Ambrosia Beetles (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae) Attracted to Necrotraps: Insights into Their Diversity in the Sierra Norte De Puebla, Mexico

Ambrosia beetles (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae) are diverse components of tropical forest ecosystems, but their community structure is often influenced by the sampling method used. We assessed species richness, alpha diversity (Hill numbers), and beta diversity of ambrosia beetles attracted to NTP-80 necrotraps in five forest fragments along an altitudinal gradient in the Sierra Norte de Puebla, Mexico. A total of 2074 individuals representing 18 species were recorded, effectively doubling the number of species previously reported for the Sierra Norte de Puebla. Among these, two species—Amphicranus torneutes and Cocotrypes carpophagus—represent new records for the state of Puebla. The assemblage was strongly dominated by the generalist Xyleborus affinis (86% of individuals). Richness estimators, including Chao 1 and ACE, indicated that sampling completeness was highest at the CF Relict site, reaching 88% of the estimated species. Conversely, the TER Nursery site showed the lowest completeness at 40%. These results, coupled with a low observed species richness compared to regional inventories, suggest that a significant portion of the local diversity may remain undetected. The altered evergreen rainforest sites tended to show higher evenness and dominance values than those in the relict cloud forest; however, these patterns should be interpreted cautiously, as the low species richness and strong dominance structure of the assemblage may influence these metrics. Beta diversity was moderate (βsor = 58%) and was primarily due to species turnover rather than nestedness, indicating species replacement in habitats. Our results suggest that necrotraps selectively sample ethanol-sensitive generalist ambrosia beetles, providing information on the dispersal- and disturbance-adapted component of Scolytinae assemblages while underestimating overall richness. Therefore, integrated sampling approaches are needed to accurately characterize ambrosia beetle diversity in tropical mountain systems.