This study evaluated the influence of environmental variables (altitude,
sand and clay percentages, and soil pH, litter and canopy cover) on the
distribution of three Spirostreptidae species in an area of southern
Amazonia, Cotriguaçu (MT). The protocol of the Program for Research
on Biodiversity (PPBio) was adopted as sampling methodology. Two
samplings were carried out during the rainy season in 2010/2011. For the
sampling, all 12 plots were covered by the module, at least, for two
collectors at nighttime, with an average duration of one hour per plot. The
environmental variables were collected according to the PPBio program
protocol. We collected 317 Spirostreptidae, with predominance of
Plusioporus salvadorii (Silvestri) (147 individuals; 46.4 %), followed
by Trichogonostreptus (Oreastreptus) mattogrossensis (Silvestri)
Acta Biol. Par., Curitiba, 44 (3-4): 159-170. 2015. 167
(90 individuals; 28.4 %) and Urostreptus tampiitauensis (Schubart,
1947) (80 individuals; 25.2 %). The occurrence of P. salvadorii was
influenced by clay percentage and altitude, T. mattogrossensis was
influenced by clay percentage and U. tampiitauensis was not influenced
by these variables. We can conclude that clay percentage and altitude
affect the distribution of these Diplopoda species, either directly or
indirectly as these variables affect the local floristic composition and this,
in turn, the distribution of the species of this group.
