Pitfall Traps Research Articles

Under the sun or stars: how a dune ant (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) community is shaped along the day and night

AbstractAtlantic Forest (AF) is a threatened megadiverse biome distributed from north to south along the ocean of South America and is considered a hotspot of biodiversity. Currently, over 3000 ant taxa are known to occur in AF ecosystems, and many more are expected but may never be acknowledged. The patterns and processes structuring AF ant communities are not well known, urging such studies. Temperature is a fundamental environmental condition that modulates ant species occurrences at different local and regional scales. Global warming may deeply impact species occurrence, dynamics and interactions, and efforts to amplify our understanding of AF biodiversity are urgent. Ants are widely distributed in the dunes, and many species are sensitive to local changes in temperature as some species are considered thermophilic. In open areas such as dunes, the temperature varies considerably over 24 h, with great changes mainly between day and night. In this study, we sought to answer whether the foredune ant community of the Restinga, one of the habitats of the AF, is structured by temperature from day and night. For this, we tested the following hypotheses: (i) temperature influences ant diversity; (ii) in warmer periods, there is a decrease in richness, with an increase in abundance; and (iii) ant species composition varies throughout the day and, consequently, at different temperatures. We arbitrarily drew a parallel transect to the ocean composed of 15 pitfall trap units spaced every 30 m. Traps were changed in five sampling periods: T1 (9:10–13:10 h), T2 (13:40–18:40 h), T3 (19:00–23:00 h), T4 (23:00–03:00 h) and T5 (03:00–07:00 h). In each period, we recorded the ambient temperature and relative humidity. We recovered 11 ant species on the foredunes. Our results showed that the richness and abundance of ants in the daytime period was higher than in the night‐time period, suggesting that temperature positively affected these two parameters of the studied community. The species composition also changed over the sampling periods. Considering that our aim was to describe the species diversity across 24 h of sampling, this ‘quick‐shot’ of the ant community allowed us to determine that temperature and humidity shape their occurrence and activity. These results indicate that there is an interplay between these factors that are correlated and play an important role in structuring ant communities in Restinga foredunes.

Impact of No-Tillage on Soil Invertebrate Communities in the Southern Forest Steppe of West Siberia: Preliminary Research

The aim of our study is to assess changes in soil macroinvertebrate biodiversity when conventional tillage (CT) is replaced by no-tillage (NT) in agroecosystems of the southern part of the West Siberian forest steppe. The research was conducted in the Novosibirsk region at the end of May 2017, May 2018, and in June 2018. The agricultural plots with CT and NT were located close to each other on identical soils, at a distance of about 200 m from the nearest forest shelterbelts. NT technology has been applied on the experimental plot since 2007. Sampling of invertebrates was conducted in two ways, namely soil sampling and pitfall trapping. The majority of basic physicochemical properties of soil were the same or similar between the CT and NT plots. However, depending on the type of tillage, different soil invertebrate communities had already developed in the control (CT) and experimental (NT) plots during this time. The community of the CT plot includes a large number of flying predatory Carabidae species typical of early successional stages (such as Bembidion properans and B. quadrimaculatum, Poecilus spp.) and phytophages, i.e., larvae of Elateridae. The NT plot has significantly higher density and species richness of earthworms (Eisenia nordenskioldi and synanthropic E. fetida in the NT plot versus one individual of E. nordenskioldi in the CT plot). The NT plot has a significantly richer and more abundant assemblage of spiders (especially in spring) and a poor assemblage of insect predators (except for the superdominant ground beetle Poecilus cupreus and the subdominant P. versicolor in summer 2018). Large numbers of larvae of some carabids (e.g., Amara consularis) were found in the NT soil, suggesting that they complete a full life cycle in this habitat.

