Checklist of wasp (Hymenoptera, Vespidae) from Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil

ABSTRACT

This is a preliminary survey of wasps (Vespidae) conducted in a representative points of the biomes from Mato Grosso do Sul: Pantanal, Chaco, Cerrado and Atlantic Forest, covering periods of sampling between 2006 to 2011, being the first effort to quantify the Vespidae fauna for this State. The samples were concentrated primarily in areas with good conservation status, as Parque Nacional da Serra da Bodoquena, Reserva Particular do Patrimônio Natural Eng. Eliezer Batista (RPPNEEB), Maciço do Urucum, riparian forests of the rivers Aporé and Sucuriú, Atlantic Forest fragments of Dourados municipality and Brazilian Chaco. The sampling techniques employed were: active search, with entomological nets and Malaise and Möerick traps. The methods were not standardized for the locations. In total 105 species in 35 genera of Vespidae were recorded for Mato Grosso do Sul. The genera with high richness were: Omicron and Zethus, with 10 species each one. Among the solitary wasps, Pachodynerus guadulpensis was the most abundant, with 32 individuals. To the social wasps Agelaia multipicta, Polybia ignobilis, and Polybia (gr. occidentalis) sp. were the most abundant. Trimeria rubra (Masarinae) was sampled for the first time in Mato Grosso do Sul State. The knowledge status of biodiversity is fundamental for future strategies of management’s plans, resulting in the selection of priority areas for conservation.

KEYWORDS
Polistinae; Eumeninae; Masarinae; Serra da Bodoquena; Biota-MS Program