Ecological Characterization of White Grubs (Coleoptera: Melolonthidae) Community in Cultivated and Noncultivated Fields

Ecological Characterization of White Grubs
(Coleoptera: Melolonthidae) Community in

Cultivated and Noncultivated Fields
M A Cherman, M A Morn, E Dal Pr, I
Valmorbida & J V C Guedes
Neotropical Entomology
ISSN 1519-566X
Neotrop Entomol
DOI 10.1007/s13744-014-0214-0
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Author's personal copy

Neotrop Entomol
DOI 10.1007/s13744-014-0214-0
PEST MANAGEMENT
Ecological Characterization of White Grubs (Coleoptera: Melolonthidae)

Community in Cultivated and Noncultivated Fields
MA CHERMAN1, MA MORN2, E DAL PR3, I VALMORBIDA3, JVC GUEDES3
1
Lab de Sistemtica e Bioecologia de Coleoptera, Depto de Zoologia, Univ Federal do Paran, Curitiba, PR, Brasil
Red de Biodiversidad y Sistemtica, Instituto de Ecologia, A.C., Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico
3
Depto de Defesa Fitossanitria, Univ Federal de Santa Maria, Santa Maria, RS, Brasil
2
Keywords
Abundance, diversity, occurrence,
soil-dwelling larvae, winter crop
Correspondence
MA Cherman, Lab de Sistemtica e
Bioecologia de Coleoptera, Depto de
Zoologia, Univ Federal do Paran, Centro
Politcnico, 81531-980, CP 19020, Curitiba,
PR, Brasil; marianabioar@gmail.com
Edited by Andr L Loureno IAC
Received 28 August 2013 and accepted 17
March 2014
* Sociedade Entomolgica do Brasil 2014
Abstract
Comparative studies on the density and diversity of white grubs community
(Coleoptera: Melolonthidae) occurring in cultivated and noncultivated
fields of the Planalto region of the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil,
are presented. Sampling was carried out in 23 municipalities during the
2009 and 2010 winter seasons. Cultivated and noncultivated fields were
chosen in each locality. Melolontid larvae were collected for identification and counted to determine the population density. A mean of
12.9 larvae m2 were collected in cultivated areas against 10.5 larvae m2
in noncultivated areas. The latter were more diverse (H=2.52) than
cultivated areas (H=2.26). Despite the high evenness index (J=0.75
noncultivated and J=0.74 cultivated), faunistic parameters indicated
Cyclocephala flavipennis Arrow and Diloboderus abderus Sturm as an
extremely dominant species in cultivated areas. These results showed
that the population density of white grubs increases, and their community composition is affected in cultivated areas.
Introduction
The replacement of native forest by grasslands significantly
transforms the structure of soil-dwelling communities.
Grasslands are poor in plant abundance and richness, whereas biomass can be greater due to the development of rootfeeding and saprophagous species, which did not exist or
were not abundant in forests (Lavelle & Kohlmann 1984). In
this way, the reduction in biodiversity due to human intervention in natural ecosystems opens up the possibility for
increasing the abundance of many strict or facultative rootfeeding species (Morn 1996).
Larvae of Melolonthidae (Endrdi 1966, Morn 2001),
commonly called white grubs, are natural soil dwellings of
grassland ecosystems and perform an important role in
nutrient recycling and in improving soil quality. However,
agricultural expansion and the adoption of no-till farming
provided conditions for many root-feeding white grubs
species to become pests (Silva 2000). In the state of Rio
Grande do Sul, Brazil, the most cited melolontids occurring
in pastures and winter crops like wheat, oat, and Italian

ryegrass are Cyclocephala flavipennis Arrow, Diloboderus
abderus Sturm, Phyllophaga triticophaga Salvadori &
Morn, and Demodema brevitarsis Blanchard. The latter
three species are root feeders and damage winter crops
when in high population densities (Morn & Salvadori
2006). Most studies on soil-dwelling insects have focused
on agricultural pests and strategies for population control.
In this context, other species, as well as the complex
network of ecological relationships developed over millions
of years of evolution are underestimated. That might be
the reason for the unsatisfactory long-term control of
white grubs (Morn 2004a).
Thus, the present study aimed to investigate if the
agricultural activities can affect the diversity and abundance of white grub communities by a comparative
analysis of several ecological parameters between cultivated and noncultivated fields in different localities
throughout the Planalto region of the state of Rio
Grande do Sul, Brazil.

