Arquivo de artigos -

Environmental heterogeneity structures ant and dung beetle communities across habitat zones in Cerrado palm swamps

Mila Massuda — Mon, 05 Oct 2026 19:59:43 +0000

RESUMO: Wetlands are increasingly threatened by anthropogenic disturbance and drought, with particularly severe consequences for palm swamps in the Brazilian Cerrado. These ecosystems comprise a mosaic of adjacent habitat zones, including savannas, open humid areas, and hygrophilous forests, which differ markedly in vegetation structure and environmental conditions. This pronounced environmental heterogeneity is expected to influence the distribution and organization of terrestrial insect communities, yet responses of bioindicator taxa to variation among habitat zones within palm swamps remain poorly understood. We investigated how ant and dung beetle communities vary among habitat zones within Cerrado palm swamps and whether these patterns differ among palm swamps under distinct environmental conditions. We sampled insects along transects spanning savannas, open humid areas, and hygrophilous forests in palm swamps representing low, intermediate, and high levels of anthropogenic disturbance and drying. We found strong differences in community organization among habitat zones. Ant richness was highest in open humid areas, whereas dung beetle richness peaked in savanna habitats. Ant community composition was primarily structured by habitat zone regardless of palm swamp condition. In contrast, palm swamp condition influenced dung beetle communities, with changes in species overlap among adjacent habitat zones. Highly anthropized palm swamps exhibited stronger species segregation, whereas severely dried palm swamps showed increased species overlap, suggesting the onset of compositional homogenization. Overall, our results highlight the importance of environmental heterogeneity and hydrological integrity for maintaining insect diversity within palm swamps and suggest that wetland degradation may alter the spatial organization of bioindicator insect communities across habitat zones.

doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11273-026-10198-w

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Optimizing sampling protocols: is it feasible to collect predatory beetles (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae and Carabidae) using dung beetle (Scarabaeinae) traps in soybean fields and native vegetation areas in Brazil?

Mila Massuda — Mon, 05 Oct 2026 19:58:22 +0000

RESUMO: Optimizing sampling protocols can improve data reliability while reducing sampling effort. As sampling methods for dung beetles are well established, testing their efficiency for other key beetle groups, such as Carabidae and Staphylinidae, may help refine sampling approaches. Both groups are widely distributed, sensitive to environmental changes, and effective bioindicators that can be readily sampled using pitfall traps. Although optimal sampling protocols have been proposed, particularly for Carabidae, the effectiveness of baited traps remains uncertain. This study evaluated the richness, abundance, and composition of predatory beetles captured in pitfall traps with and without human-feces bait in native vegetation and soybean croplands. Sampling was conducted at 44 points across farms in Mato Grosso, Brazil. At each point, two transects were established with baited and unbaited pitfall traps. We found differences in richness, abundance, and community composition between trap types, with more staphylinid species captured in baited traps and more carabid species in unbaited traps. Bait use may enhance Staphylinidae capture, whereas unbaited traps may favor Carabidae. These findings highlight the importance of taxon-specific sampling protocols for beetle diversity assessments and environmental monitoring.

doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/01650521.2026.2737239

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Sit-and-Wait for the Agoutis: Dung Beetle Phoresy on Dasyprocta azarae in a Tropical Forest

Mila Massuda — Mon, 05 Oct 2026 19:56:04 +0000

RESUMO:We document the first case of phoresy by dung beetles with a rodent, involving Canthon (Goniocanthon) smaragdulus subviridis and agoutis (Dasyprocta azarae). Camera traps set in a tropical forest recorded 21 phoretic events, with agoutis carrying 1–6 beetles each. This behavior likely enhances how beetles locate fresh dung.

doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/btp.70275

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A new species of Rhigus Schoenherr, 1823 (Curculionidae, Entiminae, Entimini) from Brazil

Mila Massuda — Mon, 05 Oct 2026 19:54:38 +0000

RESUMO: The genus Rhigus Schoenherr, 1823 comprises 13 species with distributions restricted to South America, especially in the Atlantic forest where nine of the species are found. Herein, we describe Rhigus yvaga Maffra, Ferreira and Mermudes sp. nov. occurring in Brazilian Amazonian and Cerrado biomes. This study provides a new species record for the amazonian biome which expands the distribution of Rhigus and reinforces that the group is more diverse than previously recognized.

doi: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5884.3.11

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A new Cleidella species (Coleoptera: Phengodidae) endemic to the Brazilian Atlantic Rainforest

