Preliminary study of the ecology and community structure of wasps (Hymenoptera) in the Luki biosphere reserve (Kongo-Central/Democratic Republic of Congo)

Abstract

This study reports on the diversity, ecology and community structure of wasps in the Luki Biosphere Reserve. The importance and role of wasps are well known, especially for their impact on the ecosystem balance, and in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), data on wasps are still lacking in many sites. Thus, special attention has been paid to the wasps of this Reserve. After the collections were carried out between January and July 2021 using windrow nets and cup traps, 502 specimens were counted divided between 22 species and 5 families. The Vespidae family is the best represented with 63% of the population, followed by the Pompilidae (23%) and the Sphecidae (12%). Synagris sp1 and Diplonyx campanulatus are especially the two most observed species with more than 28% of the observations. However, the heliophilic character of wasps was observed in this study, with a peak of activity evaluated between 10 and 12 hours.