Cherman et al
Material and Methods
(DZUP), Departamento de Zoologia, Universidade Federal do

Paran, Curitiba, Paran.
Study area
Statistical analyses
Samples were collected in the winter seasons of 2009 and
2010, from July to September of each year, in 23 municipalities of the Planalto region, state of Rio Grande do Sul. These
localities were chosen based on information gathered
farmers and extension specialists due to their agricultural
productivity and white grub occurrence. The mean annual
temperature of the area studied is 18.0C, ranging from 16.0
to 19.4C. The highest temperatures occur at the western
side of the Planalto, while the lowest ones occur at the
northeast side. Mean temperature varies from 9.9 to 13.6C
in July and from 22.3 to 26.1C in January. Values of normal
rainfall in the state vary from 1,186 (eastern Planalto) to
2,468 mm/year (western Planalto) (Brasil 1973). The altitude
varies from 140 m (Manoel Viana) in the east to 850 m
(Vacaria) in the northeast. The Planalto is represented by
the combination of two floristic ecorregions, the Brazilian
araucaria moist forests, and the Campos moist grassland,
both with secondary vegetation and agricultural activities
(Duarte et al 2006). In the Brazilian araucaria moist forest,
Araucaria angustifolia, Podocarpus lambertii, and Ilex
paraguariensis are the predominant species. Campos
grassland is composed mainly by Paspalum notatum
and Aristida pollens, as well as Stipa, Andropogon,
and Erianthus species. Other important elements are
the gallery forests, with representative species of seasonal
and rainforests. They belong to different genera of
Asteraceae, Cyperaceae, Poaceae, Fabaceae, Pteridophytae,
and Verbenaceae (Leite 2002).
Sampling procedure
At each municipality, cultivated (CA) and noncultivated (NA)
areas spread apart from 800 to 2,000 m were chosen.
Cultivated areas were represented either by wheat, oats, or
Italian ryegrass, while noncultivated areas were always fields
with native vegetation, representing the lack of human intervention. In each area, trenches (50 cm long25 cm wide
30 cm deep) were opened. The number of sample points
depended on the size of the sampled area, varying from 20
to 40 points (Table 1). Larvae from second and third instars
were collected individually in 60 mL plastic containers with
soil from the area and transported to the lab for identification. The specimens were identified using taxonomic keys
and larval descriptions elaborated by Ritcher (1966), Frana
(2003) and Pereira & Salvadori (2006). The material was
deposited in the Departamento de Defesa Fitossanitria,
Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul
and in the Coleo Entomolgica Pe. Jesus Santiago Moure
Means of white grub population density (larvae m2) were

compared between cultivated and noncultivated areas at all
the municipalities. Data were submitted to bootstrap test
with 10,000 simulations for two independent samples using
BIOSTAT 5. software (Ayres et al 2007). For comparing the
community diversity between cultivated and noncultivated
areas within each municipality and among them, Shannon
Weaver (H= pi.log pi) diversity index and Pielou (J=H/logS)
evenness index (Silveira Neto et al 1976) were used. Statistical
differences between cultivated and noncultivated areas
concerning diversity and evenness indices were calculated
with a 95% confidence level (CI95%). For community ecological
characterization for each type of area (cultivated and noncultivated), independently of municipality and collecting year,
faunistic parameters were used: abundance, dominance, frequency, and constancy. Species with highest values of all the
faunistic parameters evaluated were classified as predominant
(Silveira Neto et al 1976). Indices of diversity (H), evenness (J),
and faunistic parameters were calculated using the ANAFAU
software (Silveira Neto et al 2005).
Results and Discussion

White grubs population density in cultivated
and noncultivated areas
In most of the municipalities and for both years studied,
white grubs population density was higher in cultivated
(12.9 larvae m2) than in noncultivated areas (10.5 larvae m2)
(p=0.03), with the exception of Panambi, Manoel Viana, So
Luiz Gonzaga and Trs Palmeiras, where white grub densities
were higher in noncultivated fields (4.8 vs. 1.0 larvae m2)
(Fig 1). Farmers and extension specialists of these localities
informed that they experienced a considerable reduction in
crop production in 2008 due to severe damages caused by
root-feeding white grubs. The higher larval densities encountered in noncultivated fields may suggest a natural collapse of
white grub populations in their cultivated areas. On cultivated
areas, the highest white grub population density was in Lagoa
Vermelha, with 39.0 larvae m2. This municipality was followed
by Porto Lucena, Tupanciret, Guabiju, and Dois Irmos das
Misses that showed in that order 33.0, 30.0, 27.2, and
10.8 larvae m2. Despite the higher larval population densities
occurred in cultivated areas of several localities, only one of the
species collected has economic importance (D. abderus) and it
occurred only in Porto Lucena. This fact reinforces the importance of correct identification of specimens when establishing

