Survey of Bioluminescent Coleoptera in the Atlantic Rain Forest of Serra da Paranapiacaba in São Paulo State (Brazil)

Abstract

Brazil is the country with the largest number of bioluminescent beetle species in the world. However, estimates suggest that this number could much be higher, since many species remain to be discovered. In this work we made a survey of the species of bioluminescent beetles in Serra de Paranapiacaba - the largest remnant of Atlantic Forest in São Paulo State. The survey was done at Intervales State Park, Carlos Botelho State Park and municipality of Tapiraí and the following species were collected: Aspisoma lineatum, Aspisoma physonotum, Aspisoma fenestrata, Cratomorphus besckey, Cratomorphus distinctus, Photinus penai, Photinus sp1, Photinus sp9, Ethra aff. malledicta or axilaris, Ethra aff. adicta , Lucidotini incertae sedis, Cladodes flabellicornis, Cladodes demoulini, Amydetes lucernuta, Bicellonycha sp8, Bicellonycha ornaticollis, Pyrogaster lunifer, Pyrogaster moestus, Pyrogaster sp2, Pyrogaster sp5, Pyrogaster sp6, Photuris lugubris, Photuris sp1, Photuris sp7, Stenophrixotrix sp1, Brasilocerus sp1, Pseudophengodes sp1, Hapsodrilus pyrotis, Hypsiophtalmus sp1, Ptesimopsia luculenta, Pyroptesis cincticollis, Pyrearinus brevicolis, Pyrearinus candelarius, Pyrearinus micatus, Pyrophorus divergens. Our data show that Serra de Paranapiacaba is the second richest area in São Paulo state, especially in elaterids, with unique species typical of this area and species common to other investigated sites such as the Biological Station of Boracéia (in Salesópolis county) and the urbanized areas in the between Campinas - Sorocaba- São Paulo, originally covered to the Atlantic Rainforest.

Hide-and-Seek with Tiny Neotenic Beetles in One of the Hottest Biodiversity Hotspots: Towards an Understanding of the Real Diversity of Jurasaidae (Coleoptera: Elateroidea) in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest

“…Additionally, the field research on Jurasaidae (as well as other insects) may be hampered by various factors, e.g., poorly accessible localities, lack of funding and hence lack of trained people, and also by the need for official collecting permits. However, over recent decades, many research activities, including the biodiversity surveys, were carried out in the Atlantic Forest [ 53 , 54 , 55 , 56 , 57 ]. Insects were collected using a wide range of methods and traps, including those appropriate for the collection of all life stages and sexes of Jurasaidae.…”

“…Many interesting insects were reported from the Atlantic Forest, including the bioluminescent larvae of Keroplatidae fungus gnats (Diptera) [ 64 ] and rove beetles (Staphylinidae) [ 65 ], the first Neotropical meropeid Mecoptera [ 66 ], ant-brood parasitizing scuttle flies (Phoridae) [ 67 ], and many others. The late discovery of Jurasaidae in the Atlantic Forest might seem surprising at first sight, but considering high numbers of recently reported new lineages in other soft-bodied elateroids, including Lampyridae [ 56 , 57 , 68 , 69 , 70 , 71 , 72 , 73 , 74 ], Lycidae [ 19 , 75 ], and Phengodidae [ 76 , 77 ], it is much less surprising. For example, Silveira et al [ 57 ] examined the diversity of fireflies (Lampyridae) in the Serra do Órgãos (a subrange of the Serra do Mar), and, for the first time, collected 58 previously described species along with another 42 yet-undescribed species, which makes the Serra do Órgãos one of the richest firefly hotspots on Earth.…”

Inventory and ecological aspects of bioluminescent beetles in the Cerrado ecosystem and its decline around Emas National Park (Brazil)

“…Despite the megadiversity, taxonomic and systematic studies for this group of beetles in Brazil are still scarce. Surveys of bioluminescent beetle species were already performed by our research group in the Atlantic rain forest morphodomain of Eastern São Paulo state, evidencing a very rich biodiversity with about 70 species occurring in Paranapiacaba Mountain Range (Serra da Paranapiacaba) and Sea Mountain Range (Serra do Mar), mainly in the most preserved areas (Viviani et al 2010, Viviani and Santos 2012, Santos et al 2016). More recently, surveys were also made at Serra dos Órgãos in Rio de Janeiro state, revealing a comparatively high biodiversity (Silveira et al 2020).…”