A total of 8,134 aphids belonging to 87 species were collected with yellow pan traps during 13 months in Serra do Mar, Paraná State. Eleven places at different altitudes (-10 m to 1000 m above sea level - a.s.l.) were surveyed. The occurrence and dominance of the aphids were related to altitude, local flora, and environmental disruption. The number of specimens was the highest at 78 m and 555 m a.s.l., but most of the species were classified as rare. The common species registered were either polyphagous or had their preferential host plants present in the areas. The species Aphis spiraecola, Toxoptera aurantii, Brevicoryne brassicae, Tetraneura nigriabdominalis, and Uroleucon ambrosiae occurred in all surveyed areas. There was no clear relation between the faunistic data with the environmental conditions and altitude of the areas. Traps placed in transitional areas between the macroenvironments of the Dense Atlantic Montane Ombrophyllous Forest and the Mixed Ombrophyllous Forest collected the highest number of aphid species.
Aphididae; Atlantic Forest; population ecology; yellow pan traps
