The aim of this study was to analyze the influence of vegetation cover on the abundance of Hymenopteran parasitoids associated with a cover coconut palm, in Linhares, ES, Brazil. Yellow Möericke traps were used to capture the insects in two areas, one kept clear and the other with the presence of vegetation cover. In each area six traps were installed at ground level, spaced 22.5 m apart. The samples were collected weekly between March 2008 and February 2009. We collected 19.861 parasitoids of which 70.8% occurred in the area with vegetation cover and 29.2% in the clear area. The families collected most frequently were Diapriidae, Scelionidae, Ceraphronidae, Eulophidae, Mymaridae, Encyrtidae and Ichneumonidae, and the remaining families had relative frequencies of less than 3%. Invasive plants in the area were Ageratum conyzoides L., Bidens pilosa L., Emilia sanchifolia (L.) DC., Sonchus oleraceus L. (Asteraceae), Alternanthera tenella Colla (Amaranthaceae), Commelina benghalensis L. (Commelinaceae), Ipomoea sp. (Convolvulaceae), Euphorbia hirta L. (Euphorbiaceae), Cassia hirsuta L., Desmodium barbatum (L.), Indigofera hirsuta L. (Fabaceae), Sida sp. (Malvaceae), Borreria verticillata (L.) (Rubiaceae), Lantana camara L. and Stachytarphetta cayenensis (Rich.) M. Vahl (Verbenaceae), some of which have been described in the literature as providing food and additional resources for the survival of Hymenopteran parasitoids.
Cocos nucifera; parasitic Hymenoptera; vegetation cover