Sifting Leaf Litter Research Articles

The fourth species of Sinamma Lin & Li, 2014 (Araneae, Tetrablemmidae) from China.

Sinamma Lin & Li, 2014 is a small tetrablemmid genus distributed in China, with three currently known species: Sinammaoxycera Lin & Li, 2014 from Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and S.quadrata Tong & Li, 2022 and S.yingae Tong & Li, 2022 from Guangdong Province. While examining spider specimens obtained by sifting leaf litter from Danxiashan National Nature Reserve in Guangdong Province of China, we discovered a new species of the genus Sinamma, S.danxia sp. nov., which is described here.

Assessing the immediate impacts of the 2019/2020 bushfires on land snails in north-eastern New South Wales

ABSTRACT This study aimed to improve our understanding of the immediate response of 26 priority species of land snail that may have been severely impacted by the 2019/2020 megafire event in north-eastern New South Wales. Our study covered a range of ecosystem types over an area of approximately 20,400 km2. We searched 70 survey sites that differed in burn severity for all species of land snail visually on-site and by sifting leaf litter samples under a microscope in the laboratory. These survey sites were selected for representing pre-existing occurrence records of priority species at sites that differed in mapped fire severity classes as based on Fire Extent and Severity data available from public sources. We also surveyed unburnt sites for comparative purposes. We found that nearly all survey sites encompassed a patchwork of areas with different burn extent and severity and that more humid forest types were overall affected by lower fire extent and severity than surrounding more xeric forest types. Only one site with extreme fire extent and severity was surveyed. The survey covered 165 historical occurrence records, 96 of which (58%) were re-confirmed. We also found 55 new occurrence records, 11 of which were in burnt and 44 in unburnt sites. Burnt and unburnt sites showed slight, yet insignificant differences in the redetection rate of species, which was generally low (on average 50–65%). Our data does not reveal an association between the number of specimens found at sites and burn severity and extent (from unburnt to extreme burnt). While we infer that populations have declined in areas affected by more severe fires, we found proportions of the survey area to be affected by fires of lower severity, which likely did not substantially affect the size of local land snail populations. Based on this, we conclude that initial concerns that the bushfires had led to a substantial deterioration of the conservation status of land snails are not generally corroborated. Instead, we have assessed just 3 species (10% of all studied species) as of conservation concern and 7 species (23%) as near threatened due to direct impacts of the 2019/2020 megafires. However, the paucity of occurrence records for many species and our limited knowledge of their ecology hampers a more detailed assessment of the potential fire impacts on many species, including possible on-going threats. Long-term monitoring and research are critical to ensure effective management especially of narrow range endemics.

A simple, low-cost device for collecting mushroom-dwelling Scaphidiinae (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae).

The shining fungus beetles (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Scaphidiinae) comprise more than 1800 described species, which are usually small (≅0.8414.30 mm long) (Tang et al. 2014 ; Lbl Ogawa 2016) and found on bracket and resupinate fungi, mushrooms and slime molds (Newton 1984; Lbl Leschen 2003; Lbl 2018). They are known to be diverse in forests of tropical and subtropical regions, which contrast to the low number of species currently known from Brazil: only 34 species and two subspecies from seven genera (Lbl 2018; von Groll Lopes-Andrade, 2021). Any active search for Scaphidiinae in the Brazilian Atlantic forest reveals a considerable abundance and diverse of these organisms (pers. obs.), but they disperse rapidly if disturbed, and the success of field collections relies on the collectors skills, luck and collecting techniques and devices. The most common methods and devices for collecting shinning fungus beetles are sifting leaf litter, rotten wood and fungi, flight intercept (FIT) and V-flight intercept (V-FIT) traps, aspirators, sweeping, and hand collecting (Lbl Leschen 2003; Tang et al. 2014; Lbl et al. 2021). Hand collecting is considered the best method, because the host fungi and larvae can be collected together to make associations (Lbl Leschen 2003).

Beetle Diversity Across Micro-habitats on Lizard Island Group (Great Barrier Reef, Australia).

