Social Wasps (Vespidae: Polistinae) from the Brazilian Atlantic Forest

Abstract

This study was developed aiming to compile data concerning the occurrence and distribution of social wasp species from the Brazilian Atlantic Forest, as well as recording exclusive and rare species. For this purpose, we compiled studies from the specialized literature and created a table containing the species occurrence in the different states which present the phytogeographic domain. A total of 170 species was recorded, corresponding to almost a half of the richness of social wasps in Brazil, including 50 endemic, with highlight to Rio de Janeiro state, which nevertheless is insufficiently sampled. This way, from this work, it is concluded that Brazilian Atlantic Forest must be seen as an important refuge for Polistinae.

Social wasps fauna (Vespidae) of semideciduous seasonal forest in southern Brazil

“…In Brazil, about 124 species have been registered [22,23] , and the record of new occurrences is still common in ecosystems and states [24,25] . This is due to the large number of species included in the genus and the fact that many environments and locations have not yet been sampled, even in areas of the Atlantic Forest, the best inventoried Brazilian biome [9] . Despite this, the number of Mischocyttarus species observed in the present study was low, since the genus usually stands out in inventories [6,26] .…”

“…However, the natural environments changing, such as forest fragmentation, are negatively affecting their communities [6,7] . In Brazil, these environmental changes have been frequent in different biomes, and as a result, there is an increase in studies aimed at knowing the social wasps geographical distribution and richness, due to their importance in ecosystems [8,9] . However, there are locations in the country where these studies are still scarce.…”

“…However, there are locations in the country where these studies are still scarce. In Paraná State, for example, the only records come from material deposited in biological collections [10] and a recent review study that counted 23 species for the state [9] . In this state, the semideciduous seasonal forest, phytophysiognomy of the Atlantic Forest domain [11] , occurs in the West, Northwest and North, being characterized by leaves loss of about 50% of the tree species in the winter period.…”

Riqueza de vespas sociais (hymenoptera: vespidae) de cerrado no sudeste do Brasil

“…Apesar dessa relevância e do crescente esforço de estudos de inventários de espécies (BARBOSA et a., 2016;SOUZA et al, 2017), há uma concentração desses trabalhos em áreas de floresta Atlântica (SOUZA et al, 2020a), sendo necessário atenção às áreas de Cerrado, que compreende 57% do território mineiro (IBGE, 2004), contudo, se registra poucos estudos (ELPINO-CAMPOS et al, 2007;SIMÕES et al, 2012, JACQUES et al, 20152018), com quase nenhuma informação para Unidades de Conservação (SOUZA et al, 2020b).…”

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“…(3) Active search, when the collection is made by moving through an area in search for individuals or colonies, with the aid of an entomological net, with this methodology being the most used in social wasps samplings (Diniz & Kitayama 1994;Silveira 2002;elPino-CamPoS et al 2007;SantoS et al 2007;ribeiro-Junior 2008;JaCqueS et al 2012;Silva 2012;Somavilla et al 2014;Souza et al 2020); (4) Active collection using a liquid bait of sucrose solution, with the aid of a pulverizer which sprays the solution over marked points on the vegetation of a trail (modified from liow 2001;lima et al 2010;tanaKa-Junior & noll 2011;loCHer et al 2014).…”