Ecological Characterization of White Grubs Community
Table 1 Latitude and longitude, previous and actual vegetation or crops, collection date, hectares sampled, and number of trenches (n) for
noncultivated and cultivated areas in Planalto of Rio Grande do Sul, 2009 and 2010.
Municipality
Latitude (S)
Longitude (W)
Previous vegetation
Current vegetation
Date
Area (ha)
Cultivated area
Caseiros
2815 S
5140 W
Corn
Fallow
5/Aug/2010
25
Chapada
2815 S
534 W
Soybean
Italian ryegrass
10/Sep/2010
25
Coxilha
2811 S
5220 W
Soybean
Oat
10/Sep/2010
25
Cruz Alta
2831 S
5341 W
Soybean
Oat
27/Aug/2009
21
43
Dois Irmos das Misses
2738 S
5325 W
Soybean
Oat+Italian ryegrass
18/Sep/2010
25
Fortaleza dos Valos
2841 S
5326 W
Soybean
Oat
9/Sep/2010
25
Guabiju
2833 S
5138 W
Soybean
Italian ryegrass
6/Aug/2010
25
Iju
2830 S
5348 W
Soybean
Fallow
13/Aug/2009
13
31
Itaara
2932 S
5345 W
Soybean
Wheat
26/Aug/2009
20
Lagoa Vermelha
2838 S
5137 W
Soybean
Oat
30/Jul/2009
15
30
Manoel Viana
2913 S
5531 W
Sorghum
13/Aug/2010
25
Nonoai
2716 S
5243 W
Soybean
Fallow
21/Aug/2010
25
Nova Palma
2917 S
5328 W
Soybean
Wheat
25/Aug/2010
25
Panambi
289 S
5327 W
Soybean
Turnip+oat
21/Aug/2009
15
30
Porto Lucena
2750 S
5455 W
Soybean
Wheat
21/Aug/2010
25
Santa Rosa
2756 S
5432 W
Soybean
Oat
14/Aug/2009
20
So Francisco de Assis
2918 S
5517 W
Soybean
Oat
11/Jul/2009
23
43
So Luiz Gonzaga
2824 S
5456 W
Soybean
Oat
14/Aug/2010
25
Tapejara
2904 S
5207 W
Soybean
Fallow
28/Jul/2009
39
Trs Palmeiras
2738 S
5250 W
Soybean
Oat
11/Sep/2010
25
Tupanciret
2854 S
5339 W
Sorghum
14/Aug/2010
25
Vacaria
2815 S
5117 W
Corn
Wheat
31/Jul/2009
35
Vila Maria
2834 S
527 W
Soybean
Italian ryegrass
29/Jul/2009
36
Caseiros
2815 S
5141 W
Mix of moist forest and Campos grassland
5/Aug/2010
25
Chapada
2815 S
535 W
10/Sep/2010
25
Coxilha
2811 S
5220 W
10/Sep/2010
25
Noncultivated area
Cruz Alta
2832 S
5342 W
27/Aug/2009
20
Dois Irmos das Misses
2739 S
5325 W
18/Sep/2010
25
Fortaleza dos Valos
2840 S
5327 W
9/Sep/2010
25
Guabiju
2833 S
5139 W
6/Aug/2010
25
Iju
2831 S
5347 W
14/Aug/2009
25
Itaara
2932 S
5346 W
26/Aug/2009
20
Lagoa Vermelha
2829 S
5133 W
30/Jul/2009
25
Manoel Viana
2913 S
5531 W
13/Aug/2010
25
Nonoai
2715 S
5243 W
21/Aug/2009
25
Nova Palma
2917 S
5328 W
25/Aug/2010
25
Panambi
28 9 S
5327 W
21/Aug/2009
25
Porto Lucena
2749 S
5454 W
21/Aug/2010
25
Santa Rosa
2757 S
5432 W
14/Aug/2009
1.5
20
2918 S
5510 W
11/Jul/2009
28
So Luiz Gonzaga
2824 S
5456 W
14/Aug/2010
25
Tapejara
283 S
527 W
28/Jul/2009
21
Trs Palmeiras
2738 S
5249 W
11/Sep/2010
25
Tupanciret
2856 S
5341 W
14/Aug/2010
25
Vacaria
2815 S
5116 W
31/Jul/2009
25
Vila Maria
2834 S
527 W
29/Jul/2009
20

