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.

Social wasps are commonly considered generalists in their feeding habits, but there are genera with little information regarding their diet, such as Mischocyttarus de Saussure, 1853 (Hymenoptera: Vespidae), the most species-rich wasp genus in the world. The objective of this study is to report Mischocyttarus rotundicollis (Cameron, 1912) (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) feeding on a spider in the southeastern region of Brazil, aiming to expand information about its feeding behavior. The record occurred occasionally on September 23, 2023, in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil, in the ecotone region between the Atlantic Forest and the Cerrado. The feeding of a species from the Araneidae family occurred in its web, and the individual of M. rotundicollis used the tarsi of its legs to cling to the silk threads of the web, which could suggest a specialization for the exploitation of this food resource. Our record provides further information on the feeding behavior and diet of M. rotundicollis and presents the first information on spider feeding by this species. Further studies are suggested to evaluate this possible hypothesis of specialization of the genus for foraging in spider webs.

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 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.

Specimens of Bactrocera carambolae Drew & Hancock, 1994 (Diptera: Tephritidae) were obtained from fruits of Averrhoa bilimbi L., Averrhoa carambola L. (Oxalidaceae), Malpighia emarginata DC. (Malpighiaceae), and Psidium guajava L. (Myrtaceae), from a survey carried out in Lethem, Republic of Guyana. This is the first record of B. carambolae in A. bilimbi, M. emarginata and P. guajava in the country.

Neonicotinoid insecticides can cause a reduction in feeding rate, locomotion, and behavioral changes such as a reduction in flight speed and distance traveled by adult bees. Chronic exposure to sublethal concentrations can result in behavioral disorders and memory loss. This study investigated the effects of insecticides on Amazonian stingless bees, evaluated whether Melipona interrupta Latreire, 1811, is sensitive and does not reject food contaminated with Thiamethoxam, and compared the effects on native stingless bees from the northern region to Apis mellifera. Mortality was evaluated in these bees when exposed to Tiamethoxam (absolute standard AS and Actara 250 WG - commercial product) and Dimethoate AS as a positive control, thus verifying the lethal concentration 50 (LC50) for the species M. interrupta, popularly known as jupará. The mortality of forager workers exposed to active ingredient formulations indicated an LC50 of 24.77 ng/μL for Dimethoate, validating the tests, and 1.28 ng/μL for Tiamethoxam AS and 1.22 ng/μL for Actara 250 WG, values much lower than those found for A. mellifera bees, which were 4.28 ng i.a./µL of Tiamethoxam. Therefore, we concluded that formulations with the active ingredients Dimethoate and Tiamethoxam are highly toxic to Amazonian bees of the species M. interrupta.

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.

Beauveria bassiana (Bals.-Criv.) Vuill. is an established biocontrol agent in laboratory, but studies have shown negative effects of temperature and Ultraviolet radiation on its potential in vitro. Nevertheless, there is a lack of studies about its endophytic colonization in vivo, especially in field conditions in cowpea [Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.]. In this sense, this study aimed to evaluate the effects of B. bassiana applied to cowpea seed on the growth of the plants under laboratory and field conditions, and on their resistance to insect attack. Cowpea seeds were treated with suspension of 5 x 108 conidia/mL of B. bassiana. The plants were cultivated in two independent conditions (laboratory and field). The resistance to attack of the pest in field conditions was assessed by monitoring weekly the plants three times a week during 12 weeks, from the initial vegetative to the reproductive stage. According to the results, in laboratory conditions, there were significant differences among the inoculated and control plants for the variables of height of the plants (31.17 cm for treatment and 23.00 cm for control plants) and dry mass of the root (2.38 g for treatment and 0.97 g for control plants). In field conditions, the observed pest insects were miner fly [Liriomyza sp.] (Diptera: Agromyzidae), Cerotoma arcuata Olivier, 1791 (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), aphid (Aphis craccivora Koch, 1854) (Hemiptera: Aphididae) and the polyphagous hemipteran [Crinocerus sanctus (Fabricius, 1775)] (Hemiptera: Coreidae). The treated plants were less affected than control plants by these pests, especially at the beginning of the vegetative phase.

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.