Bruno Corrêa Barbosa

Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia | inpa · Coordenação de Biodiversidade (CBIO)

In environments undergoing constant transformation due to human action such as deforestation and urbanization, the emergence of pests has become a challenge for agriculture and human welfare. In Brazil, over a thousand tonnes of pesticides are used annually, causing serious environmental damage such as the decline of insect populations. It is neces...

This book provides updated information on this intriguing and exciting group of insects: Neotropical Social Wasps. These insects have a particular biology and their colonies are formed by a few cooperative females living in either small or massive, structured nests where individuals organize their activities and defend their offspring. The book i...

Harsh weather and natural enemies are the two main causes of colony abandonment by social wasps. The selection of nesting sites with characteristics that provide shelter from these threats is therefore a key factor for colony survival. Our study aimed to understand the selection and association between social wasps and nesting substrate. Data colle...

Insect pest infestations are a worldwide problem as a result of human actions. Among them, Aedes aegypti stands out as vector of several diseases. Like other pests, A. aegypti has become resistant to the insecticide used for its control, thus harming the local fauna of non-target insects. Therefore, the aim of this study was to study the physiologi...

Introduction: The relationship between humans and insects is ancient and varied. Insects are used as a food source, in the textile industry, in medicine, and are part of the culture of various peoples. However, some insects, such as social wasps, carry a negative reputation. Objective: This study aims to investigate how social wasps are represented...

Non-aggressive interactions between Neotropical social wasps (Vespidae) and birds frequently occur but remain poorly understood. Typically categorized as commensalism, where birds benefit while no advantages for the wasps have been documented, the intricate dynamics of these associations have gone unexplored. These wasps, which are generalist feede...

For social wasps, the selection of the nesting substrate represents the success or failure of the colony, and temperature is a determining factor for this selection. With the increase in global temperature due to climate change, it is essential to understand how temperature actually interferes in the selection of the foundation site of social wasp...

The springtail Seira tinguira was observed for the first time in the state of Minas Gerais in a colony of the social wasp Polistes ferre-ri. The colony was collected in the Botanical Garden of the Federal University of Juiz de Fora, a fragment of Montane Seasonal Semideciduous Tropical Forest, located in the urban perimeter of the municipality of J...

Social wasps play a crucial role in ecosystems by actively foraging and preying on lepidopterans caterpillars, an important group of insects known to damage various structures of cultivated plants. However, there is a discussion about the potential damage that these wasps can cause to the fruits of some commercial species. In this research, cases o...

Given the important ecological role played by social wasps and the fact that parasitism is the main cause of mortality in the early stages of development of these wasps, it is of paramount importance to understand the ecological relationships between hosts and parasitoids. Therefore, the present study presents information on the sex ratio of Elasmu...

Callithrix penicillata, the marmosets, were introduced in several areas of Brazil and established themselves as invaders causing environmental imbalance in the native fauna. The diet of marmosets is quite broad and includes small arthropods, such as spiders, which play a fundamental role in the ecosystem. To capture web spiders, marmosets have been...

Estudos apontam bons resultados no emprego desses insetos para o controle de pragas; mas seu uso em larga escala ainda depende do desenvolvimento de tecnologia.

Parachartergus wasps are known for having very aggressive behavior, especially the large black species with white wings tip, which have painful stings. They exhibit a unique and interesting characteristic, the capacity to venom spraying during the colony defense or self-defense. However, for the Amazonian species Parachartergus fulgidipennis (de Sa...

Nine new associations between dipterans and social wasp colonies are reported, providing information for understanding the ecological relationships between species in addition to new geographic distributions. The records took place between 2016 and 2018, in urban and secondary forest fragments in the cities of Cataguases, Goianá, Juiz de Fora, Muri...

Since some social wasp species are sensitive to environmental changes and can be used as bioindicators, the objective of the present study was to analyze the variation in the fauna of social wasps during the phases: before, during, and after completion, as well as to validate the use of wasps as a tool for monitoring the impacts generated by the im...

Social wasps are recognized for their important role as controllers of agricultural and urban pests and for their preference for preying on caterpillars. The present work describes, for the first time, the record of the social wasp Chartergellus communis Richards, 1978 (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) preying on Cicinnus callipius Schaus, 1928 (Lepidoptera:...

Social wasps are known to be aggressive, and this trait causes some other animal species to associate with these insects. These associations appear to be common in nature, however, they are not easily located nor understood. Thus, the objective of this work is to add new data to studies of associations between birds and wasps, recorded from the cer...