Diversity and Ant Community Composition in Some Algerian Islands

Abstract The present paper seeks to study the diversity and ant community composition of some Algerian islands. This study is considered as the first exhaustive survey of ant species of Algerian islands since 1957. The survey was carried out in the spring and summer seasons between April and July of two years 2014 and 2015. Vegetation richness, island area, mainland distance, and elevation variables were measured for each island. Relative abundance (RA), frequency of occurrence (FO), as well as species richness (S), Shannon’s diversity index (H), and equitability (E) for each island were used to compare the diversity pattern among islands. Patterns of species composition and community structure were compared among the sampling islands through ordination analysis (nonmetric multidimensional scaling [NMDS]). SIMPER analysis using a Bray–Curtis similarity index matrix was performed to determine the contribution of each ant species to the dissimilarities among islands. Canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) was performed to highlight the impact of environmental variables on the ant community. All analyses were computed by using PAST software. Two sampling methods (pitfall trap and hand collecting) were used, which led to the identification of 1039 individuals belonging to 16 species. Diversity indexes were different among islands. Ant community was significantly different between islands of the two regions Bejaia and Jijel. Three species contributed to 50.74% of the differences between islands of the two regions. Part of the ant community composition was influenced directly or indirectly by three environmental variables: vegetation richness, island area, and mainland distance. It is important to point out the absence of two invasive ants, Linepithema humile and Paratrechina longicornis, in our islands.

Does habitat type in no‐tillage agroecosystems influence ground‐dwelling macroarthropod community structure? A case study in KwaZulu‐Natal, South Africa

AbstractLoss of biodiversity in agroecosystems has negative implications for crop production and the functioning of the ecosystem. As such, agroecologists advocate minimum tillage practices in order to conserve biological diversity. To establish the influence of agricultural practices on biodiversity, we compared the species richness, abundance and composition of beetles, ants, spiders and small groups of ground dwelling arthropods in a veld and three agroecosystems (maize, sugarcane and multispecies pasture) under minimum tillage. Sampling was by pitfall trapping during the summer rainfall season in December 2019. Although ants were the most abundant (47%), followed by beetles (31%); beetles were the most speciose making up 40% of the morphospecies followed by spiders (31%). The veld had significantly greater relative proportion of species richness of spiders (54%) than the three agroecosystems, while significantly low relative proportion of species richness of ants was in the pasture (6%) compared to the veld (63%). Species richness and abundance of beetles were similar across habitat types. The four habitats supported different assemblages of ants, beetles and spiders. The differences in species composition among the habitats support the notion that agricultural practices with minimum soil disturbance enhance conservation of biological diversity, particularly, specialist species.

Struktur Komunitas Artropoda di Pembibitan Kelapa Sawit

Nurseries are one of the essential agronomic activities in oil palm cultivation. Oil palm seedlings are cultivated on a large scale, different from nurseries for other plantation commodities. The nursery expanse comprises various biotic components, one of which is Arthropods. This study aims to determine the Artropod community and its function in oil palm nurseries. The research was carried out at two nurseries, Nagari Gunung Medan and Nagari Kurnia Selatan, Dharmasraya Regency, West Sumatra Province. Sampling using the pitfall trap, yellow pan trap, insect nets, and direct collection methods. The results showed that the Arthropods that make up the oil palm nursery ecosystem were insects and spiders. Arthropods in oil palm nurseries act as phytophages, predators, parasitoids, and detrivores. Phytophage insects found in oil palm nurseries were 700 individuals consisting of 4 orders, nine families, and 14 genera/species. Predatory insects, parasitoids, and detritivores were found in as many as 466 individuals consisting of 5 orders, 14 families, and 16 genera/species. There are two species of spiders in oil palm nurseries: Pardosa sp and Oxyopes javanus. Valanga sp was the species with the highest number of individuals in oil palm nurseries.

