insects associated with this tree is of paramount importance. In a forest reserve on the Serra Geral of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, a three year monitoring was conducted. Forty coleopteran and 5 hymenopteran species totaling about 6200 specimens were recorded, of which 19 and 4 taxa respectively were previously unknown to live on this conifer. They are the coleopterans Lobopoda dallieri (Alleculidae), Taphroderes sahlbergi (Brentidae), Tithonus virescens (Cerambycidae), Plocamocera sp., Enoclerus sp., sp. indet. (Cleridae), Micromimus sp. (Curculionidae: Cossoninae), Corthylus papulans, Xyleborus catharinensis, Xylechinosomus sp. (Curculionidae: Scolytinae), Dilobitarsus quadrituberculatus, Semiotus intermedius, Ptesimopsia sp. (Elateridae), Eudircaea laticornis, Megapsilaphus sexnotatus (Melandryidae), cf. Copidita sp. (Oedemeridae), Ahasverus sp. (Silvanidae), Temnochila sp., sp. indet. (Trogositidae) and the hymenopterans Eubazus sp. (Braconidae), Ephialtes sp., Epirhyssa cf. celaena, (Ichneumonidae) and Ophrynopus depressatus (Orussidae). Data on their life histories are provided, and also for the coleopterans Taurorcus chabrillacii (Cerambycidae), Araucarius brasiliensis, Eurycorynophorus scabriculus (Curculionidae: Cossoninae), Corthylus praealtus and C. rufopilosus (Curculionidae: Scolytinae) which were already known to occur on Araucaria trees. The results of our survey provide the first records for many insects, especially beetles, as belonging to the araucariofauna. Some of them can be considered potential pest species. Perspectives of applied forest entomology as well as biogeographic aspects are discussed.