Can the Vegetation Structure and Composition in Urban Green Spaces Determine Diversity of Green Lacewings (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae)?

Authors

Jose I. Martinez, University of FloridaFollow
Raiza J. Castillo, University of FloridaFollow
Adrián Ardila-Camacho, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de MéxicoFollow
Charles V. Covell, University of FloridaFollow
José Isabel López-Arroyo, Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Forestales, Agrícolas y PecuariasFollow
Francisco Javier Nava-Guízar, Tecnológico Nacional de México Campus Conkal

ORCID IDs

Adrián Ardila-Camacho https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3750-8671

Date of this Version

12-2023

Citation

Insecta Mundi (December 2023) 1023: 1–22

Date of publication: December 29, 2023

ZooBank registration: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:2EDE9BDC-ECDD-4613-82A0-36C6877DD6A7

Comments

This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons, Attribution Non-Commercial (CC BY-NC) license

Published on December 29, 2023 by the Center for Systematic Entomology, Inc., P.O. Box 141874, Gainesville, Florida 32614-1874 United States

http://centerforsystematicentomology.org/

Abstract

Green spaces represent the only natural areas in several cities around the world, providing good shelters for the local fauna. Based on this premise, many ecological studies have been conducted focused on these areas. Most of these works are about insects, particularly butterflies and beetles. Our study is centered on a different group: green lacewings (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae). These insects exhibit a similar feeding behavior to some other groups, such as beetles. We estimated diversity, richness, distribution, abundance and similarity employing two methods: sweep netting and suction trapping. Also, oviposition hosts were identified in 20 different green spaces. Approximately 740 specimens were collected representing 15 species in five genera. Seven species are new state records for Yucatán, Mexico. We identified about 300 species of plants, if which 75 are considered ovipositional associated hosts. Our work is the first of its kind, employing green lacewings in an urban ecological model and additionally providing new information about chrysopids in South Mexico. We encourage the conduct of similar studies not only in Mexico but also in other Central and South American countries.