Curculionids associated with the majo (Oenocarpus bataua) and asaí (Euterpe precatoria) in northern La Paz, Bolivia

Abstract

Bolivia's Amazon forest is a strategic area of special protection for the integral development of the country due to its high forestry potential. Recently, there has been an increase in demand for various forest products such as fruits of palm trees like the asaí and majo, but the pollination of these and other palms has not been studied in Bolivia, nor have their pollinating agents. According to the literature, the main pollinators of asaí are bees and beetles, while for majo, the main pollinators are beetles, especially beetles of the superfamily Curculionoidea. Thus, this study aims to determine the richness and abundance of Curculionoidea associated with majo and asaí in northern La Paz, seeking to deepen the knowledge of groups that are related to the pollination of majo and asaí in two areas of forest dominated by asaí or majo in the ecological system of pre-Andean glacial forests of the southwestern Amazon.Through nocturnal collections with light traps. Twenty-four individuals of the superfamily Curculionoidea were captured, distributed in 14 morphospecies of which 2 genera represent new records for Bolivia and another 2 genera represent new records for the Department of La Paz. Since Coleoptera represent the main palm pollinators in general, the results obtained strengthen the knowledge of groups of relevance for palm pollination. Strengthening the knowledge of palm pollinators not only has an impact on food security but also on energy security in a context where biofuels, whose raw material is palm fruit, are gradually increasing in the national energy matrix.