The diversity of membracids in different Caatinga vegetation structures (preserved, intermediate and degraded) was studied during dry and rainy seasons in 2006. We recorded 1,107 individuals, belonging to 13 species, mostly during the rainy season (693). Melusinella nervosa (Fairmaire, 1846), Enchenopa brasiliensis Strümpel, 2007 and E. eunicea Creão-Duarte & Rothéa, 2007 were the most abundant species, although this pattern varied in the three areas. M. nervosa and E. brasiliensis were the most abundant during the rainy and dry seasons, respectively, due to the resistance of its main host plant to seasonality and climate rigors. Thrasymedes pallescens (Stål, 1869) was the species least affected by seasonality, with 51.3% and 48.7% of the specimens collected in the rainy and dry seasons, respectively, followed by E. eunicea, with 65.6% and 34.4%. A cluster analysis showed that membracids from preserved areas in the dry season were more related to the ones from rainy season, highlighting the importance of these areas in the Caatinga for maintenance of these insects, which are strongly associated with their host plants.
Treehopper assemblages were sampled in four semi-arid areas of caatinga in Northeast Brazil during the rainy seasons of 2016 and 2017, using three different capture methods. The areas are located in two Ecoregions of the Caatinga: “Depressão Sertaneja Setentrional” (Northern Sertaneja Depression) and “Planalto da Borborema” (Borborema Plateau). A total of 2,394 individuals of 43 species were sampled, corresponding to approximately 87% of the mean estimated species richness for all four areas. The species richness varied among the areas from 14 to 21, while the abundance of individuals ranged from 129 to 1860. Eighteen species were shared among areas, of which only Enchenopa eunicea, Sundarion sp. 1, Ceresa vitulus and Erosne parvula occurred in all four due to the general behavior of the first three and the wide distribution of host plant of Erosne parvula - Mimosa tenuiflora. Twenty-five species occurred only in one area, of which 23 were categorized as rare with a maximum of eight individuals sampled, and seven with only one individual collected (singletons). Considering that the Caatinga Domain possesses at least nine Ecoregions with different climates, geomorphology and vegetation, along with marked endemism of plants, it is expected that the species richness of treehoppers will increase substantially on a regional scale.
In this paper, two remarkable new species of Notocera Amyot & Serville from the Brazilian Caatinga are described: N. colavitei Creão-Duarte and Róthea sp. nov. and N. sakakibarai Creão-Duarte and Lourenço sp. nov. Illustrations are presented for adult habitus and taxonomically relevant characters, which are briefly discussed. In celebration of Dr. Sakaki-bara’s oustanding career, photographs of the holotype of N. camelina Sakakibara, 1977 are provided, along with reproductions of his outstanding artwork featured in the original description of this species.
Kirkaldy (1904) propôs o nome Sundarion em substituição a Pyranthe Stål, 1867 que estava pré-ocupado em Tettigonidae. McKamey (1998) catalogou para o gênero, nove espécies cuja distribuição se estende desde a América Central até à Argentina. Neste trabalho, quatro novas espécies são propostas para Sundarion, duas da Costa Rica e duas do Brasil. O material examinado é oriundo das seguintes instituições: DZUP
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