Entomofauna associated with three weed species of the genus Cleome Linnaeus, 1753 (Brassicales: Cleomaceae) and their potential relationships with agricultural crops

Weed species are eliminated from agroecosystems as they are considered reservoirs of pest organisms, ignoring the benefits they can bring, hence the importance of conducting research in this regard. The objective of the work was to evaluate the entomofauna associated with three weed species of the genus Cleome and their potential relationships with agricultural crops. Three sampling areas were selected for each species, performing a single sampling using the technique of common counts per habitat, evaluating the insect composition, the percentage of representativeness and the proportion of trophic guilds. For diversity, Species Richness, Simpson Dominance, General Diversity were taken into account and as a measure of similarity, the formation of homogeneous groups was taken into account through a multivariate analysis (CLUSTER). A total of 613 individuals were recorded, belonging to six orders, 20 families, 34 genera and 35 species. Coleoptera, Lepidoptera and Hymenoptera were the most represented orders, while pests and pollinators were the trophic guilds with the highest proportion. The diversity values of the entomofauna, although they are within the established range, reveal diversity from low to moderate where the most dominant species have a low influence within the samples and most of them are classified as scarce. There is similarity between the different areas for the same Cleome species; however, among the three species the similarity is low. Correctly managed the entomological component is not an impediment for the conservation of these species in agroecosystems.