DOI: 10.5061/dryad.kprr4xhc7
title: Data from: Structure and composition of a canopy-beetle community (Coleoptera) in a Neotropical lowland rainforest in southern Venezuela

description: Species richness, community structure, and taxonomic composition are
 important characteristics of biodiversity. Beetle communities show
 distinct diversity patterns according to habitat attributes. Tropical
 rainforest canopies, which are well known for their richness in
 Coleoptera, represent such a conspicuous life zone. Here, I describe a
 canopy-inhabiting beetle community associated with 23 tree species in a
 Neotropical lowland rainforest. Adult beetles were sampled manually and in
 aerial traps using a large tower crane for a cumulative year. The sample
 revealed 6738 adult beetles, which were assigned to 862 (morpho-)species
 in 45 families. The most species-rich beetle families were Curculionidae
 (n = 246), Chrysomelidae (n = 121), and Cerambycidae (n = 89). The most
 abundant families were Curculionidae (n = 2746) and Chrysomelidae (n =
 1409). Dominant beetle families were found in most assemblages. The beetle
 community consisted of 400 singletons (46.4%). A similar proportion was
 evident for assemblages of single tree species. I found that 74.5% of all
 beetle species were restricted in their occurrence on host trees to the
 phenological season and time of the day. This daily and seasonal migration
 causes patterns similar to mass effects, and therefore accounts for the
 high proportion of singletons.
description: The general beetle survey was conducted as part of the
 interdisciplinary research project "Towards an understanding of the
 structure and function of a Neotropical rainforest ecosystem with special
 reference to its canopy" organised by the Austrian Academy of
 Science. The cooperation with the Venezuelan government ended formally in
 2000, as the political situation changed; therefore, the Surumoni crane
 project was closed. The beetle survey aimed to evaluate the association
 between adult beetles and their host trees over the course of a year. The
 field study was conducted between 1997 and 1999. Observations and
 collections of beetles comprised the following periods: September to
 November 1997; May to August and December 1998; January to April 1999,
 thus enabling data collection for a full cumulative year. Additional
 aerial trap collection targeting a single tree species was performed in
 October 1999. The beetle survey includes 23 tree
 species representing 13 plant families in the upper (approximately 25–30 m
 height) and middle (approximately 18–25 m height) canopy: Annonaceae:
 <em>Guatteria schomburgkiana </em>Mart. and <em>Xylopia
 amazonica</em> R.E. Fr.; Apocynaceae: <em>Couma
 utilis</em> (Mart.) Müll. Arg.; Arecaceae: <em>Euterpe
 precatoria</em> Mart. and <em>Oenocarpus bacaba</em>;
 Chrysobalanaceae: <em>Hymenopus heteromorphus</em> (Benth.)
 Sothers and Prance, <em>Licania hebantha</em> Mart. ex Hook.
 f., and <em>Moquilea subarachnophylla</em> (Cuatrec.) Sothers
 and Prance; Fabaceae: <em>Balizia pedicellaris</em> (DC.)
 Barneby and J.W. Grimes, <em>Dialium guianense</em>,
 <em>Senna </em>cf. <em>silvestris </em>(Vell.) H.
 S. Irwin and Barneby, and <em>Tachigali guianensis
 </em>(Benth.) Zarucchi and Herend.; Goupiaceae: <em>Goupia
 glabra</em>.; Lauraceae: <em>Ocotea </em>aff<em>.
 amazonica </em>and <em>Rhodostemonodaphne grandis
 </em>(Mez) Rohwer; Metteniusaceae: <em>Emmotum acuminatum
 </em>(Benth.) Miers; Urticaceae: <em>Pourouma melinonii
 </em>Benoist; Picrodendraceae: <em>Podocalyx loranthoides
 </em>Klotzsch; Rubiaceae: <em>Ferdinandusa </em>cf.
 <em>elliptica </em>(Pohl) Pohl; Sapindaceae: <em>Matayba
 guianensis</em> Aubl.; Vochysiaceae: <em>Qualea paraensis
 </em>Ducke, <em>Ruizterania trichanthera</em>, and
 <em>Vochysia vismiifolia </em>Spruce ex Warm.
 The trees selected for the canopy-beetle survey were either
 completely free from epiphytes and lianas or bore only small to minimise
 errors in beetle-host associations. Parts of the tree crowns sampled
 comprised leaves, small twigs, flowers, and fruits. The selected trees
 were regularly searched for Coleoptera during the day and night. Each one
 individual of every tree species was controlled once per week for adult
 beetles. Four tree species were monitored every second day. This also
 applies to other tree species during distinct phenological seasons, such
 as flowering or leaf flush. A detailed description of the study design has
 been published in Kirmse (in prep.). Depending on the number of
 crown-associated beetles, the sampling time per tree crown was
 approximately 30 min from one gondola position. The
 observed beetles were captured by net, hand, or branch and foliage
 beating. However, these collection methods were not structured to provide
 quantitative data. To obtain standardised semi-quantitative sampling
 results, aerial traps were used to collect flying beetles [57]. These
 flight interception traps consisted of two clear acrylic panels fixed in a
 cross, each with a length of 30 cm and a height of 25 cm. A plastic tube,
 ending in a container, was placed beneath the cross. The container was
 filled with water mixed with surface-tension-diminishing detergent. The
 insects trapped in the containers were removed every second day. In
 addition to hand and trap collection, some adult beetles were collected
 that were attracted to a spotlight used to enable observations at
 night.
description: # BeetleDiversityKirmseRAWDATA
 [https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.kprr4xhc7](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.kprr4xhc7) The data file contains the number of adult beetles collected from 23 Amazonian canopy-tree species by means of a tower crane for a cumulative year between 1997 and 1999. Every adult beetle has been assigned to a family and (morpho-)species. Twenty-three tree species are listed with their associated beetle assemblages. The number of individuals per beetle species is separatly given for every of the 23 tree species. ## Description of the data and file structure **The Excel-file lists all beetle individuals collected from the 23 canopy-tree species and is structured as follows:** The columns are entiled as follows: Column 1: Beetle family Column 2: Beetle species Column 3: Tree species (indicating the start of the columns of the tree species; does not contain data) Column 4: TG (*Tachigali guianensis*) Column 5: MG (*Matayba guianensis*) Column 6: HH (*Hymenopus heteromorphus*) Column 7: CU (*Couma utilis*) Column 8: DG (*Dialium guianense*) Column 9: EA (*Emmotum acuminatum*) Column 10: EP (*Euterpe precatoria*) Column 11: FE (*Ferdinandusa* cf. *elliptica*) Column 12: GS (*Guatteria schomburgkiana*) Column 13: OB (*Oenocarpus bacaba*) Column 14: PM (*Pourouma melinonii*) Column 15: VV (*Vochysia vismiifolia*) Column 16: XA (*Xylopia amazonica*) Column 17: RG (*Rhodostemonodaphne grandis*) Column 18: LH (*Licania hebantha*) Column 19: MS (*Moquilea subarachnophylla*) Column 20: QP (*Qualea paraensis*) Column 21: OA (*Ocotea* aff. *amazonica*) Column 22: PL (*Podocalyx loranthoides*) Column 23: SS (*Senna* cf. *silvestris*) Column 24: BP (*Balizia pedicellaris*) Column 25: RT (*Ruizterania trichanthera*) Column 26: GG (*Goupia glabra*) Column 27: total number of individuals per beetle species The rows contain the following data: Row 1: headlines Row 2-863: number of individuals per beetle species for each 23 tree species Row 865: number of beetle species per tree species