Caracterização da diversidade taxinômica da fauna de Entomobryoidea (Arthropoda: Collembola) da Cachoeira do Urubu Rei, Pedro II - PI

Abstract

Collembola are hexapod arthropods, similar in shape to insects, which are often found associated with the soil. They are among the animal taxa with the largest populations per square meter of soil, losing in population density only to mites. However, for Brazil the number of Collembola recognized species is still unable to reflect the real status of the group biodiversity, resulting from the low sampling effort in the territory, due to the limited number of researchers. In the present study, an inventory of the Entomobryoidea fauna was carried out at Cachoeira do Urubu-Rei, Pedro II, Piauí State, considering the taxonomic variation in the dry and rainy season. Active and passive collections were performed during each season. The collected specimens were screened using a stereomicroscope, mounted in glass slides, and identified using an identification key. From the data obtained, 15 new species records are listed for the studied area, of which 8 are undescribed species. Four records refer to species previously described in the State, but which have now also been found in the study area and 11 records are totally new for the Piauí State. Also were listed all species already recorded in the state, a total of nine until January 2020, and after this study it becomes: 20 species, 12 genera, 7 subfamilies, and 3 families. In addition, an identification key is provided for all Entomobryoidea species recorded in the Piauí State. This work provided significant advances in the knowledge of Entomobryoidea for the Piauí State, in which even with a small sampled area presented a high number of different species, and certainly part of the species that occur in this area remains unknown. The data presented here also open space for future studies concerning ecology and distribution, which can bring positive implications to the conservation of a potentially rich and still neglected area.