Resumo: Fragmentos florestais em áreas urbanas compreendem importantes habitats para uma grande variedade de espécies, entretanto, políticas conservacionistas ainda são incipientes para sua manutenção e conservação. Assim, avaliou-se a riqueza e abundância da assembleia de aranhas de solo em cinco fragmentos florestais, com áreas variando entre 18,5 e 103,98 ha, no perímetro urbano de Sinop, norte de Mato Grosso, sul da Amazônia. As amostragens foram efetuadas com Extrator mini-Winkler e armadilhas pitfall nos períodos de seca (julho) e chuva (novembro) de 2017. Os fragmentos foram caracterizados em relação à área e ao Índice de Integridade Biótica (IBI) para avaliar o efeito dessas variáveis sobre a riqueza e abundância da assembleia de aranhas de solo. Um total de 653 aranhas foi amostrado, compreendendo 25 famílias e 52 espécies. Salticidae, Theridiidae, Lycosidae, Linyphiidae, Oonopidae e Symphytognathidae corresponderam às famílias mais abundantes (63,3% do total). Aranhas caçadoras (393 ind.; 60,2%) predominaram em relação às tecelãs (260 ind.; 39,8%). A maior abundância e riqueza de espécies de aranhas foram obtidas durante o período de chuva (517 ind.; 79,2%; 41 spp.) em relação ao período de seca (136 ind.; 20,8%; 24 spp.). Duas espécies foram registradas pela primeira vez na região Amazônica, Anapistula aquytabueraRheims & Brescovit, 2003 (Symphytognathidae) and Opopaea concolor (Blackwall, 1859) (Oonopidae). A riqueza de espécies não foi afetada pelo IBI nem pela área dos fragmentos. Embora o modelo estatístico não seja significativo, observa-se que a riqueza de espécies aumenta ligeiramente com o aumento do IBI e da área dos fragmentos. Da mesma forma, a abundância das aranhas não foi afetada pelo IBI e nem pela área do fragmento. Todos os fragmentos florestais avaliados, independente do tamanho da área, apresentaram um baixo ou regular IBI, evidenciando que estes habitats têm sofrido com as pressões inerentes do perímetro urbano incluindo a constante expansão da ocupação humana, bem como o mau uso por parte da população. Entretanto, estes mesmos fragmentos, evidenciaram considerável riqueza de espécies de aranhas de solo, podendo ser categorizados como importantes habitats para a manutenção da biodiversidade regional e, portanto, sendo necessária a definição de estratégias de ação que garantam sua conservação.

Abstract: Forest fragments in urban areas comprise important habitats for a wide variety of species, however, conservationist policies for their maintenance and conservation are still incipient. This study examined the richness and abundance of the ground-spider assemblage in five forest fragments, with areas ranging between 18.5 and 103.98 ha, in the urban perimeter of Sinop, northern Mato Grosso State, southern Amazon region of Brazil. Sampling was carried out using the mini-Winkler extractor and pitfall traps in the dry (July) and rainy (November) seasons of 2017. All fragments were characterized in relation to the area and the Index of Biotic Integrity (IBI), to assess the effect of these variables on richness and abundance of soil spider assemblage. A total of 653 spiders were sampled, corresponding to 25 families and 52 species. Salticidae, Theridiidae, Lycosidae, Linyphiidae, Oonopidae and Symphytognathidae were the most abundant families (63.3% of the total sample). The assemblage was characterized by the dominance of hunting spiders (393 ind.; 60.2%) over web-building spiders (260 ind.; 39.8%). Greater spider abundance and richness was obtained during the rainy season (517 ind.; 79.2%; 41 spp.) as compared with the dry season (136 ind.; 20.8%; 24 spp.). Only 13 species occurred in dry and rainy season. Two species were recorded for the first time in the Amazon region, namely, Anapistula aquytabueraRheims & Brescovit, 2003 (Symphytognathidae) and Opopaea concolor (Blackwall, 1859) (Oonopidae). Species richness was not affected by IBI and area of fragment. Although the statistical model is not significant, species richness increases slightly with IBI and area of fragment. Similarly, abundance of spiders was not affected by IBI and area of fragment. Regardless of the area size, all evaluated forest fragments showed a low and regular IBI, demonstrating that these habitats have suffered with the pressures inherent from the urban perimeter, including the constant expansion of human occupation as well as misuse by the population. Nonetheless, these same fragments revealed considerable richness of species of ground spiders and can thus be categorized as important habitats for the maintenance of regional biodiversity. Therefore, action strategies must be set out to ensure their conservation.

