Várias questões sobre a biodiversidade vêm sendo levantadas nas últimas décadas. Uma delas é o papel que as plantações florestais exóticas monoculturais desempenham na manutenção da fauna nativa, principalmente de insetos. Estudos têm demonstrado que os Coleoptera são sensíveis a variações florísticas e estruturais, em pequena escala espacial. Para analisar as possíveis diferenças na diversidade de Coleoptera entre um ambiente de floresta natural e uma plantação florestal exótica monocultural foi desenvolvido um inventário no Parque Ecológico Vivat Floresta, Tijucas do Sul, Paraná. Para tanto, durante 52 semanas (agosto de 2004 a julho de 2005), seis armadilhas malaise foram dispostas ao longo de um transecto através de dois ambientes adjacentes, com diferentes condições florísticas: três em fragmento da floresta natural (Floresta Ombrófila Mista) e três na plantação de Pinus elliottii exótico. Neste primeiro estudo, as comunidades de Coleoptera foram analisadas com base na abundância e na riqueza das famílias. Foram coletados 12397 exemplares de 57 famílias. A abundância foi maior na floresta natural, decrescendo do interior desta para o interior da plantação de pinus. O ecótono - borda da floresta natural/borda da plantação de pinus - foi o mais rico em famílias. Como observado em inventários de outras localidades, os estudos apoiados em dados das famílias que se incluem nos primeiros 60% da abundância total de cada área, mostram os mesmos resultados quando são aplicados os dados de todas as famílias. Na plantação de pinus as famílias dominantes foram, pela ordem: Cerambycidae, Staphylinidae, Curculionidae, Nitidulidae, Lampyridae, Scolytidae, Chrysomelidae; na floresta natural: Chrysomelidae, Cerambycidae, Curculionidae, Lampyridae, Nitidulidae, Staphylinidae.

An important question for biodiversity is what is the impact of monocultures of exotic forest trees on native fauna, especially insects. Coleoptera have been shown to be sensitive to small-scale variations in forest floristic and structure. To test this idea, a comparison of families of Coleoptera was made between a natural forest and a monoculture of Pinus elliottii Engelmann at the Vivat Floresta Ecological Park, Tijucas do Sul, Paraná, in southern Brazil. A one-year inventory was carried out from August 2004 to July 2005 with three malaise traps in each forest type, to compare, in this first preliminary study, family richness and abundance. A total of 12,397 insects in 57 families were collected. Abundance was greatest in the natural forest, while family richness was greatest at the border of the two forest types. As commonly found, studies on comparative abundance composition of areas including only dominant families involved in the first 60% of total abundance in any given area show the same trends as studies that include total abundance of all the families. In the pine monoculture, the dominant families were, in order of abundance, Cerambycidae, Staphylinidae, Curculionidae, Nitidulidae, Lampyridae, Scolytidae and Chrysomelidae. In the natural forest, the order of dominance was Chrysomelidae, Cerambycidae, Curculionidae, Lampyridae, Nitidulidae and Staphylinidae.

Este trabalho dá continuidade aos estudos sobre a fauna de Coleoptera do Parque Estadual de Vila Velha, Ponta Grossa, Paraná (PROVIVE). Teve como objeto conhecer a diversidade diferencial, ou seja, avaliar as mudanças que ocorrem na composição de espécies em áreas que sofreram ação antrópica. Os dados foram obtidos a partir de coletas através de armadilha malaise, de setembro de 1999 a agosto de 2000 (52 semanas), em cinco áreas reconhecidas como sendo diferentes habitats num capão de araucária (Floresta Ombrófila Mista), em diferentes níveis de conservação e de manejo:1) uma área de borda de mata (campo - floresta); 2) uma área com povoamento de Araucaria angustifolia, sem manejo; 3) uma área em estágio inicial a intermediário de sucessão vegetal; 4) uma área em estágio intermediário a avançado de sucessão vegetal e 5) uma área em estágio avançado de sucessão vegetal. Foram coletados 10.822 indivíduos de 1.659 espécies. A aplicação de diferentes índices de diversidade beta (b), baseados em medidas de continuidade de espécies e de ganho e perda de espécies, resultaram em altas taxas de mudança, indicando alta diversidade diferencial entre as áreas, onde já havia sido constatada a existência de alta diversidade inventarial (a). A área que mais se diferenciou na composição de espécies foi a borda de mata. As áreas em sucessão vegetal foram as mais assemelhadas entre si, em níveis crescentes da menos para a mais conservada. A alta riqueza de espécies e alta diversidade na composição de espécies de Coleoptera observadas no capão de araucária de Vila Velha, Ponta Grossa, corroboram outros estudos que indicaram ser possível envolver uma grande quantidade da riqueza regional de espécies se for mantido um mosaico de habitats em uma paisagem, envolvendo diferentes níveis de conservação e encraves com plantio de árvores nativas. A fauna de Coleoptera apresentou uma diversidade de composição de espécies que mostram ser um táxon sensível às alterações ambientais em pequena escala espacial, característica importante para ser um indicador de condições ambientais em áreas florestadas.

