Taxocenose de termitas (Blattodea: Isoptera) em áreas edificadas da Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco campus Recife

Abstract

The infraorder Isoptera (Blattodea) is represented by termites and has approximately 2,977 described species, 612 of which in the Neotropical region, and which are distributed in 107 genera. Termites of interest have a large destructive potential because they feed and destroy various structures present in buildings. They also have great potential as soil pests as they cause damage to many crops. This study aimed to survey the species that occur in the built-up areas of the Federal Rural University of Pernambuco campus Recife, the species that have economic importance and their damage caused to various materials, assess the potential as a pest of the species found, and collaborate with the entomological collection of the Federal Rural University of Pernambuco. The study area took place at the Federal Rural University of Pernambuco campus Recife, where a collection took place in the built-up areas of four points that were named A, B, C, and D, respectively, in April 2021. The collections were acquired with the help of tweezers, brushes, and trays, and the termites were placed in bottles containing 70% alcohol for conservation. Subsequently, the material was identified in the laboratory with the help of stereoscope microscope and a dichotomous identification key, in addition to carrying out a comparison with specimens from the Entomological Collection of UFRPE. As a result, through the collections, it was possible to observe that points A, B, and C obtained the greatest diversity of termites associated with built-up areas. At all these points, a type of Nasutitermes corniger was present, being considered as having the highest frequency of occurrence and the greatest potential for pests, as it is responsible for a large part of the extensive damage observed. Nasutitermes sp. and Amitermes amifer were evaluated as having intermediate potential as a pest because, despite being infrequent, they can cause extensive damage without proper prevention and control. Cylindrotermes sapiranga, Microcerotermes strunckii, Neocapritermes opacus, and Heterotermes longiceps were examined with low potential as a pest, as they were not associated with considerable damage to the facilities where they were found. Furthermore, the frequency of distribution of these species was also considered low compared to others.