Variação morfométrica e demográfica em Phaleria testacea Say (Coleoptera, Tenebrionidae) de duas praias do Rio de Janeiro

Almeida, M.D. de; Caldas, A; Almeida, J.R. de

doi:10.1590/S0101-81751993000100005

Resumo

The species Phaleria testacea Say, 1824 (Coleoptera, Tenebrionidae) varies a lot in size, and its populations along the coast of Brazil, where it lives buried in sandy beaches, have temporal and geographical variation in density. In order to find out which factors were contributing to these variations, we sampled populations from three different areas in Rio de Janeiro, during summer and winter. Simultaneously, we made an analysis of the different substracts where the individuals were found, including their total fresh weight. The results show a significant difference in size of individuals between and within populations, when summer and winter were compared. There is also a positive association between the population density of P. testacea and the amount of "garbage" found at the study areas.

Coleoptera; Tenebrionidae; Phaleria testacea; morphometry; abundance

Variação morfométrica e demográfica em Phaleria testacea Say (Coleoptera, Tenebrionidae) de duas praias do Rio de Janeiro

Morphometry and abundance of Phaleria testacea Say (Coleoptera, Tenebrionidae) from two beaches of Rio de Janeiro

M.D. de Almeida^I; A. Caldas^II; J.R. de Almeida^III

^IDepartamento de Entomologia, Fundação Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Caixa Postal 926, 21041-210 Rio de janeiro. Rio de Janeiro, Brasil

^IISetor de Ecologia, Universidade Estadual do Rio de Janeiro, Rua São Francisco Xavier, 524, 20050-013 Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil

^IIIDepartamento de Ecologia. Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Caixa Postal 68020, 21944-970 Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil

ABSTRACT

The species Phaleria testacea Say, 1824 (Coleoptera, Tenebrionidae) varies a lot in size, and its populations along the coast of Brazil, where it lives buried in sandy beaches, have temporal and geographical variation in density. In order to find out which factors were contributing to these variations, we sampled populations from three different areas in Rio de Janeiro, during summer and winter. Simultaneously, we made an analysis of the different substracts where the individuals were found, including their total fresh weight. The results show a significant difference in size of individuals between and within populations, when summer and winter were compared. There is also a positive association between the population density of P. testacea and the amount of "garbage" found at the study areas.

Key words: Coleoptera, Tenebrionidae, Phaleria testacea, morphometry, abundance

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AGRADECIMENTOS. Ao Sr. Luiz de Almeida pela incansável ajuda nas coletas e pelo grande apoio dado à realização deste trabalho.

Recebido em 20.IX.1993; aceito em 25.XI.1993.

CALDAS, A. & ALMEIDA, J.R. 1985. Hábitos alimentares e comportamento de Phaleria brasiliensis Laporte, 1840 (Coleoptera, Tenebrionidae) na praia de Botafogo, Rio de Janeiro, RJ. Revta bras. Ent. 29 (2):221-224.
FORD, E.B. 1975. Ecological genetics. London, Chapman & Hall, 442p.
KING, P.D.; C.F. MERCER & J.S. MEEKINGS. 1981. Ecology of the black beetle Heteronychus arator (Coleoptera, Scarabeidae). Influence of temperature on feeding, growth, and survival of the larvae. New Zeal. J. Zool. 8:113-117.
KITCHING, R.L. 1977. Time, resources and population dynamics in insects. Austr. J. Ecol. 2:31-42.
MALTAIS, P.M.; J.J. JUILLET & D.D. OLIVEIRA. 1980. Écologie et dynamique des populations de la tenthrède du mélèze, Pristiphora Erichsonii (Htg), au parc national de Kouchibouguac au Nouveau-Brunswick. Ann. Soc. Ent. Québec. 25:141-162.
MAYR, E. 1977. Populações, espécies e evolução. São Paulo, Ed. Nacional e EDUSP, 485p.
OXNARD, C.E. 1978. One biologist's view of morphometrics. Rev. Ecol. Syst. 9:219-241.
PIANKA, E.R. 1983. Evolutionary ecology. New York, Harper & Row, 416p.
SOUTHWOOD, T.R.E.; R.M. MAY & M.P. HASSEL. 1974. Ecological strategies and population parameters. Am. Nat. 108 (964):791-804.
THORPE, R.S. 1976. Biometric analysis of geographical variation and racial affmities. Biol. Rev. 51:407-452.
TRIPLEHORN, CA. & L.E. WATROUS. 1979. A synopsis of the genus Phaleria in the United States and Baja California (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae). The Col. Bull. 33 (3):275-295.
WATROUS, L.E. & CA. TRIPLEHORN. 1982. Phaleria of the West Indies and circum-Caribbean region (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae). The Col. Bull. 36 (1):12-21.
WOLDA, H. 1988. Insect seasonality: why? Ann. Rev. Ecol. Syst. 19:1-18.

Datas de Publicação

Publicação nesta coleção
24 Jul 2009
Data do Fascículo
1993

Histórico

Aceito
25 Nov 1993
Recebido
20 Set 1993

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

[1] CALDAS, A. & ALMEIDA, J.R. 1985. Hábitos alimentares e comportamento de Phaleria brasiliensis Laporte, 1840 (Coleoptera, Tenebrionidae) na praia de Botafogo, Rio de Janeiro, RJ. Revta bras. Ent. 29 (2):221-224.

[2] FORD, E.B. 1975. Ecological genetics. London, Chapman & Hall, 442p.

[3] KING, P.D.; C.F. MERCER & J.S. MEEKINGS. 1981. Ecology of the black beetle Heteronychus arator (Coleoptera, Scarabeidae). Influence of temperature on feeding, growth, and survival of the larvae. New Zeal. J. Zool. 8:113-117.

[4] KITCHING, R.L. 1977. Time, resources and population dynamics in insects. Austr. J. Ecol. 2:31-42.

[5] MALTAIS, P.M.; J.J. JUILLET & D.D. OLIVEIRA. 1980. Écologie et dynamique des populations de la tenthrède du mélèze, Pristiphora Erichsonii (Htg), au parc national de Kouchibouguac au Nouveau-Brunswick. Ann. Soc. Ent. Québec. 25:141-162.

[6] MAYR, E. 1977. Populações, espécies e evolução. São Paulo, Ed. Nacional e EDUSP, 485p.

[7] OXNARD, C.E. 1978. One biologist's view of morphometrics. Rev. Ecol. Syst. 9:219-241.

[8] PIANKA, E.R. 1983. Evolutionary ecology. New York, Harper & Row, 416p.

[9] SOUTHWOOD, T.R.E.; R.M. MAY & M.P. HASSEL. 1974. Ecological strategies and population parameters. Am. Nat. 108 (964):791-804.

[10] THORPE, R.S. 1976. Biometric analysis of geographical variation and racial affmities. Biol. Rev. 51:407-452.

[11] TRIPLEHORN, CA. & L.E. WATROUS. 1979. A synopsis of the genus Phaleria in the United States and Baja California (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae). The Col. Bull. 33 (3):275-295.

[12] WATROUS, L.E. & CA. TRIPLEHORN. 1982. Phaleria of the West Indies and circum-Caribbean region (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae). The Col. Bull. 36 (1):12-21.

[13] WOLDA, H. 1988. Insect seasonality: why? Ann. Rev. Ecol. Syst. 19:1-18.