Mexican Insects in the Anthropocene

Abstract

Many recent studies suggest that insect numbers and diversity are plummeting worldwide. There is limited evidence from Mexico but enough to suggest that Mexican insects are also in serious decline. In this chapter, we present three case studies that document distinct insect groups from the immediately recognized and intensely studied international species, the monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus L.), the relatively well-studied group of Mexican dung beetles (Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae), to a mostly undescribed, highly diverse and poorly studied group of community of insects of montane forests. There is notable evidence of decline or threats to the populations of these three groups of organisms which is clearly delimited in annual population estimates for the monarch butterfly, with various studies confirming loss of diversity and abundance for dung beetles, and threats to leaf litter weevils predicted by climate change models. The specifics for these declines and proposed conservation measures for each group and for Mexican Insects in general are discussed.