RESUMEN
The Brazilian Cerrado, a hotspot and the largest savannah in the world, has been undergoing intense changes in land use for urbanization. The creation and maintenance of urban parks and public squares is one efficient biodiversity conservation strategy in urbanized landscapes. In this study, our objective was to evaluate the potential of urban parks with native vegetation for conservation of flower chafer beetles (Coleoptera: Cetoniinae), a beetle group usually used as a bioindicator in African landscapes, in Brazilian Cerrado. We sampled Cetoniinae beetles using aerial fruit-baited traps, every 2 wk from January to December 2014 in 10 areas of Cerrado in Aquidauana, MS, Brazil. We compared the species richness, abundance, biomass, and species composition between six 'natural reserve' areas (outside the urban matrix) and four 'urban park' areas (within the urban matrix), and identified specialist species of each habitat type. A total 508 individuals of nine species were captured. The abundance, species richness, and biomass were similar between natural reserve and urban park. However, species composition differed among the habitats. Gymnetis flava (Weber) was classified as an urban park specialist, while Euphoria lurida (Fabricius), and Hoplopyga liturata (Olivier) were classified as natural reserve specialists. Our results demonstrate that urban parks conserve the abundance, biomass and species richness of flower chafer beetles in the Brazilian Cerrado. In this context, our results suggest that the maintenance of the urban park with native vegetation can be an efficient strategy for the conservation of Cetoniinae beetles in the urban matrix in the Brazilian Cerrado.
Asunto(s)
Biodiversidad , Escarabajos , Conservación de los Recursos Naturales/estadística & datos numéricos , Parques Recreativos/estadística & datos numéricos , Animales , Biomasa , Brasil , CiudadesRESUMEN
Ticks are common ectoparasites of amphibians and reptiles but very few reports of such parasites on crocodylians exist worldwide. Herein, we report the first detailed observations of Amblyomma dissimile Koch, 1844 on the 3 crocodylian species present in Mexico, with the first report of tick parasitism on Crocodylus acutus and the second on Caiman crocodilus chiapasius. This is also the first report of A. dissimile in the state of Quintana Roo. Proportions of infested individuals found in this study ranged from 0.51 to 1.96%, suggesting that tick parasitism in crocodylians is likely opportunistic and occurs when individuals leave the water for terrestrial activities. Tick parasitism does not represent a major threat to crocodylians. The increasing habitat destruction/fragmentation and cattle expansion in southeastern Mexico, however, could increase tick populations and trigger tick parasitism and tick-borne diseases in herpetofauna and other vertebrates, including humans. Thus, studies are needed to better understand these relationships.