Community structure of Ichneumonidae (Hymenoptera) in a mangrove area in the coastal zone of Tamaulipas, Mexico

Abstract

The structure of Ichneumonidae communities in a mangrove area and 2 nearby locations with different vegetation types are described. The study area is located within the limits of the Nearctic and Neotropical regions in the southern part of the state of Tamaulipas, Mexico. Samples were collected with a Malaise trap at each site over a one-year period. We estimated the potential species richness with the Clench model, the Simpson and Shannon-Wiener diversity indexes and the possible differences among communities at different sites using Permanova multivariate analysis. The relative degrees of influence of space, time, and biogeographical distribution on the community structures of ichneumonid wasps were determined using multiple correspondence analyses. Our results showed that the mangrove area had the highest potential species richness, and that there were significant differences among the 3 ichneumonid communities. The community structures depend primarily on the biogeographical distribution of species and secondarily on the month of collection, whereas the type of vegetation contributed with lower variation. Three species obtained in this study are new records for Mexico, and 5 for Tamaulipas.