Pentatomidae (Hemiptera: Heteroptera) da Mata Atlântica do estado de Alagoas

Abstract

The pentatomids are phytophagous (or occasionally predators) insects, many of which are economically important crop pests. The family may also be a potentially important group to monitor the health of neotropical forests. However, there is a lack of biological inventories of Pentatomidae, especially in forest remnants of the Brazilian Atlantic forest. This is the first systematic survey of pentatomids reported in three Atlantic forest fragments in northeast Brazil. A total of 983 individuals belonging to 38 species were collected, some of which are considered economically important pests. Surprisingly, singletons and doubletons represented 45.9% of total species collected. The most abundant genera were Mormidea Amyot & Serville, 1843; Stictochilus Bergroth, 1918, Alitocoris Sailer, 1950 and Edessa Fabricius, 1803; with a new species described of the latter genus, with type locality of the Atlantic Forest of Catolé (09°33.6'S and 35°47.7' W), Maceió, State of Alagoas, Brazil. Further studies are needed with a view to identifying eligible species for monitoring environmental conditions in this highly threatened ecosystem.