SECUENCIA DE ARRIBO DE COLEÓPTEROS EN ÁRBOLES DE Pinus montezumae Lamb. DAÑADOS POR INCENDIOS

Abstract

Several beetle species are attracted by the volatile compounds that pines affected by forests fires emit. Some insects depend upon this factor to survive due to the fact that these trees provide the right substrate for their reproduction and offer less resistance to attacks because of a lower osmotic pressure. This study was aimed to evaluate the diversity and sequence of arrival of Coleoptera to Pinus montezumae wildfire damaged trees. Insects were captured with adhesive tangle traps applied directly to the stem. Relative abundance of each species group was calculated for each date of capture and data were fitted to a logistic curve, to differentiate accumulation patterns. The specimens collected included the families Curculionidae, Buprestidae, Cleridae, Salpingidae, Elateridae, Colydiidae, Bostrichidae y Staphylinidae, being Cleridae (47.5%) and Curculionidae (29%) the most abundant. Classified by their feeding habits the insects groups were: primary bark beetles, secondary bark beetles, wood borers, predators and others. Statistical significant differences were only found among the accumulation patterns of primary bark beetles and wood borers. While bark beetles peak in abundance at the end of March the wood borers did it at the beginning of April. Predators exhibit a highly associated pattern to their prey also peaking at the end of March. A new species of wood borer of genus Lechriops is also reported.