Park in the interior of SP two new beetles and insect seen only once in 60 years

Olivensa ferreirensis Gabriel Biffi and Antonio Santos-Silva A survey carried out in the Porto Ferreira State Park, in the interior of São Paulo, revealed a diversity of beetles that surprised scientists. The study recorded 101 species of wood saw beetles, from the Cerambycidae family, including two species new to science, seven recorded for the first time in the state and one species known only from a single specimen collected more than 60 years ago. ? Also follow Terra da Gente on Instagram The research represents the first comprehensive inventory of this group of insects carried out in the park. Throughout the study, the researchers analyzed 349 specimens collected in different areas of the conservation unit, which is home to remnants of cerrado, riparian forest and semi-deciduous seasonal forest. One of the species discovered and never before described was named Olivensa ferreirensis, in reference to Porto Ferreira, the municipality where it was found for the first time. The other was named Eclipta migueli, in honor of the entomologist Miguel Ángel Monné, one of the main world references in the study of wood beetles. According to the biologist, entomologist and one of the study's authors, Gabriel Biffi, the work began during research with another group of beetles in conservation units. During the collections, the researchers found rare species of wood beetles and realized that the park could hold unexpected diversity. See more news from Terra da Gente, on g1: BUTANTAN: Unprecedented study unveils the venom genes of the island jararaca FLAGMENT: Jaguar is caught on the prowl for capybara in broad daylight in the Pantanal DISCOVERY: After 12 years of mystery, scientists identify an unprecedented plant in Brazil Eclipta migueli Gabriel Biffi and Antonio Santos-Silva How was the identification made? Identifying a new species does not happen at the time of collection. According to the entomologist, the process requires detailed comparison work between the specimens found and existing scientific records. The researchers analyzed morphological — physical characteristics of the organism — of the insects and compared the specimens collected with materials deposited in biological collections of beetles in Brazil and abroad. Only after this process did they discover that the specimens did not correspond to any known species. "Biological collections function as true biodiversity libraries. When we compared the collected specimens with reference materials, we realized that they were different from all the species described so far", he explains. After all, is this group of beetles a pest? Although some species of wood beetles are known to cause damage to crops, most of them perform important ecological functions in natural environments. Although beetles from the Cerambycidae family are popularly known as wood saw beetles because of the habit of some species of cutting the branches of plants where they lay their eggs, this behavior occurs in only around 5% of the species in the group. The vast majority have different habits. The species considered pests represent less than 3% of the more than 36 thousand species of Cerambycidae known in the world, which shows that associating this group only with agricultural losses is a mistake. During the larval stage, many of these insects live in decomposing trunks and branches, contributing to the recycling of organic matter and the cycling of nutrients in the forest. The researcher emphasizes that little is still known about the biology of most Brazilian species in the group, including the recently discovered ones. See what's highlighted in g1: