Felipe Ferraz Figueiredo Moreira’s research while affiliated with Federal Rural University of Rio de Janeiro and other places

Human activities impact the morphology and function of species, especially in aquatic ecosystems. However, little is known about how these effects influence intraspecific variation associated with sexual dimorphism. Therefore, it is essential to study organisms with conspicuous intersexual variations, such as semiaquatic bugs (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Gerromorpha). This study aimed to assess the effect of land-use changes, conventional logging, reduced-impact logging, pasture, and mining activities on the taxonomic (alpha), functional (Fric and FEve) and beta functional (βF) diversity of semiaquatic bugs, with an emphasis on sexual dimorphism. We tested the following hypotheses: (i) habitat loss reduces the diversity; (ii) larger species are associated with forested streams, while species with slower locomotion are associated with low forest cover; (iii) male βF is driven by trait richness difference, while female βF is driven by trait replacement. We sampled 77 streams in the Capim river basin (Amazon, Brazil). CL and PST streams are associated with agricultural impact and high conductivity, whereas RIL streams were similar to forested sites environmentally and in composition. Environmental filters influenced only the taxonomic composition of males. In contrast, females had longer bodies and legs in forest environments and differed in βF, mainly due to traits loss/gain. Our results highlight the importance of forest conservation and the use of economic practices that cause less damage, as well as evaluating such effects under different biodiversity approaches and including intraspecific variation.

Paravelia Breddin, 1898 is the most speciose genus of the subfamily Veliinae (Hemiptera, Heteroptera, Gerromorpha, Veliidae). It has gone through revisions since the 1990s, with several species being transferred to other genera, and currently contains 46 species distributed from Mexico to Argentina, 35 of which occur in Brazil. Here, we describe P. intervalensissp. nov. based on material obtained during an expedition carried out in 2023 in the Parque Estadual Intervales, state of São Paulo. The new species can be distinguished from congeners by the the following: body length between approximately 5.1–5.5 mm; head, thorax, and abdomen (except posterior margin of sternum VII) not covered by small black denticles; humeral angle not spinose; forewings without bubble-like structures, with a pair of elongated yellow maculae basally and a small, diamond-shaped, white macula apically; venter of abdomen not covered by punctations; male abdominal sternum VII without projections or lobes; male proctiger without conical process at base, without lateral projections approximately at middle of length; and male paramere with a dorsal notch. We also present new distribution records of P. luederwaldti Rodrigues & Moreira, 2016 and provide an updated key to the Paravelia recorded from Brazil. This study increases the number of species of Paravelia known in Brazil to 36.

Microvelia Westwood, 1834 (Gerromorpha: Gerridae: Microveliinae) is a widespread genus of semiaquatic bugs with more than 100 species recorded from the Neotropical Region. Microvelia pulchella Westwood, 1834 is the type species of the genus and one of the most common throughout the American continents, ranging from Canada to Argentina. Although its life cycle has been studied repeatedly, the immature stages have not been described. Here, we provide descriptions, measurements, and illustrations of eggs and four nymphal instars of this species based on specimens collected and reared in southeastern Brazil.

The genus Stridulivelia is exclusive to the Americas, with a Neotropical distribution ranging from Mexico to Argentina. It comprises 16 valid species and is divided into two subgenera: Stridulivelia Hungerford and Aenictovelia J. Polhemus. The subgenus Aenictovelia, found in North America and northern South America, is characterized by the absence of stridulatory structures in its six species. However, photos and detailed descriptions are scarce in the literature for some of them. Here, we provide photos and descriptions of the male genitalia of all species of S. (Aenictovelia): S. chocoana Morales, Molano and Moreira, S. cinctipes (Champion), S. epeixis (Drake and Menke), S. pueblana (Drake), S. secerna J. Polhemus, and S. speciosa J. Polhemus and D. Polhemus, and also present new distribution records for three of these species. A key to species of S. (Aenictovelia), maps with all their geographic records, and a discussion on the morphology of the two subgenera also are presented.

