Bioluminescent Coleoptera of Biological Station of Boracéia (Salesópolis, SP, Brazil): diversity, bioluminescence and habitat distribution

Abstract

Brazil hosts the richest biodiversity of bioluminescent beetles in the world. Several species are found in the Atlantic rain forest, one of the richest and most threatened tropical forests in the world. We have catalogued the biodiversity of bioluminescent species mainly of Elateroidea superfamily occurring in one of the last largest and most preserved remnants of Atlantic rain forest, located at the Biological Station of Boracéia of São Paulo University (Salesopolis, SP, Brazil). This site accounted with the largest diversity ever found for a single place in São Paulo State, with 39 species: Lampyridae (30), Phengodidae (5), Elateridae (3) and Staphylinidae (1). This fauna has unique species that were not found in any other places of Atlantic forest in São Paulo state, especially fireflies from the Lampyrinae tribes (Cratomorphini, Lamprocerini, Lucidotini), the subfamilies Amydetinae and Photurinae, and the phengodids Pseudophengodes and Brasilocerus sp.2. Most species are found in dense Ombrophyl forest or at their border, and a few ones are found dwelling in the few open fields around the forest. There is a predominance of glowing patterns in the green region among forest inhabiting species when compared with open field fireflies.

Courtship and Mating inPhausis reticulata(Coleoptera: Lampyridae): Male Flight Behaviors, Female Glow Displays, and Male Attraction to Light Traps

“…and Magnoculus spp. from Brazil (Viviani 2012). P. reticulata closely resembles European L. splendidula sharing similar habitats, behaviors, habitats and ecology.…”

Hide-and-Seek with Tiny Neotenic Beetles in One of the Hottest Biodiversity Hotspots: Towards an Understanding of the Real Diversity of Jurasaidae (Coleoptera: Elateroidea) in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest

“…Many interesting insects were reported from the Atlantic Forest, including the bioluminescent larvae of Keroplatidae fungus gnats (Diptera) [ 64 ] and rove beetles (Staphylinidae) [ 65 ], the first Neotropical meropeid Mecoptera [ 66 ], ant-brood parasitizing scuttle flies (Phoridae) [ 67 ], and many others. The late discovery of Jurasaidae in the Atlantic Forest might seem surprising at first sight, but considering high numbers of recently reported new lineages in other soft-bodied elateroids, including Lampyridae [ 56 , 57 , 68 , 69 , 70 , 71 , 72 , 73 , 74 ], Lycidae [ 19 , 75 ], and Phengodidae [ 76 , 77 ], it is much less surprising. For example, Silveira et al [ 57 ] examined the diversity of fireflies (Lampyridae) in the Serra do Órgãos (a subrange of the Serra do Mar), and, for the first time, collected 58 previously described species along with another 42 yet-undescribed species, which makes the Serra do Órgãos one of the richest firefly hotspots on Earth.…”

Diel activity patterns of a canopy-inhibiting beetle community (Coleoptera) in a Neotropical rainforest

“…García-López et al ( 2011) collected most scarab beetles in tropical forests during the first hours of the night. Most of the bioluminescent species investigated in Brazil are active during twilight and show short nocturnal activity after sunset (Viviani and Santos, 2012). In Brazil, Cyclocephala putrida Burmeister specimens started flying from 18:00 onward and were mostly collected from 20:00 to 22:00 h (Saldanha et al, 2020).…”