Among the several biological control agents that act in population control of arthropods, the green lacewings (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae) is a very important natural enemy in integrated management programs, due to their predation during the larval phase and potential adaptation in different crops. In this study we tried to understand the diversity of green lacewings in annatto, as well as the structure of their communities and the seasonal occurrence of species. The study was carried out in annatto crops, at the Experimental Field of Universidade Estadual do Sudoeste da Bahia, in Vitória da Conquista, Bahia state, Brazil. The lacewings were collected using McPhail traps containing food baits and entomological nets, during December 2003 to November 2004 (traps) and from March to November 2004 (entomological nets). The community structure of lacewings was made by different faunal indices: relative frequency, constancy, dominance, richness and diversity. The seasonality of species of lacewings was measured based on the total number of specimens in each collection time, depending on the sampling method. We collected 151 lacewings distributed in 16 species, 13 in trap (n= 52) and three in entomological nets (n= 99). In trap, were collected only Leucochrysa species, of which two new species while in entomological net were collected Ceraeochrysa claveri, C. cubana and Chrysoperla externa which is the predominant species in this cultivation. The lacewings were more abundant in December 2003, coinciding with the flowering period of the crop.
Bixa orellana; Ceraeochrysa; Chrysoperla; Leucochrysa; biological control
