Khaya grandifoliola C. DC. (Meliaceae), known as African mahogany, is used in the establishment of commercial plantations for high-value timber production. This work aims to report the first occurrence of the genus Atta in a commercial plantation of this species. An ant nest mound with 105 m2 of loose soil and five active ant holes were observed. Leaves cut into crescent shaped sections and pieces of young branches were found near these holes, in addition to trees with the apical part of their crown partially defoliated. The collected specimens were identified as Atta laevigata Smith (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Attini), locally known as the glass-head leaf-cutting ant.

Pasture areas have been decreasing over the years in Brazil, largely due to the expansion of agricultural areas, mainly in the Southeast region. Natural or planted pastures are subject to attack by insects that can become pests depending on their level of infestation and among them are the Scarabaeidae beetles. The scarce information on the species of this family existing in the region of Bálsamo (São Paulo) makes a study on the occurrence of these species necessary, thus generating data that can contribute to identification and information on possible existing pest species. During September 2018 to August 2019, collections of phytophagous Scarabaeidae species were done in pasture areas with a light trap. A total of 446 adults from the subfamilies Dynastinae, Melolonthinae and Rutelinae were collected. In Dynastinae the genera Bothynus, Coelosis, Cyclocephala, Chalepides and Actinobolus were collected, in Melolonthinae the genera Plectris and Liogenys and in Rutelinae the genera Anomala, Geniates, Leucothyreus, Lobogeniates, Byrsopolis and Trizogeniates were found. Among the species collected, some are described as pests in crops, including pastures, such as Liogenys suturalis Blanchard, which was the species that had the largest number of individuals during the collection period, being indicated as a species worthy of more detailed studies.

Restinga forests are plant formations that occur on plains of quaternary sandy deposits along the Brazilian coast. Despite historical reduction of the Restinga forests, little effort has been made to know the butterfly fauna of these areas. This paper is an important contribution to the butterfly’s knowledge, being the second inventory in the Restinga forest of northeastern Brazil. The survey was conducted in the Restinga de Cabedelo National Forest (FLONA de Cabedelo, following the Portuguese abbreviation) and aimed to provide preliminary information on the butterflies richness in this region. A total of 89 butterfly species and 1,503 individuals were recorded at FLONA de Cabedelo. Hesperiidae was the richest family (34 species), followed by Nymphalidae (33) Pieridae (eight), Lycaenidae (seven), Riodinidae (five), and Papilionidae (two). In general, the butterfly fauna of the FLONA de Cabedelo is dominated by species widely distributed and commonly found in open or forested areas in Brazil. Five species are new records in Paraíba state: Calydna sturnula (Geyer), Theope foliorum (Bates), Cogia hassan (Butler), Vehilius inca (Scudder), and Chiothion asychis (Stoll). We suggest carrying out monthly samplings which will certainly increase the list of species herein presented.

Hemipterans and ants are frequently recorded in trophobiotic associations, generally mutualism. Nests of the fire-ant Solenopsis virulens (Smith) found at the base of trees in the Atlantic Forest biome, Brazil, were investigated for their commensal fauna. The present study provides new information about the mutualism between the fire-ant with hemipterans Membracidae and Monophlebidae found in their nests, this report is the first mention of this kind of relationships in South America. Such associations are very common between ants and treehoppers but have seldom been reported with the family Monophlebidae.

A new species of Aididae is described and illustrated based on adults (male and female) and immature (last instar larvae). The larvae were found infesting leaves of Inga edulis Martius (Fabaceae) in the municipality of Autazes, State of Amazonas, representing the first record of Aididae in the northern region of Brazil. The new species is further compared with its closest species, Aidos amanda (Stoll, 1782).

Anopheline species were sampled in different ecotones at Maracá Ecological Station and in Cantá municipality, both in Roraima State, Brazil, in June 2016.  Nine species were recorded. Six species belong to the subgenus Nyssorhynchus and three species to the subgenus Anopheles. The most abundant species collected were Anopheles triannulatus s.l., Anopheles nuneztovari s.l. and Anopheles oswaldoi species B. The remaining species had frequencies lower than 10%. While A. triannulatus s.l. was the most frequent and the most widely distributed species in the studied area, Anopheles darlingi Root, the main malaria vector in the Brazilian Amazon region, was captured in two different ecotones and in low frequency. Our findings suggest that the risk of malaria outbreaks at Maracá Ecological Station may be low. This study also describes the first record of Anopheles costai Fonseca & Ramos in Maracá Ecological Station, Roraima State, increasing the distribution range of this taxon.

Evaluation of resistance of Vigna unguiculata L. landraces, used as green beans, to Aphis craccivora Koch was tested. Eleven landraces and standard genotypes were used in a free choice protocol: BR 17-Gurguéia, VITA 7 (susceptible), BRS Guariba and TVu 408P2 (resistant). A completely randomized blocks design was used with six replicates. Seedlings were infested with five six-day-old adult insects. The number of alive adults after 48 h and of alive nymphs after 96 h was evaluated. The results evidenced that there are high genetic diversity among the landraces, the antibiosis as the main mechanism of resistance. By means of multivariate analysis we suggest crosses among the commercial cultivar BRS Guariba and the most dissimilar varieties CCE-088, CCE-075, CCE-013 and CCE-062 to obtain superior hybrids.

Social insects use different strategies to defend their colonies, including camouflage. In order to expand knowledge, regarding the strategy of camouflage in social wasps, information is presented on the camouflage pattern of the species: Parachartergus smithii (De Saussure), Parachartergus wagneri Du Buysson, Chartergellus communis Richards, Metapolybia cingulata (Fabricius) and Mischocyttarus anthracinus Richards.These species are uncommon in inventory studies in Brazil. Records occur in different Conservation Units, between 2011 and 2019, in the Minas Gerais State, Brazil Southeastern. Camouflage seems to be the main defense strategy for these species, due to the color and shape of their nests in line with the substrate, as well as their docile behavior. The exception is Metapolybia cingulata, which in addition to camouflage shows aggressive behavior in some situations, which suggests the use of different strategies in the colony defense.

The objectives of this study were to carry out a survey of families of Hymenoptera, with emphasis on Ichneumonidae, in an area of Caatinga, and register the occurrence of new species, if any, for the biome. Samples were taken with Malaise traps between September and November 2008 in a native area of vegetation of Serra do Lima, municipality of Patu, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil. 7,562 hymenopterans, from 11 superfamilies and 31 families, were collected. The most abundant superfamilies were: Chalcidoidea (2,887 specimens / 38.33% of the total), Platygastroidea (1,572 / 20.87%) and Vespoidea (1,131 / 15.02%) which constituted more than 70% of the captured hymenopterans. A total of 160 specimens of Ichneumonidae from 17 subfamilies were sampled, of which four are new records for Rio Grande do Norte: (Lycorininae, Nesomesochorinae, Phygadeuontinae and Tryphoninae). Altogether, 26 genera were recognized, with 16 new records for the state. Cryptophion espinozai Gauld & Janzen (Campopleginae) and Labena marginata Szépligeti (Labeninae) were registered for the first time in Caatinga. The obtained data demonstrate a considerable diversity of the studied groups in this area and also affirms the necessity of additional studies to establish the richness of this fauna in a more extensive and conclusive way.