Diversity of ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) in potato agroecosystems of the central highlands of Peru

Diversity of ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) in potato agroecosystems of the central highlands of Peru

Verónica Cañedo, Jürgen Kroschel

International Potato Center (CIP), Global Program of Integrated Crop and Systems Research, Agroecology/IPM

P.O. Box 1558, Lima 12, Perú.

v.canedo@cgiar.org

Carabids are important in natural biological control of potato (Solanum tubersosum L.) pests in the highlands of Peru, but knowledge on their taxonomic diversity and distribution is very limited. From 2005 to 2010, we sampled carabids using pitfall traps in diverse potato agroecosystems in structural simple and complex landscapes at altitudes between 2800 and 3800 m a.s.l. in the Mantaro valley and Huasahuasi . A total of 24,142 individuals representing 29 species were collected of which four species and 14 genera have been identified. Species of the genera Metius (61%), Notiobia (20%) and Incagonum (11%) were most abundant in the Mantaro valley, while in Huasahuasi species of the genus Pelmatellus (85%) were prevalent. Diversity and abundance was influenced by altitude. At 3200-3400 m asl, the most common species were Metius sp., Notiobia (Anisotarsus) peruviana (Dej.) and Incagonum sp. near chilense (Dej.), and at 3800 m a.s.l. Blennidus mateui (Straneo) and N. peruviana. The landscape composition significantly influenced carabid abundance being higher in complex than in simple landscapes. The identification of carabids is an important contribution to the entomological knowledge of the central highlands of Peru, and for the development of an integrated pest management program, which considers this important group of predators and proposes alternatives control measures of pest management protecting and augmenting their populations.