ANÁLISE GENOTÓXICA E MUTAGÊNICA EM INSETOS, COM ÊNFASE NA CIGARRA Fidicina toulgoeti BOULARD & MARTINELLI, 1996 (hemiptera: auchenorrhyncha)

Abstract

This dissertation addresses genotoxicity and mutagenicity in insects, with emphasis on the cicada Fidicina toulgoeti (Hemiptera: Auchenorrhyncha), in addition to conducting a systematic review and experimental ecotoxicological analyses. The first chapter consisted of a scientometric review on the use of the comet assay and micronucleus test in insects, based on the Web of Science database, covering articles published between 2004 and 2025. A total of 34 studies from nine countries were identified, with India, Turkey, and Egypt standing out. The orders Lepidoptera and Diptera were the most represented, and metals such as zinc, copper, and lead were among the main xenobiotics evaluated. The review highlighted the growing relevance of these biomarkers for insect ecotoxicology and pointed out geographic and thematic gaps in the literature. The second chapter involved the application of these biomarkers to hemocytes of F. toulgoeti collected in the Cerrado biome of Goiás, Brazil, in order to verify genotoxic damage through the micronucleus test and comet assay. The analyses revealed the presence of cellular anomalies and DNA damage, showing a positive trend between the frequency of micronuclei and comet assay parameters, although without significant statistical correlation. The results reinforce the potential of Hemiptera as bioindicators and the importance of the integrated use of these assays to assess environmental impacts on native Cerrado insects.