It is possible to elaborate adequate methodologies for collecting social wasps from the knowledge of their behavior. Thus, the objective of the present study was to compare the attractiveness of different sized PET bottles (plastic soda bottles) (by volume), types of juice and variety of attractive flavors of juice in elaborating attractive traps t...

New host wasps attacked by Mirothrips arbiter (Thysanoptera: Phlaeothripidae) are recorded and their possible feeding on fungi and mites in colonies of Polistes melanosoma and Polistes ferreri is evaluated. No predation events on mites or fungal ingestion were observed, indicating that these thrips only use wasp eggs as food. Thrips do not parasiti...

We studied the seasonality and made notes about the nesting habits of the endemic social wasp Polistes ridleyi Kirby, 1890 of the Fernando de Noronha Archipelago. We collected 427 adult paper wasp P. ridleyi specimens for nine months using Malaise interception traps. The highest abundance of wasps was observed in October, November, and December, a...

Encounters between flowers and invertebrates are key events for the functioning of tropical forests. Assessing the structure of networks composed of the interactions between those partners leads to a better understanding of ecosystem functioning and the effects of environmental factors on ecological processes. Gathering such data is, however, costl...

Due to the great loss of insect diversity the world has been suffering, inventorying existing species can provide us with insights for future studies on conservation of functional groups. The objective of this work is to contribute with knowledge of the social wasp fauna of Minas Gerais, by determining the species of the visitation area of the Inho...

The knowledge of entomopathogenic fungus in social wasps is limited, however, association appears to be more common than past thinking. In this study, we recorded the occurrence of eight social wasp species infected: Agelaia fulvofasciata, Agelaia testacea, Apoica cf. pallida, Polistes rufiventris, Polybia dimidiata, Polybia liliacea, Polybia stria...

Background and aims – The Bromeliaceae family has great importance in the maintenance of neotropical communities. In the Brazilian Atlantic Forest, bromeliads are among the major groups responsible for maintaining the local flora and fauna and participate in important ecological interactions with insects, anurans, and hummingbirds. This work report...

In this chapter, we list the 381 species of social wasps from Brazil and inform the Brazilian state distribution: Agelaia (n = 21 species), Angiopolybia (n = 4), Apoica (n = 9), Asteloeca (n = 3), Brachygastra (n = 13), Chartergellus (n = 10), Charterginus (n = 2), Chartergus (n = 3), Clypearia (n = 7), Epipona (n = 2), Leipomeles (n = 4), Metapoly...

With the main functions of providing a microenvironment for the offspring and providing protection for the colony against vertebrate and invertebrate predators, the complex architecture of social wasp nests varies from group to group. The nests can have from one to multiple combs covered or not by a protective envelope, presenting an important taxo...

This guide to the stingless bees (Apidae: Meliponini) of the Federal University of Juiz de Fora Botanical Garden is based on research conducted by the Institute of Biological Sciences, which includes Biology, Ecology and Animal Behavior. The Botanical Garden includes about 82 hectares of preserved forest on the outskirts of the city of Juiz de Fora...

Herbivory in plant reproductive tissues can severely reduce the fitness of the species, especially for those threatened with extinction. We investigated aspects of the reproductive ecology of Neoregelia ibitipocensis (Leme) Leme, an endangered species restricted to a few cloud forests sites in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. Data on breeding systems...

The study of social wasp biology is often focused on understanding the factors involved in the evolution of social behavior. However, despite the importance of parasitism for the fitness of social insect colonies, little is known about the presence of parasitic protozoan infections in Neotropical social wasp populations. Herein, we report the first...

Some social wasp species are known for their interactions and associations with vertebrates, invertebrates, and other insects in general. In this chapter, we will therefore focus on the interspecific interactions performed by wasps and other animals in order to present the types of interactions, as well as some of the species involved. We list some...

Stingless bees are essential for the maintenance of green areas present in urban centers through pollination activities. However, the urban environment offers a number of challenges that influence the richness and diversity of these insects. We aim to carry out a detailed analysis of studies on the diversity of stingless bees in urban areas publish...

Social wasps are recognized for their important role in pest control, which occurs during foraging. Thus, work on the foraging behavior of these insects is essential. The objective of this study was, therefore, analyzed as prey captured and the rhythm of this activity in the swarm wasp Apoica pallens, thus defined to expand the knowledge of the pre...