Corixoidea and Notonectidae are the two most speciose groups of Nepomorpha (Insecta: Hemiptera: Heteroptera). They live in the water column of fresh and brackish water bodies. In Brazil, there are records of 46 species of Corixidae and Micronectidae (Corixoidea), and 58 species of Notonectidae. Of these, 35 species have been previously recorded from the state of Pará, in the northern portion of the country. However, large sampling gaps exist in the state, especially in its western portion. Here, we report the results of field work performed from 2019 through 2024 in 12 municipalities within this area, together with an annotated list and identification keys to species occurring in Pará. In total, four genera and 11 species of Corixoidea, and three genera and 26 species of Notonectidae, are known from Pará. Our new data include the first records from the state of Buenoa deplanatylus Barbosa & Nessimian, 2013 and Martarega williamsi Truxal, 1949, increasing the local richness of Notonectidae by 8%. Finally, B. konta Nieser & Pelli, 1994, B. tarsalis Truxal, 1953, B. tibialis Truxal, 1957, B. truxali Nieser, 1968, B. unguis Truxal, 1953, and Notonecta pulchra Hungerford, 1926 are recorded for the first time from western Pará.

A four-year survey for Notonectidae (Insecta: Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Nepomorpha) was conducted in eleven conservation units and adjacent areas distributed over six states in northeastern Brazil. Nearly 1400 specimens of the following 18 species, four genera, and two subfamilies have been collected: Buenoa amnigenus (White, 1879), B. femoralis (Fieber, 1851), B. fuscipennis (Berg, 1879), B. koina Nieser & Pelli, 1994, B. konta Nieser & Pelli, 1994, B. mutabilis Truxal, 1953, B. pallipes (Fabricius, 1803), B. platycnemis (Fieber, 1851), B. pseudomutabilis Barbosa, Ribeiro & Nessimian, 2010, B. salutis Kirkaldy, 1904, B. tarsalis Truxal, 1953, B. unguis Truxal, 1953 (Anisopinae); Enitharoides brasiliensis (Spinola, 1837), E. tricomerus Barbosa, Ribeiro & Nessimian, 2017, Martarega bentoi Truxal, 1949, M. brasiliensis Truxal, 1949, M. membranacea White, 1879, and Notonecta disturbata Hungerford, 1926 (Notonectinae). Altogether, they represent 30 new records from the states of Alagoas, Bahia, Ceará, Pernambuco, Piauí, and Sergipe, and seven new records from northeastern Brazil, increasing the number of species recorded from the region from 11 to 18. A key to these species is provided, as well as illustrations, diagnoses, taxonomic notes, and a summary of their known geographic distributions.

Background Ants (Insecta, Hymenoptera, Formicidae) are social insects and one of the most abundant groups of animals. Their colonies are established in a wide range of habitats, such as in cavities in the ground, litter on the forest floor or in rocky cracks. Currently, there are approximately 15,000 valid species of ants, of which about 6,000 are recorded from the Neotropical Region. The Atlantic Forest is one of the biomes with the greatest biodiversity, showing a high degree of endemism. However, it has suffered severe impacts and is now reduced to a fraction of the original area. One of the most significant remnants of the Atlantic Forest is the Parque Nacional da Tijuca (PNT), a protected area located in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. There is limited knowledge about the myrmecofauna of the PNT, with most research efforts focused on the Serra da Carioca sector. New information In the present study, we performed the first inventory of the mirmecofauna of the Floresta da Tijuca sector of the PNT, using pitfall traps and Winkler extractors in areas with three different degrees of preservation. In total, 80 species are recorded from Floresta da Tijuca, of which 18 are reported for the first time from this sector, 37 from the PNT, 10 from the State of Rio de Janeiro and one from the Atlantic Forest biome. These results increase the known diversity of ants of the PNT from 149 to 200 species. Furthermore, the known geographic distribution of Hypoponera viri (Santschi, 1923) is extended northwards, those of Holcoponera mina Brown, 1956 and Neocerapachys neotropicus Weber, 1939, southwards and Brachymyrmex bruchi Forel, 1912 and Hypoponera parva (Forel, 1909), eastwards. The most abundant species in our samples was Holcoponera moelleri (Forel, 1912), followed by Pachycondyla striata F. Smith, 1858, Strumigenys denticulata Mayr, 1887, Hypoponera trigona (Mayr, 1887), Megalomyrmex goeldii Forel, 1912 and Hylomyrma reitteri (Mayr, 1887). The primary forest area was the richest, followed by the disturbed and advanced restoration areas. The species richness was higher in the primary forest and advanced restoration areas during the dry season, while it was higher in the disturbed area during the rainy season.