The use of high-resolution images in studies of morphology, taxonomy and systematics has been increasingly frequent, especially in Insecta. However, suitable lighting systems are still very expensive and/or difficult to use. On the other hand, currently the use of 3D printers has helped to make lighting equipment more accessible for researchers to equip their laboratories. Here we present a low-cost circular LED dome lighting system for capturing scientific micro and macro photography on a self-assembly stereomicroscope. We also present the necessary components for making the dome, as well as the elements used to capture the photographs.

In a global context, few studies have investigated the effects of urbanization on apifauna, as well as the importance of green areas in urban centers for the conservation of local bee fauna. In Brazil, this line of research is still quite recent, with most studies carried out in regions with a predominance of the Atlantic Rainforest phytogeographic domain. For the Brazilian state of Bahia, such research is still scarce and, especially, if we consider the large territorial dimension that this state denotes. In the area that covers the Cerrado, few studies have been carried out that inventory the urban apifauna. In this paper we present a list of bee species recorded in urban areas of the city of Barreiras, Bahia, Brazil, which represent the first apifauna inventory in the Western region of Bahia. Specimens were collected fortnightly from November 2019 to April 2020, using two sampling methods: colored water traps (ARCAs/pantraps) and entomological net, in two remnants of vegetation used as sampling points. A total of 749 specimens were sampled, distributed in four families, 18 tribes, 29 genera, and 45 species. A total of 369 (49.3%) specimens were collected using the entomological net and 380 specimens (50.7%) by using the ARCAs. Our results showed that the area with the highest level of urbanization had bioindicator species of degraded environments, which benefit from urbanization, and despite the urban growth, the fragments found in the matrix can serve as a refuge for bee fauna, as long as they are well planned.

The knowledge of host plants, distribution and economic importance of Lonchaeidae is scarce in Latin America. We have recovered specimens of Lonchaeidae from most fruit samples containing specimens of Tephritidae. The compilation of information is essential to determine the diversity of species and the relationship with their hosts. In addition to the list of records based on early publications, we add unpublished data of Lonchaeids recovered from plant samples collected in the Instituto Biológico, São Paulo, Brazil. In total, 18 species of Lonchaeidae, belonging to the genera Dasiops, Lonchaea and Neosilba were registered in São Paulo, and associated with 111 host plant species and 27 botanical families. New records are listed and geographical distribution is available by specific maps.

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).

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.

We characterize the population dynamics of pests and beneficial organisms in strawberries to assess the impact of two meteorological factors (temperature and precipitation) and define the most appropriate method for monitoring insects in strawberries crop. Population dynamics were monitored weekly using the plant beat method and Möericke traps in Albion strawberries. Measurements were taken in organic strawberry farms over two growing seasons, from March 26, 2010 to August 23, 2010 (first season - 2009/2010) and from October 4, 2010 to March 21, 2011 (second season - 2009/2010) in the municipality of Pinhais, Paraná state, southern Brazil (25º25'S; 49º08'W). We collected a total of 7,971 pests and 1,987 beneficial organisms. The most abundant pests were Chaetosiphon fragaefolii (Cockerell) (Hemiptera: Aphididae) in the first growing season and Tetranychus urticae (Koch) (Acari: Tetranychidae) in the second. Beneficial organisms from Acari, Araneae, and Hymenoptera parasitoids predominated in both seasons. Temperature and precipitation were the the primary climatic factor associated with the population variation of aphids. Populations of C. fragaefolii grew when the temperature was between 16°C and 25ºC. We found that plant beat was the fastest and most suitable method for strawberry pests monitoring since it captured insects that were effectively colonizing the plants. This study contributes to a better understanding of the entomofauna associated with cultivation of organic strawberry.

Sarcophagidae is a family of Diptera with medical-veterinary importance, which have species with sarcosaprophagous, necrophagous or causing-myiasis larvae, among others. The Brazilian state of Rio de Janeiro has 92 municipalities, but only 26 have sarcophagid records and the municipality of Rio das Ostras is one of the least registered, with only nine species recorded. This works aimed to increase the knowledge of flesh fly diversity in a conservation unit of this municipality, the “Área de Relevante Interesse Ecológico de Itapebussus”. The study was conducted in restinga and semideciduous forest. We used modified Van Someren-Rydon traps baited with decayed fish, and the samples were taken in dry and rainy seasons. A total of 446 male sarcophagines of 18 species of the genera Oxysarcodexia, Peckia, Ravinia, Sarcofahrtiopsis, and Titanogrypa were collected. We found 13 new records for the sampled municipality. The forest presented higher richness than the restinga and the most abundant species was Oxysarcodexia amorosa (Schiner). Diversity and equitability showed similar values in the two areas (H'f=2.193, H'r=2.027, J'f=0.7908 and J'r=0.7682) and the cluster analysis suggest high similarity. PERMANOVA did not present significant results for any source of variation. The presence of synanthropic and asynanthropic species in the fragment demonstrates that it is already a somewhat human-impacted environment. Marked increase in the number of sarcophagid records obtained in this small sample in the studied municipality (from nine to 22 species) shows the importance of taxonomic surveys in poorly studied areas.

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.