HARVESTMEN (ARACHNIDA: OPILIONES) RECORDS IN ATLANTIC FOREST REMNANTS OF MINAS GERAIS STATE, BRAZIL

Harvestmen from the Atlantic Forest of Minas Gerais State

Abstract

Although the Atlantic Forest harbors the world’s greatest diversity of harvestmen (Arachnida: Opiliones), many forest areas remain undersampled or lack comprehensive data. Given the significant degradation experienced by the biome, it becomes crucial to perform faunal inventories of this group across different regions. This study aimed to conduct a survey of harvestmen by rapid sampling forest fragments of a Semideciduous Forest, a type of Atlantic Forest vegetation, in Ouro Fino and Itatiaiuçu, Minas Gerais, Brazil. Harvestmen were collected at night using the active search method. A total of 140 individuals from six species and seven morphospecies were collected, revealing the importance of protecting forest fragments of deforestation. Moreover, the findings indicate that more extensive sampling efforts are needed to accurately assess harvestman richness in these forest fragments, which may be under anthropogenic pressure. Additionally, there is a need for further inventories to better understand the conservation status of harvestmen in Brazil, and further contribute for biodiversity management and conservation.