Biodiversity Data Journal : Data Paper (Biosciences)
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Data Paper (Biosciences)
Monitoring Arthropods in maize and pasture fields in São Miguel and São Jorge Islands: IPM-Popillia Project
expand article infoMário Brum Teixeira‡, António O. Soares§, Paulo A. V. Borges|,¶,#, Mar Torres Calvet¤, Ángel Peñalver‡, Hugo R. Monteiro‡, Jorge Frias‡, Nelson Simoes‡
‡ Biotechnology Centre of Azores (CBA), Faculty of Sciences and Technology, University of the Azores, Ponta Delgada, Azores, Portugal
§ cE3c- Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes, Azorean Biodiversity Group, CHANGE – Global Change and Sustainability Institute, Faculty of Sciences and Technology, University of the Azores, PT-9500-321, Ponta Delgada, Azores, Portugal
| cE3c- Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes/Azorean Biodiversity Group, CHANGE – Global Change and Sustainability Institute, School of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, University of the Azores, Rua Capitão João d´Ávila, Pico da Urze, 9700-042, Angra do Heroísmo, Azores, Portugal
¶ IUCN SSC Mid-Atlantic Islands Invertebrate Specialist Group, Angra do Heroísmo, Azores, Portugal
# IUCN SSC Species Monitoring Specialist Group, Angra do Heroísmo, Azores, Portugal
¤ University of Girona, Faculty of Sciences, Girona, Spain
Corresponding author: Mário Brum Teixeira (mario.b.teixeira@uac.pt)
Academic editor: Pedro Cardoso
Received: 12 Jul 2023 | Accepted: 21 Sep 2023 | Published: 05 Oct 2023
© 2023 Mário Teixeira, António Soares, Paulo Borges, Mar Calvet, Ángel Peñalver, Hugo Monteiro, Jorge Frias, Nelson Simoes
This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Citation: Teixeira MB, Soares AO, Borges PAV, Calvet MT, Peñalver Á, Monteiro HR, Frias J, Simoes N (2023) Monitoring Arthropods in maize and pasture fields in São Miguel and São Jorge Islands: IPM-Popillia Project. Biodiversity Data Journal 11: e109431. https://doi.org/10.3897/BDJ.11.e109431
 Open Access

Abstract

Background

The dataset presented here is an achievement of the H2020 European project "Integrated Pest Management of the Invasive Japanese Beetle, Popillia japonica (IPM-Popillia)". This project addresses the challenge of a new risk to plant health in Europe, the invasion of the Japanese beetle, Popillia japonica (Newman, 1838) (Coleoptera, Rutelidae) and provides an environmentally friendly IPM Toolbox to control the expanding pest populations across Europe. This study aims to present the records of terrestrial arthropod diversity with a special focus on four groups belonging to Carabids and Staphylinid beetles (Coleoptera), Opiliones and Anisolabididae (Dermaptera), collected with the potential to be used as biocontrol agents against P. japonica in future Integrated Pest Management programmes. A thorough sampling programme was conducted in maize and pasture fields in two Islands of the Azores (São Miguel and São Jorge) in the summer of 2022.

New information

We provided an inventory of the arthropods recorded in two Azorean agroecosystems (maize and pasture fields) from São Miguel and São Jorge Islands. A total of ten maize and ten pasture fields were sampled and a total of 360 pitfall traps were installed, 216 in São Miguel and 144 in São Jorge, for seven consecutive days in August and September of 2022.

We collected 18559 specimens belonging to the phylum Arthropoda, four classes, twelve orders, twenty-six families and forty morphospecies (two identified at the family level as carabid and Staphylinid larvae and 38 identified at the species level). We identified 38 taxa at the species level (n = 18281). Of the 38 identified taxa, 18 species were predators, 15 were plant feeders and five were omnivores. The 18 predators belong to the following families: 10 species were Carabidae, two Staphylinidae, one Anisolabididae, one Chrysopidae, one Leiobunidae, one Nabidae, one Phalangiidae and one Scathophagidae. Concerning the origin of the predators, we recorded five native species: two Carabidae, one Leiobunidae, one Scathophagidae and one Nabidae. The other 13 predator species were introduced or indeterminate.

