Aquatic Coleoptera from two Atlantic Forest conservation units in the state of São Paulo: inventory and diversity.

• Grant number: 23/03456-7
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: June 01, 2023
• End date: May 31, 2024
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Zoology - Taxonomy of Recent Groups
• Principal Investigator: Lívia Maria Fusari
• Grantee: Melissa Akemi Watanabe Amaral
• Host Institution: Centro de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde (CCBS). Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCAR). São Carlos , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The Coleoptera order presents several adaptations that allowed the dominance of terrestrial and aquatic environments, such as elytra and spiracles between the elytra and the abdomen. Aquatic species are morphologically diverse and possess adaptations for swimming, such as natatory setae and thoracic appendages. These insects are crucial for aquatic ecosystems, acting as bioindicators and participating in several levels of the food chain. In the Atlantic Forest, despite the high quality of existing studies, knowledge about the group is still scarce and fragmented, which, combined with anthropic threats in the biome, puts both discovered and undiscovered species at risk. Through collections in streams and creeks of the Parque Estadual de Carlos Botelho and the Parque Estadual da Serra do Mar, adult and immature Coleoptera specimens will be identified, and a faunal survey will be conducted. This study will also quantify the richness, abundance, and relative abundance of taxa, analyze diversity, equity, and dominance indices of streams, and, finally, analyze the similarity of sampled creeks in both parks based on abiotic variables data.