ABSTRACT Studies that address biodiversity and its supporting mechanisms in different ecosystems are fundamental to understanding the relationships between species and the prevailing environmental conditions within each habitat type. This study presents information on the phenology of Promestosoma boggianii (Silvestri, 1898) and its association with seasonal flood and dry events in a floodplain of Mato Grosso’s northern Pantanal region, Brazil. Sampling was carried out in three areas located between the Bento Gomes and Cuiabá rivers, on the Porto Cercado Road, Poconé-MT. Each sample area was composed of two treatments: (I) floodable habitats and (NI) non-floodable habitats. Three quadrats (10 x 10 m) were established within each treatment, with sampling carried out using pitfall traps and mini-Winkler extractors during the dry season, rising water, high water and receding water phases for the duration of two hydrological cycles within the Pantanal (2010/2011 and 2011/2012). A total of 295 P. boggianii individuals were sampled at different stages of development (except stages I and II), distributed between the rising water (209 ind., 70.8%), dry (76 ind., 25.8%) and receding water (10 ind., 3.4%) seasons. No specimens were sampled during the high water season. The higher abundances recorded between the dry and rising water seasons, primarily at early stages of development, indicate that P. boggianii is characterized as a univoltine species in these habitats. The data demonstrate that individuals of P. boggianii were more abundant in floodable habitats. In addition, the results show that the life cycle of this diplopod is sinchronized to the seasonal nature of this floodable environment, as a strategy to survive the extreme conditions of terrestrial and aquatic phases Brazil’s northern Pantanal region.

ABSTRACT This study describes the composition and temporal variation of the spider assemblage (Arachnida: Araneae) associated with canopies of Vochysia divergens Pohl. (Vochysiaceae) in the northern region of the Brazilian Pantanal. Three V. divergens plants were sampled in 2004, at each seasonal period of the northern Pantanal (high water, receding water, dry season and rising water), using thermonebulization of the canopies with insecticide, totaling 396 m2 of sampled canopies. Analysis of abundance and richness of spider families were based on Non-Metric Multidimensional Scaling (NMDS) and Variance Analysis (ANOVA and MANOVA). A total of 7,193 spiders were collected (6,330 immatures; 88.0%; 863 adults, 12.0%) distributed in 30 families. Araneidae (1,676 individuals), Anyphaenidae (1,631 individuals), Salticidae (1,542 individuals) and Pisauridae (906 individuals), were predominant, representing 80.0% of the sample. Ten different guilds were registered: aerial hunters, orb-weavers, nocturnal aerial runners and diurnal space web weavers dominated, sharing most ecological niches. The spider assemblage is affected by changes in the habitat structure, especially by the seasonal hydrological regime and variations in the phenology of V. divergens . The assemblage is composed of different groups of spiders. The dominant taxa and behavioral guilds differ in the different seasonal periods. Spiders were more abundant during the dry and rising water seasons, most likely reflecting a greater supply of potential prey, associated with new foliage and flowering at the canopy. The displacement of soil dwelling spiders to the trunks and canopies before and during the seasonal floods can change the structure and composition of the canopy assemblages. Oonopidae, Gnaphosidae and Caponiidae, were more frequent during the rising and high water seasons, which indicates that these taxa use the canopies of V. divergens as a refuge during the seasonal flooding in the Pantanal.

Cornops aquaticum (Bruner) has Eichhornia crassipes, E. azurea, Pontederia cordata and P. lanceolata (Pontederiaceae) as the known host plants. This grasshopper species is cited as a possible agent of biological control for native aquatic macrophytes E. azurea and E. crassipes. This study, carried out from March, 2006 to February, 2007, aimed to evaluate the phenology and age structure of the population of C. aquaticum associated with E. azurea in Piuval bay, Pantanal of Poconé, MT, and to identify possible relationships of its life cycle to abiotic factors such as insolation, temperature and precipitation. Monthly collections of 50 individuals were carried out according to the protocol defined by the "Host - Insect Coevolution on Waterhyacinth" project. Adults and nymphs were separated and the females dissected in order to evaluate ovary maturation. The population presented adults and nymphs during the whole year, suggesting the occurrence of more than one reproductive period. The nymphs from the first stage predominated in August 2006 and the adults in September and October 2006, synchronized with the dry period and beginning of the flooding period, respectively. The highest relative abundance of the females with mature ovaries occurred in July 2006 (50%), indicating that this may be a more propitious period for reproduction. The data suggest that C. aquaticum is a species in continual reproduction in Piuval bay and its cycle is associated with the environmental conditions guided by the flood pulse in the Pantanal of Mato Grosso.