Keywords

Popillia japonica, pitfall traps, biodiversity, maize, pasture, predators, Carabidae, Staphylinidae, Azores

Introduction

Agriculture is considered one of the most important sources of pressure for native habitats and species across Europe, driving critical biodiversity losses (European Commission, Directorate-General for Environment and Sundseth 2021). Agricultural environments in Europe are also of critical importance to the conservation of biodiversity. Indeed, these anthropogenic areas hold all wild varieties of life forms, including plant varieties and breeds of animals, soil organisms, pests and pollinators. According to the European Environment Agency, 50% of all species in the EU rely upon agricultural habitats (Kristensen 2003, European Environment Agency 2006, Stoate et al. 2009). All those species, including soil arthropods, contribute to a diverse array of ecological processes, including ecosystem services like decomposition, nutrient cycling, pollination and pest control (Willem Erisman et al. 2016, Kuťáková et al. 2018, Cuff et al. 2021, Ferrante et al. 2022), which are directly consequential for food production and security (Messer and Cohen 2007, Zarnetske et al. 2012, Ameixa et al. 2018, Ichii et al. 2019, Dainese et al. 2019, Cardoso et al. 2020, Samways et al. 2020).

While several factors contribute to the decrease in biodiversity in agroecosystems, much of this is directly related to agriculture intensification (Stoate et al. 2009). Agroecosystems with a higher diversity of soil-surface arthropods result in more efficient biocontrol (Menta and Remelli 2020, Gonçalves et al. 2020). The intensive use of pesticides can negatively disrupt arthropod populations, reducing their diversity and affecting the efficacy of biocontrol programmes. By implementing biological control conservation strategies to recruit and protect these organisms, we contribute to preserving the agricultural ecosystem, translating into safer agriculture practices (Zhang et al. 2021). Feeding more people puts additional pressure on available agricultural lands and natural areas (FoodPrint 2023, European Union 2023). The enduring challenge is the search for practices that provide new integrated strategies that explicitly balance the needs of different species and services (Tomich et al. 2011).

Regardless of their functional group, insects are a dominant component of biodiversity in most ecosystems. Ground-dwelling beetles (Coleoptera, Carabidae) and rove beetles (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae) are considered two of the most important generalist predators, having a long-standing tradition in pest management strategies in Central European agriculture. Indeed, many references assess their role as biological control agents (Luff 1987, Lövei and Sunderland 1996, Kromp 1999). In this context, any disruptive action may cause irreversible damage to the wealth and abundance of biotic communities (Samways et al. 2020) and, consequently, lead to the simplification of food webs (Derocles et al. 2018). The relatively simple architecture of agroecosystem trophic webs (Roubinet et al. 2018) may entail the loss of redundancy needed to respond to future environmental changes (Reich et al. 2012). The absence of many generalist species, that is, the lack of a redundancy system that protects against species loss, makes these systems vulnerable, for example, to biological invasions (Tylianakis et al. 2008, Heleno et al. 2020).

On the one hand, the positive contribution of biodiversity to ecosystem functioning is relatively consensual (Hong et al. 2022); on the other hand, the dependence of ecosystem services on species richness is still under debate (Dainese et al. 2019). In temperate and subtropical regions, arthropod communities present a few highly-abundant (dominant) species and many rare species (Hamilton 2005, Matthews and Whittaker 2014). This raises the pertinent question about which alternative biodiversity scenarios best favour ecosystem services, the occurrence of a small number of dominant species or many complementary species having the same functional role (Dainese et al. 2019). The few empirical studies on this issue reveal contradictory results and suggest that different agroecosystems and mechanisms underlying their functionality respond to biodiversity interactions, but are difficult to predict. A recent survey conducted by Dainese et al. (2019) discovered that, in contrast to equitability, rich and abundant pollinators and biological control agents positively impact the ecosystem. These findings suggest that dominant species play a crucial role as the primary contributors to ecosystem service.

Assessing the taxonomical and functional biodiversity of soil arthropods and their potential role in controlling pest species and the predation range of these animals are important steps in biological control. The direct observation and subsequent identification of prey fragments in the stomach of the predators is laborious and time-consuming, particularly in dynamic plant growing systems where both prey and predators have short life cycles and are of small size (Morris et al. 1999, Ellis et al. 2001, Sheppard et al. 2004, Foltan et al. 2005). However, it is possible to assess these generalist predators diets using molecular tools like Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) (Roy et al. 2021, Batuecas et al. 2022, Saqib et al. 2022).

