PLANTAS NATIVAS DO CERRADO COMO RESERVATÓRIO DE ÁCAROS PREDADORES Phytoseiidae (Acari: Mesostigmata)

Abstract

The Cerrado biome is the second largest Brazilian biome after the Amazon Forest. Due to a high concentration of endemic species and because there are few preserved areas, it is considered a hotspot and a priority area for conservation. In spite of that, little is known about the role of the vegetation of this biome as reservoir of natural enemies of agricultural pests. These environments can serve as reservoirs in addition to habitats, providing predatory mites with foods such as pollen and nectar. However, their diversity has been threatened due to interventions, mainly anthropogenic. The natural enemies possess predatory capacities with greater or less specificity, being the family Phytoseiidae noteworthy due to its potential. Most studies surveying mites on ecosystems are developed in agroecosystems, however, only a few studies assessed the predatory mites in natural environments. The present study aimed to know the diversity of phytoseiid mites in areas of the Cerrado in the southeastern region of the state of Goiás and in the Triângulo Mineiro, in addition to verifying the importance of plants native to this biome as reservoirs of predatory mites of this family. The samplings were performed in 24 areas of native vegetation typical of Cerrado, 19 in the state of Goiás and five in the Triângulo Mineiro, Minas Gerais state. Leaves, branches, flowers and fruits of 6 to 15 plants of the commonest plants of each area were sampled. Thirty-three species of Phytoseiidae mites belonging to 16 genera of the three subfamilies were registered. These species were recorded on 92 plant species native to the Cerrado, belonging to 37 botanical families. The subfamily Amblyseiinae had the greatest richness, with 25 species; Phytoseiinae and Typhlodrominae had four species each. Of the 33 species recorded, 30 were determined. One species of each Proprioseiopsis and Typhlodromus could not be determined, and one species of Neoseiulus revealed new to science and will soon be described. The most frequent species were Euseius sibelius (De Leon) recorded in 31 species of Cerrado plants, followed by E. citrifolius Denmark & Muma, Neoseiulus tunus (De Leon), Phytoseius nahuatlensis De Leon, and Amblyseius neochiapensis Lofego, Moraes & McMurtry, recorded on 27, 24, 22 and 21 botanical species, respectively. Caryocar brasiliense A. St. Hil (Caryocaraceae) and Virola sebifera Aubl. (Myristicaceae) were the plants with the greatest richness of phytoseiids, with nine species registered on each. Cecropia pachystachya Trécul. (Urticaceae) and Rudgea viburnoides (Cham.) Benth. (Rubiaceae), harbored six phytoseiid species each, and Hymenaea sp. (Leguminosae), Magonia pubescens A.St.-Hil. (Sapindaceae), and Xylopia aromatica (Lam.) Mart. (Annonaceae) had five species each. Many of the phytoseiid species recorded in this study are commonly recorded in agricultural crops such as coffee, orange, rubber trees, soybeans and pasture areas. Therefore, the native plants of the Cerrado can act as important reservoirs of predatory mites, and knowing in which plant species these mites are present may be an important step towards future programs of ecological pest management. In addition, the presence of these kinds of fragments nearby crops may favor the occurrence of predators in agricultural environments.