Vertical stratification of insect abundance and species richness in an Amazonian tropical forest.

Tropical forests are among the most biodiverse biomes on the planet. Nevertheless, quantifying the abundance and species richness within megadiverse groups is a significant challenge. We designed a study to address this challenge by documenting the variability of the insect fauna across a vertical canopy gradient in a Central Amazonian tropical forest.

Five new species of Macrostomus Wiedemann and a checklist of Empididae (s. str.) (Diptera) from Bolivia.

Ten Bolivian species of Macrostomus Wiedemann were studied. Five species are redescribed based on type specimens           described by Bezzi. The species are included in the following species-groups: four in the M.

Tabanidae (Diptera) of Maranhão state, Brazil. V. Description of Protosilvius gurupi sp. n. (Pangoniinae, Pangoniini) and key to Protosilvius species.

Protosilvius gurupisp. n. (Tabanidae, Pangoniinae) is described and illustrated based on seven female and 53 male specimens collected in the Amazonian region at Reserva Biológica Gurupi, Centro Novo do Maranhão municipality, northwest Maranhão, Brazil.