Composition and structure of heteropteran assemblages in western cuban localities

Abstract

Heteroptera are the most diverse and heterogeneous suborder of hemimetabolous insects. In Cuba, ecological studies on these insects in natural ecosystems are almost null. Most of the published works are taxonomic. This study aims to determine the taxonomic composition and characterize the assemblages of Heteroptera in 10 localities in western Cuba, during the rainy season of 2015 and 2016. At each sampling site, two collections of heteroptera were made with a light trap consisting of a mercury vapor bulb. A total of 1033 individuals belonging to 15 families and 54 genera were collected. Sixty species and 30 morphospecies were identified, of the latter, 12 at the genus level, eight at the family level, for a total of 90 specific taxa. The best represented families were Rhyparochromidae, Pentatomidae and Miridae. Soroa, Sierra de la Güira, Río Canímar and Río San Juan showed the highest species/morphospecies richness. Sierra de la Güira, Lomas de Canasí, Río Canímar and Río San Juan were the localities with the highest abundance. Phytophagous species/morphospecies predominated over zoophagous species in all localities (more than 80%). Dominance and evenness showed similar patterns, the range-abundance curves were characterized by the presence of one to three dominant species/morphospecies and a greater number of common and rare species/morphospecies. Heteroptera assemblages were dissimilar to each other, with values not exceeding 40 %.