This study is part of an ongoing project on factors affecting abundance of coleopterans in the Vila Velha State Park, Ponta Grossa, Paraná (PROVIVE). We assessed beta diversity changes as a function of anthropogenic disturbance levels for insects in a forest fragment of the Bioma Araucaria (Floresta Ombrófila Mista). We stratified the study area into five disturbance regions: 1. a managed transitional forest-grass area; 2. an Araucaria angustifolia forest plantation without any management; 3. an early/middle vegetational succession area; 4. a middle/late vegetational succession area, and 5. a late vegetational succession area in advanced stage. We collected insects weekly using malaise traps for a period of 52 weeks from September 1999 to August 2000. We collected 10,822 beetles from 1,659 species. Beta diversity indices indicated high turnover rates among sampling areas. Highest beta diversity was observed between transitional forest-grass area and forested areas. The successional areas were the most similar. Among successional areas, beta diversity was highest between advanced succession and the early succession areas. We show that high insect diversity can be maintained by preserving biodiversity hotspots within the study area, as well as maintaining a mosaic of sites with different vegetational successions and native flora plantation. Additionally, coleopteran diversity was sensitive to habitat alteration, which may make this taxon a good indicator for disturbance of forested regions.

Como parte do Projeto PROVIVE, foram analisadas a riqueza de espécies, a composição taxonômica, a proporção de espécies raras e a constância taxonômica ao nível de família relacionada à riqueza de espécies, em comunidades de Coleoptera, em Vila Velha, Ponta Grossa, Paraná. Os dados foram obtidos a partir de coletas através de armadilha malaise no estrato do sub-bosque de cinco áreas com diferentes graus de intervenção antrópica, de setembro de 1999 a agosto de 2000. As 52 semanas de amostragem nas cinco áreas resultaram na coleta de 10.822 indivíduos de 1659 espécies. Todas as áreas apresentaram alta riqueza de espécies e diversidade, como indicado por vários índices. A área em estágio mais avançado de sucessão vegetal foi menos rica do que aquelas em estágio inicial/intermediária. De acordo com diferentes estimadores de riqueza de espécies, o número de espécies coletadas poderia aumentar de 22-123% com o aumento do esforço de coleta. As áreas menos conservadas foram mais ricas em espécies raras ("singletons", "doubletons" e únicas) do que as mais conservadas. Nas cinco áreas houve uma constância taxonômica entre as famílias mais ricas (Curculionidae, Chrysomelidae, Cerambycidae, Staphylinidae, Mordelidae, Elateridae, Scarabaeidae, Coccinellidae e Tenebrionidae) envolvendo 60% do total de espécies, como observado para a abundância de indivíduos. A existência de um padrão de constância taxonômica de famílias, quando considerados 60% da riqueza de espécies e/ou de abundância de indivíduos por local, poderá tornar mais fácil e rápido o estudo de comunidades de Coleoptera, habilitando a ordem a ser um táxon indicador de condições ambientais de áreas florestadas.

The species richness, taxonomic composition, rare species, and taxonomic constancy at family level were studied in communities of Coleoptera in Vila Velha, Ponta Grossa, Paraná, as part of PROVIVE project. The data were gathered through malaise traps in the understory stratum of five sites with different floristic conditions product of anthropogenic effects, from September/1999 to August/2000. The 52 weeks sampling in the five sites produced 10,822 specimens of 1,659 species. All areas present high species richness and high diversity as indicated by various indices. The area in advanced condition of vegetation succession was less rich than ones in early/middle stage. According to different species richness estimators, the number of observed species could be increased by 22-123% if more time colleting effort had been made. The early successional stage areas were richer in rare species (singletons, doubletons and uniques) than the more preserved ones. In the five areas there were a taxonomic constancy among the richest families (Curculionidae, Chrysomelidae, Cerambycidae, Staphylinidae, Mordelidae, Elateridae, Scarabaeidae, Coccinellidae and Tenebrionidae) involving 60% of the total species as observed with the specimens abundance. If the existence of this pattern is confirmed, it will be easier and faster to study Coleoptera communities and soon apply this order as a forest environmental indicator taxon.

This paper is a part of the studies on the Coleoptera fauna from Vila Velha, Ponta Grossa, Parana gathered through malaise and pitfall traps in sites with different floristic conditions. The present study deal with the data of pitfall trap captures, installed close to the malaise traps. The data were obtained weekly (52 samples), from September 1999 to August 2000. This survey was carried out on five areas, three of them with different plant succession stages (initial, intermediate, and advanced). The other two sites were: in Araucaria angustifolia plantation area, with the understory invaded by native forest vegetation and in the edge area. In the last one, two pitfall traps were installed, one inside the forest and other in the field vegetation. The Coleoptera communities were analyzed according the abundance, family richness, and the floristic conditions of the sites. The total of specimens collected was 13,093 belonging to 35 families. The most abundant site was the one in initial stage of succession; the abundance was lowest in the edge area. The beetle faunal composition of the five sites, including all the families, were not significantly different. However, when listed only the seven dominant families, the results showed the outside edge fauna composition significantly different from the other sites. Among the most abundant families in the Vila Velha litter are Staphylinidae, Ptiliidae, Nitidulidae, Scarabaeidae, Scolytidae, Hydrophilidae and Endomychidae, eventually substituted by Latridiidae, Corylophidae, Curculionidae, Carabidae and Histeridae. Several comparisons were made with the data from malaise and pitfall traps data obtained in Vila Velha, and from other studies in several world regions. From these comparisons was possible to highlight: the beetle family richness is higher when captured by malaise than pitfall trap; the family taxonomic compositions in the litter from several regions of the world are more similar among themselves than the taxonomic compositions from malaise captures in the same region; a small number of beetle families (five to seven) is liable by approximately 60% of the total abundance in the malaise, and about 90% in the litter; the majority litter faunal surveys showed non-herbivorous families as dominants, while in the malaise trap the herbivorous families are dominants; there are evidences that certain taxa are substituted by others of the same trophic group by ecologic reasons when in the same region, and by zoogeographic reasons in different regions.