The Japanese beetle was accidentally introduced in Terceira Island (Archipelago of the Azores, Portugal), where it became invasive. The species was first detected in the North American Air Force Base at Lajes Parish in the early 70s (Martins et al. 1988, Lopes and Mexia 1995, Lopes et al. 2001). From there, the species quickly dispersed to the other Azores islands through occasional introductions when adults or larvae were shipped through local trade. Since then, population densities have gradually increased, becoming a major pest of maize and pasture fields.

Popillia japonica larvae feed on the roots of pasture grasses, which cover most of the agricultural areas of the Azores. Adults feed on leaves and flowers of hundreds of agricultural, ruderal and ornamental plant species, including maize, one of the most important fodder crops for cattle feeding (Vieira 2008). Over the last few years, there has been a higher recorded abundance of Popillia japonica in São Jorge Island compared to São Miguel. Therefore, in this study, we focus on recording the epigean arthropods present on both islands to find potential predators that could be used to control the pest.

The European Project "Integrated Pest Management of the Invasive Japanese Beetle, Popillia japonica" - IPM-Popillia aims to find biological control techniques to provide an environmentally friendly IPM-Toolbox to control Japanese beetles in the infested zones, protecting agricultural habitats and try to control this pest current European expansion.

In this study, we assessed the taxonomical and functional biodiversity of soil arthropods in maize and pasture fields in São Miguel and São Jorge Islands, recording generalist predators with the potential for biological control of agricultural pests. This work will provide us with the biological material to access predators diets in future work using NGS tools.

General description

Purpose: 

To provide an arthropod inventory with a focus on Carabids and Staphylinid beetles (Coleoptera), Opiliones and Anisolabididae (Dermaptera), in the agro-ecosystems of São Miguel and São Jorge Islands (Azores), based on data collected in two agro-ecosystems, maize and pasture fields. This study aims to enhance our understanding of the taxonomic and functional diversity of terrestrial arthropods, with a focus on the carabid and staphylinid groups with the ultimate goal of identifying potential biological control agents that can effectively manage Popillia japonica pest populations.

Additional information: 

The European IPM-Popillia project aims to control the invasion of the Japanese beetle, Popillia japonica, based exclusively on environmentally friendly control measures. It is essential to implement measures to control the propagation of the insect and to contain the increase in population density to limit economic losses.

Project description

Title: 

Monitoring arthropods in maize and pasture fields in São Miguel and São Jorge Islands: IPM-Popillia Project

Personnel: 

Project leaders: Mário Brum Teixeira, António Onofre Soares, Nelson Simões

Team members: Mar Calvet, Ángel Peñalver, Hugo Monteiro, Jorge Frias, Paulo A. V. Borges

Parataxonomists: Paulo A. V. Borges

Darwin Core Database Management: Paulo A. V. Borges

Study area description: 

The study was conducted in São Miguel and São Jorge, two islands of the Azores (North Atlantic). São Miguel Island is situated in the oriental group (37.780411, -25.497047) and is the largest island in the Archipelago with 746.8 km² and a maximum altitude above sea level of 1103 metres. São Jorge Island is situated in the central group (38.627778, -28.017222) and is the fourth largest island of the Archipelago with 245.8 km² and a maximum altitude above sea level of 1053 metres.

Design description: 

We sampled ground arthropods in maize fields (Fig. 1), with plants in a phenological stage of grain-filling and intensive pastures fields (Fig. 2), mainly composed of perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.), annual ryegrass (Lolium multiflorm L.) and white clover (Trifolium repens L.). The sampling programme was conducted during the summer of 2022, from August to September. A total of 360 pitfall traps were installed, 216 in São Miguel and 144 in São Jorge, for seven consecutive days, when adults of Popillia japonica were in reproductive activity, including egg laying into the soil. During this period, we also found eggs and first instar larvae in the soil and, thus, the most suitable season to record potential ground natural enemies of Popillia japonica.

Figure 1.  

Maize field in São Jorge Island (JL1_SJ – Calheta, Ribeira seca) (Credit: Mário B. Teixeira).

Figure 2.  

Pasture field in São Miguel Island (LRC52_SM - São Vicente Ferreira) (Credit: Mário B. Teixeira).