The beetles (Coleoptera) of Lizard Island group, a complex of small granitic islands on the Great Barrier Reef, have never been systematically assessed. In April 2019, we conducted the first survey of the island group across different micro-habitats. We specifically aimed to determine which beetle families are the most diverse, and how beetle diversity varies across the island group. We sampled several sites on seven large collection areas using a variety of methods: pitfall traps, beating sheet, sifting leaf litter, and active night and day collection. Our sampling yielded 108 beetle morphospecies representing at least 21 families. The most diverse families on Lizard Island group were Curculionidae, Carabidae, Scarabaeidae, Tenebrionidae, and Cerambycidae, in general accordance with global patterns in Coleoptera diversity. The families Chrysomelidae, Staphylinidae, and Buprestidae were found to be proportionally less diverse on the island group than on mainland Australia, though Australia as a whole is of limited value as a reference. Beetle diversity varied across both large-scale collection areas and small-scale collection sites on Lizard Island group. As expected, greater habitat complexity and vegetation diversity corresponded with greater beetle diversity, though these patterns might be biased due to the temporal and spatial limits of our sampling. We hope this preliminary survey will facilitate further research on Lizard Island group, taking advantage of the research facilities on the island and the possibility of establishing long-term studies.

A Species of the Genus Parapyxidicerus Sawada, 1964 (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae) new to Korea

The pselaphine beetle, tribe Bythinoplectini is recorded from Korea for the first time, represented by a single species, Parapyxidicerus carinatus Sawada, 1964 previously only known from Japan. Three specimens were collected in northern part of South Korea (Gyeonggi and Gangwon Provinces) by sifting leaf litter near stream. Illustrations of a habitus, diagnostic characteristics of the tribe, genus and species, and distributional map are provided.

New Records of Beetles (Coleoptera) from the Tennessee Valley of Southeastern USA

Fifty-three beetle species within 13 families are reported as new state records for Tennessee or Georgia, USA. Most specimens were collected at two localities, the Tennessee River Gorge Land Trust (Marion Co., Tennessee) or the Lula Lake Land Trust (Walker Co., Georgia). Specimens were collected during May 2015–2016 using various techniques, including Malaise, flight intercept, pitfall, and Lindgren funnel traps, as well as sifting leaf litter. All specimens and records come from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Insect collection (UTCI).

A new species of Linan Hlavácˇ (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae, Pselaphinae) from Shenzhen, China.

A new Chinese species of the genus Linan Hlaváč, 2003, L.qiniangmontissp. nov., is described based on two male and three female specimens from sifted leaf litter samples at Qiniang Mountain, Shenzhen City, Guangdong. The species can be readily recognized and separated from all congeners based on the forms of the male antennae, the metaventral processes, and the aedeagus.

Two new species of pseudoscorpions (Arachnida: Pseudoscorpiones) from a Mexican oak forest near Pico de Orizaba National Park

A faunistic inventory from an oak forest near Pico de Orizaba National Park revealed the presence of two new species of pseudoscorpions. Atherochernes breviductus sp. nov. of the family Chernetidae is represented by 286 mature specimens, and is the first record of this genus for the country; Serianus orizabensis sp. nov. of the family Garypinidae is represented by 44 adults and is the first record of the family for the State of Veracruz. Most individuals were collected by sifting leaf litter and processing with Berlese funnels. The new taxa are hereby described and documented with illustrations and high-quality microphotography. The relationships of AtherochernesBeier, 1954 with other chernetids was investigated with a molecular phylogeny. In addition, the species Mexichelifer reddelliMuchmore, 1973 and Mundochthonius mexicanusMuchmore, 1973 are recorded for the first time in the state of Veracruz.

A new species of the spider genus Cangoderces (Araneae, Telemidae) from South Africa

A new species of the spider family Telemidae from South Africa, Cangodercesglobosa sp. n., is diagnosed, described and illustrated. This is the second species of the family to be recorded from the country. Consistent with the habits of most Afrotropical telemids, C.globosa sp. n. was collected by sifting leaf litter in forests.

