Resumo

PAZ, Ramón; ARRIECHE, Norayda; DIAZ, Francisco  e  MADRID, Maryangel. The family Braconidae (Hymenoptera) in Guarico, Lara State, Venezuela, and indicators of its biodiversity. Bioagro [online]. 2012, vol.24, n.1, pp.51-56. ISSN 1316-3361.

In Venezuela there are few studies about the diversity of wasps of agricultural importance, so that the objective of this research was to determine the biodiversity of the family Braconidae in two different environments in Guarico, Lara State. The selected environments were an agroecosystem with shaded coffee plants, and a natural undisturbed ecosystem. Samplings were conducted during the period April 2007-April 2008, using 160 sticky yellow traps. The collected material was observed under a stereoscopic magnifying glass and the subfamilies of Braconidae were separated and identified. A total of 1041 individuals of the family Braconidae were captured during the sampling period; 468 came from the natural ecosystem and 573 from the agroecosystem. The insects in both habitats belong to 11 subfamilies of Braconidae, which represents over 32 % of the subfamilies reported for the neotropics. It was found that Microgastrinae was the most abundant subfamily in both sampled areas, while the composition of the family Braconidae was similar in both environments.

Palavras-chave : Biological control; parasitoids; biodiversity.