Hymenopteran parasitoids associated with frugivorous larvae in a Brazilian caatinga-cerrado ecotone

The purpose of this study was to investigate native species of parasitoids of frugivorous larvae and their associations with host plants in commercial guava orchards and in typical native dry forests of a caatinga-cerrado ecotone in the State of Minas Gerais, Brazil. Nine species of parasitoids were associated with larvae of Anastrepha (Tephritidae) and Neosilba (Lonchaeidae) in fruit of Psidium guajava L. (Myrtaceae), Ziziphus joazeiro Mart. (Rhamnaceae), Spondias tuberosa Arruda (Anacardiaceae), Spondias dulcis Forst. (Anacardiaceae), Syzygium cumini (L.) Skeels (Myrtaceae), and Randia armata (Sw.) DC. (Rubiaceae). Doryctobracon areolatus was the most abundant species, obtained from puparia of Anastrepha zenildae, An. sororcula, An. fraterculus, An. obliqua, and An. turpiniae. This is the first report of Asobara obliqua in Brazil and of As. anastrephae and Tropideucoila weldi in dry forests of Minas Gerais State. The number of species of parasitoids was higher in areas with greater diversity of cultivated species and lower pesticide use. The forest fragments adjacent to the orchards served as shelter for parasitoids of frugivorous larvae.

Sampling methods for assessing social wasps species diversity in a eucalyptus plantation

Social wasps were collected in a eucalyptus (Eucalyptus urograndis, a genetically enhanced eucalyptus) plantation in Juiz de Fora, state of Minas Gerais, southwestern of Brazil, by using a variety of sampling methods, including active capture and baited traps set at two microhabitats. Six new records of social wasps for this region were obtained during the study: Brachygastra lecheguana Latreille, Polybia ignobilis Haliday, Polybia occidentalis Olivier, Polybia platycephala (Richards), Protonectarina sylveirae Saussure, and Protopolybia exigua Saussure (Hymenoptera: Vespidae). The active capture method sampled the greatest number of species. Baited traps installed in the canopy sampled agreater number of individuals of social wasps than those set on the trunks of eucalyptus trees. Fruit based baits captured a greater number of social wasp species than those baited with a protein derivative. Once no method was able to sample all species, we concluded that the efficiency of a survey can be maximized by using traps with a variety of different baits, in combination with active capture methods.