The genus Prothrombosternus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Molytinae)rediscovered: a male from Rubeho Mountains, Tanzania.

A male specimen of the monotypic weevil genus, Prothrombosternus Voss, 1965, so far known on the basis of only five syntypes from Mt. Meru and Mt. Hanang, Tanzania, is reported from the Rubeho Mountains, Tanzania. The lectotype of Prothrombosternus tarsalis Voss, 1965 is designated using a male from Mt. Meru. The Rubeho specimen shares the same external and genital morphological characters with the lectotype (both extensively illustrated) and, therefore, both are considered conspecific. The DNA barcode of the Rubeho specimen is publicly available at dx.doi.org/10.5883/DS-PROTHRO. All six known specimens of Prothrombosternus are flightless and were found by sifting leaf litter at elevations between 1833-2500 m in wet Afromontane forests. The genus is, therefore, thought to be restricted to this highly fragmented habitat threatened by human encroachment. Presence of the genus on both geologically old (Rubeho Mountains; >10Ma) and young (Mt. Meru and Mt. Hanang volcanoes, <2Ma) forested highlands suggests presently unknown means of dispersal. The phylogenetic position of the genus is unknown and its taxonomic placement in Cycloterini cannot be presently tested.

Flightless Notaris (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Brachycerinae: Erirhinini) in Southwest China: monophyly, mtDNA phylogeography and evolution of habitat associations.

This paper reports the recent discovery of flightless populations of weevils of the genus Notaris in Yunnan and Sichuan provinces of China. Specimens were found in the middle or high altitude mountains (2440-4195 m), by either sifting leaf litter in the deciduous forest and among alpine Rhododendron shrubs, or by turning rocks in the alpine zone. These finds extend southwards the Asian range of this Holarctic genus and report its highest altitudinal records. DNA barcodes of 127 specimens were phylogenetically analysed, of them 42 are those of newly discovered Notaris from Southwest China. The genera Notaris and Tournotaris consistently formed a clade, with Tournotaris nested inside Notaris in Maximum Parsimony (MP) and Maximum Likelihood (ML) analysis. The newly discovered flightless Notaris from Southwest China were either monophyletic (MP) or paraphyletic with respect to volant Holarctic N. aethiops (ML); the latter placement being likely an artefact. A strict linear molecular clock approach suggests a pre-Pliocene separation of Notaris populations in Southwest China. Habitat associations of these high-altitude flightless Notaris contrast sharply with that of the predominantly volant lowland riparian Notaris and other Erirhinini. We hypothesis that evolution of habitat selection in Notaris went from lowland riparian, to high altitude (via uplift of the Tibetan Plateau and adjacent regions of Central Asia), and then to forest leaf litter (via subsequent erosions of isolated mountains such as Emei Shan in Sichuan losing the alpine zone and forcing Notaris into the forest floor). Taxonomic uncertainty of Asian Notaris is addressed and remains unresolved due to uninformative morphology and conflicting DNA signal. Identities of two obscure and likely closely related species, Notaroides brevirostris and Notaris kozlovi from nearby SE Qinghai and NW Sichuan, respectively, are discussed and illustrated. Pending further research, all reported flightless Notaris from Yunnan and Sichuan are hypothesised to form a clade, for which the available name N. kozlovi is used. Habitus and genitalia of Notaris specimens from the newly detected populations are illustrated.

Monitoring the Diversity of Hunting Ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) on a Fragmented and Restored Andean Landscape.

