Diversity of harvestmen (Arachnida, Opiliones) in Parque da Onca Parda, southeastern Brazil

The environment most diverse in harvestmen species is the Atlantic Forest of Sao Paulo. However, there remains a lack of studies regarding their communities in certain regions. Among these regions is one south of the Paranapiacaba mountain range in the state of Sao Paulo, the Parque da Onca Parda (POP). Through nocturnal collections and pitfall traps, the region's harvestmen community has been studied. The observed richness of this site included 27 species, with dominance of three species: Holcobunus nigripalpis Roewer, 1910, Neosadocus maximus (Giltay, 1928) and Munequita sp., accounting for 68.4% of harvestmen abundance. This makes the diversity of POP more similar to the semideciduous Atlantic Forest communities of the interior than to those of the Coastal Atlantic Forest that contains the park. Its geographic location places it within the Southern Sao Paulo State (SSP) area of endemism, along with the Parque Turistico do Alto Ribeira (PETAR), with which it shares up to 12% similarity regarding harvestmen fauna. Richness and abundance of harvestmen were positively related to temperature and humidity. The period of animal activity (as measured by abundance and richness) varied throughout the night, being highest in the early hours during both studied seasons (summer and winter).Original Abstract: O ambiente mais diverso em opilioes e a Mata Atlantica paulista, no entanto ainda ha carencia de estudos sobre suas comunidades em determinadas regides; uma delas e o sul da Serra do Paranapiacaba no estado de Sao Paulo, onde esta o Parque da Onca Parda (POP). Atraves de coleta noturna e montagem de armadilhas de queda, estudou-se a comunidade de opilioes da regiao. A riqueza do parque e de 27 especies, porem a dominancia de tres especies (Holcobunus nigripalpis Roewer, 1910; Neosadocus maximus (Giltay, 1928) e Munequita sp., que perfazem 68,4% da abundancia total de opilioes), torna a diversidade do POP mais semelhante com a regiao de Mata Atlantica Semidecidua do interior do que com as da Mata Atlantica Costeira, onde o parque esta inserido. Sua localizacao geografica o coloca dentro da area de endemismo do Sul de Sao Paulo (SSP), juntamente com o Parque Turistico do Alto Ribeira (PETAR) e Intervales, com quem possui uma semelhanca na fauna de opilioes de 12%. Os opilioes responderam aos parametros ambientais, com abundancia e riqueza positivamente relacionadas a umidade e temperatura. Por fim, o periodo de atividade desses animais (medida pela distribuicao da