A total of 20 fields were sampled, six maize fields and six pasture fields, for São Miguel Island and four maize fields and four pasture fields for São Jorge Island (Table 1). Pitfall traps, consisting of standard 390 ml plastic cups 8 cm wide (Fig. 3), were partially filled with propylene glycol to preserve the specimens. Pitfall traps were set at the soil level to allow crawling insects to fall into the propylene glycol.

Figure 3.  

Example of a pitfall trap on the left (standard 390 ml plastic cups, 8 cm wide at the top and approximately 12 cm deep). On the right is an example of rain protection with plastic plates sitting on wooden skewers 2 cm above the ground surface (Credit: Mário B. Teixeira).

The collected specimens were sorted and posteriorly identified in the laboratory by an expert taxonomist (PAVB).

Funding: 

This investigation was supported by the project IPM-Popillia: Integrated Pest Management of the Invasive Japanese Beetle, P. japonica (grant Nr. H2020-EU.3.2.1.1. / ID: 861852). M.T. and A.P. were hired by the project and J.F. received a research fellowship from the IPM-Popillia project. H.R.M. is a researcher in the CBA centre, financed by Pluriannual FCT -I.P. — Programmatic Component — Ref. UIDP/05292/2020. The student M.C. collaborated with the project under the programme of Erasmus+ Mobility for Traineeships from the University of Girona, Faculty of Sciences, Spain.

PAVB work was financed by the project Portal da Biodiversidade dos Açores (2022-2023) - PO Azores Project - M1.1.A/INFRAEST CIENT/001/2022.

Sampling methods

Description: 

The sampling programme was conducted in 20 agricultural fields, twelve in São Miguel (six in maize fields and six in pasture fields) and eight in São Jorge (four maize fields and four pasture fields). A total of 18 pitfall traps were installed in each site, distributed in three parallel transects. Along each transect, six pitfall traps were placed and spaced by five metres each. The transects were 25 metres long and distanced from each other by 20 metres. The transects were set from the edges to the centre of the field.

Sampling description: 

Pitfall traps were used to sample ground arthropods in two agricultural habitats, maize and pasture fields of São Miguel and São Jorge Islands.

Pitfall traps consisted of standard 390 ml plastic cups, partially filled with propylene glycol and deployed for seven consecutive days.

Traps were protected from predation, inundation with rainwater and unwanted vertebrate capture (i.e. reptiles) using plastic plates on wooden skewers 2 cm above the ground surface. As the traps are sometimes fragile, two cups could be used per trap, one placed inside the other.

A total of 216 pitfall traps were installed on the 12 fields of São Miguel Island, 108 in maize fields and 108 in pasture fields. In São Jorge, a total of 144 pitfall traps were deployed, 72 in maize fields and 72 in pasture fields.

After the seven days of sampling for São Miguel, the number of pitfalls successfully recovered was 195 pitfalls, 102 in maize fields and 93 in pastures. For São Jorge, we recovered 80 pitfalls, 37 from maize fields and 43 from pasture fields.

Specimens collected were then transferred to ethanol (96%) and stored at -20ºC

Specimens were identified by Paulo A.V. Borges and Mário Teixeira, based on the Azorean arthropods collection from “Portal da Biodiversidade dos Açores, University of the Azores” led by Professor Paulo A.V. Borges. A new collection reference was created in the framework of the project IPM-Popillia, referencing each species occurring on the present dataset.

Quality control: 

Before sorting, specimens were stored in alcohol (96%) at -20ºC. Specimens, adults and larvae were sorted in a laboratory by Mário Teixeira and Mar Calvet and organised in a system of morphospecies. Final identification was made by Paulo A.V. Borges.

Step description: 

Final identification was made by Paulo A.V. Borges.

Geographic coverage

Description: 

The study was conducted on São Miguel and São Jorge, two islands of the Archipelago of the Azores (North Atlantic). São Miguel Island is situated in the oriental group (37.780411, -25.497047) and is the largest island of the Archipelago with 746.8 km² and a maximum altitude above sea level of 1103 metres. São Jorge Island is situated in the central group (38.627778, -28.017222) and is the fourth largest island of the Archipelago with 245.8 km² and a maximum altitude above sea level of 1053 metres.

Coordinates: 

37°42'35.64''N and 38°46'47.21''N Latitude; 28°19'41.69''W and 25°7'22.75''W Longitude.

Taxonomic coverage

Description: 

The following phylum, classes and orders are covered in this study, although our scientific focus is the phylum of Arthropoda.