Hunting ants are predators of organisms belonging to different trophic levels. Their presence, abundance, and diversity may reflect the diversity of other ants and contribute to evaluate habitat conditions. Between 2003 and 2005 the restoration of seven corridors in an Andean rural landscape of Colombia was performed. The restoration took place in lands that were formerly either forestry plantations or pasturelands. To evaluate restoration progress, hunting ants were intensely sampled for 7 yr, using sifted leaf litter and mini-Winkler, and pitfall traps in 21 plots classified into five vegetation types: forests, riparian forests, two types of restored corridors, and pasturelands. The ant communities were faithful to their habitat over time, and the main differences in ant composition, abundance, and richness were due to differences among land use types. The forests and riparian forests support 45% of the species in the landscape while the restored corridors contain between 8.3-25%. The change from forest to pasturelands represents a loss of 80% of the species. Ant composition in restored corridors was significantly different than in forests but restored corridors of soil of forestry plantations retained 16.7% more species than restored corridors from pasturelands. Ubiquitous hunting ants, Hypoponera opacior (Forel) and Gnamptogenys ca andina were usually associated with pastures and dominate restored corridors. Other cryptic, small, and specialized hunting ants are not present in the restored corridors. Results suggest that the history of land use is important for the biodiversity of hunting ants but also that corridors have not yet effectively contributed toward conservation goals.

Beetles (Coleoptera) of Peru: A Survey of the Families. Nitidulidae

Diversity in Peru: 4 subfamilies, 22 genera, 63 species. Recognition: This family may be recognized by the following combination of adult characters: maxilla lacking galea; antennae typically 11-segmented, with terminal three antennomeres forming a club; antennal insertions moderately to broadly separated; subocular antennal grooves on ventral surface of head present; procoxae transverse with exposed trochantins; prosternum transverse with intercoxal process extending between procoxal cavities, procoxae always separated; mesoventral procoxal rests present; typically five visible abdominal ventrites present; metendosternite stalk present; metasternum with discrimen present; and tarsal formula 5-5-5. Habitat: Several recent comprehensive reviews of Nitidulidae biology are available (Jelinek et al., 2010; Cline, 2005; Audisio et al., 2000; Audisio, 1993). Overall, nitidulid beetles exhibit a diverse set of life history strategies, including: fungivory, saprophagy, phytophagy, pollination activities, facultative predation, necrophagy, frugivory, and inquilinism with social insects. Nitidulids may be collected using a variety of directed (sweeping and beating vegetation/inflorescences, sifting leaf litter, searching under bark and various fungal substrates, as well as in nests of social Hymenoptera) and passive techniques (flight intercept traps, pitfall traps, malaise traps, and mercury vapor or black lights at night). Large numbers of nitidulids can typically be found in palm inflorescences (e.g., Mytrops and related genera); baited fruit or molasses traps (Carpophilus, Colopterus, Brachypeplus, Amphicrossus, Lobiopa, and Cryptarcha), and sifting leaf litter (Stelidota). Notes: Nitidulidae have long been confused with numerous other families of Cucujoidea. In particular, members of Cybocephalidae, Kateretidae, Monotomidae, Cryptophagidae, Biphyllidae, Smicripidae, and Erotylidae have been attributed to Nitidulidae. Recent and upcoming work on the New World Kateretidae (Cline and Audisio, 2010, and unpubl. data) will help improve the diagnostic capabilities for Nitidulidae. A recent treatment of Nitidulidae higher level phylogenetics formally elevated Cybocephalidae to family status and provided an extensive list of adult and larval characters to differentiate this group from Nitidulidae (Cline et al., 2014). Invasive species such as Urophorus humeralis (F.), Epuraea luteola Erichson, and Carpophilus hemipterus (L.) likely occur in the country as they have been transported around the world in various agricultural commodities, in conjunction with several other alien species more or less recently introduced into Peru (Carrasco, 1986; Leschen and Marris, 2005; EPPO, 2010). However, there are no existing records for

A New Species ofOtiothopsMacLeay (Araneae: Palpimanidae: Otiothiopinae) from Cuba

Summary We describe a new species of the genus Otiothops MacLeay, 1839 (Palpimanidae), O. alayoni n. sp., from the Sierra Maestra mountain range in eastern Cuba, representing only the second species of the genus from the Greater Antilles. The new species is diagnosed from other species of the genus, and compared in detail with the Cuban O. walckenaeri Macleay, 1839. All specimens of the new species were collected by sifting leaf litter in montane rainforest.

