Faunal inventories are essential for biota management and conservation, especially in areas with potential for the creation of conservation units. Inventories of insect taxa such as dragonflies and damselflies (Odonata), which perform several environmental services in aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, are of great importance. In view of the above, this study aimed to update and expand the list of Odonata species in the Barroso region, Minas Gerais State, Brazil. This study was carried out in three areas of forest fragments in Atlantic Forest and Cerrado biomes in October 2020, December 2020, January 2021, and March 2021. The sampling effort was 8 hours per day during 20 days, totaling 140 sampling hours. A total of 43 Odonata species were recorded, which increased the richness of the study area from 57 to 76 species. The studied areas harbor rare and endangered species. However, since the last sampling in 2009, there has been a significant reduction in diversity in the Atlantic Forest fragment. In view of the changes that forest fragments are undergoing, we underscore the need to create a conservation unit, especially in Baú Forest.

Marimbondos são insetos sociais de grande interesse e relevância para a espécie humana. Sua história natural se mistura à nossa por meio da construção do conhecimento empírico de culturas tradicionais, mas também do imaginário popular, fomentando o mito na criação das identidades dos grupos sociais. O Brasil apresenta um rico repertório cultural referindo-se à relação entre o povo brasileiro e os marimbondos, geralmente associado à suposta hostilidade de suas estratégias de defesa. Na ausência, contudo, de um compêndio que relacione tais obras, realizou-se o presente trabalho, visando a demonstrar o quão presentes estão os marimbondos na cultura do povo brasileiro. Para tanto, consultou-se a literatura especializada e obras da música e literatura popular. Os registros demonstram a presença dos marimbondos no cotidiano das comunidades do campo, em geral associados à transmissão de histórias e crendices, aos conhecimentos e práticas de medicina popular, ou à literatura regionalista. Assim, tem-se confirmado a estreita relação entre o povo brasileiro e a biodiversidade adjacente, o que aponta a necessidade de mais pesquisas para a reconstituição da história dessas relações, portanto, é reiterado que conhecer é o primeiro passo para preservar.

The seasonal deciduous forest, also known as dry forest, is characterized by the deciduity of tree species and two well-defined seasons which cause drastic changes in its physiognomy, and the seasonality of rainy periods directly impacts the forest’s biological communities. Social wasps (Vespidae: Polistinae) are well documented. However, some ecosystems in which they occur, such as the deciduous forest, are still subsampled. This study aimed to assess the response of social wasp communities to the dry season in a deciduous forest in the Mata Seca State Park, in the North of the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. Insects were collected over 24 days divided into four field campaigns, each with six continuous days of collection (February, May, July, and November 2021), encompassing one campaign per season. All specimens were sacrificed and stored in 70% alcohol and later dry mounted for identification. The Kruskal-Wallis (KW) H test was performed to verify the difference between species richness, number of total colonies, and number of colonies of each tribe in relation to the collection station. In total, 131 colonies of eight species were located, particularly Polybia occidentalis (Olivier, 179), with 39 colonies, Polistes versicolor (Olivier, 1791), with 33, Mischocyttarus cassununga, with 21, and Protonectarina sylveirae (Saussure, 1854), with 13. Six species, five of which were from the Epiponini tribe, were collected in the four seasons. The responses of social wasps to the periods of drought in the deciduous forest vary with tribe. While Epiponini populations can keep colonies active in the dry season, Polistini cannot. Meanwhile, P. versicolor responds positively to the onset of the rainy season, increasing its population.