Phylum Arthropoda, Arachnida, Opiliones; Diplopoda, Julida, Polydesmida; Insecta, Archaeognatha, Coleoptera, Dermaptera, Diptera, Hemiptera, Neuroptera, Orthoptera; Malacostraca, Amphipoda, Isopoda.

Traits coverage

Taxonomic ranks

Phylum: Arthropoda

Class: Arachnida, Diplopoda, Insecta, Malacostraca

Order: Amphipoda, Archaeognatha, Coleoptera, Dermaptera, Diptera, Hemiptera, Isopoda, Julida, Neuroptera, Opiliones, Orthoptera, Polydesmida

Common names:

Bristletails, Beetles, Crustaceans, Earwigs, Flies, Bugs, Woodlouse, Millipedes, Lacewings, Opilions, Crickets, Grasshoppers, Flat-backed millipedes.

Description:

The following phylum and orders of arthropods are covered: phylum Arthropoda and orders: Amphipoda, Archaeognatha, Coleoptera, Dermaptera, Diptera, Hemiptera, Isopoda, Julida, Neuroptera, Opiliones, Orthoptera, Polydesmida (Table 2). The individual count is organised by habitat (maize and pasture) and Island (São Miguel and São Jorge).

Table 1.
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Description of the habitat, locality, elevation and coordinates of the 20 sampled sites on São Miguel and São Jorge Islands, Azores.

Habitat LocationID Island Locality DecimalLatitude DecimalLongitude Altitude Sampling date
pasture FR_SM São Miguel São Sebastião, Ponta Delgada 37.7706010 -25.6760220 195 23-30/09/2022
pasture AR_SM São Miguel Arrifes, Ponta Delgada 37.7882960 -25.7084310 263 23-30/09/2022
pasture JS_SM São Miguel Arrifes, Ponta Delgada 37.7888760 -25.7085740 266 23-30/09/2022
pasture LJB_SM São Miguel Arrifes, Ponta Delgada 37.7678480 -25.6842060 178 23-30/09/2022
pasture SG_SM São Miguel Arrifes, Ponta Delgada 37.7807290 -25.6756220 279 23-30/09/2022
pasture LRC52_SM São Miguel São Vicente Ferreira, Ponta Delgada 37.7952290 -25.6791070 250 23-30/09/2022
maize HR_SM São Miguel Fajã de cima, Ponta Delgada 37.7706170 -25.6743480 199 23-30/09/2022
maize RC53_SM São Miguel Fajã de Cima, Ponta Delgada 37.7939300 -25.6506190 252 23-30/09/2022
maize JM_SM São Miguel Arrifes, Ponta Delgada 37.7799000 -25.6875150 259 23-30/09/2022
maize MO_SM São Miguel Arrifes, Ponta Delgada 37.7808440 -25.7093820 242 23-30/09/2022
maize PL_SM São Miguel Arrifes, Ponta Delgada 37.7922890 -25.6938310 281 23-30/09/2022
maize RC52_SM São Miguel São Vicente Ferreira, Ponta Delgada 37.7957950 -25.6778230 245 23-30/09/2022
pasture AC_SJ São Jorge Velas, Velas 38.7086260 -28.1889010 421 23-30/08/2022
pasture JL2_SJ São Jorge Ribeira Seca, Calheta 38.5957420 -27.9790020 72 23-30/08/2022
pasture MS_SJ São Jorge Santo Amaro, Velas 38.6920620 -28.1815500 433 23-30/08/2022
pasture RC_SJ São Jorge Velas, Velas 38.7057180 -28.1987760 383 23-30/08/2022
maize CF_SJ São Jorge Santo Amaro, Velas 38.6782920 -28.1640850 480 23-30/08/2022
maize JJ_SJ São Jorge Santo Amaro, Velas 38.6862790 -28.1849220 348 23-30/08/2022
maize JL1_SJ São Jorge Ribeira Seca, Calheta 38.5989220 -27.9720640 136 23-30/08/2022
maize NA_SJ São Jorge Velas, Velas 38.6974890 -28.1955040 346 23-30/08/2022
Table 2.
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Inventory of organisms by order, sampled in maize and pasture fields in São Miguel and São Jorge Islands (Azores, Portugal) for the year 2022. The common names (Common name) and abundance values are provided.