Variação do peso fresco em Cornops aquaticum (Bruner) (Orthoptera, Acrididae) associado a Eichhornia azurea (Sw) Kunth (Pontederiaceae) em uma baía no Pantanal de Poconé, Mato Grosso. Cornops aquaticum (Bruner, 1906) (Orthoptera, Acrididae) desenvolve seu ciclo de vida sobre macrófitas aquáticas da família Pontederiaceae. Como os gafanhotos são capazes de responder às mudanças sazonais, a alternância de períodos que ocorre no Pantanal pode refletir em sua biologia. Este estudo foi desenvolvido no Pantanal de Poconé - MT, com o objetivo de avaliar possíveis variações no peso fresco dos adultos e ninfas de C. aquaticum. Durante o período de março/2006 a fevereiro/2007 coletaram-se mensalmente, 50 indivíduos de C. aquaticum. Um total de 600 indivíduos foi avaliado, sendo 43,5 % adultos e 56,5 % ninfas. Os maiores valores de peso fresco total ocorreram nos meses de setembro (9,106g; 0,182g/indivíduo) e outubro/2006 (8,865g; 0,177g/indivíduo) e os menores em março/2006 (3,413g; 0,068g/indivíduo). Nos indivíduos adultos os maiores pesos frescos foram registrados em setembro/2006 (8,680g; 0,223g/indivíduo) e outubro/2006 (8,654g; 0,234g/indivíduo), no final do período de seca, e o menor em março/2006 (1,792g; 0,138g/indivíduo), durante o período de cheia. As ninfas tiveram o maior peso fresco em abril/2006 (2,913g; 0,076g/indivíduo) início da vazante, enquanto o menor peso fresco ocorreu em outubro/2006 (0,211g; 0,016g/indivíduo) início da enchente. Apenas a variação no peso fresco médio das fêmeas foi significativa (f = 6,43; p = 0,001), com os maiores registros durante o período de enchente, o que pode evidenciar uma estratégia reprodutiva.

Cornops aquaticum (Bruner, 1906) (Orthoptera, Acrididae) develops its life cycle on aquatic macrophyte of the Pontederiaceae family. As grasshoppers are able to respond to the seasonal changes, the alternation of periods that occurs in the Pantanal may reflect in their biology. This study was carried out in the Pantanal of Poconé- MT, with the aim of evaluating possible variations in the fresh weight of the adults and nymphs of C. aquaticum. From March/2006 to February/2007, 50 individuals of C. aquaticum were collected each month. A total of 600 individuals was assessed, 43.5% of which were adults and 56.5% nymphs. The highest values of total fresh weight occurred in September (9.106g; 0.182g/individual) and October/2006 (8.865g; 0.177g/individual) and the lowest in March/2006 (3.413g; 0.068g/individual). Among the adult individuals the highest fresh weight was registered in September/2006 (8.680g; 0.223g/individual) and October/2006 (8.654g; 0.234g/individual), at the end of the dry period, and the lowest in March/2006 (1.792g; 0.138g/individual) during the flood period. The nymphs had the highest fresh weight in April/2006 (2.913g; 0.076g/individual) at the beginning of the draining period, whereas the lowest fresh weight occurred in October/2006 (0.211g; 0.016g/individual) at the beginning of the flood period. Only the variation in the average fresh weight of females was significant (f = 6.43; p = 0.001) with the highest recordings occurring during the flood period, what may show a reproductive strategy.

Even though millipedes display high plasticity in their reproductive strategies, they are poorly studied in the tropical region. The present study describes the biological cycle and reports the parthenogenetic reproduction of Poratia salvator Golovatch & Sierwald, 2000 under environmental conditions. Collections were carried out in Pantanal of Mato Grosso and in Várzea Grande, state of Mato Grosso, Brazil. The individuals were kept at room temperature in individual plastic pots. All 18 females used in the experiment reproduced parthenogenetically, resulting in a total of 699 young individuals. Of these, 18% survived until the adult phase. The lowest survival rate of P. salvator was recorded for the first developmental stage (46%). The mean duration of each developmental stage ranged between 6.8 ± 0.8 days for stage I and 14.9 ± 10.4 days for stage VI. The reproductive adult phase of females was the longest phase in the development, followed by the juvenile and pre-reproductive adult phases. The mean time of maturity was 75.1 ± 23.6 days. The mean duration of the total development was 66.1 ± 16.7 days. The number of eggs per nest varied between seven and ten, and the emergence of young individuals occurred after an average of 9.9 ± 1.4 days. Sexual proportion was 1 male:139.8 females, which indicates a tendency towards a parthenogenetic reproduction in this species.

