Abstract
This work recorded 593 specimens allocated in 11 genera and 23 species of social wasps were collected in Ubajara National Park and Sete Cidades National Park, Caatinga Biome, Northeast of Brazil. Chartergellus communis Richards, 1978, Chartergus globiventris de Saussure, 1854, Metapolybia docilis Richards, 1975, Polybia paulista (von Ihering, 1896), P. rejecta (Fabricius, 1798), Protonectarina sylveirae (de Saussure, 1854) and Protopolybia exigua (de Saussure, 1854) are new occurrence records for Ceará state. Apoica flavissima van der Vecht, 1898, Brachygastra augusti (de Saussure, 1854), C. globiventris, Metapolybia cingulata (Fabricius, 1804), Polybia chrysothorax (Lichtenstein, 1796), P. paulista, P. scutellaris (White, 1841) and Protopolybia chartergoides Gribodo, 1891 are new occurrence records for Piauí state. Eighteen species were collected in the Ubajara National Park, being eight exclusive and fifthteen in the Sete Cidades National Park, being five exclusive; ten species were collected in both Parks. Brachygastra augusti and M.docilis are new records for Caatinga biome.
Highlights
Caatinga is composed of dry forests with trees, shrubs, and herbs; rainfall in the biome is below 1.000 mm and strongly concentrated in a short rainy season followed by a marked dry season of up to 10 months. (Drumond et al, 2002; Leal et al, 2005)
This view was perpetrated by Ducke (1907) in his article on Brazilian social wasps in which he quotes: “In the Ceará state, center of the dry region Northeast of Brazil, is very poor Hymenoptera diversity, characterized to the absence of many frequent species throughout the rest of the country”
The wasps were obtained during two collecting expeditions to the study areas, from April 18th to 21st of 2012 and February 7th to 13th of 2013 at the Sete Cidades National Park (NP Sete Cidades, Piripiri municipality, Piauí state 4°5’57”S, 41°42’34”W) and from Abril 22st to 25th of 2012 and February 14th to 20th of 2013 at the Ubajara National Park (NP Ubajara, Ubajara municipality, Ceará state - 3°50’18”S, 40°53’54”W) (Fig 01)
Summary
Caatinga is composed of dry forests with trees, shrubs, and herbs; rainfall in the biome is below 1.000 mm and strongly concentrated in a short rainy season followed by a marked dry season of up to 10 months. (Drumond et al, 2002; Leal et al, 2005). Social wasps (Vespidae: Polistinae) play a decisive role in the trophic balance of ecosystems due to their food duplicity, since they act as well as predators and as scavengers of insect larvae and smaller insects (Carpenter & Marques, 2001) and as collectors of nectar and pollen (Sühs et al, 2009) It is a group with high species richness and populations and very common in several places of the Neotropical region (Carpenter & Marques, 2001). Andena and Carpenter (2014) compiled information from collections and bibliographies and reported the occurrence of 76 social wasp species from the Brazilian semi-arid region, mainly for Bahia. Despite these efforts, most of the natural areas belonging to the Caatinga biome have not yet been inventoried. Here we present information about the social wasp species in two Brazilian National Parks from the Caatinga biome
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