In this chapter we describe and evaluate sampling methods used in the study of Neotropical social wasps. In this chapter, the main active and passive sampling techniques used in studies of social wasp diversity are presented. Topics include studies of biodiversity (wasp species richness and abundance), locating colonies in the field, collecting and...

The literature provides different methodologies for sampling social wasps, including passive and active methods, however, there is no consensus on their use. In this respect, the objective of this study was to simultaneously evaluate the efficiency of the most used passive and active methods for studying social wasp fauna. The study was conducted i...

Os insetos possuem diferentes respostas como reação à ação da luz, enquanto alguns são atraídos como por exemplo as mocas, outros são repelidos, como por exemplo as baratas. Isso se deve ao comportamento que esses insetos tem em resposta a um estímulo direcional de luz, orientados por estruturas localizadas no topo de suas cabeças, chamadas de ocel...

Native to the Asian region, the Vespa mandarinia can reach 50 mm in length, being popularly known as ‘murder hornet’ or ‘asian-giant-hornet’. Due to their group hunting behavior, the species causes great concern to beekeepers, since they are able to exterminate a bee hive in a few hours. However, the risk to humans is low and can be compared to any...

Nests of independent-founding primitively eusocial paper wasps are founded by one or a few females. Before worker emergence, foundresses must forage, sometimes leaving the nest unattended. Chemical defence - the application of ant repellent secretions of the Van der Vecht organ (VdVO) on the nest surface - allows brood protection when active defenc...

Nests of independent-founding primitively eusocial paper wasps are founded by one or a few females. Before worker emergence, foundresses must forage, sometimes leaving the nest unattended. Chemical defence - the application of ant repellent secretions of the Van der Vecht organ (VdVO) on the nest surface - allows brood protection when active defenc...

The family Nymphalidae comprises frugivorous butterflies that are frequently used as bioindicators in environmental assessment studies. The collection of these lepidopterans is easily made with traps filled with fruit baits. The most frequently used bait is a mixture of banana and sugarcane juice, though other mixtures are also attractive. Hence, t...

Considering the value of fauna inventories and the lack of studies dedicated to the spatial aspects of social wasp species, or the methods used to collect them, this study estimates and analyzes, on a local scale, the ideal distance for the installation of attractive traps for studies social wasp diversity studies. The work was developed at the Bot...

Urban fragments have become true refuges for animals and plants that seek resource areas for their survival and, above all, are of great importance for conservation of birds that have minimal space to find shelter, food, breeding sites and others. In this sense, the present study aimed to draw up a list of bird species recorded in an urban fragment...

Quando falamos de vespas, a primeira coisa que vem a mente é, sem dúvida, a ferroada dolorosa! A má reputação desses insetos não condiz com sua importância ecológica. Vespas ou Marimbondos, na verdade, são insetos sociais e, assim como as abelhas, são responsáveis pela polinização de diversas espécies de plantas. Além disso, as vespas sociais contr...

Ophiocordyceps is a genus comprised by entomopathogenic fungi known to infect ten orders of insects, including Hymenoptera. Amongst the nearly 250 species described in the genus, few are known to manipulate their hosts, which are most notably ants. These species cause their hosts to die in an exposed position high above the ground while grabbing an...

O Curso de Inverno em Comportamento e Biologia Animal surgiu em 2017 a partir de uma proposta da coordenação do Programa de Pós-graduação em Ciências Biológicas – Comportamento e Biologia Animal da Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora, como uma complementação à formação em docência dos doutorandos, criando um espaço de vivência pedagógica completa,...

O gênero Callithrix possui seis espécies todas endêmicas do Brasil, a coloração dentro do grupo é variável, os animais desse gênero caracterizam-se pela presença de tufos auriculares e uma mancha branca na testa, ausente em Callithrix geoffroyi (É. Geoffroy, 1812). Neste estudo, foram registrados durante os meses de dezembro de 2017, janeiro e feve...

In this study, Mischocyttarus iheringi, Polybia liliacea and Polybia lugubris were recorded for the first time in Minas Gerais state, with a brief diagnosis of species.

Social wasps do role in the balance of ecosystems, and although Brazil accounts for one-third of the world’s richness, there are still regions no records of fauna, which in turn are fundamental to biodiversity conservation and knowledge of a region. In this study brings a check list of the species of social wasps deposited in the Entomological Coll...

O 6° Fórum Ambiental e Florestal de Juiz de Fora foi fruto da parceria entre Leonardo de Oliveira Resende e Elesier Lima Gonçalves, fundadores do Fórum Ambiental e Florestal de Juiz de Fora, com Fábio Prezoto e Bruno Corrêa Barbosa, da Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora com objetivo de promover a conscientização ambiental e formar profissionais m...

