Universidade de São Paulo Biblioteca Digital da Produção Intelectual - BDPI Departamento de Genética e Biologia Evolutiva - IB/BIO Artigos e Materiais de Revistas Científicas - IB/BIO 2012 Species of Drosophila (Diptera: Drosophilidae) attracted to dung and carrion baited pitfall traps in the Uruguayan Eastern Serranías Zoologia (Curitiba),v.29,n.4,p.308-317,2012 http://www.producao.usp.br/handle/BDPI/40679 Downloaded from: Biblioteca Digital da Produção Intelectual - BDPI, Universidade de São Paulo ZOOLOGIA 29 (4): 308–317, August, 2012 doi: 10.1590/S1984-46702012000400004 Species of Drosophila (Diptera: Drosophilidae) attracted to dung and carrion baited pitfall traps in the Uruguayan Eastern Serranías Beatriz Goñi1,4, Mónica Remedios2, Patricia González-Vainer2, María Martínez2 & Carlos R. Vilela3 1 Sección Genética Evolutiva, Departamento de Biología Animal, Instituto de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la República. Iguá 4225, 11400 Montevideo, Uruguay. 2 Sección Entomología, Departamento de Biología Animal, Instituto de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la República. Iguá 4225, 11400 Montevideo, Uruguay. 3 Departamento de Genética e Biologia Evolutiva, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo. Rua do Matão, Travessa 14, 321, 05508-090 São Paulo, SP, Brazil. 4 Corresponding author. E-mail: [email protected] ABSTRACT. This study investigates the species richness and abundance of Drosophila Fallén, 1823 attracted to dung and carrion baited pitfall traps in natural areas with heterogeneous habitats at the Sierra de Minas, Eastern Serranías, south- eastern Uruguay. Collecting was carried out on a monthly basis (May 2002 through April 2003). Drosophilids accounted for 0.84% (n = 131) and 3.61% (n = 158) of the Diptera collected from dung (n = 15,630) and carrion (n = 4,382) pitfall traps, respectively. A total of 12 species were identified, 11 of which belong to the subgenus Drosophila (the richest) and one to the subgenus Sophophora Sturtevant, 1939. Over 90% of the Drosophila specimens collected belong to five species of the subgenus Drosophila, namely D. gaucha Jaeger & Salzano, 1953, D. immigrans Sturtevant, 1921, D. mediovittata Frota-Pessoa, 1954, D. aff. nappae Vilela, Valente & Basso-da-Silva, 2004, and D. ornatifrons Duda, 1927. Drosophila cardini Sturtevant, 1916 is recorded for the first time from Uruguay. Drosophila abundance and species richness in the four habitats sampled in the Uruguayan Eastern Serranías, namely woodlands sierra, riparian forest, pine plantation and grazing grassland, were considered to be a function of habitat conservation. Diversity indices were low in all habitats. Different habitats supported particular coprophilous and necrophilous Drosophila species. The woodland sierra represents the most preserved habitat, and contributed with the highest species richness observed. Drosophila ornatifrons was the dominant species, with a restricted habitat distribution. On the other hand, grazed grassland, an environment modified by livestock management, had the lowest species richness: only a few specimens of D. repleta Wollaston, 1858. Regarding species composition, significant differences were found in some pairwise comparisons of groups of Drosophila species that included D. ornatifrons. Fly attraction to dung can be exploited as an alternative and/ or complementary collecting method in ecological studies of Drosophila assemblages in natural areas. KEY WORDS. Biodiversity; coprophilous; Drosophilinae; necrophilous; Neotropical Region. Conventional dung and carrion traps, known as baited turbed tropical forest, 2.80% (n = 727 in 25,995 collected pitfall traps, have been occasionally used to collect insects, es- Diptera) and 0.66% (n = 94 in 14,185) at 650 and 1,120 m pecially beetles, for ecological studies. In general, Hymenoptera altitude respectively, and at a slightly disturbed area of a mon- and Diptera are attracted to these traps. Ecological studies on tane forest at 1,550 m altitude, 1.57% (n = 39 in 2,481). MORÓN the necrophilous entomofauna in tropical and subtropical for- & LÓPEZ-MENDÉZ (1985) reported that Drosophilidae were the ests and plantations in the Mexican transition zone by MORÓN second most abundant flies, 38.31% (n = 1,706 in 4,453 adult & TERRÓN (1982, 1984), MORÓN & LÓPEZ-MENDÉZ (1985), MORÓN Diptera), after Phoridae (46.58%, n = 2,074), amongst the necro- et al. (1986) and DELOYA et al. (1987) showed that Diptera and philous entomofauna collected in a coffee-cacao plantation, Hymenoptera (Formicidae), together with Coleoptera, are the located at 430 m altitude on the slopes of Tacaná volcano, finca dominant insect orders, both in diversity and abundance, and San José de La Victoria, Chiápas, Mexico. Drosophilids