Cherman et al
Fig 1 Population density of white

grubs at each locality in
noncultivated and cultivated
areas, Planalto of Rio Grande do
Sul, 2009 and 2010. *p0.05,
differ significantly according to
the Bootstrap resampling
method
an integrated pest management (IPM) strategy. Morn (2001)

explained that soon after a disturbance in an ecosystem, as
caused by deforestation for agriculture, the basic food resources diminish, resulting in the survival of only a few rootfeeding species and potential pests. The decision of using
insecticides even at the recommended dosages may kill smaller
species and their natural enemies, selecting only for the larger
species, which are voracious and tolerant to the insecticide
dosage. This may have occurred in the wheat area of Porto
Lucena. If crop losses are continuous, the farmer may leave the
area having smaller grasses and weeds and allows the colonization of well-adapted species, and thus, it completely changes
the original composition of melolontid species (Morn 2001).
Species structure of white grubs community in cultivated
and noncultivated areas
Samples collected from July to September in 2009 and
2010 from cultivated and noncultivated areas in 23
municipalities of the Planalto region of Rio Grande do
Sul totaled 1,423 melolontids larvae, representing 28
identified species (Table 2). All sampled species were
found in noncultivated, whereas 23 out the 28 species
collected occurred in the cultivated areas. These two
area conditions were compared within each municipality and
evenness (J) and diversity (H) indices were obtained
(Table 3). The diversity index was higher in noncultivated
(H = 2.52; CI95% = 2.51; 2.53*) than in cultivated areas
(H=2.26; CI95% =2.25; 2.27*), similarly to what has been
reported in a comparison study of the diversity among tropical
forest, pastures, and corn crops in Los Tuxtlas, Veracruz,
Mexico (Brown et al 2001). The relative abundance, as given
by the evenness index, was similar between them (J=0.75 in
noncultivated and J=0.74 in cultivated areas). This demonstrates that, in almost all localities, species contributed with a
number of individuals in a balanced way at each type of area.
Despite the evenness values obtained, the faunistic parameters
indicated an occurrence of predominant species. Diloboderus
abderus and C. flavipennis were extremely dominant (ED) in

cultivated areas (Table 4). Cyclocephala flavipennis is known to
Table 2 Absolute abundance (number of individuals) of species occurring in cultivated and noncultivated areas, Planalto of Rio Grande do Sul,
2009 and 2010.
Species
CA
NA
Total
Anomonyx sp.
Astaena sp.
Cyclocephala flavipennis
Cyclocephala metrica
Cyclocephala modesta
Cyclocephala putrida
Cyclocephala tucumana
Demodema brevitarsis
Dicrania sp.
Diloboderus abderus
Dyscinetus gagates
Dyscinetus rugifrons
4
0
321
0
113
13
22
37
1
210
5
0
21
1
72
5
57
16
2
1
25
129
4
2
25
1
393
5
170
29
24
38
26
339
9
2
Geniates sp.
Isonychus albicinctus
Leucothyreus sp. 1
Leucothyreus sp. 2
Leucothyreus sp. 3
Leucothyreus sp. 4
Liogenys bidenticeps
Liogenys fusca
Liogenys obesa
Liogenys sinuaticeps
Liogenys sp.
Macrodactylus sp.
Paranomala violacea
Phyllophaga triticophaga
Plectris sp.
Rhizogeniates sp.
Total
8
17
2
7
0
0
20
1
5
1
1
18
3
6
26
1
842
8
22
5
1
2
2
2
1
1
25
1
19
18
85
49
5
581
16
39
7
8
2
2
22
2
6
26
2
37
21
91
75
6
1423

