The knowledge of arachnofauna from Tocantins, Brazil, is still incipient. The present communication expands the known geographical distribution of Loxosceles amazonica Gertsch, 1967 (Arachnida: Araneae: Sicariidae) in Brazilian Cerrado. The brown spider specimens were sampled in Dianópolis municipality and Cristalândia municipality both in Tocantins State, Brazil, between 2022 and 2024. Also, we describe a new variation of the epigynum of L. amazonica. Mapping the distribution of Loxosceles Heineken & Lowe, 1832 species in Brazil is crucial for public health, aiding in prevention and timely treatment of loxoscelism caused by brown spider bites.

Lepidoptera includes the butterflies and moths, being considered the second largest order of Insecta, with about 16% of all of the known species in this class. Few lists of Lepidoptera exist for the Northeast of Brazil, a poorly inventoried geographical area. This work had as main objective to accomplish a preliminary study of the moths collected with attractive light at the Parque Nacional Serra de Itabaina, Sergipe, Brazil, verifying the taxonomic diversity and abundance in the study area and analyzing some ecological aspects of the group. A total of 1,450 samples was collected, of which 447 were identified in 19 families. The remaining of the material consisted of 794 microlepidopterous and another 209 not identified specimens. The richness and abundance of lepidopterous did not vary significantly among the dry and rainy seasons (p> 0.05). However, the composition analysis (NMDS) separated the species in two distinct assemblages, but the similarity analysis indicated that this arrangement does not differ significantly (ANOSIM; p = 0.09; R = 0.22), indicating that the nocturnal lepidopterofauna of Serra de Itabaiana stays constant along the year. The time which has a larger number of collected lepidopterous, was from 18:00 to 21:00h. This is a preliminary study, but that serves as reference for other studies with Lepidoptera in Sergipe.

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.

This study describes the antennal ultrastructure in Cyclocephala forsteri Endrodi, 1963, Cyclocephala melanocephala (Fabricius, 1775) and Cyclocephala tucumana Brethes, 1904 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae). Adult of Cyclocephala Dejean, 1821 specimens were collected using a light trap placed near a pasture area, segregated by gender, based on male-specific dilated pre-tarsomeres and preserved in 70% alcohol. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images of the antenna lamellae were obtained from ten specimens at Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP) in Ilha Solteira, SP, Brazil. We identified trichoid, chaetic, placoid, coeloconic, basiconic sensilla, and pores in antenna of all the species. Placoid sensilla were prevalent in the antennal lamellae. The antennae of C. forsteri females had 5,457 sensilla, of which 5,327 (97.62%) were placoid, 123 (2.25%) coeloconic, and seven (0.13%) basiconic, while the antennae of males showed 5,351 sensilla, with 5,238 (97.89%) being placoid, 100 (1.87%) coeloconic, and 13 (0.24%) basiconic. The antennae of C. melanocephala females presented 6,814 sensilla, with 6,581 (96.58%) being placoid, 231 (3.39%) coeloconic, and two (0.03%) basiconic; while those of males had 6,333 sensilla, with 6,023 (95.11%) being placoid and 310 (4.89%) coeloconic. Finally, the antennae of C. tucumana females had 1,981 sensilla, with 1,845 (93.13%) being placoid, 127 (6.42%) coeloconic, and nine (0.45%) basiconic; while the antennae of males had 3,756 sensilla, with 3,656 (97.34%) being placoid, 99 (2.64%) coeloconic, and one (0.02%) basiconic. Overall, adults of C. melanocephala and C. tucumana presented dimorphism in the antennal sensilla.

Stored grains are attacked by insect pests, causing various types of damage and potentially generating economic losses for producers. Tribolium castaneum (Herbst, 1797) (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae), popularly known as the red flour beetle, is one of these secondary pests. Thus, the objective of this study was to evaluate the potential of entomopathogenic fungi from the Brazilian Amazon for the control of T. castaneum. To evaluate the control of T. castaneum, different conidial suspensions (105, 106, 107 and 108 conidia/mL) of Beauveria sp. (4.438) and Paecilomyces sp. (4.658) were used, placing 1 mL of each concentration in the center of Petri dish and keeping the insects for 10 min. After that, they were transferred to another Petri dish, incubated for 7 days at room temperature, and Tween 0.01% and NaCl 0.9% solutions were used as negative controls. T. castaneum mortality was obtained only at the highest dilution, 108 conidia/mL, being 22% for the fungus Beauveria sp. (4.438) and 5% for Paecilomyces sp. (4.658). Susceptibility to exposure to abiotic factors was measured with suspensions of Beauveria sp. (4.438) conidia at a concentration of 106 conidia/mL exposed to ultraviolet light for 0, 30, 60 and 120 seconds, and at temperatures of 20, 26 and 32 ºC for 30, 60 and 90 min. The highest germination rate was at 20 °C for 90 minutes, with 92%. The entomopathogenic fungi from the Amazon showed low potential for controlling T. castaneum, however, they may present a higher mortality rate for other insect pests.

The species of the cleptobiotic bee genus Lestrimelitta Friese, 1903 (Hymenoptera: Apidae) are generally known as a menace to Meliponiculture and Apiculture, that is why it is common to observe recommendations to beekeepers to avoid the proximity of their meliponaries with any Lestrimelitta hives. So, besides other anthropic pressures, the growth of beekeeping may represent a particular threat to its species. In this note we address the distribution of three species recorded in the triple border region of Argentina, Paraguay, and Brazil. One of these species, Lestrimelitta chacoana Roig-Alsina, 2010 (Hymenoptera: Apidae), previously described from the Argentinian Dry Chaco, is recorded for the Semideciduous Atlantic Forest in Southern Brazil where it was already expected to be found due to its previous record in a contiguous forest type in Northeastern Argentina. A discussion about the characters to differentiate it from two other species is made.

Sarcophagidae and Calliphoridae are families of Diptera that cover, respectively, about 3,100 and 1,000 species described worldwide. The species of these families have medical and veterinary importance, due to their role as vectors of pathogenic agents. The Diptera fauna is little known in many Brazilian ecosystems, including some phytophysiognomies of the Atlantic Forest. In the present study, two expeditions were carried out, one in the rainy season and the other in the dry season, using four traps baited with fish and exposed for 48 hours in the field in the Parque Natural Municipal Atalaia in the municipality of Macaé. The collected material was sorted and assembled at Instituto de Biodiversidade e Sustentabilidade - NUPEM/UFRJ and transported to Laboratório de Biodiversidade e Sistemática de Diptera - Museu Nacional, UFRJ (MNRJ), for later identification. A total number of 712 specimens of Calliphoridae and 27 of Sarcophagidae were collected. The sampling effort for Sarcophagidae collection was average, since the species accumulation curve continues to rise, unlike the Calliphoridae curve, which remains stable. The study included species considered asynanthropic, as Hemilucilia semidiaphana (Rondani, 1850) (Calliphoridae), but also invasive species, like those of the genus Chrysomya Robineau-Desvoidy, 1830 (Calliphoridae). Therefore, the present study contributed to expand knowledge about both families in the Atlantic Forest, in Rio de Janeiro, and emphasized the importance of continuing studies in the region, as many species are asynanthropic, while others are invasive, which can result in the inhibition of the native ones.

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.

In this paper, we provide taxonomic notes for species of the Trigona (Dichrotrigona) Engel, 2021, with additional photographs. An identification key and a distribution map of the species of this subgenus is also provided here. We also update records of Trigona (Dichrotrigona) sesquipedalis Almeida, 1984 (Hymenoptera: Apidae: Meliponini) with the first records for the state of Roraima, Brazil.

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.