In this study different sampling techniques for Diplopoda in soil, tree trunks and canopies were applied in an integrated way in the northern region of the Pantanal of Mato Grosso, Brazil. This was done in order to assess the relationship within the fauna in each forest strata, as well as its richness and temporal distribution. In all these habitats there were a total of 1,354 diplopods, distributed in four taxonomic orders, with Polyxenida being predominant over Polydesmida, Spirostreptida and Spirobolida. The largest representation was found on the trunks of the Vochysia divergens (721 ind.), intercepted by tree photoecletors, whereas in the canopies sampling reached only 65 specimens. In the edaphic stratum 568 diplopods were captured, most with the use of the Winkler extractor, followed by pitfall traps and soil photoecletors. In spite of being an important group in these environments, both in terms of richness and diversity, this was less than has been observed in other Neotropical areas. However, due to seasonal changes in the Pantanal the existence of a relationship between the soil and the tree fauna was found as well as different survival strategies observed during the flood period. Regarding vertical distribution, the greatest richness and variety of taxonomic groups was found in the forest's edaphic environment demonstrating its association mainly with this forest stratum.

Seis indivíduos de Attalea phalerata Mart. foram amostrados durante o período de cheia (fase aquática) no pantanal mato-grossense (fevereiro/2001), empregando-se a metodologia de nebulização de copas com o objetivo de analisar a composição, estrutura e biomassa da comunidade de artrópodes associada à copa dessa espécie vegetal, bem como a influência do regime hídrico sobre a comunidade. Cada palmeira foi nebulizada uma única vez e realizadas três coletas subseqüentes. O total de 63.657 artrópodes (643,0 ± 259,87 indivíduos/m²) foi amostrado, representando 25 ordens dentre as classes Insecta, Arachnida, Diplopoda e Crustacea. Os grupos dominantes foram Acari (40.0%; 257.2 ± 116,50 indivíduos/m²), Coleoptera (12,0%; 77,5 ± 64,93 indivíduos/m²), Psocoptera (9,2%; 59,0 ± 38,00 indivíduos/m²), Diptera (8,4%; 54,1 ± 18,72 indivíduos/m²), Collembola (8,3%; 53,4 ± 26,24 indivíduos/m²) e Hymenoptera (7,9%; 50,6 ± 21,40 indivíduos/m²), sendo a maioria Formicidae (49,2%). A biomassa de Arthropoda correspondeu a 8,86 g de peso seco total e 0,18 mg/m². Coleoptera, Blattodea, Orthoptera, Araneae e Hymenoptera foram os táxons mais representativos. O regime hídrico (pulso de inundação) bem como a sazonalidade afetam fortemente a composição e estrutura dessa comunidade.

Six trees of the palm species Attalea phalerata Mart. were sampled during high water (aquatic phase) of the Pantanal of Mato Grosso (February 2001), by canopy fogging. The composition, structure, and biomass of the arthropod community associated with their canopies were analysed, as well as the influence the flood pulse renders on it. Each tree was fogged once, followed by three consecutive collections. A total of 63,657 arthropods (643.0 ± 259.87 ind/m²) were collected, representing 25 orders in the classes Insecta, Arachnida, Diplopoda and Crustacea. The dominant groups were Acari (40.0%; 257.2 ± 116.50 ind./m²), Coleoptera (12.0%; 77.5 ± 64.93 ind./m²), Psocoptera (9.2%; 59.0 ± 38.00 ind./m²), Diptera (8.4%; 54.1 ± 18.72 ind./m²), Collembola (8.3%; 53.4 ± 26.24 ind./m²) and Hymenoptera (7.9%; 50.6 ± 21.40 ind./m²), the latter mostly represented by Formicidae (49.2%). Arthropod biomass amounted to 8.86 g dry weight and 0.18 mg/m². Coleoptera, Blattodea, Orthoptera, Araneae and Hymenoptera were the most representative taxa. The hydrological regime (flood pulse), as well as seasonality, appear to strongly affect the composition and structure of this canopy community.

Uma rainha de Creightonidris scambognatha Brown é citada pela primeira vez para o Mato Grosso, na região do Pantanal, além de e uma operária para Bahia, também pela primeira vez. Ambas foram obtidas através do extrator de Winkler.

A queen of Creightonidris scambognatha Brown is recorded for the fist time for the State of Mato Grosso, Pantanal area, and a worker for the State of Bahia, also for the first time for Brazil. Both specimens were obtained with Winkler extractors.