The present study aimed to evaluate, qualitatively and quantitatively, yellow sticky traps and entomological net in the monitoring of Monellia caryella (Fitch, 1855) (Hemiptera: Aphididae) and its predators in a pecan plantation in Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. This plantation was implemented on 1.2 ha in February 2012 with the Barton and Shawnee varieties at a spacing of 7 m x 7 m. Twenty pecan plants were randomly selected to sample the blackmargined pecan aphid and its predators. From November 2014 to May 2015, 13 collections were carried out with yellow sticky traps and an entomological net. A total of 898 arthropod specimens were collected, 50.9% of which were from yellow sticky traps and 49.1% from the entomological net trap. Regarding the yellow sticky traps, only M. caryella was identified at the species level, with the predators identified at the taxonomic levels of order (Araneae) and family (Coccinellidae; Coleoptera). In terms of the entomological net, all the insects of interest at the species level were identified. There was a significant difference only between the averages in the number of Araneae specimens, with the highest density found in the yellow sticky traps. Both methods provided the correct identification of M. caryella and efficiently recorded its population peak. It is concluded that yellow sticky traps are effective for monitoring M. caryella, while the entomological net is suitable for monitoring and correctly identifying species of natural enemies of the insect pest in pecan plantations.

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.

Ants have been extensively used as bioindicators, however ants from different nest stratum and habitat affinity groups could distinctly respond to a same ecological process and environmental impact. In this study, we evaluated if nest stratum and habitat affinity matter in the response of ant assemblages to forest-pasture shifting. We tested the response of number of species in entire ant assemblages (soil surface and subterranean) and in each ant fauna stratum (only soil surface and only subterranean). In both cases, we also tested the response of number of ant species of each habitat affinity groups (forest specialist, open-habitat specialist and generalist). Ants were sampled in three plots for each habitat type in Southwestern Brazilian Amazon. We sampled 124 ant species. Only for soil surface ant assemblages, the number of species was different between the two habitats types, among habitat affinity ant groups and their number of species also changed with habitat shifting. Therefore, we corroborate the inclusion of samplings in different nest stratum and recommend the classification of ants according to their habitat affinity in monitoring programs that use ants as bioindicator. However, efforts must be done to improve the information availability on habitat affinity of ant species.

Inventories provide important information about species, both from a biogeographic perspective and in terms of their conservation status. Among insects, dragonflies are extensively surveyed in Brazil; however, significant knowledge gaps still exist regarding the distribution of these organisms in the country, particularly in threatened biomes such as the Atlantic Forest. In this study, we present data on an Odonata community collected in the Serra do Papagaio State Park between 2015 and 2016. We recorded 64 species, including six new records for the state of Minas Gerais, along with ten species with problematic conservation status, either due to a lack of distribution data or some degree of extinction risk. Our results highlight the importance of inventories in expanding our knowledge of species distribution and providing data that can aid in the assessment of their conservation status.

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.

Although Pantophthalmidae are widespread in the Neotropical Region, only three of 20 species of the family are known in the Northeast region of Brazil: Pantophthalmus planiventris (Wiedemann, 1821), Pantophthalmus tabaninus Thunberg, 1819, and Pantophthalmus vittatus (Wiedemann, 1828). In this paper, we record, for the first time, Pantophthalmus comptus Enderlein, 1912 from the state of Maranhão, in area of state covered by Amazon Forest biome, and Pantophthalmus pictus (Wiedemann, 1821) from the state of Pernambuco, near the coast, within the Atlantic Forest biome. These two species have been reported elsewhere from Brazil and now their distribution has expanded to the Northeast. Also, we provide images of a female specimen of P. planiventris, known, in the Northeast region of Brazil, from the state of Maranhão only, and of the male terminalia of P. comptus. This paper increases the number of known species of Pantophthalmidae from the Northeast Brazil to five species.

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.

Bolbapium Boucomont, 1910 is a Neotropical genus of Geotrupidae with 22 known species. In this paper, we describe Bolbapium vazdemelloi sp. nov. in Southwestern Bahia, Brazil. This new species is distinguished from congeneric species by its unique combination of morphological characters: cephalic tubercle adjacent to each eye; pronotum with little expanded bidentate tubercle; parameres symmetric, with acute and divergent apex. The new species was incorporated into a previously published identification key for Bolbapium.

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.

This work reports the first photographic record of the Symmachia basilissa basilissa Bates, 1868 subspecies, a butterfly originally described by Henry Walter Bates in 1868. This subspecies had only been recorded three before but had never been photographed alive in Brazil. The photograph was taken in the Chapada das Mesas National Park, located in the southern part of the state of Maranhão. This record was uploaded and georeferenced on the iNaturalist app/website. The taxon Symmachia basilissa comprises four subspecies, and the article provides information on the morphological differences between them. We also discuss the use of iNaturalist and similar tools to integrate academic and citizen science for a better understanding of biodiversity, especially in tropical regions and areas that are difficult to access. Overall, our work makes a valuable contribution to the knowledge of this data deficient butterfly species and highlights the importance of utilizing new technologies and collaborative approaches to advance scientific research.