Hunting or gathering? A comparison of reptile survey techniques suggests the survey aims should direct the monitoring method

ABSTRACT The choice of methods used for biodiversity assessments and monitoring are an important consideration for an effective inventory of species. There is little published data comparing trapping and active searching for reptile surveys. In this study we used data collected from 509 sites between 2000 and 2012 in Queensland's tropical savannas to examine the relative success of trapping versus searching for surveying reptiles. Sampling comprised pitfall and funnel trapping, and diurnal and nocturnal active searching within a 1-ha quadrat over a five-day period. We used summary data, mixed model regression and Chi-squared tests to examine variation in abundance, richness, and frequency in captures. A total of 167 species representing nine families were recorded from 9986 captures or observations (3127 records from pitfall traps, 1813 from funnel traps and 5046 from active searching). Our results indicated that different methods were more appropriate depending on taxa (i.e., pitfall trapping for terrestrial skinks, funnel traps for Elapids), its habit (i.e., pitfalls or active searching for fossorial species, active searching for arboreal species) or rarity (i.e., Typhlopidae). We conclude that multiple survey methods are required for a full inventory of species; however, using the most appropriate method that address specific management questions in relation to target species or taxa, the reptile's habit and different habitats being surveyed, should be a component in planning and approach to any research or monitoring.

Paving Behavior in Ants and Its Potential Application in Monitoring Two Urban Pest Ants, Solenopsis invicta and Tapinoma melanocephalum.

Our previous study discovered that two urban pest ants, red imported fire ants, Solenopsis invicta Buren (Formicidae: Myrmicinae), and ghost ants, Tapinoma melanocephalum (Fabricius) (Formicidae: Dolichoderinae), can pave viscose surfaces with particles to facilitate food search and transport. We hypothesize that this paving behavior can be applied to monitor S. invicta and T. melanocephalum. In the present study, 3998 adhesive tapes, each with a food source (sausage), were placed in 20 locations around Guangzhou, China (181-224 tapes per location), and their efficiency to detect S. invicta and T. melanocephalum was compared with two traditional ant-monitoring methods, baiting and pitfall trapping. Overall, S. invicta was detected by 45.6% and 46.4% of baits and adhesive tapes, respectively. In each location, the percentage of adhesive tapes detecting S. invicta and T. melanocephalum was similar when compared to baits and pitfall traps. However, significantly more non-target ant species showed up on bait and pitfall traps. Seven non-target ant species-Pheidole parva Mayr (Formicidae: Myrmicinae), Pheidole nodus Smith (Formicidae: Myrmicinae), Pheidole sinica Wu & Wang (Formicidae: Myrmicinae), Pheidole yeensis Forel (Formicidae: Myrmicinae), Carebara affinis (Jerdon) (Formicidae: Myrmicinae), Camponotus nicobarensis Mayr (Formicidae: Formicinae), and Odontoponera transversa (Smith) (Formicidae: Ponerinae)-also showed tape paving behavior, but they can be easily distinguished morphologically from S. invicta and T. melanocephalum. Our study showed that the paving behavior occurs in different subfamilies of ants (i.e., myrmicinae, dolichoderinae, formicinae, and ponerinae). In addition, paving behavior can potentially be used to develop more specific monitoring methods for S. invicta and T. melanocephalum in urban areas in southern China.

Landscape type affects the functional diversity of carabid beetles in agricultural landscapes

AbstractAgricultural intensification and expansion has been suggested to be a major driver of the loss of biodiversity and associated ecosystem services. Recent studies have shown that landscape‐level effects in addition to on‐site management are of significant importance for insect declines.We here compared carabid beetle (Coleoptera, Carabidae) assemblages of wet meadows among three pairs of highly fragmented ‘modern’ and less fragmented ‘traditional’ agricultural landscapes, using pitfall trapping.Taxonomic diversity and abundance of Carabidae did not differ between modern and traditional landscapes, whereas the proportions of brachypterous, large‐bodied, and habitat specialist species were lower in modern compared to traditional landscapes.These results suggest that landscape type affects functional rather than taxonomic carabid beetle diversity, based on species turnover.To preserve functional diversity in agricultural landscapes, conservation strategies should consider the landscape level in addition to on‐site management, by securing connectivity between remnants of semi‐natural habitats.

