Social wasp communities (Hymenoptera Vespidae) at different altitudinal levels in southern Minas Gerais, Brazil

Abstract

Various studies have described changes in richness and abundance of insect groups along altitudinal gradients, but there is little information about social wasps (Hymenoptera, Vespidae) in this regard. This study evaluated the influence of altitude on the diversity of these insects in fragments of semideciduous forest in a tropical altitude climate. Three different elevations in southern Minas Gerais, from 997 to 2080 meters, were studied. Sampling was carried out on 24 days in a ten-month period by active collection. A total of 34 species were found, distributed in 11 genera. At Level 01, 27 species were recorded, and at Level 02, there were 19 species, while Level 03 showed 11 species. The most frequent genus in the sudy area was Polybia, This study showed that in high-altitude tropical climate areas above 1800 meters, diversity decreases substantially and that the number of species that nest by swarming and build nests with protective cover increases.

Keywords

• Biogeography
• Forest fragments
• Insects
• Polistinae