Table 3 Diversity (H) and evenness (J) indices and confidence intervals (CI95%) of white grubs (Coleoptera: Melolonthidae) for noncultivated and
cultivated areas at 23 municipalities, Planalto of Rio Grande do Sul, 2009 and 2010.
Municipality
NA
CA
CI95%
CI95%
0.6172*
1.5445*
1.3654
0.8305*
0.559660; 0.674822
1.510127; 1.578831
1.286844; 1.443900
0.742213; 0.918730
0.8905
0.9596
0.8484
0.7559
1.0180*
1.1556*
0.988671; 1.047281
1.134893; 1.176328
1.3522*
1.0822
0.2449*
1.2770*
0.8213*
0.6560*
1.242046; 1.462371
1.038302; 1.126088
0.215672; 0.274187
1.146997; 1.407070
0.792079; 0.850433
0.540464; 0.771487
0.8402
0.9851
0.3534
0.9212
0.5924
0.5971
0.7020*
0.6365*
0.6365
0.686280; 0.717717
0.418679; 0.854349
0.418679; 0.854349
0.5152*
0.7508*
0.5443*
1.8887*
0.481928; 0.548481
0.703290; 0.798256
0.509602; 0.578964
1.815328; 1.962170
0.6325
0.8336
0.5064
0.9183
0.9183
0.3716
0.4665
0.4954
0.8203
1.8369*
0.7356
1.3114
0.8240*
0.6680*
1.2351*
1.791835; 1.881965
0.541658; 0.929585
1.202456; 1.420406
0.715215; 0.932703
0.595785; 0.740250
1.172672; 1.297616
0.8360
0.6696
0.8148
0.7500
0.6081
0.8910
1.7489*
1.717021; 1.780779
0.0000
0.3154*
0.9636*
1.8107*
0.252952; 0.377840
0.927619; 0.999546
1.776091; 1.845224
1.1980*
1.2065*
0.8487
0.2166*
1.6726*
0.0000
1.182386; 1.213559
1.188516; 1.224491
0.703222; 0.994148
0.193453; 0.239666
1.587408; 1.757842
0.6686
0.8703
0.7725
0.1562
0.9335
0.9003*
0.8841*
0.0000
0.5908*
1.2106*
0.3337
2009
Cruz Alta
Iju
Itaara
Lagoa Vermelha
Nonoai
Panambi
Santa Rosa
Tapejara
Vacaria
Vila Maria
2010
Caseiros
Chapada
Coxilha
Dois Irmos das Missoes
Fortaleza dos Valos
Guabiju
Manoel Viana
Nova Palma
Porto Lucena
So Luiz Gonzaga
Trs Palmeiras
Tupanciret
0.752657; 1.047854
0.817288; 0.950825
0.543289; 0.638395
1.140199; 1.280916
0.307222; 0.360261
0.8410
0.2871
0.6951
0.8707
0.8194
0.5493
0.8524
0.8732
0.2074
H ShannonWeaver diversity index, CI95% confidence interval, J Pielou evenness index.

*p0.05, comparison of confidence intervals.
be abundant and widely distributed in crop fields in northern

Rio Grande do Sul (Salvadori & Pereira 2006). Although it feeds
on roots and damages wheat plants in the laboratory, this
species prefers to decompose organic matter. Under no-till
crop conditions, it causes no significant damage, even at high
population levels like 80.0 to 100.0 larvae m2 (Pereira &
Salvadori 2006). Cyclocephala modesta Burmeister is dominant
(D), very abundant (va), very frequent (VF), and constant
(W) in both cultivated and noncultivated fields. It means
that C. modesta is well adapted to both ecological situations. Although there are no laboratory studies on the
ecology of C. modesta, damage caused by this species in
noncultivated fields after long periods of drought was
observed in Uruguayan fields (Zerbino 2002).
Knowledge of the larval feeding habits of certain species is
fundamental to prevent the appearance of new pests. In the
case of a diverse genus, the occurrence of a pest species
happens due to the rapid elimination of other species
(Morn 1996). The low values for predominance, abundance,

frequency, and constancy observed for Liogenys GuernMeneville species suggest these species are in equilibrium,
but susceptible to a change in their dominance. In this case,
unsuitable IPM strategies may result in a loss of some species
and thus in the predominance of a rhizophagous species, as
what happened with Liogenys suturalis Blanchard and
Liogenys fusca Blanchard. These species are known in the
Brazilian Cerrado region for causing damage to summer
crops, such as soybean and corn (Rodrigues et al 2008;
Santos & vila 2009). Plectris sp. was dominant, abundant, and very frequent in cultivated areas with a
maximum population density of 5.0 larvae m 2 in
Caseiros cultivated area. In Brazil, Plectris species were
mentioned as pests in corn, soybean (Oliveira et al
2004), and sugarcane (Cividanes 1988) in southern
So Paulo and Parana states. The only record of a
species is Plectris pexa Germar (Morn 2004b) in Parana,

