Cassava crops hold high agricultural importance in Paraná State, Brazil. However, cassava root production is adversely impacted by pests. Aleyrodids, in particular, cause great damage to cassava fields, necessitating better knowledge of predators found in these agroecosystems and novel biological control strategies for integrated pest management. This study reports the first occurrence of the predatory lady beetle Delphastus argentinicus Nunenmacher, preying on all life stages of whiteflies in cassava fields. Given the economic and social importance of cassava crops in Brazil and the deleterious potential of aleyrodid species, it is recommended to conduct behavioral and bioecological studies assessing the application of D. argentinicus as a biocontrol agent in integrated pest management programs.

A new species of Paratropis is herein described and illustrated, namely: Paratropis minusculus n. sp. based on males, females and immatures from Potaro-Siparuni, Guyana. Male e female of P. minusculus differ from those of all other species of the genus by having six eyes and by spinneret apical segment domed. In addition, we presented the first record of paratropidid species from Guyana, contribute to the knowledge of local biodiversity.

We reported the hymenopteran fauna (except Formicidae) in a floodable area in the South Pantanal, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil. The study was conducted in a riparian forest of the Miranda river, located in the Passo do Lontra region, Corumbá. The collection occurred in the dry season of August 2016 using different capture methods. A total of 137 individuals distributed in 18 families, 43 genera, and 64 morphospecies (10 nominal) were collected. The families with the greatest richness were Diapriidae and Ichneumonidae with 11 morphospecies each (17% of the total), followed by Platygastridae and Braconidae with 10 and nine, respectively. Two species were newly recorded for Brazil: Gryonoides pulchellus Dodd, 1920 (Platygastridae) and Losada penai Fritz, 1873 (Crabronidae), plus 22 new records for Mato Grosso do Sul. This study increases about 5.2% of the wasp fauna recorded in Mato Grosso do Sul, as well as for the Pantanal.

The objectives of this work were to document two new occurrences of Oligonychus (Trombidiformes: Tetranychidae) in coffee plant, present the damage and climatic conditions that may have favored the high population at the time of records, and report the occurrence of natural enemies. The records were done in three production areas in Itacoatiara, Silves, and Urucará, state of Amazonas. We verified the occurrence of Oligonychus mangiferus (Rahman and Sapra) and Oligonychus peronis Pritchard and Baker. In two crops, O. mangiferus was observed causing severe damage, probably due to favorable climatic conditions which coincided with the peak of the dry season in the region. For both species, we observed the occurrence of natural enemies such as predatory insects and mites, and acaropathogenic fungus. Based on the results, the occurrence of O. mangiferus and O. peronis in coffee farming is now known. These pests, especially O. mangiferus, can damage crops during the dry season.

Odonata sampling effort in the state of Minas Gerais has intensified throughout the 21st century. However, research on these insects in some regions and ecosystems such as the Deciduous Forest are incipient, and the effect of prolonged dry periods over these insects is still unknown. This study thus aimed to assess changes in adult Odonata species composition over one year in a Brazilian Deciduous Forest and the Odonata species richness in the Mata Seca State Park in the Manga and Itacarambi municipalities in the Northern region of the state of Minas Gerais State, Brazil. Twenty-four days of sampling were distributed in February, May, July and November, adopting an active search through entomological nets close to lentic environments (Lagoa Angical, Lagoa Comprida, Lagoa Encantada, Lagoa da Prata and two wetlands of Lajedo da Lua); lotic environments (São Francisco river) and in associated terrestrial ecosystems. In total, 55 species were collected. Rainy and dry periods altered Odonata communities’ composition but did not affect species richness and abundance due to the presence of permanent lagoons associated with the São Francisco river. This study shows the importance of the Mata Seca State Park for preserving Odonatofauna in the state of Minas Gerais and for protecting those permanent lagoons.

