Vinícius Costa-Silva

University of Pretoria | UP · Department of Zoology and Entomology

With the advancements in bioinformatics and ecoinformatics tools, it has become feasible to utilize vast amounts of biodiversity information to describe biological patterns and attempt to assess the ecological and evolutionary processes underlying them, as well as to establish more effective and comprehensive conservation actions. However, existing...

Pasturelands are characterized as grasslands utilized for cattle raising and consist of natural or exotic vegetation, predominantly grasses. In the context of sustainable production, the biodiversity of insects within grazing environments holds significant value. Dung beetles play a crucial role in sustaining pasturelands as the burial of feces by...

The South American genus Polynoncus Burmeister encompasses 38 valid species that are considered to be endemic to South America. In this work, we provide a comprehensive revision of this genus. Polynoncus seymourensis (Mutchler, 1925) with only insular occurrence (Galapagos Islands) is now recorded for the continent. We describe Polynoncus pseudogem...

A species is newly recorded from Bolivia, Sylvicanthon monnei Cupello and Vaz de-Mello, 2018, and the previously dubious record of Sylvicanthon candezei (Harold, 1869) from the country is confirmed. Agamopus viridis Boucomont, 1928, Pseudocanthon chaquensis Nazaré-Silva and Silva, 2021, and Pseudocanthon pantanensis Nazaré-Silva and Silva, 2021 are...

The Amazon Forest is one of the world's most biodiverse ecosystems and yet its protected areas are understudied concerning insects and other invertebrates. These organisms are essential for tropical forests due to their ecological processes, with some species being very sensitive to habitat disturbances. Dung beetles (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae, Scar...

A taxonomic revision of the Neotropical genus Cryptogenius is provided. Based on literature data and the examination of 33 specimens, including the name-bearing types of two of the three available species-group names involved, we conclude that Cryptogenius comprises two species: C. miersianus Westwood, 1842, from the Atlantic Forest of Brazil and A...

Differential diagnoses, updates on distribution ranges, and an illustrated identification key are given for all species of Agamopus. The first record for A. castaneus from Brazil is given. Type specimens of all valid species-group names are studied and illustrated. Notes on the natural history of Agamopus species, as well as brief phylogenetic comm...

An updated checklist of the Omorgus species from Brazil is presented. Seven species are recorded, one of which, Omorgus borrei, is a new record for the country. Geographic distribution and diagnoses for all these species are reviewed, and an identification key is presented. Photographs of the type specimens of the most valid names are included and...

In this paper, we describe the new species of Polynoncus and provide differential diagnoses and illustrations of similar species. We also provide the Polynoncus species recorded from Argentina.

Coleoptera is one of the largest taxon among animals and exhibits diverse eating habits. When associated with decaying corpses, beetles can be of great value in estimating the postmortem interval. In order to consolidate a useful database for the forensic field, it is necessary to study the entomological fauna associated with the carcasses in diffe...

A new species of Canthon is described, illustrated and the morphological similarities with related species are discussed. The species Canthon cleidecostae was named after Dr. Cleide Costa a great beetles specialist. The subgeneric category of species is considered incertae sedis until the taxonomic revision of the genus Canthon is fully addressed....

Polynoncus vazdemelloi Huchet & Costa-Silva new species (Coleoptera: Trogidae) from Brazil is described and illustrated with data about the natural history and geographic distribution. Comparative data between P. vazdemelloi, P. juglans (Ratcliffe, 1978), and P. gemmingeri (Harold, 1872), species closely related morphologically, are given. Omorgus...

Pitfall traps are commonly used for the collection of terrestrial insects in ecology and biology studies; they are relatively straightforward to manufacture and there is a large variety of models described in the literature. However, they present a few drawbacks: (i) the removal and transport of the collected material are not practical; (ii) they h...

The genus Ontholestes Ganglbauer includes 35 species distributed mainly in Eurasia, with a few additional species in Africa and North and South America (Herman, 2001; Yang & Zhou, 2012; Smetana & Shavrin, 2013; Rougemont, 2016). According to Asenjo et al. (2013), the South American record of the Palearctic species Ontholestes murinus (Linnaeus, 175...

Resumo. Coleoptera (Arthropoda, Insecta) está entre os grupos mais importantes de organismos associados à matéria orgânica em decomposição e por isso podem ser úteis para elucidar questões no âmbito criminal. A riqueza e a abundância de besouros, incluindo os necrófagos, podem variar de acordo com as condições climáticas e fisiogeográ...

Ataenius picinus Harold, 1868 is a scarab beetle, which is distributed worldwide. Individuals of this species have been found associated with animal feces, soil samples, leaf litter and decaying fruit, as some cases on carcasses. In this study, we propose the extension of trophic niche of this species based on observations of alternative scavenging...

Patterns of species richness, abundance, diversity, equitability and dominance, and the organization in feeding and behavioral guilds of Scarabaeinae fauna were analyzed in three different vegetation types (forest, native field and crop) in northwestern of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, among September and November 2012, with the use of pitfall traps b...

Oxelytrum discicolle Brullé, 1840 é a espécie mais coletada de Silphidae (Coleoptera) na América Latina, constituindo um indicador forense na região Neotropical. O objetivo do trabalho é reunir informações sobre biologia e distribuição de O. discicolle, além de ferramentas para utilização desse besouro como indicador forense em casos de morte de hu...

http://dx.doi.org/10.5007/2175-7925.2014v27n4p63 O objetivo deste trabalho foi comparar a riqueza, abundância e diversidade das espécies de Scarabaeidae em duas fitofisionomias (campo e floresta) e verificar se variação sazonal ao longo do ano está relacionada com variáveis climáticas. O estudo foi desenvolvido na Reserva Biológica de São Donato,...