G. it. Ent., 8 (46): 265-274
August 31, 1997
Inventarios faunísticos de los
Coleoptera Melolonthidae Neotropicales
con potencial como bioindicadores
por
MIGUEL-ANGEL MORÓN
Abstract - Faunistic inventories of the Neotropical Coleoptera Melolonthidae with potential as bioindicators - A valuation of the possibility to use the Neotropical Coleoptera Melolonthidae as indicator group in the biodiversity studies, and a brief analysis of the resources and problems to inventory them are presented. The members of the subfamilies of Melolonthidae have some of the twelve attributes or desirable qualities proposed by Brown (1991) to be chosen as a good indicator group, although they have some inadequate characteristics also. Best qualified are the species included in the subfamilies Dynastinae and Rutelinae, because both present high values in ecological diversification and level of taxonomic knowledge; their larvae and adults have very wide trophic spectrum, that includes humus, roots, stalks, tubercles, leaves, flowers, sap, fruits, pollen, cambium, nectar, fungi, rotten wood, termite and ant nests debris. In both subfamilies you find species with wide altitudinal and latitudinal distributions, as well as a large number of species with limited ecological distribution and endemic species.