O Programa de Pós-graduação em Ciências Biológicas – Comportamento e Biologia Animal (PPGCB-CBA) da UFJF iniciou suas atividades em 1993, tornando-se assim o primeiro curso de pós-graduação stricto-sensu do Instituto de Ciências Biológicas da Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora. O objetivo geral do PPGCB-CBA é a formação e capacitação de estudant...

The success of social wasps in anthropic environments is related to their ability to nest both in vegetation and human constructions, and, as humans modify their own environments, wasps community structure may shift as well. Our aim was to assess the diversity of social wasps and their interactions with nesting substrates seasonally in an urban squ...

Predation of Lepidoptera caterpillars - including agricultural pest species - is one of the main ways through which social wasps gather proteinaceous resources. The presence of social wasps was sampled through active search and bait traps through a sugarcane culture cycle, totaling 12 months. Our aim was to record the presence of these insects duri...

The genus Callithrix has six species all endemic to Brazil, the color within the group is variable, the animals of this genus are characterized by the presence of auricular tufts and a white spot on the forehead, absent in Callithrix geoffroyi (Geoffroy, 1812). In this study, individuals of Callithrix penicillata leucistic were registered for the f...

In this study, the social wasps Mischocyttarus rotundicollis (Cameron)and Polybia bistriata (Fabricius) were recorded for the first time in Alagoas state, including a brief description of the species. Novos registros de vespas sociais (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Polistinae) no estado de Alagoas, Brasil Resumo: Neste estudo, foram registradas as vespas...

O 5° Fórum Ambiental e Florestal de Juiz de Fora foi fruto da parceria entre Leonardo de Oliveira Resende e Elesier Lima Gonçalves, fundadores do Fórum Ambiental e Florestal de Juiz de Fora, com Fábio Prezoto e Bruno Corrêa Barbosa, da Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora com objetivo de promover a conscientização ambiental e formar profissionais m...

Like other Hymenoptera, the social wasps may store both liquid and solid resources inside the cells of their nests as reserve for periods of food shortage. This study describes storage of honey in colonies of the neotropical independentfounding wasp Mischocyttarus socialis. During August 2016, in the dry season, 15 colonies in the post-emergence ph...

In order to contribute to the increase of information on the diet and foraging behavior of Tropidurus hispidus the present study reports and discusses an opportunistic consumption attempt of Mus musculus in an urban area of the city of Parnamirim, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil.

We investigated the effect of kinship on mate selection by males of the neotropical primitively eusocial paper wasp Polistes versicolor. By conducting short-time, paired, consecutive, dyadic encounters, in which a male was randomly introduced separately to a related and an unrelated female in a small glass arena, we were able to observe and measure...

Knowing the importance of participation by insects at cadaverous decomposition processes, and the limited use of the family Formicidae in criminal investigations, this study aims to record the foraging activity of four genera of ants in carcasses of birds and mammals. Observations occurred accidentally in two locations in the State of Minas Gerais,...

Knowing the fundamental role of insects in the balance of ecosystems, especially emerging ecosystems, and in view of the importance of diversity works and literature review, the objective of this study was to elaborate a checklist of species of social wasps of Juiz de For a. The work included data record and a review of the range of work carried ou...

Studying social wasp diversity, with special concern regarding the chosen study method, is of increasing importance due to the acknowledgement of this group’s role in keeping the balance of ecosystems. The objective of this study, therefore, was to assess the using of bait traps in social wasp diversity studies in the Minas Gerais state, southeaste...

New concepts on city planning and urbanization have progressively encouraged the creation and maintenance of public or private green areas, which are important feeding and shelter zones for several species of social wasps. However, in spite of the sampling effort and representativeness of southeastern Brazil, knowledge of richness and abundance of...

Dado o reconhecido papel das vespas sociais no equilíbrio dos ecossistemas é clara a importância de estudos sobre a diversidade desses insetos e, para isso, é essencial o uso de um método apropriado. Assim, o objetivo do presente trabalho foi realizar uma análise detalhada dos estudos de diversidade em vespas sociais conduzidos em Minas Gerais aval...

Two genera of entomopathogenic fungi were found on different arachnids in the countryside of the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. The genus Ophiocordyceps was found on two species of Theraphosideae, presenting its fruiting body on the dead host. Harvestmen of the genus Acanthogonyleptes were infected with fungi of the genus Torrubiella. The disc...