Ethylene is a volatile phytohormone that plays an important role in the physiological processes of coffee plants. However, the role of this compound as a semiochemical in the tritrophic interaction involving Hypothenemus hampei, Coffea canephora, and hymenopteran insects remains unknown. Ethylene-baited traps were used in a coffee plantation in the experimental field of Embrapa Rondônia in the municipality of Porto Velho, Rondônia state, Brazil. The experiment was conducted during the fruit maturation period (March and April). Ethylene did not attract H. hampei compared to control traps (distilled water) but was significantly attractive to hymenopterans suggesting that it acts as a synomone.

In recent years, attention has focused on studies about myrmecofauna in urban environments, due to its high possibility of causing damage to food storage and household structures. Thus, the objective of this study was to identify the genera of ants and analyze their frequency and diversity in two neighborhoods in the municipality of Barreiras-BA. The study was conducted in Riachinho neighborhood, located on the edge of the urban perimeter and in Renato Gonçalves neighborhood in the central area of the city. The ants were collected weekly, using trap baits, in 180 houses, from November 2016 to April 2017. The collected ants were transported to the Zoology and Entomology Laboratory (LaZooEn) in the Universidade do Estado da Bahia, Campus IX. For identification, stereomicroscope and dichotomous key were used. A group of 14,846 ants were collected, of which 9,686 were collected in Renato Gonçalves neighborhood, and 5,160 in Riachinho neighborhood. Three subfamilies were identified, which included ten genera, being Paratrechina, Brachymyrmex and Tapinoma were among the most frequent. Paratrechina was the most representative (85.32%) in Riachinho, and Brachymyrmex, the most frequent in Renato Gonçalves (54.40%). The accumulation curves obtained were satisfactory in both areas, higher than 80%. Regarding Shannon index, it was found that Riachinho presented a lower diversity (H'= 0.663) than in Renato Gonçalves neighborhood (H'= 0.875). Studies addressing the occurrence of myrmecofauna may be paramount to collaborate with conservation practices both in the case of threatened species and for pest control practices.

In this study, we use geometric morphometry to discriminate thrips of the species Gynaikothrips uzeli (Zimmerman) and Gynaikothrips ficorum (Marchal) and also to detect sexual dimorphism in these species. Two hundred individuals, one hundred females and one hundred males, from G. uzeli and G. ficorum, were used to verify sexual dimorphism. For interspecific differentiation, two hundred females were used, one hundred individuals of each species. It was possible to observe differences in the shape of the wing between sexes in both species. In G. uzeli, the first two main components explain 92.5% of the total variation of individuals. The first main component explains 87% and the second 5.5 of the total variation of individuals. For G. ficorum, the first two main components explain 78.2% of the total variation of individuals. The first principal component contributed with 62% and the second principal component with 16.2% of the variation of the shape of the wing. Besides, significant interspecific differences were observed in the shape of the wing, where the first two main components were sufficient to explain 86% of the total variation of the individuals. The first principal component explained 76.2% and the second 9.8% of the total variation of the individuals, being possible to verify differences in the shape of the wing of these two species. Geometric morphometry is a viable technique for assessing sexual dimorphism, as well as interspecific differences in the shape of the wings of these species, which are morphologically very similar.

The present communication deals with a faunistic study on two species of Latrodectus Walckenaer with medically important issues from Oman. Several specimens of Latrodectus have been collected at various localities in Sultanate of Oman. This study records two species of Latrodectus from Oman, of which Latrodectus cinctus Blackwall only from northern Oman and Latrodectus geometricus C.L. Koch from both northern and southern Oman.

Neoempheria Osten Sacken is a genus of Mycetophilidae that has a life cycle associated with fungi. The genus is diverse in the Neotropical region, with 41 species known from Brazil that are predominantly known in southern and southeastern areas. This study reports on the first record of this genus for Pará state and redescribes Neoempheria bilobata Edwards, which was previously decribed from a male holotype from southern Brazil. We furnished high-resolution images and illustrations, as well as a detailed redescription of this species, based on male and female specimens.