Conservation Units are areas legally established by the government with the goal of conserving territory and its natural resources. Given the limited knowledge about the invertebrate biodiversity in the Northern Atlantic Forest, including its legally protected areas, the present study aimed to inventory butterfly species in two Conservation Units of the Northern Atlantic Forest in Paraíba, Brazil: Engenho Gargaú Private Natural Heritage Reserve (RPPN Gargaú) and Mata do Xém-xém State Park (PE Xém-xém), both located in the metropolitan region of João Pessoa. We conducted the collections every two months, over three consecutive days, in six expeditions from February 2013 to April 2014 in RPPN Gargaú and in four expeditions from August 2014 to April 2015 in PE Xém-xem. Additionally, a two-day collecting expedition was carried out in August 2021 in RPPN Gargaú. We employed two sampling methods: Van Someren-Rydon traps and entomological nets. A total of 212 species (2,841 specimens) were recorded, 158 (1,867 specimens) in RPPN Gargaú and 129 (974 specimens) in PE Xém-xém. Overall, Hesperiidae was the richest family (81 spp.), followed by Nymphalidae (70), Riodinidae (22), Lycaenidae (22), Pieridae (12), and Papilionidae (4). Out of the total species, 48 are new records for Paraíba, and seven for northeast Brazil. Notably, the record of Morpho menelaus eberti Weber, 1963 in RPPN Gargaú, a subspecies classified as Critically Endangered (CR), stands out. The results emphasize the need to protect the forest remnants in the region, as well as to develop management and monitoring actions for butterflies and other invertebrates.

Idiopidae Simon, 1889 is mostly composed of spiders known as trapdoor spiders, which create structures for shelter, hunting and protection against possible predators (Mason et al., 2013). It is divided into three subfamilies: Arbanitinae Simon, 1903, with spiders restricted to Oceania, Genysinae Simon, 1903, occurring in India, Sri Lanka, Madagascar and South America, and Idiopinae Simon, 1889, from South America, Africa, East Middle and South to Southeast Asia (Raven 1985; World Spider Catalog 2023). Idiopidae is widely distributed throughout the world, however, only two genera are present in Brazil: Idiops Perty, 1833 and Neocteniza Pocock, 1895. In this work, we describe a new species for both genera present in Brazil and a new record of Idiops.

The Cerrado and Atlantic Forest biomes are global biodiversity hotspots. However, these environments still face large knowledge gaps concerning fauna inventory studies, such as those on harvestmen. Our study aimed to sample harvestmen species in a transition area between the Atlantic Forest and Cerrado, contributing to future biodiversity assessments and conservation efforts in Brazil. The surveys were conducted in the municipality of Luminárias, southern Minas Gerais state, between May 2023 and March 2024. We collected 185 individuals from six species and three morphospecies with a wide geographical distribution, but whose conservation status has not been assessed, which may affect their protection. Additionally, loss of native vegetation may lead to reductions in their populations. Our study supports current literature, which suggests the need for more inventories and the creation of a Conservation Unit in the Luminárias region.

The Atlantic Forest and Cerrado biomes are global biodiversity hotspots. Despite this, they are constantly losing their natural habitats, making it urgent to conduct fauna inventories for the conservation of taxa such as dragonflies (Odonata). These insects provide fundamental environmental services to both aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems and are poorly sampled in some regions of Minas Gerais state. In this regard, the present study aimed to inventory the Odonata community in the surroundings of Luminárias, a municipality located in southern Minas Gerais state, Brazil. This area consists of a transition between Cerrado and Atlantic Forest, with biotic and abiotic attributes suggesting the creation of a Conservation Unit (CU) to provide data on the distribution of this taxon for future conservation actions. The study was conducted between 2023 and 2024, in 10 locations, totaling 690 hours of sampling effort. Fifty-seven species were recorded, distributed among seven families, with four species at some risk of extinction or with insufficient data, according to the IUCN or ICMBio. Considering the significant richness of Odonata fauna obtained in this study, which includes threatened species, it is urgent to establish management actions for the protection of these populations, including the creation of a CU.

The Brazilian endemic butterfly Eresia erysice erysice (Geyer, 1832) (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) has been included in the Official List of Brazilian Endangered Fauna as critically endangered (CR). Until now, this rare butterfly has only been known to inhabit Atlantic Forest fragments in the “Hileia Baiana”. This paper presents updated information on occurrences of E. e. erysice. A male and a female specimens were collected in a disturbed forest fragment near the experimental fields of the Centro de Pesquisas do Cacau (CEPEC), Ilhéus, Bahia. These new findings indicate that the distribution boundary of this subspecies extends about 80 km more to the north and suggest that it is not as exclusive to forest habitats as previously thought.

