Composition and species richness of the community of Coleoptera (Insecta) in the Caatinga

ABSTRACT The beetles present great taxonomic and functional diversity; however, in the Northeast region of Brazil, especially in the semiarid Caatinga region, the knowledge on the Coleoptera fauna is very restricted. Because the Caatinga presents different landscapes, it is important to survey the coleopterofauna in the different phytophysiognomies, seeking to encompass a spatial variability found in this xeric region. Therefore, the objective of this study was to perform a survey of beetles in the semiarid region of Paraíba state, Northeast Brazil. We collected weekly during four years (2009-2013) using Malaise traps in two phytophysiognomies, an area with xerophytic vegetation and another with riparian forest. A total of 6,567 individuals belonging to 383 species and 42 families of Coleoptera were sampled. Chrysomelidae (78 spp.), Curculionidae (57 spp.), and Cerambycidae (28 spp.) had a higher richness, while Chrysomelidae (30.4% of individuals), Curculionidae (8.3%), and Tenebrionidae (7.7%) were the most abundant. A large number of singletons and doubletons were collected despite the long sampling period, indicating that there must be much more species to be recorded. Our results demonstrate a rich fauna of beetles in the studied region. We provide a list of occurring beetles with new records of species for the Paraíba state and thus contribute to the knowledge of the diversity of the Coleoptera in the Northeast Brazil.

摘要 鞘翅目（Coleoptera）昆虫具备极高的分类学与功能多样性，但在巴西东北部，尤其是半干旱的卡廷加（Caatinga）植被区，学界对该区域鞘翅目昆虫区系的认知仍较为匮乏。鉴于卡廷加植被区景观类型多样，对不同植被型中的鞘翅目昆虫区系开展调查以覆盖该干旱区域的空间变异特征，具备重要研究价值。为此，本研究旨在对巴西东北部帕拉伊巴州的半干旱区域进行鞘翅目昆虫调查。研究于2009至2013年的四年间，每周采用马氏诱捕器（Malaise traps）在两种植被型中采样：一处为旱生植被区，另一处为河岸林。本次调查共采集鞘翅目昆虫6567号个体，隶属于42科383种。物种丰富度较高的类群依次为叶甲科（Chrysomelidae，78种）、象甲科（Curculionidae，57种）与天牛科（Cerambycidae，28种）；个体丰度最高的类群则为叶甲科（占总个体数的30.4%）、象甲科（8.3%）与拟步甲科（Tenebrionidae，7.7%）。尽管采样周期长达四年，仍采集到大量仅含1个个体的单种与仅含2个个体的双种，这表明该区域尚有大量鞘翅目物种有待记录。本研究结果证实了研究区域鞘翅目昆虫区系具有丰富的物种多样性，同时列出了该区域的鞘翅目物种名录，并补充了帕拉伊巴州的鞘翅目新记录物种，可为深化巴西东北部鞘翅目多样性的认知提供数据支撑。