Standardised arthropod (Arthropoda) inventory across natural and anthropogenic impacted habitats in the Azores archipelago

In this paper we present an extensive checklist of arthropods and its distribution in five islands of the Azores, under increasing anthropogenic impacted habitats. Habitat surveys included five herbaceous and four arboreal habitat types, scaling up from native to anthropogenic managed habitats. We aimed to contribute to the ongoing effort to document the terrestrial biodiversity of the world, in particular the Portuguese archipelago of the Azores, as islands harbor a significant portion of unique terrestrial biodiversity. Selection of arthropoda groups for the current checklist were based on their known richness and abundance (Arachnida, Collembola, Hemiptera, Neuroptera, Coleoptera, Hymenoptera), in almost all terrestrial ecosystems, as well as their importance in current Integrated Pest Management and alternative Biocontrol protocols, at large (i.e., Hymenopteran parasitoids and beneficial Coleoptera). In addition, we include the list of Dermaptera, Orthoptera, Psocoptera and Thysanoptera species. These assembled groups represent part of the monitoring program EDEN Azores (2008-2014), where all Arthropod fauna, at all strata, within eight representative habitats of five islands of the Azores (Santa Maria. São Miguel, Terceira, Flores and Pico) was recorded.

In this study, a total of 116,908 specimens belonging to 485 species and subspecies of selected groups of arthropods are reported by order, family and when possible genera and species. These represent a sub-set of the Arthropoda found during the monitoring program of the research project EDEN (2008-2014) carried out in the Azores archipelago. Hymenopteran, mostly parasitoids (194 species and mophospecies) accounted for the highest represented taxa across all the monitoring and sampling phase of EDEN Azores, followed by Coleoptera (95 species); Collembola (89 species); and Araneae (72 species). 

A total of 41 non-native species are reported for the first time in the Azores. Araneae: Liophrurillus flavitarsis (Lucas, 1846), Phrurolinillus lisboensis Wunderlich, 1995 (both Phrurolithidae). Coleoptera: Asaphidion flavipes (Linnaeus, 1761) (Carabidae); Tachyporus dispar (Paykull, 1789) (Staphylinidae), Nephus voeltzkowi (Weise, 1910) (Coccinellidae). Hemiptera: Acrosternum heegeri Fieber, 1861 (Pentatomidae). Collembola: Entomobrya regularis Stach, 1963 (Entomobryidae); Lepidocyrtus lusitanicus piezoensis (Simón-Benito, 2007) (Entomobryidae); Jordanathrix articulata (Ellis, 1974) (Sminthuridae); Sminthurinus quadrimaculatus (Ryder, 1879) (Katiannidae); Himalanura sp. (Entomobryidae); Protophorura sp. (Onychiuridae). Hymenoptera, parasitoids: Aphidius colemani Viereck, 1912 (Braconidae); Aphidius ervi Haliday, 1834 (Braconidae); Aphidius matricariae Viereck, 1912 (Braconidae); Aphidius rhopalosiphi Stefani-Perez, 1902 (Braconidae); Aphidius rosae (Haliday, 1834) (Braconidae); Aphidius urticae Haliday, 1834 (Braconidae); Centistidea ectoedemiae Rohwer, 1914 (Braconidae); Gonatopus clavipes (Thunberg, 1827) (Dryinidae); Meteorus unicolor (Wesmael, 1835) (Braconidae); Meteorus collaris (Spin.) Hal. – Ruschka, Fulmek, 1915 (Braconidae); Orthostigma cratospilum (Thomson, 1895) (Braconidae); Orthostigma latriventris Ratzeburg, 1844 (Braconidae); two other species of Orthostigma sp.; Pseudopezomachus bituberculatus (Marshall, 1905) (Braconidae); Tanycarpa punctata (van Achterberg, 1976) (Braconidae). New genera not previously recorded to Azores include: Pycnetron sp. (Chalcidoidea: Pteromalidae); Eucolidae sp. (Cynipoidea: Figitidae); four species of Aspilota sp. (Braconidae: Aphidiinae); four species of Chorebus sp. (Braconidae: Aphidiinae: Alysiinae); Microgaster sp. (Braconidae: Microgastrinae); Homolobus sp. (Braconidae: Homolobinae); Lodbrokia sp. (Braconidae).

These 41 taxa were found in several islands and correspond to the addition of six new species for Flores island, 12 species for Pico island, 15 species for Terceira island, 11 species for S. Miguel island and seven species for S. Maria island.

Additional species records for the islands included: Flores (5 Collembola, 9 Araneae; 2 Hemiptera; 8 Coleoptera, 8 Hymenoptera), Pico (4 Collembola; 7 Araneae; 4 Hemiptera; 11 Coleoptera; 9 Hymenoptera), Terceira (4 Collembola; 1 Araneae; 3 Hymenoptera), S. Miguel (1 Araneae; 2 Coleoptera; 3 Hymenoptera), S. Maria (5 Collembola; 3 Araneae; 2 Hemiptera; 2 Hymenoptera).