Mila Massuda — Mon, 05 Oct 2026 19:52:14 +0000

RESUMO: Cleidella Roza & Mermudes, 2020 is a small genus of Mastinocerinae currently known only from montane areas of the Atlantic Rainforest of Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil. The genus comprises two species, C. picea Roza & Mermudes, 2020 and C. silveirai Roza & Mermudes, 2020, recorded from Parque Nacional da Serra dos Órgãos and Parque Estadual da Ilha Grande. Here, we describe a third species, C. correcta sp. nov., from the Parque Estadual do Desengano, northern Rio de Janeiro State. The new species resembles C. picea in overall coloration but differs mainly by the size and shape of the eyes, and length of antennomeres. We provide a diagnosis, description, illustrations and an updated identification key to the species of Cleidella. The discovery of C. correcta reinforces the importance of Atlantic Rainforest montane areas as centers of endemism of soft-bodied beetles, like Phengodidae, and highlights the still poorly known diversity of Mastinocerinae in southeastern Brazil.

doi: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5881.3.6

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Synopsis of the Genera of Eucanthini Nikolajev, 2002 (Coleoptera: Geotrupidae), With Two New Genera From Australia and South America

Mila Massuda — Mon, 05 Oct 2026 19:50:12 +0000

RESUMO: Here, we review the generic classification of Eucanthini, resulting in the redefinition of Eucanthus Westwood, 1848 and erection of two new genera. Under this new framework, Eucanthus is restricted to six North American species, while two monotypic genera are described from the Southern Hemisphere: Antoniocanthus gen. nov. from South America and Henrycanthus gen. nov. from Australia. We provide revised diagnoses for the tribe and its genera, along with an identification key to facilitate genus-level recognition. In addition, we update distributional data and provide images to facilitate identification of these groups

doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/aen.70103

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Catalogue of type specimens deposited in the Coleção Entomológica de Mato Grosso Eurides Furtado – CEMT (Cuiabá, Mato Grosso, Brazil)

Mila Massuda — Mon, 05 Oct 2026 19:46:39 +0000

RESUMO: The current Coleção Entomológica de Mato Grosso Eurides Furtado—CEMT, located in Cuiabá, Mato Grosso, Brazil, was officially established in 1987 as a regional entomological collection. Since 2008, it has undergone a transformation into a reference entomological collection (primarily focused on Coleoptera) and is now recognized both nationally and internationally. Today, the CEMT houses more than one million prepared and identified specimens. Thanks to high productivity in taxonomy and strategic collaborations, the collection has received extensive deposits of material, including type specimens from numerous historical and recent taxonomic revisions. The goal of this work was to compile a catalogue of all type specimens deposited at the CEMT up to 2024. To achieve this, a bibliographic survey was conducted of taxonomic publications describing new species based on material housed at the CEMT. The cited specimens were then located, along with type material from the FZVM collection (incorporated into the CEMT in 2008) and additional specimens donated but not cited in publications. Each specimen was labeled with a collection number and QR code, and its associated data were digitized into spreadsheets following the Darwin Core standard. The labels were described and the data transcribed verbatim. Holotypes were stored separately in acrylic boxes (when size permitted) and separated from the other specimens in the collection. The collection currently comprises 7, 250 type specimens with 233 holotypes, 6 paralectotypes, 4 neotypes and 7, 007 paratypes, representing eight orders, 39 families, 284 genera and 758 species; Coleoptera account for 99.47% of the type material and Diptera, Hemiptera, Hymenoptera, Lepidoptera, Mecoptera, Neuroptera, and Orthoptera together represent 0.53%. However, some Lepidoptera type specimens are missing, as the personal collection of researcher Eurides Furtado was only recently incorporated into the CEMT.

doi: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5879.1.1

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Gallery Forests as Refugia and Corridors for Dung Beetles Facing Climate Change in the Brazilian Cerrado

