Abstract

JIMENEZ-SANCHEZ, Esteban et al. Variation of the diversity of Staphylinidae, Silphidae and Trogidae (Insecta: Coleoptera) in a urban-agricultural gradient in a semiarid region of Estado de Mexico, Mexico. Acta Zool. Mex [online]. 2019, vol.35, e3502152.  Epub Dec 30, 2019. ISSN 2448-8445.  https://doi.org/10.21829/azm.2019.3502152.

The effect of land use on the diversity of necrophilous and epigeal beetles in a semi-arid zone of the Estado de México was studied, we tested the following hypothesis: areas dedicated to agricultural production represent a refuge for species of Staphylinidae, Trogidae and Silphidae. Monthly sampling was carried out during one year with pitfall and carrion traps. Traps were distributed in three locations with different land use (agricultural, suburban and urban area). In the agricultural zone the abundance and richness were greater, but the diversity was significantly less than registered in the suburban and urban area, because two species (Nicrophorus mexicanus Mattews, 1888 and Belonuchus sp.) concentrated 70% of abundance in the agricultural area, while in the other two areas the species had greater evenness. Spatial species turnover and nestedness contributed equally to the variation in the composition of the species assemblages between sites, the agricultural zone harbored 70.6% of the species that were present both in the urban and in the suburban area or in any of these, also they have the greater number of species with high affinity for this site. The results suggest that the agricultural area functions as a refuge for the necrophilous and epigeal beetle species that are distributed in this semi-arid region, whose populations were favored throughout the year due to the constant contribution of organic matter and moisture. Finally, regarding the inventory of species, Belonuchus erichsoni Bernhauer, 1917 was registered for the first time for the Estado de México.

Keywords : beetles; necrophilous; epigean; xeric shrub; Teotihuacan; NTP-80; pitfall.