Rank Scientific Name Common Name São Jorge (SJ) SJ Total São Miguel (SM) SM Total GrandTotal
maize pasture maize pasture
order Amphipoda Crustaceans 37 482 519 385 1777 2162 2681
order Archaeognatha Bristletails 1 1 1
order Coleoptera Beetles 925 1716 2641 2941 1072 4013 6654
order Dermaptera Earwigs 101 109 210 146 529 675 885
order Diptera Flyes 90 234 324 46 392 438 762
order Hemiptera Bugs 5 19 24 56 120 176 200
order Isopoda Woodlouse 80 81 161 14 55 69 230
order Julida Millipedes 86 75 161 25 45 70 231
order Neuroptera Lacewings 22 22 22
order Opiliones Opilions 166 216 382 1583 2305 3888 4270
order Orthoptera Crickets, Grasshoppers 234 481 715 637 1203 1840 2555
order Polydesmida Flat-backed millipedes 6 9 15 27 26 53 68

Temporal coverage

Notes: 

August 23, 2022 - September 30, 2022

Collection data

Collection name: 
IPM-Popillia Arthropods collection 2022. (IPMPopillia_SM_SJ_2022)
Collection identifier: 
IPMPopillia_SM_SJ_2022
Specimen preservation method: 
Alcohol
Curatorial unit: 
Curator: Paulo A. V. Borges

Usage licence

Usage licence: 
Creative Commons Public Domain Waiver (CC-Zero)

Data resources

Data package title: 
Monitoring arthropods in maize and pasture fields of São Miguel and São Jorge Islands: IPM-Popillia Project
Resource link: 
https://www.gbif.org/dataset/0a06ebda-274b-4cd7-bb13-ce449f56bb80
Alternative identifiers: 
https://doi.org/10.15468/4cnhw9
Number of data sets: 
1
Data set name: 
Monitoring arthropods in maize and pasture fields of São Miguel and São Jorge Islands: IPM-Popillia Project.
Download URL: 
http://ipt.gbif.pt/ipt/resource?r=ipm_popillia_azores#anchor-citation
Data format: 
Darwin Core Archive
Data format version: 
version 1.3
Description: 

The dataset table includes all the records for which a taxonomic identification of the species was possible. The dataset submitted to GBIF is structured as a sample event dataset, with two tables: event (as core) and occurrences (abundance data). The data in this sampling event resource have been published as a Darwin Core Archive (DwCA), a standardised format for sharing biodiversity data as a set of one or more data tables. The core data file contains 275 records (eventID) and the occurrences file 2226 records (occurrenceID). The data and resource metadata are available for download from Teixeira et al. (2023).

Column label Column description
Table of sampling events Table with sampling events data (beginning of table).
eventID Identifier of the events, unique for the dataset.
stateProvince Name of the region of the sampling site.
islandGroup Name of the archipelago followed by the island group geographic position; oriental central and occidental.
island Name of the island.
country The country of the sampling site is Portugal in all cases.
countryCode ISO code of the country of the sampling site.
locality Name of the locality.
locationRemarks Name of the corresponding parish.
decimalLatitude Approximate centre points decimal latitude of the field site in GPS coordinates.
decimalLongitude Approximate centre points decimal longitude of the field site in GPS coordinates.
minimumElevationInMetres Approximate centre point altitude of the field site in GPS coordinates.
habitat The habitat of the sample, only two habitats were sampled, pasture and maize fields.
geodeticDatum The ellipsoid, geodetic datum or spatial reference system (SRS) upon which the geographic coordinates given in decimal latitude and decimal longitude are based, WGS84 in all cases.
coordinateUncertaintyInMetres Uncertainty of the coordinates of the centre of the sampling plot.
coordinatePrecision The precision of the coordinates.
georeferenceSources A list (concatenated and separated) of maps, gazetteers or other resources used to geo-reference the location, described specifically enough to allow anyone in the future to use the same resources.
locationID Identifier of the location.
samplingProtocol The sampling protocol was used to capture the species, pitfall traps were used in all cases.
sampleSizeValue The numeric amount of time spent in each sampling, seven days in all cases
sampleSizeUnit The unit of the sample size value, days in all cases
eventDate Date or date range the record was collected.
occurrence Table Table with species abundance data (beginning of new table).
eventId Identifier of the events, unique for the dataset.
type Type of the record, as defined by the Public Core standard, physical object in all cases.
licence Reference to the licence under which the record is published.
institutionID The identity of the institution publishing the data.
institutionCode The code of the institution publishing the data.
collection id The identity of the collection publishing the data.
collectionCode The code of the collection where the specimens are conserved was defined as IPMPopillia.
datasetName Name of the dataset was defined has IPMPopillia_SM_SJ_2022.
basisOfRecord The nature of the data record.
occurrenceID Identifier of the record, coded as a global unique identifier.
recordedBy A list (concatenated and separated) of names of people, groups or organisations who performed the sampling in the field.
identifiedBy A list (concatenated and separated) of names of people, groups or organisations who performed the identification of the organisms captured.
dateIdentified The date on which the subject was determined as representing the Taxon.
organismquantity The quantification system used for the number of organisms.
organismquantitytype The type of quantification system used for the number of organisms.
lifeStage The life stage of the organisms captured were categorised in adults or larvae.
establishmentMeans The process of establishment of the species in the location, using a controlled vocabulary: 'native', 'introduced', "indeterminate".
scientificName The complete scientific name, including author and year.
kingdom Kingdom name.
phylum Phylum name.
class Class name.
order Order name.
family Family name.
genus Genus name.
specificEpithet Specific epithet.
infraspecificEpithet The name of the lowest or terminal infraspecific epithet of the scientificName, excluding any rank designation.
taxon rank The lowest taxonomic rank of the record.
scientificnameauthorship Name of the author of the lowest taxon rank included in the record.