The Coleoptera fauna of Parque Estadual de Vila Velha, Ponta Grossa, Parana, was sampled during 52 weeks using malaise traps (from September 1999 to August 2000). Five different sites were selected according to floristic conditions: one site in initial stage of vegetacional succession; one in intermediate stage; one in advanced stage (recognized as a mature forest); one with an Araucaria angustifolia (Bertol.) Kuntze plantation, invaded by native forest vegetation; and a fifth site in the edge area. The Coleoptera communities from the five sites were analyzed based on abundance and family richness. The total of specimens collected was 10,822 belonging to 64 families. The most abundant sites were those in initial and intermediate stages of plant succession; the abundance in the edge area was the lowest. The family richness is not related with the level of preservation of the sites. The beetle community structures of the five sites were not significantly different when involving all the families captured; but the more correlated pair-wise site structures reflected the vegetational stages of the sites. A temporal comparison of the beetle community structures was made, based on data gathered in one of the selected site which were sampled 13 years ago (1986/1987). The fauna collected in this year was more related with that of the initial stage of succession, in 1999/2000, than the one collected in the same area, in 1999/2000, nowadays considered as an intermediate stage of succession. This fact probably represents a parallel succession of fauna and flora. The dominant families, about 60% of total abundance, include Chrysomelidae, Curculionidae, Cerambycidae, Elateridae and Staphylinidae. Eventually, one or two of them, were substituted by Scarabaeidae, Ptilodactylidae, Cleridae, Coccinellidae, Lampyridae, Scolytidae, Cucujidae, Nitidulidae, Cantharidae, Scirtidae and Phengodidae. As observed in Vila Velha and other localities, there are a taxonomic family constancy among the most abundant Coleoptera families when using malaise traps. However, there were significant differences among the beetle community structures of the five areas in Vila Velha when only the seven most abundant families were included in the analysis.

As part of two surveys in the state of Paraná, Nyssodrysina lignaria (Bates, 1864) (Cerambycidae, Coleoptera) was sampled using malaise traps. One of the surveys was developed in eight different sites (Antonina, São José dos Pinhais, Colombo, Ponta Grossa, Telêmaco Borba, Jundiaí do Sul, Guarapuava e Fênix) from August 1986 to July 1987 and another one in five areas in different conditions of forest conservation, all located at Vila Velha, Ponta Grossa, from September 1999 to August 2000. The data indicate that the seasonality is congruent with the conditions found in temperate regions, with an activity peak in the spring-summer months. In the beginning of fall a second peak of abundance was observed, but not as high as in the spring-summer. These two peaks probably indicate the presence of two populations of N. lignaria associated to different fruit-ripening phases on diverse species of Inga Ph.Miller (Leguminosae, Mimosacea). The populational fluctuation observed in the various sites and the temperature and air humidity influences are discussed. Differences in the floristic conditions in Vila Velha (Ponta Grossa), as a cause of punctual differences in the populational fluctuation are also discussed. Finally, the results are compared with a study made with N. lignaria in Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.

Epilachna paenulata (Germar, 1824) was reared feeding on pumpkin leaves (Cucurbita pepo Lourt.) in laboratory conditions at temperatures of 20±0,5ºC, relative humidity of 65±0,5% and 12 hour photoperiod. Groups of fecunded and non-fecunded females were studied. The ovarioles showed four developing stages during egg production, morphologically alike for fecunded and non-fecunded females, but differing in the duration time of the stages. Each ovarium has 24 ovarioles on average, less than any other species known into the genus, and all ovarioles are physiologically active at each oviposition. The mean number of ovarioles is lower when compared with the other species of Epilachninae known. Fecunded and non-fecunded females showed a similar preoviposition period, but longer than any other species known into the genus. The interoviposition period is shorter among fecunded females than non-fecunded and among other species of the genus. The number of ovipositions and eggs per oviposition and the daily oviposition rate are higher among fecunded females than non-fecunded and any other species of the genus. Differing from other Coccinellidae species, the mean eggs width do not change between the first and second ovipositions. The eggs handling decrease the larvae viability. The differences observed in the number of eggs per oviposition, in the interoviposition periods and the daily oviposition rate between fecunded and non-fecunded females showed that mate changes the female reprodutive capacity.