Coleoptera (Arthropoda, Insecta) associados às copas de Attalea phalerata Mart. (Arecaceae) no Pantanal de Poconé, Mato Grosso, Brasil (original) (raw)

Abstract. The palm trees correspond to an important element in tropical ecosystems, serving as food source and habitat for a wide variety of invertebrates and vertebrates. Considering the role of these plants as hosts of different species, this study evaluated descriptively the composition, trophic guilds and biomass of the community of Coleoptera associated with canopies Attalea phalerata Mart. (Arecaceae) in the Pantanal of Poconé, Mato Grosso. Six palm trees were sampled during the high water season of the Pantanal of Mato Grosso (February 2001), by canopy fogging. A total of 7,670 specimens were collected (77.5 ind./m²), 5,044 adults (65.7%; 50.9 ind./m²) and 2,626 larvae (34.3%; 26.5 ind./m²). Adults (65.7%) represented 43 families and 467 morphospecies. The dominant families were Endomychidae, Nitidulidae, Tenebrionidae, Staphylinidae and Curculionidae, representing 66.9% of the total catch. Saprophages, fungivores and herbivores prevailed over predators. Highest richness of species was found for Staphylinidae, Curculionidae, Tenebrionidae and Chrysomelidae. Highest biomass was found in Scarabaeidae and Tenebrionidae followed by Nitidulidae and Curculionidae. These results indicate that the canopy of A. phalerata is habitat for a wide variety of Coleoptera, as well a reproduction site, as evidenced by the high number of larvae sampled in this study.