A ordem Megaloptera é representada no Brasil por cerca de 26 espécies pertencentes a duas famílias, entretanto, há poucos estudos de inventários sobre essa ordem de insetos no país. Diante disso, o presente estudo teve como objetivo de realizar um levantamento da fauna de Megaloptera em três Unidades de Conservação (UC) e atualizar o número de espécies para o Estado de Minas Gerais, Brasil. O estudo foi conduzido na Área de Proteção Ambiental do Rio Machado, na Área de Proteção Ambiental Fernão Dias e no Parque Nacional das Sempre Vivas no período de setembro de 2018 a Janeiro de 2020. Foram coletadas duas espécies de Corydalidae, Corydalus diasi e Chloronia sp1., totalizando nove a diversidade de espécies de Megaloptera em Minas Gerais. Os estudos no Estado geralmente se concentram em áreas de Mata Atlântica e Cerrado, entretanto esta ordem é ainda subamostrada em Minas Gerais, o que justifica novos estudos para melhor compreensão da diversidade e distribuição, sobretudo em Unidades de Conservação, o que é necessário para traçar estratégias futuras de conservação para essa ordem.

Odonata sampling effort in the state of Minas Gerais has intensified throughout the 21st century. However, research on these insects in some regions and ecosystems such as the Deciduous Forest are incipient, and the effect of prolonged dry periods over these insects is still unknown. This study thus aimed to assess changes in adult Odonata species composition over one year in a Brazilian Deciduous Forest and the Odonata species richness in the Mata Seca State Park in the Manga and Itacarambi municipalities in the Northern region of the state of Minas Gerais State, Brazil. Twenty-four days of sampling were distributed in February, May, July and November, adopting an active search through entomological nets close to lentic environments (Lagoa Angical, Lagoa Comprida, Lagoa Encantada, Lagoa da Prata and two wetlands of Lajedo da Lua); lotic environments (São Francisco river) and in associated terrestrial ecosystems. In total, 55 species were collected. Rainy and dry periods altered Odonata communities’ composition but did not affect species richness and abundance due to the presence of permanent lagoons associated with the São Francisco river. This study shows the importance of the Mata Seca State Park for preserving Odonatofauna in the state of Minas Gerais and for protecting those permanent lagoons.

In Brazil, there is little information about social wasp communities in Altitude Fields (Campos de Altitude), a phytophysiognomy of the Atlantic Forest with a high rate of endemism, which is being altered and reduced in area by human activities, such as the cultivation of Eucalyptus spp. Therefore, the present study aimed to inventory the species of Polistinae (Vespidae) presente in an Altitude Field associated with Eucalyptus sp. plantations in the municipality of Poços de Caldas, Southern Minas Gerais, Brazil. The study was conducted in Morro do Ferro, central region of the Poços de Caldas Plateau, from 2020 to 2021, using active search and Malaise traps. Thirteen species of social wasps were recorded, which have a wide geographic distribution, and explore anthropic environments, such as agricultural areas, pasture and Eucalyptus sp. plantations. Many of them behave as synanthropic, suggesting this altitude field to be a degraded area in Poços Caldas, MG. However, further studies must be carried out in the region, in order to know and preserve these remaining ecosystems.

Ecosystem fragmentation negatively affects biological diversity and compromises different environmental services. This situation occurs in two important biomes in Brazil, the Atlantic Forest and the Cerrado. There is little information on the effects of fragmentation on animal taxa, including social wasps. It was hypothesized that fragments that are small in size and subject to anthropogenic pressures have reduced social wasp richness and colony numbers. This study aimed to investigate the effect of forest fragmentation on Polistinae richness and colony number at Atlantic Forest and Cerrado sites in southern central Minas Gerais State, southeastern Brazil. The study was conducted in three fragments, Mata do Baú, Cachoeira da Lajinha, and Cachoeira do Padeiro, from October 2020 to March 2021, using active collection to record social wasp species and colony numbers. A total of 42 species and 80 colonies were recorded in the three fragments. Forest fragment size alone did not influence social wasp communities, but communities were significantly affected by a combination of factors, including fragment size, adjacent vegetation, and anthropogenic pressures. Species richness was higher in Mata do Baú and Cachoeira da Lajinha, which did not differ from each other, than in Cachoeira do Padeiro; however, all fragments had exclusive communities. Therefore, an increase in anthropogenic pressure in any of the three fragments may lead to losses in social wasp species.