Cherman et al
Table 4 Species of white grubs in cultivated areas and noncultivated areas, total number of individuals, predominance, dominance (D), abundance
(A), frequency (F), and constancy (C) in Planalto of Rio Grande do Sul, 2009 and 2010.
Species
Predom.
Db
N.Indiv.
CA
NA
CA
NA
Ce
CA
NA
Cyclocephala flavipennis
72
321
ED
va
ea
VF
EF
Diloboderus abderus
Cyclocephala modesta
Plectris sp.
Phyllophaga triticophaga
Demodema brevitarsis
Dyscinetus rugifrons
D. gagates
Leucothyreus sp. 1
Liogenys obesa
Liogenys sp.
L. sinuaticeps
L. fusca
L. bidenticeps
Anomonyx sp.
Tribo Sericini
Cyclocephala putrida
Paranomala violacea
Isonychus albicinctus
a
a
a
a
a
129
57
49
85
1
2
4
5
1
1
25
1
2
21
1
16
18
22
210
113
26
6
37
0
5
2
5
1
1
1
20
4
0
13
3
17
D
D
D
D
ND
ND
ND
ND
ND
ND
D
ND
ND
D
ND
D
D
D
ED
D
D
D
D
ND
ND
ND
ND
ND
ND
D
ND
D
ND
D
va
va
va
va
r
r
r
r
r
r
c
r
r
c
r
c
c
c
ea
va
A
C
va
c
s
c
s
s
s
c
s
c
s
c
VF
VF
VF
VF
PF
PF
PF
PF
PF
PF
F
PF
PF
F
PF
F
F
F
EF
VF
VF
F
VF
F
PF
F
PF
PF
PF
F
PF
F
PF
F
W
W
W
W
Z
Z
Z
Y
Z
Z
Y
Z
Z
Y
Z
Y
Y
Y
W
W
Y
Y
Y
Y
Z
Y
Z
Z
Z
Y
Z
Y
Z
Y
8
5
19
1
2
25
2
5
2
8
1
18
7
0
1
0
0
22
D
ND
D
ND
ND
D
ND
ND
ND
D
ND
D
D
ND
s
r
c
r
r
c
r
r
r
c
s
c
c
PF
PF
F
PF
PF
F
PF
PF
PF
F
PF
F
F
PF
Y
Z
Z
Z
Z
Y
Z
Z
Z
Y
Z
Y
Z
Geniates sp.
Rhizogeniates sp.
Macrodactylus sp.
Leucothyreus sp. 2
Leucothyreus sp. 3
Dicrania sp.
Leucothyreus sp. 4
Cyclocephala metrica
C. tucumana
NA
Fd
NA
CA
Ac
CA
NA
CA
NA noncultivated area, CA cultivated area.

a
Indicates predominancy in NA or CA.
ED extremely dominant, D dominant, ND not dominant.
ea extremely abundant, va very abundant, a abundant, c common, s scattered, r rare.
EF extremely frequent, VF very frequent, F frequent, PF poorly frequent.
W constant, Y accessory, Z accidental, NA total number of individuals=581, CA total number of individuals=842.
successfully controlled with seed treatment (Sosa-Gomez

et al 2010). As there are no descriptions for immatures of
L. pexa and the adult cannot be obtained in the laboratory,
we were not able to affirm if Plectris sp. encountered in
many localities of the Planalto region correspond to P. pexa
and, thus, if it is a rizophagous species.
Based on these results, cultivated environments are enhancing changes in the community structure of white grubs
when comparing with noncultivated fields. Agricultural activities that might include crop management, pesticides use,
and reduction in population of natural enemies are all
contributing to reduce white grubs diversity and to

increase their density, principally of some root-feeding
species like D. abderus. In addition, it is recommended
to continue studies on Plectris due to its abundance in
cultivated areas and current poor knowledge on its
biology and identification at species level. The verification of which species that occur in Rio Grande do Sul
are strictly rhizophagous is urgent, since it would allow
to determine the economic impact on crops and a
choice of effective control methods to guarantee the
equilibrium of the ecosystem.

Acknowledgments We are very grateful to Alberto Cargnelutti Filho
(UFSM) for his advice in statistical analyses. We thank EMBRAPA
(Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuria) staff and to the owners
of the farms for ceding their areas for sampling, CNPq (Conselho
Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientfico e Tecnolgico) and CAPES
(Coordenao de Aperfeioamento de Pessoal de Nvel Superior), for
the scholarships.
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