Mila Massuda — Mon, 05 Oct 2026 19:35:01 +0000

RESUMO: Aim: This study provides a climate-driven projection of the current distribution of dung beetle species recorded in gallery forests in the Brazilian Cerrado. These are vulnerable and underestimated environments of the Cerrado, characterized by a unique biodiversity, and home to species from other biomes such as the Amazon and Atlantic Forest in South America. Additionally, we selected species with different distribution patterns and projected past and future climate scenarios to assess the temporal effects of climate change on their distribution. We also provide an updated species checklist for this environment. Location: Neotropical region: gallery forest and associated environments. Taxon: Scarabaeinae. Methods: Species distribution models based on current climatic variables were used to estimate suitable areas. We selected species with different distribution patterns and projected their occurrence under Late Pleistocene paleoclimatic scenarios and future Anthropocene scenarios to assess spatiotemporal changes. Finally, we identified areas of climatic stability that may function as potential refugia. Results: The results indicate that habitat-generalist species and those adapted to disturbances tend to maintain or even expand their distribution. In contrast, species with narrow geographic ranges or specialised habitat needs are particularly susceptible to the impacts of climate change. We found that species that experienced greater climatic instability during the Late Pleistocene are precisely those projected to lose the most climatically suitable areas in the future. The main macrorefugia for these species were the Atlantic and Andean forests. Main Conclusions: This study reinforces the role of Cerrado’s gallery forests as climate refugia and historical corridors for biotic flow between the Amazon and Atlantic Forest. Consequently, we provide insights and identify areas of climatic stability to guide conservation efforts and inform environmental public policies.

doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/jbi.70370

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Bye-bye Bicellonycha Motschulsky, 1853: a solution to an overlooked nomenclatural issue, with description of a new genus and comprehensive redescription of its type species (Coleoptera: Lampyridae: Photurinae)

Mila Massuda — Mon, 05 Oct 2026 19:30:34 +0000

RESUMO: The stability and universality of firefly taxonomy hinge on the lack of revisionary studies, such as those addressing the validity of taxon names, including widely used ones like Bicellonycha Motschulsky, 1853. This is one of five genera of predatory fireflies (Lampyridae, Photurinae), with 45 species distributed across the Americas. Motschulsky designated Lampyris albilatera Gyllenhal, 1817 as type species of Bicellonycha, but later suspicion by earlier taxonomists – including Laporte and Olivier – led McDermott to designate Bicellonycha deleta Motschulsky, 1854 as type, which remains undisputed. However, B. deleta was not available when Bicellonycha was described by Motschulsky a year earlier, and thus cannot be designated as the type species. In addition, the type material of B. deleta remains as a single elytron, and the original taxonomic description is insufficient to confidently identify it, raising instability further. Here, we address this pervasive nomenclatural issue of the typification of Bicellonycha. We confirm (i) the validity of Motschulsky’s typification of L. albilatera by original designation, and (ii) the longstanding suspicion that Motschulsky misidentified this genus’ type species, which lacks Photurinae diagnostic traits but fits Photinus (Lampyrinae: Lucidotini) seamlessly, instead. In accepting Motschulsky’s typification, we enforce an overlooked synonymy of Bicellonycha and Photinus (which takes priority) put forth by Lacordaire (1857), and describe Santiagonycha gen. nov. to encompass those 45 species previously placed in Bicellonycha. Santiagonycha lineola (Blanchard, 1845) comb. nov., designated as type species, is herein thoroughly redescribed from all life stages, to serve as reference for a future revision of this genus. Although we recognize this nomenclatural change brings about temporary instability, we are confident it sets the stage for a more solid lampyrid taxonomy.

doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcz.2026.08.012

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Two new Hypselotropis (Coleoptera Anthribidae, Anthribinae, Ptychoderini) species from the Amazon Biome and first report for the family of two setiferous sex patches on male abdominal ventrites

Mila Massuda — Mon, 05 Oct 2026 19:27:22 +0000

RESUMO: The genus Hypselotropis, belonging to the Anthribidae family (fungus weevils) and the Ptychoderini tribe, comprises 19 species predominantly distributed in the Neotropical region. The genus exhibits high diversity and structural modifications in males that suggest sexual selection. This study aimed to describe two new species of Hypselotropis collected in the Brazilian Amazon and to document a significant sexual character for the family. Hypselotropis yanomami sp. n. is described from Serra da Mocidade (Roraima State), a region in the northern Brazilian Amazon with limited accessibility and few previous scientific studies. Hypselotropis mura sp. n. is described from Careiro Castanho, a municipality also located in the Amazon biome (Amazonas State). An updated taxonomic key to all known Hypselotropis species is provided, along with new data on the distribution of the genus. Additionally, setiferous sex patches on abdominal ventrites I and II of males of Hypselotropis yanomami sp. n. is reported, a sexually dimorphic characteristic recorded for the first time in the family Anthribidae.

doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11756-026-02246-w

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