Faunistic analysis of longhorn beetles (Cerambycidae: Coleoptera) in Cerrado and Atlantic Forest areas: biodiversity hotspots of Brazil

ABSTRACT

We analysed the diversity of Cerambycidae in three phytophysiognomies, one of Cerrado (cerradão) and two of Atlantic Forest (freshwater swamp forest and semideciduous seasonal forest) within the Municipal Botanical Garden of Bauru (central São Paulo State, Brazil), a relevant preservation area. Ceramybycidae, one of the most diverse beetle families, are important bioindicators due to their intimate relationship with their host plants. They have great ecological importance as one of the major groups of decomposers. Despite having a crucial role in forest ecosystems, detailed faunistic studies of the family are scarce. Sampling of adult Cerambycidae was conducted with malaise traps from October 2019 to September 2020. In total, we collected 69 species, mostly belonging to Cerambycinae and Lamiinae. Isomerida vittata (Pascoe, 1858) was the most abundant species. Species accumulation curves show sufficient sampling effort. We found higher abundances during the spring–summer period, indicating a seasonal distribution pattern. A comparison of species composition among the three areas showed that cerradão and semideciduous seasonal forest are more similar; a lower similarity was calculated between freshwater swamp forest and semideciduous seasonal forest. Diversity profiles show that the cerradão is the most diverse area and freshwater swamp forests have the highest evenness. Our study is one of the few survey studies of Cerambycidae in large remnant areas of the Cerrado and Atlantic Forest and provides primary data on this taxon which may help to develop future conservation policies.

KEYWORDS:

• Diversity patterns
• species richness

Acknowledgements

We are grateful to Juan Pablo Botero and Antonio Santos-Silva (MZUSP) for assistance during the process of species identification and confirmation, and to Kimberly Paola García Lópes (MZUSP) for assistance with the statistics. The first author is very grateful to Luiz Carlos de Almeida Neto, Director of the Municipal Botanical Garden of Bauru, for allowing the development of this study, and to Daniel Lopes Silva and other employees for help with the sampling, and thanks Reginaldo José Donatelli (UNESP) for all the support. We are immensely grateful for the contributions of the anonymous reviewers, who greatly improved the original manuscript. The second author is most grateful for the grant 2017/15283-9, from the São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP).

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Author contributions

The first author carried out the field work, performed the analysis, interpreted the results and wrote the manuscript. The second author made the taxonomic identifications of Cerambycidae, supervised the project, translated the manuscript into English and photographed the specimens. Both authors read the final manuscript and approved its submission.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP) [2017/15283-9].