The Amazon and Its Biodiversity: a Source of Unexplored Potential Natural Enemies for Biological Control (Predators and Parasitoids)

The Amazon is an important source of natural enemies for biological control. The diversity of biocontrol agents in the Amazon is considerably higher than that in other Brazilian regions. However, few studies have focused on the bioprospecting of natural enemies in the Amazon. Furthermore, the expansion of agricultural land in recent decades has caused biodiversity loss in the region, including the loss of potential biocontrol agents, due to the replacement of native forests with cultivated areas and forest degradation. In this study, we reviewed the main groups of natural enemies in the Brazilian Legal Amazon: predatory mites (mainly Acari: Phytoseiidae), ladybirds (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae), and social wasps (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Polistinae) and the Hymenoptera parasitoids of eggs (Trichogrammatidae) and of frugivorous larvae (Braconidae and Figitidae). The main species prospected and used in biological control are presented. The lack of knowledge and perspectives regarding these groups of natural enemies as well as the challenges of conducting research in the Amazon is discussed.