Diversity, Distribution, and Habitat Association of Anuran Species from Keffa, Southwest Ethiopia

The aim of the current study was to provide a description of the species composition and habitat association of anuran species found in the Keffa area of southwest Ethiopia, among the least studied natural areas in Ethiopia. Data were gathered in both the rainy and dry seasons. Opportunistic observations, audio, and visual encounters were used to perform the survey. To capture different frog species, drift fence and pitfall trap techniques were used. Three habitat types—wetlands, agricultural land, and riverine forests—were explored for the frog species. A total of 3672-person field hours were spent and 5678 individuals of 26 different anuran species from eight different families were recorded. Of these, six species were new records for the Keffa area. Species determination was assessed using morphology and validated with genetic barcoding. The mitochondrial 16S rRNA and COI gene sequence analysis have been used in molecular systematic analyses of the frog species. The Leptopelis ragazzii that was discovered to be present in the earlier study was actually Leptopelis vannutellii, as evidenced by DNA sequencing. The Hyperolius individuals were initially categorized as H. nasutus, but after conducting DNA barcoding, they were found to be H. microps. At least three potential new candidate species (Leptopelis sp. 1, Leptopelis sp. 2, and Phrynobatrachus sp. 1) were discovered. Hyperoliidae was the most abundant family from the recorded anurans, followed by Phrynobatrachidae, while Conrauidae was the least abundant. Most species were found in the wetland habitat, followed by riverine forest, while agricultural land had the least. Wetlands had the highest values for the Shannon diversity index (2.131), followed by agricultural land (1.58) and riverine forests (1.459). The environmental variables revealed that temperature had a considerable negative impact, while precipitation had a non-significantly positive relationship with anuran abundance. The Keffa area is rich in frog species, accounting for 35% of the country’s batrachofauna. However, the habitats have been fragmented and ruined by agricultural expansion, water drainage from the wetlands, and the conversion of horticulture to field crops. We recommend that non-governmental organizations, districts, regional officials, and local people in and around Keffa actively engage in wetland and forest conservation and protection.

Taxonomic diversity of ant (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) assemblages in forest remnants in the Northeast of Argentina

Argentina is among the ten countries in the world with loss of large areas of forests in recent years. Deforestation leads to an inevitable loss of biodiversity and the fragmentation of natural environments, with increased extinctions of species in small patches. Ants are present in all terrestrial ecosystems and play key ecological roles. This study aimed to analyse how ant assemblages vary in different forest remnants of the Northeast Argentina (NEA) from the approach of taxonomic diversity, which involve the linnean classifications relationships of the taxa. The ants were collected by hand collecting and pitfall trapping techniques in theforests of 15 NEA localities during the warm months in 2015-2018. In total, 600 samples, 10741 individuals and 94 ant species were obtained. In this way, 94 species distributed in 41 genera, 14 tribes and 9 subfamilies were obtained. Myrmicinae, Fomicinae and Ponerinae presented the highest specific richness. The results of taxonomic distinctness (Δ+) and average taxonomic variation (Λ+) demonstrated that all localities fell within the expected average for estimated models. The beta diversity, measured by the species dissimilarity (1-βJ) and taxonomic dissimilarity (1-∆T), reflected in the NMDS and cluster analyses, proved that the localities in the Iberá Reserve (Corrientes), differ from the rest both in the specific composition and in the phylogenetic relationships between them. This could indicate a typical ant microfauna of the Iberá Reserve.

No indication of methodological biases in tullgren and macfadyen extraction of edaphic microarthropods

Separating soil-dwelling microarthropods from their substrate is a fundamental procedure in soil zoological research. Although the earliest methods to automatically extract animals from soil were described more than a century ago, the efficiency of existing techniques is still open to debate. In this study, we mutually compared the performance of four methods of very different operation mode (active and passive extraction, and traps) to inspect for biases of either method. From a temperate grassland and a forest site, we collected the adult oribatid and collembolan fauna using a Tullgren extractor, a Macfadyen canister extractor, heptane flotation and pitfall traps. Between Tullgren and Macfadyen, we did not find substantial differences in group and species abundances, rarified species richness, body length distributions, and collembolan life form. Heptane flotation produced fewer individuals than the two active methods, but comparable patterns of species composition, body lengths and collembolan life form. Pitfall traps strongly underestimated abundance and species richness of Oribatida and of eu- and hemiedaphic Collembola, but caught high numbers of epedaphic individuals, and several epedaphic species that were missed by the other methods. In conclusion, our data indicated that the relative efficiency of the Tullgren and Macfadyen methods was high and estimates of abundance and species richness reliable. We suggest to complement the traditional soil coring with pitfall trapping to adequately represent the epedaphic collembolan species in the data.

