title: Assemblages of endophagous insects on Asteraceae in São Paulo cerrados.
abstract: A survey of the endophagous insects fauna associated to Asteraceae capitula was carried out from 2000 to 2002 in eight cerrado sensu stricto sites located in the Brazilian state of Sdo Paulo. Sixty-four endophagous species of Diptera and Lepidoptera were recorded from 49 asteracean host plants. Approximately half of the species were obtained from a single locality, with a large proportion emerging from a single sample (unicates). Thirty percent of the species were singletons (i.e. only one individual was recorded). The large proportion of rare species suggests a high species turnover among localities. Lepidopteran species were recorded on more host species than dipterans, confirming their more polyphagous food habit, also observed in other Brazilian biomes and in Europe. We conclude that the studied cerrado localities, all within São Paulo State, are isolated with its invertebrate fauna composed of many rare and exclusive species. We suggest that the maintenance of Asteraceae biodiversity and their endophagous insects depend on the conservation of all cerrado remnants in the state.
authors.affiliation: Lab. Interações Insetos-Plantas, Depto. Zoologia, IB, Campinas, SP. amdalmeida@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Adriana M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Almeida
authors.forename: Carlos R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Fonseca
authors.forename: Paulo I
authors.initials: PI
authors.lastname: Prado
authors.forename: Mário
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Almeida-Neto
authors.forename: Soraia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Diniz
authors.forename: Umberto
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Kubota
authors.forename: Marina R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Braun
authors.forename: Rafael L G
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Raimundo
authors.forename: Luciano A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Anjos
authors.forename: Tehra G
authors.initials: TG
authors.lastname: Mendonça
authors.forename: Silvia M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Futada
authors.forename: Thomas M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Lewinsohn
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D019659:Asteraceae; D001938:Brazil; D004175:Diptera; D017753:Ecosystem; D007915:Lepidoptera; D011157:Population Dynamics