Abstract
Foraging habitats as well as the tluctuations in vespid species' abundance in Mato Grosso State, Brazil, were deterrnined,t hrough sampling effon per hour per collector in four cerrado sensu lato habitats," campo úmido" (Cu)," campo sujo" (es), "cerrado sensu stricto" (Css), and "gallery forest" (Mg), during four periods consisting of two dry (August 1988 and June 1989) and two wet (October and December 1988) season periods. For "campo úmido", sorne species seern to be highly seasonal, either in the dry or wet seasons, whereas very few species occur year-round. The abundance, species composition and richness varied between habitats types and between seasons
Highlights
There is much evidence suggesting that seasonal fluctuations in insect abundance are commonplace in the tropics
TaxonomicaIly,the Vespidae of central Brazil are relatively weIl known, mainly because of the works done by Fox in 1898 who described 10 species, and of Richards (1978) who registered most vespid species (85) of central Brazil
The results shows that even for vespids, supposedly good flyers, a restriction in habitat occurs (Table 1 )
Summary
There is much evidence suggesting that seasonal fluctuations in insect abundance are commonplace in the tropics. Previous studies in tropical regions have shown an increase in insect abundance from the dry season to the wet season G. Wolda 1978,Tanaka&Tanaka 1982,Boinski & Scott 1988, Frith & Frith 1990). The major exceptions include sorne adult lepidopteran, bee, and Thysanoptera species (Owen&Chanter 1970, Heithaus 1979, Boinski & Scott 1988, Tanaka & Tanaka 1982). The present work discusses the foraging habitats of vespid species and their seasonal actívity in the Brazilian central cerradoat Chapada dos Guimaraes, in Mato Grosso, during two dry and wet seasons
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