Ant Community Structure in Palm Oil Plantation Bordering Secondary Forest

Deforestation or functional change from forest to non-forest plays a role in changing ecosystems and species within it. Insects as one of the faunas in it is an interesting aspect to be studied, especially ants. The research was conducted in Nagari Gunung Selasih and Sungai Kambut, Pulau Punjung District, Dharmasraya Regency, West Sumatra from November 2017 to January 2018. This study aims to determine the diversity of ants in the palm oil plantation ecosystem bordering the forest ecosystem. This research takes the form of a survey where the Purposive Random Sampling method was used for points sampling. Hand Collecting, Bait Trap, and Pitfall Trap sampling methods were applied for each plant. Identification of the samples obtained was carried out at the Animal Taxonomy Laboratory, Department of Biology, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Andalas University, Padang. Total ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) collected during the study were 3,046 individuals consisting of 5 subfamilies, 15 genera, and 29 species. The most dominant species was Anoplolepis graciliphes, followed by Odontoponera denticulate and Odontomachus simillimus. Based on the results of the study, it can be concluded that the level of abundance and diversity of ant species is not directly affected by the distance from the forest ecosystem, but it is strongly influenced by the composition of environmental factors such as temperature, humidity, light intensity, altitude, and management of existing habitats and vegetation.

Arthropods, Pests, and Diseases of Jack Bean (Canavalia Ensiformis) in Upland and Dry Climate Areas

Jack bean (Canavalia ensiformis) is one of the potential crops in tropical areas. Arthropods, plant pests, and microorganisms were observed in Jack bean crop ecosystems. The aims of this study were to observe the presence of arthropods in Jack bean plants in dry land and dry climate area, and disease symptoms caused by microorganisms. This research was conducted at Muneng experimental station Probolinggo, using a diagonal sampling method, with yellow trap, pitfall trap, and swapping net. Symptom variation, arthropod diversity, pest attack intensity, and disease incidence were recorded. The results showed that the types of arthropods, pests, and diseases that infect and the incidence of pest and disease attack on each accession do not differ between accessions. The highest number was recorded in the sweeping net with 12 families, followed by the pitfall trap with 4 families, while in yellow traps there were 3 families. Two insects as plant pest organisms were Liriomyza sp and Maruca sp with attack rates up to 70% and 80% respectively, while jack bean diseases were wilting and mosaic with 25% and 40%. It is necessary to identify the pathogens that caused the diseases in more detail and to study the proper management of pests to reduce yield loss.

Temminck pangolins relax the precision of body temperature regulation when resources are scarce in a semi-arid environment.

Climate change is impacting mammals both directly (for example, through increased heat) and indirectly (for example, through altered food resources). Understanding the physiological and behavioural responses of mammals in already hot and dry environments to fluctuations in the climate and food availability allows for a better understanding of how they will cope with a rapidly changing climate. We measured the body temperature of seven Temminck's pangolins (Smutsia temminckii) in the semi-arid Kalahari for periods of between 4 months and 2 years. Pangolins regulated body temperature within a narrow range (34-36°C) over the 24-hcycle when food (and hence water, obtained from their prey) was abundant. When food resources were scarce, body temperature was regulated less precisely, 24-h minimum body temperatures were lower and the pangolins became more diurnally active, particularly during winter when prey was least available. The shift toward diurnal activity exposed pangolins to higher environmental heat loads, resulting in higher 24-h maximum body temperatures. Biologging of body temperature to detect heterothermy, or estimating food abundance (using pitfall trapping to monitor ant and termite availability), therefore provide tools to assess the welfare of this elusive but threatened mammal. Although the physiological and behavioural responses of pangolins buffered them against food scarcity during our study, whether this flexibility will be sufficient to allow them to cope with further reductions in food availability likely with climate change is unknown.

