Diversidade de entomobryoidea (ARTHROPODA: COLLEMBOLA) epiedáficos do Rio Parafuso, Sítio Arqueológico Torres, Pedro II, Piauí

Abstract

Collembola are small arthropods that inhabit all terrestrial environments on the planet, with known distribution in forests, arid and semi-arid regions, mangroves, caves, permanent glaciers in mountains, and at the poles. Knowledge of their diversity is useful in the development of conservation strategies and environmental monitoring. This study aimed to estimate the diversity of epiedaphic Entomobryoidea (Arthropoda: Collembola) in the riverbed of the Parafuso River, at the Torres Archaeological Site, Pedro II – PI, during the dry season; identify the main environmental variables influencing these diversity patterns; and provide a list of species records for the location. Collections were made using pitfall traps; all collected material was sorted with the aid of a stereoscopic microscope and mounted on slides for identification under a common optical microscope. In the end, 5,189 individuals were identified, distributed among four species: Capbrya brasiliensis, Lepidocyrtinus sp.1, Pseudosinella triocellata, and Seira sp.1, with Seira sp.1 being the most abundant among the identified species, all of which are new records for the Torres Archaeological Site. Species diversity was low. The species Seira sp.1 was not influenced by any of the studied environmental parameters, indicating that it is a generalist species that has adapted well to the climatic conditions of the dry season. The quantity of individuals collected from Seira sp.1 may be explained by the absence of other species that disappear in the dry season because they are not adapted to survive and reproduce during this period. This creates an opportunity for species that can withstand these climatic adversities to reproduce exponentially.