Additional information

We collected a total of 18559 specimens belonging to the phylum Arthropoda, in four classes, 12 orders and 26 families. A total of 40 morphospecies were identified: two at the family level and 38 at the species level. For the 38 identified taxa, we identified 18281 specimens. Although we were not able to identify the exact corresponding species of carabid (n = 34) and Staphylinid larvae (n = 244), they were also selected to further evaluate their gut contents for Popillia japonica.

To meet the objectives of the IPM project, we focused on generalist predators with omnivorous behaviour. We selected four groups belonging to Opiliones (n = 4270), Carabids (n = 4370), Staphylinid beetles (n = 1697) and Anisolabididae (n = 885) specimens (Table 3). These four groups were selected, based on the species densities in the habitat sampled and their potential to predate on other live insect species as described in past research (De Heij and Willenborg 2020, Reich et al. 2020, Méndez-Rojas et al. 2021).

Table 3.
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List of chosen potential Popillia japonica predators and their frequency by island and by agricultural crop, maize or pasture. Capital letters represent the means of establishment of the arthropod as I- introduced, N- native and I/N -indeterminate.

Class

 Order Family ScientificName Origin São Jorge São Miguel

Grand

Total
maize pasture maize pasture
Arachnida Opiliones Leiobunidae Leiobunum blackwalli Meade, 1861 N 166 216 1582 2301 4265
Arachnida Opiliones Phalangiidae Phalangium opilio Linnaeus, 1758 I 1 4 5
Insecta Coleoptera Carabidae

Agonum marginatum

(Linnaeus, 1758)

 I 64 141 12 217
Insecta Coleoptera Carabidae

Agonum muelleri muelleri

(Herbst, 1784)

 I 127 33 160
Insecta Coleoptera Carabidae

Amara aenea

(De Geer, 1774)

 I 2 14 16
Insecta Coleoptera Carabidae

Anisodactylus binotatus

(Fabricius, 1787)

 I 46 28 12 86
Insecta Coleoptera Carabidae

Calosoma olivieri

Dejean, 1831

 N 15 196 31 43 285
Insecta Coleoptera Carabidae

Harpalus distinguendus distinguendus (Duftschmid, 1812)

 I 1 18 19
Insecta Coleoptera Carabidae

Ophonus ardosiacus

(Lutshnik, 1922)

 I 3 1 3 25 32
Insecta Coleoptera Carabidae

Pseudoophonus rufipes

(De Geer, 1774)

 I 515 707 994 271 2487
Insecta Coleoptera Carabidae

Pterostichus vernalis

(Panzer, 1796)

 I 107 550 307 69 1033
Insecta Coleoptera Carabidae

Stenolophus teutonus

(Schrank, 1781)

 N 1 1
Insecta Coleoptera Carabidae Carabidae (larvae) I 6 3 25 34
Insecta Coleoptera Staphylinidae

Ocypus olens

(Müller, 1764)