A Preliminary Study on the Beetle Fauna in Peat Swamp Forest of Kota Samarahan, Sarawak, Malaysia

The largest peatland in Malaysia is in Sarawak with approximately 1.66 million ha (13%) of total area, distributed widely in Sibu division followed by Sri Aman, Miri, Kota Samarahan, Sarikei and Bintulu. Despite being the most diverse animal species, the study of insects in peat swamp forest, particularly beetles, is still in the incipient stage. Therefore, this study aimed to provide recent information on the beetle species composition in a peat swamp forest of Real Living Lab, UNIMAS (RLL) located in Kota Samarahan. Beetles were sampled for five consecutive days and nights within a seven-day sampling trip in August 2020. Three sampling methods were employed in this study, namely handpicking method (HPM), modified Pennsylvanian light trap (MPLT) and pitfall trapping (PFT). A total of 15 families representing 37 species and morphospecies with 185 individuals were successfully collected. The most speciose family from the beetle assemblages in RLL is Scarabaeidae with eight species collected (21.62%), followed by Curculionidae with six species (16.22%) and Staphylinidae with five species (13.51%). The most abundant family was also represented by Scarabaeidae with 64 individuals (34.59%), followed by Scolytidae with 27 individuals (14.59%) and Carabidae with 23 individuals (12.43%), respectively. This suggests that these families are good candidates as biodiversity indicator of peat swamp forests. This study is still in its preliminary stage; hence it is important to conduct further beetle samplings in future to better understand the potential of beetle as a bioindicator in the peat swamp habitat as an effort to conserve and protect the habitat and the biodiversity that came along with it.

The Effects of Pitfall Trap Spacing on Ant Richness (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), Abundance, and Composition in Dinder National Park, Sudan

Ants play an important role in Sudanese biodiversity and environmental impact assessments, Although baiting is easy and cheap to implement, several considerations, such as the spacing among bait, can affect the estimation of the abundance and richness of ants species. In this study, we evaluated the effects of bait spacing on abundance and the number of ant species. We also demonstrate which distance between baits showed the best relationship between costs and the number of ant species sampled. We sampled 30 transects of 100 m with bait spacing ranging (2.5; 3.3; 5; 6.7; 10 and 20 m), spread over 1 km² into three different type of ecosystems (Wooded grass land, Riverine ecosystem and Maya ecosystem), at DNP located in Sudan. The bait spacing did not affect the ant diversity estimative. Regardless bait spacing, the number of species collected every five baits was around 8, and the average abundance was approximately 50 individuals. However, the number of species per bait was higher in transects with a larger gap between baits. Transects with bait spans of 20 and 10 m captured 50% more species per bait than transects with baits 2.5 and 3.4 m apart. Our study suggest that the most efficient sampling design using only baits in the park would be, to place 450 baits every 10 m and 20 m.

Keanekaragaman Serangga Tanah di Tegakan Kenanga (Cananga odorata (Lam.) Hook. f. & Thomson) dengan Perlakuan Pemupukan

Ylang-ylang (Cananga odorata (Lam.) Hook. f. & Thomson) or ylang- ylang from the Annonaceae family is one of the forests. This study aimed to determine the diversity and abundance of soil surface insects in Kenanga (Cananga odorata (Lam.) Hook. f. & Thomson) stands that were treated with fertilization. The research procedure includes determining the location of observations, taking samples using the pitfall trap method, measuring environmental factors, identifying insects, and analyzing data. The total number of soil fauna in the pre-fertilized treatment was found to be 14 orders and 1421 individuals, while for the post-fertilized treatment was found to be 16 orders and 2108 individuals. In each plot, there was an increase in the number of individuals who it was given fertilizer treatment except for fertilizer treatment. The factor of increasing individual insects is not only from fertilizer application but also from micro-habitat factors, namely the amount of litter, undergrowth, temperature and humidity. The morphospecies that experienced the most significant increase in the number of individuals was Formicidae. A relatively high index of ant species diversity was found in the control plot.
 Keywords: Cananga odorata, biodiversity, fertilizer, insects