Harvestmen are nocturnal arachnids, commonly found in humid forests, with omnivorous feeding behavior. There are records of different taxa in the diet of these arthropods, but data is still scarce for many species, especially in Cerrado areas. Thus, the objective of the present work is to report Lepidoptera and Hemiptera in the diet of the harvestman Acutisoma longipes Roewer, 1913, in Mata de Galeria in the Cerrado of Minas Gerais, Brazil. The records occurred randomly in the municipality of Luminárias, Minas Gerais, on October 10th and December 4th, 2023. In the first record, the species A. longipes was feeding on a moth (Lepidoptera: Erebidae). In the second record, the same species fed on a leafhopper, Mahanarva sp. (Hemiptera, Cercopidae). It was not possible to say whether these insects were preyed upon, usurped by other predators or found dead, but any of these hypotheses can be considered. This record contributes to increasing knowledge about the diet of harvestmen, especially in the Cerrado biome, where there is a need for more related studies.

The Gregório Bondar Entomological Collection (CEGB) of the Cocoa Research Center (CEPEC) has its origins in the 1930s with Dr. Gregório Bondar's insect collection that he constituted in the state of Bahia, Brazil. Bondar, a Russian-Brazilian entomologist, significantly contributed to Brazilian entomology and agriculture, and his extensive collection was in great part donated to the American Museum of Natural History. A smaller portion remained in Brazil and was eventually transferred to CEPEC in the 1960s. The collection, originally known as "Entomoteca Gregório Bondar", has grown to over 30,000 specimens by the 1980s. It holds valuable historical data that supports biodiversity monitoring and ecological research. The CEGB's Lepidoptera section features specimens collected from 1936 to 2024, mostly from the Atlantic Forest biome. This article aims to contribute to the knowledge of the distribution of butterflies in the Atlantic Forest, primarily from southern Bahia, by providing data on the specimens deposited in the CEGB at CEPEC in Ilhéus, Bahia, Brazil. A total of 531 specimens in 249 species of butterflies distributed within six families were recorded: 282 Nymphalidae (109 spp.), 107 Hesperiidae (63 spp.), 60 Riodinidae (31 spp.), 46 Lycaenidae (30 spp.), 33 Pieridae (14 spp.), and three Papilionidae (2 spp.). Specimens were collected from 11 localities in the Atlantic Forest biome. The CEGB provides data on butterfly distribution, including new records for the state of Bahia and the Atlantic Forest, highlighting its significance for research and conservation efforts.

Prosierola is characterized by having a pair of conspicuous anteromedial metapostnotal foveae on the metapectal-propodeal disc. Little is known about this genus because it is rarely sampled in collections. Therefore, the main goal of this contribution is to expand the knowledge of intraspecific morphological variations and geographical distribution of its species that occur in Brazil. We sorted material from the main collections and obtained 69 specimens of Prosierola nasalis (Westwood) recorded for the first time from Maranhão, Minas Gerais, Pará, Rio Grande do Norte and Rio Grande do Sul; one of Prosierola obliqua Evans recorded for the first time from Distrito Federal; five of Prosierola rotunda Schiffler & Azevedo recorded for the first time from Pará; and 13 of Prosierola rufescens Evans recorded for the first time from Brazil (Amazonas, Bahia, Espírito Santo, Minas Gerais). The mesoscuto-scutellar foveae placed on the dorsal surface of the mesoscutellum shown to be highly variable in size, distance, and shape at both the intra- and interspecific levels.

Delia Robineau-Desvoidy, composed of flies popularly known as root maggot flies, is a diverse genus with unclear delimitation. It comprises polyphagous species and some important agricultural pests. Delia sanctijacobi (Bigot) is native to South America, occurring in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Peru, and Uruguay; the larvae are commonly known as “potato worms” and have been misidentified as Delia platura (Meigen) in Brazil. Delia sanctijacobi attacks the seeds and seedlings of several plants of commercial importance. We present new geographic records of D. sanctijacobi in Brazil and describe the damage caused by their larvae on commercial bean and onion in Paraná and Santa Catarina between 2019-2022. Delia Robineau-Desvoidy, composed of flies popularly known as root maggot flies, is a diverse genus with unclear delimitation. It comprises polyphagous species and some important agricultural pests. Delia sanctijacobi (Bigot) is native to South America, occurring in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Peru, and Uruguay; the larvae are commonly known as “potato worms” and have been misidentified as Delia platura (Meigen) in Brazil. Delia sanctijacobi attacks the seeds and seedlings of several plants of commercial importance. We present new geographic records of D. sanctijacobi in Brazil and describe the damage caused by their larvae on commercial bean and onion in Paraná and Santa Catarina between 2019-2022.