The Staphylinidae (Coleoptera) Fauna of Los Mármoles National Park, Hidalgo, Mexico

ABSTRACT Staphylinid beetles were collected from May to December 2007 using several different sampling methods at three sites in Los Marmoles National Park, Hidalgo, Mexico. Two sampling sites were in pine—oak forest and one was in oak forest. In addition, records were included from less structured occasional collecting at other sites in the park. A total of 2,680 specimens belonging to 111 species, representing 91.7% of the 121 species currently known in Hidalgo state, were collected. The highest number of species and specimens were recorded at Las Trancas (Zimapan), followed by Minas Viejas and La Encarnacion. These were the three sites where systematic collections were made, using a wide variety of methods. The highest number of staphylinid species was recorded in sifted leaf litter, followed by dung traps and carrion traps. The present contribution can help to identify the taxa inhabiting this protected natural area and aid in understanding the importance of continuing to conserve them.

Leaf litter ant diversity in Guyana

Leaf litter ants are an important group of organisms for informing conservation planning. This study presents the beginning of a leaf litter ant dataset for Guyana. Following the ants of the leaf litter protocol, ants were extracted from sifted leaf litter sampled along eight transects from across Guyana. A total of 230 species were collected from 44 genera. Of those 230 species, 122 species (ca. 53%) were found at only one site. Out of the 122 species found at only one site, 43 species (ca. 19%) were singletons, being known from only one specimen. Using a cluster analysis, faunistic composition was compared among sites. While the lowland sites accounted for the highest species richness, Mt. Ayanganna possessed an especially distinctive ant fauna and may represent a center of endemism. Three leaf litter ant communities were identified: lowland and two Mt. Ayanganna communities, mid-elevation and upper elevation. Recent mining operations on Mt. Ayanganna threaten its pristine nature and this study confirms the need for further biological study of the area. With upwards of 70% of its area still forested Guyana has the opportunity to preserve its biological heritage before widespread deforestation occurs. If expanded, this leaf litter ant dataset will be increasingly useful for country-wide conservation planning.

ANT DIVERSITY SAMPLING ON THE SOUTHERN CUMBERLAND PLATEAU: A COMPARISON OF LITTER SIFTING AND PITFALL TRAPPING

Abstract We compared the efficacy and biases of pitfall trapping and Winkler extraction of sifted leaf litter for sampling the diversity of ground-dwelling ants in native oak-hickory hardwood forest and cultivated pine stands on the Cumberland Plateau in southern Tennessee. Samples yielded 2,635 individuals from 23 species, 17 genera, and 4 subfamilies. According to estimates of expected species richness, our sampling effort inventoried at least 82% of the ant fauna likely to be captured by these methods at a given site. Litter sifting yielded more individuals, more species and more occurrences of most species than did pitfall traps, but neither method captured all species. Most myrmicine and all ponerine species showed a significant bias toward capture by litter sifting, whereas pitfall traps tended to be more effective at capturing large-bodied Camponotus ants and species that forage outside of prime daylight hours, when litter samples were collected. Large pitfalls (75 mm diameter) caught more species ...

Comparison of leaf litter ant communities in woodlands, lowland forests and montane forests of north-eastern Tanzania

Ants were extracted in Winkler bags from sifted leaf litter sampled in arange of forest and woodland types in and around Mkomazi Game Reserve innorth-eastern Tanzania, including the Eastern Arc Mountains of South Pare andWest Usambara. A total of 87 ant species were recorded, of which 32.2% were onlyrecorded from montane forests (1400–1850 m altitude), 6.9%only from lowland forest (540–810 m), 19.5% only fromwoodland (300–1080 m), and 16.1% in all three forest types.Of the 28 species recorded only from montane forests, 12 species were only foundin the Mkomazi forests, four only in the Pares and seven species only in theUsambaras. Sites of similar altitude grouped together in a cluster analysis, andspecies richness decreased with an increase in altitude. The lowland forest andclosed woodland sites did not form distinct communities. To ensure preservationof ant species, forests from a full range of altitudes need to be conserved.This study confirms the status of the West Usambara forests as having a highlyendemic biota, and the critical need to adequately conserve the remainingvestiges of montane forest within Mkomazi Game Reserve.