Diversity of Beetles Captured in Pitfall Traps in the Șinca Old-Growth Forest, Brașov County, Romania: Forest Reserve versus Managed Forest

Natural forests have unique, very stable structures and host a large number of endemic species, making them of high conservation value. The Șinca Old-Growth Forest in Brasov County (Romania) is no exception, being a flagship natural forest of mixed beech and silver fir among European mountain forests. Knowledge of the diversity of beetles living in this ecosystem and of the conservation degree of the species can be obtained by comparing it with the diversity existing in a managed forest, similar in composition and structure. Thus, the present study allowed a first analysis of the terrestrial coleopteran communities captured in pitfall traps both in a forest reserve and in a managed forest. The abundance of captured beetles was about 17% higher in the forest reserve (16,393 individuals) than in the managed forest (14,008 individuals), while species richness was higher in the managed forest (44 species), where 19.1% more taxa were identified than in the forest reserve (37 species). There were significant differences between the two beetle communities indicated via a PERMANOVA test; these differences are most likely due to the presence of certain beetle species only in a certain stand type, but also due to large differences between populations of common insect species. Analyses of the Shannon, Simpson, Evenness, and Berger–Parker diversity indices showed a similar diversity between the two terrestrial beetle communities. The presence of rare species such as Carabus variolosus (Fabricius, 1787), Ceruchus chrysomelinus (Hochenwarth, 1785), and Rhysodes sulcatus (Fabricius, 1787) indicates the high value of this ecosystem and illustrates the importance of its conservation. A more in-depth analysis of beetle diversity in the Șinca forest may only be possible after further research based on additional beetle sampling methods capable of capturing dead wood-dependent insects in particular.

KEANEKARAGAMAN MAKROFAUNA TANAH PADA HABITAT HUTAN HOMOGEN DAN HETEROGEN DI KAWASAN HUTAN PENDIDIKAN DAN PELATIHAN SISIMENI SANAM, KABUPATEN KUPANG, NUSA TENGGARA TIMUR

This study aims to determine types of soil macrofauna and analyze the diversity and similarity of soil macrofauna contained in homogeneous and heterogeneous forest habitat. This research has been done in the Sisimeni Sanam Education and Training Forest Area, in Silu Village, Fatuleu District, Kupang Regency, East Nusa Tenggara. This research is descriptive quantitative using the exploratory method. Observations were carried out through pitfall trap and hand sorting. The data to be analyzed is related to the diversity index (H') and the Similarity Index (IS). Analysis of data using Microsoft Excel and Past3 applications. The results showed that types of soil macrofauna in Forest Areas Education and Training Sisimeni Sanam especially under the stands of forest habitat heterogeneous and homogeneous forest consists of 11 ordo with a total of 1,113 individuals were found. The diversity level of soil macrofauna under heterogeneous and homogeneous forest habitat stands at 1.71063 and 0.55568. The level of similarity between soil macrofauna under heterogeneous forest habitat stands is high with an average value of 62.406%.

Survey of ants (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) in the city of Providence (Rhode Island, United States) and a new northern-most record for Brachyponera chinensis (Emery, 1895)

We surveyed ants in Providence, Rhode Island, from 2015 to 2019. Methods including repeated pitfall trap sampling and manual searching were used to collect ants at Providence College and a rapid biological assess-ment was conducted at Roger Williams Park. A total of 36 species were identified based on morphology, including the first observations of a colony of Needle Ants (Brachyponera chinensis Emery, 1895) in New England. Twenty-six species identified were new county records and seven species were new state records, representing a substantial update to the list of known ant species in Rhode Island, currently totaling 41 species in Providence and 69 spe-cies from six subfamilies across the state. These results are comparable with similarly scaled surveys conducted at parks and cities across the world, and they also offer a reminder that while urbanization can be associated with reductions in habitat availability for some fauna, cities can be accessible and ecologically important locations for exploring myrmecological biodiversity.