were that they are sensitive to habitat disturbances. Low representa- also sampled [1.57% (n = 23 in 1,461 Diptera)] at the tropical tion of drosophilids was observed among Diptera samples in rain forest of the Northern area of the “Sian Ka’an” Biosphere Otongo and Tlanchinol (Hidalgo, Mexico) during 1981 (MORÓN Reserve, Quintana Roo, Mexico, located at 10 m altitude, dur- & TERRÓN 1984): specimens were recorded in areas of very dis- ing 1984-1985 (MORÓN et al. 1986). Additional reports have © 2012 Sociedade Brasileira de Zoologia | www.sbzoologia.org.br | All rights reserved. Species of Drosophila attracted to dung and carrion baited pitfall traps 309 indicated that Drosophilidae were identified among necrophil- over, soils of the sierras are in general suitable for forestry-re- ous insects sampled from the Mexican regions of Jojutla (DELOYA lated activities, in particular pine and eucalyptus plantations, et al. 1987) and Tamaulipas (SÁNCHEZ-RAMOS et al. 1993). In these which have been implemented in the last 20 years in areas studies, squid or marine fish meat were used as baits in pitfall traditionally occupied by grasslands (EVIA & GUDYNAS 2000). traps. Those were replaced biweekly or monthly and 95 parts Considering the mosaic distribution of the typical diverse natu- of ethanol 70° and 5 parts of glacial acetic acid (MORÓN & TERRÓN ral ecosystems of the sierras, such as woodlands and shrub lands, 1984) or commercial antifreeze liquid (SÁNCHEZ-RAMOS et al. 1993) grasslands, rocky and riparian forests, and the rich fauna and were used as preservative solutions. As stated by MORÓN & TERRÓN flora, the sierras are of great interest to researchers and conser- (1984), the preservative solutions they used do not mask the vationists (EVIA & GUDYNAS 2000, BRAZEIRO et al. 2008). fetid volatile odors from bait, but instead enhance the attrac- The purpose of the present study was to investigate the tiveness of the bait to other saprophagous insects (as abundance and species composition of Drosophila attracted to Drosophilidae). dung and carrion baited pitfall traps placed in natural areas of At southern latitudes, REMEDIOS et al. (2012) reported flies Sierra de Minas, with different grades of anthropogenic distur- of Drosophilidae among Diptera sampled in pitfall traps in bance, and compare the spatial distribution of the species and natural areas at the Sierras de Minas, Department of Lavalleja, their association with habitat disturbance, as part of a research Uruguay. project on ecological studies on Uruguayan dung and carrion Since the samples in the research papers cited above have beetles (GONZÁLEZ-VAINER & MORELLI 2008). not been identified to species, the efficacy of pitfall traps as an alternative collecting method for Drosophilidae diversity and MATERIAL AND METHODS ecological studies remains to be assayed. Mid-latitude South American lowlands gain particular Collecting was carried out monthly within an area of importance when the ecological patterns for faunal groups are 10 km2 at the Sierra de Minas, Department of Lavalleja, Uru- examined. Besides some ecological and distributional consid- guay, from May 2002 through April 2003. The area is adjacent erations on Drosophila species, mostly from collecting at south to Route 81, km 105-112 at the south of the Eastern Serranías and southeast Uruguay, reported by GOÑI et al. (1997, 1998), system, between 34°30’59"S, 55°20’07"W and 34°30’54"S, drosophilid diversity in the natural areas locally known as sier- 55°19’53"W (Fig. 1). This area includes Cerro Mirador at 370 m ras or cuchillas is almost unknown. The most extensive sierras altitude and other unnamed lower elevations, whose eastern in Uruguay, known as the Serranías del Este (Eastern Serranías), side gently slopes down to the Mataojo creek. It is character- cover a half moon – shaped area at southeastern Uruguay (Fig. ized by silt loam uliginous soil, with altitude varying from 110 1, forward-slashed area at right). They have a rugged topogra- to 230 m (GONZÁLEZ-VAINER & MORELLI 2008). Four areas, repre- phy, with altitudes ranging from 200 to 500 m, where the key senting different habitats, were selected for sampling (Fig. 2): element is the unevenness between peaks and foothills, and Woodlands sierra (WS). It is a natural area formed by woody the steep slopes. The geological basement of the Eastern and shrubby vegetation on the slopes of the hills. It has a Serranías System is varied and complex, especially in the south- dense vegetation of xerophytic stunted and gnarled shrubs ern area. Different geological formations (interspersed grani- and trees, ca 1-3 m tall, with closed canopy, ferns, and asso- toid and last postectonic granitoids, basaltic lavas, limestone, ciated epiphytes. Plant species include Aloysia