On abundance and phenology of Geophilomorpha (Chilopoda) from Central Amazonian upland forests

Abstract

The 629 Gcophilomorpha collected within 12 months in the soil (9-7 cm deprh) of a primary upland forest (24 ± 16 individuals/m2 /month on average) and of a secondary upland forest (94 ± 28 ind./m’/month on average) near Manaus (Brazil) comprised 7 and 8 terricolous species respectively. Only 3 species were common to both forest types. In the primary forest, the Schendylidac (3 spp.) represented 57%, and in the secondary forest, the Geophilidac (4 spp.) 82% of all geophilomorphs. The correlation found between rhe monthly abundance of Hyphyd-rophilus adisi (Geophilidae) and rhe humidity of the soil indicared that this eudominant and most probably plurivoltine species of the secondary forest (71 ± 29 ind./m 7monrh on average) is xerophilous. Additional studies showed that rhe Gcophilomorpha represented 0.1—0.3% of rhe total arthropods extracted from rhe soil (0-14 cm depth) in three different upland forest types in Central Amazonia. Between 65% and 91% (48-72 ind./nr/monrh) of the total geophilomorphs were obtained from rhe upper 7 cm of rhe soil during rhe dry season and 44-100% (29-91 ind./m2/monrh) during the rainy season, compared ro the subsoil (7-14 cm depth).