 I/N 17 11 30 40 98
Insecta Coleoptera Staphylinidae

Rugilus orbiculatus

(Paykull, 1789

 I/N 162 76 961 156 1355
Insecta Coleoptera Staphylinidae Staphylinidae (larvae) I 1 13 174 56 244
Insecta Dermaptera Anisolabididae Euborellia annulipes (Lucas, 1847) I 101 109 146 529 885

Considering the total specimens identified from the two Islands and within these four groups, the most abundant taxa were the native opilionid Leiobunum blackwalli, followed by the carabid Pseudoophonus rufipes, the staphylinid Rugilus orbiculatus and the earwig Euborellia annulipes (n = 885). These most abundant species are considered voracious predators, which could act as natural controllers by reducing the densities and spread of the pest P. japonica.

Other carabids that showed lower densities like Agonum marginatum, Agonum muelleri muelleri, Amara aenea and Harpalus distinguendus distinguendus were found to be absent or in lower densities in São Jorge Island comparing with their densities to São Miguel Island.

Amongst carabids, the dominant taxa in maize and pastures were the introduced Pseudoophonus rufipes and Pterostichus vernalis. Interestingly, these two species were more abundant in maize fields only on São Miguel Island. Within Staphylinids, the dominant taxon was Rugilus orbiculatus (n = 1355), more abundant in maize fields on both Islands.

In this study, we selected potential natural predators and assessed their prevalence and diversity in maize and pasture fields, which are the main habitats of the pest Popillia japonica in the Azores. The invasive and native arthropods here selected will be further tested for their gut contents to unveil their feeding habits and quantify their potential for controlling Popillia japonica.

We added an additional table (Suppl. material 1) of other unidentified taxa, that were not considered for the objective of this study. However, these data could be later used to access diverse food web interactions between the predators that may be associated with Popillia japonica control.

Future perspectives

This publication contributes to a better knowledge of the arthropod communities in agro-ecosystems where Popillia japonica is present on São Miguel and São Jorge Islands. It will serve as a first screening to study the presence of potential soil predators for Popillia japonica in pastures and maize fields of the Azores Archipelago.

Acknowledgements

We thank all the farmers who permitted us to work on their properties: Nelson Massa, Hélio Resendes, João Adriano Massa, Ricardo Coelheira, Luís Massa, Helder Silvestre, Arlindo Arruda, José Lizuarte, Nelson Azevedo, João Júlio Amarante, Celso Amarante Furnas, André Cabral, Rui César and Miguel Angelo Brasil Silva.

We also have a special thanks to the operational services personnel of the Secretaria Regional da Agricultura e do Desenvolvimento Rural, Hilário C. Arruda and Fábio MB. Carvalho and Eng. José Adriano Mota for helping us to choose the fields and establishing contacts with the landowners. Additionally, a special thanks to Jessica Machado and Fátima Maria Meneses Osório from Serviço de Desenvolvimento Agrário de São Jorge (SDASJ) for the help in São Jorge Island.

This project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme under grant agreement Nr. H2020-EU.3.2.1.1. / ID: 861852.

Author contributions

Curator

Mario Brum Teixeira: Data Curation; Darwin Core dataset preparation; Contributed to study conceptualisation and methodology, performed the fieldwork, performed species sorting, identification and manuscript writing and revision.

Author

António Onofre Soares: Contributed to study conceptualisation, Methodology and Data Curation; Darwin Core dataset preparation; Formal analysis and interpretation and contributed to manuscript writing and revision.

Author

Mar Calvet: Performed the species sorting and identification and contributed to manuscript writing and revision.

Author

Ángel Peñalver: Performed the fieldwork and performed the species sorting.

Author

Hugo Monteiro: Performed the fieldwork and participated in species sorting.

Author

Jorge Frias: Performed the fieldwork.

Curator

Paulo A. V. Borges: Contributed to study conceptualisation, Data Curation; Darwin Core dataset preparation; Formal analysis and interpretation; and species identification.

Author

Nelson Simões: Contributed to study conceptualisation and methodology, performed the fieldwork and manuscript revision.

References

Supplementary material

Suppl. material 1: Table of unidentified taxa 
Authors:  Paulo A. V. Borges, Mário Brum Teixeira, António Onofre Soares
Data type:  Occurrence data
Brief description: 

Occurrence data of specimens that were not in context with the objective of the manuscript and were not identified.

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