SEASONAL AND VERTICAL DIVERSITY OF FAMILIES OF THE ORDER COLEOPTERA IN A FRAGMENT OF PINE-OYAMEL FOREST, TLAXCALA, MEXICO

Abstract

The studies of diversity of the order Coleoptera have been centralized in seven states included the Neotropical region of Mexico, however, there are few studies of this order in temperate environments. The objective of this study was to analyze the diversity of Coleoptera families in a vertical and seasonal stratum in the Wildlife Conservation and Management Unit (UMA) Piedra Canteada, municipality of Nanacamilpa de Mariano Arista, Tlaxcala, Mexico. During February 2016 to January 2017, 10 field trips were made to collect Coleoptera with six flight intersection traps and three pitfalls, these were randomly distributed in one 1 km transect. Field trips were scheduled to coincide with the lunar cycle (before and after the full moon). 623 individuals belonging to 24 families were collected and identified, with the Leiodidae family (365 individuals) being the best represented (58%), while the rest of the families were poorly represented, since only eight families were concentrated in 1 % of the total sample. The total expected wealth according to the Chao 1 and Chao 2 indicators was 32 and 35 families, respectively; that is, in this study approximately 70% of the expected wealth was recorded. The Shannon diversity index (H’ = 1.28) indicated a low richness, derived from the dominance of the most representative families (Leiodidae, Silphidae and Chrysomelidae) that together make up more than 70% of the sample. Significant differences were found in the diversity of coleopterous families with respect to the season of the year (P < 0.05), with the rainy season having the greatest wealth of families vs dry season; in the same way, there was an abundance-height relationship, finding a lower abundance but greater wealth at 12 m height. In conclusion, the Leiodidae family is the most representative of the Coleoptera order and the diversity of families of this order is determined by the seasonality and the vertical stratum of sampling.