Carabid taxocenes of an urban park in subtropical Brazil: III. Body size, wing morphs and colonization (Insecta: Coleoptera: Carabidae)∗

Excerpted from a MSc dissertation by the first author. Curso de Pós‐graduação em Ecologia, UFRGS.

Epigeal carabids of a typical urban park in subtropical Brazil (Porto Alegre) were sampled using 48 dry pitfall traps running for 13 months and emptied at weekly intervals. Sampling was confined to patches covered by Hedera helix (English ivy). Specimens captured were arranged according to body length. Medium size class was the best represented both in number of species and of individuals. Out of the 27 species captured only two were wing dimorphic: Parhypates (Paranortes) cordicollis and Discoderus sp. In P. (P.) cordicollis nearly 96% of the specimens were brachypterous. The frequency of female macropterous (6%) was significantly higher than that of the males (2%). Modes of colonization (active or passive) of the Park are discussed in the light of the history of disturbances at the Park, the gardening pressures, the urbanization of Porto Alegre and the observed frequencies of wing morphs.

Notes

Excerpted from a MSc dissertation by the first author. Curso de Pós‐graduação em Ecologia, UFRGS.