The Sminthurididae family includes Symphypleona species highly adapted to courtship, with males exhibiting remarkable modifications on their antennae. Here we describe a new Neotropical genus and species of Sminthurididae from a Cerrado-Caatinga ecotonal zone in Brazil. Males of Parasminthurides spinosus gen. nov. sp. nov. have highly dimorphic antennal claspers similar to those of Sminthurides, but its females have unique strong spiniform chaetae on antennal segments II and III as well, which are possibly accessories for the courtship. The new genus can also be diagnosed by its elongated maxillae, males having large dorsal vesicles between abdomen II and III, ungues I–III with similar morphology and sizes, and interno-apical dental chaetae modified into large spiniform chaetae. We also present the main diagnostic features of all Sminthurididae genera, providing a comparative table and an updated identification key for them. Finally, we discuss the previous and current knowledge on the family’s systematics, suggesting some perspectives for future studies in this field.

Three new species of Entomobryoidea from Brazilian Caatinga-Cerrado transitional zone are described and illustrated, all from Sete Cidades National Park. Cyphoderus equidenticulati sp. nov. resembles C. javanus Börner and C. songkhlaensis Jantarit, Satasook & Deharveng in number of mucro teeth, one inner distal tooth on unguis and four ciliated chaetae between the two rows of feathered scales of dens, but differs in claw with a pair of equally developed inner basal teeth, collophore, labial and dorsal chaetotaxy. Pseudosinella triocellata sp. nov. is mostly similar to P. stewartpecki Katz, Soto-Adames & Taylor in number of eyes, presence of apical bulb on antennomere IV and one macrochaeta on mesothorax, but differs in head with S2 macrochaeta, anterior and posterior collophore chaetotaxy and empodial complex morphology. Trogolaphysa piracurucaensis sp. nov. is quite similar to the recently described T. ernersti Cipola & Bellini in overall dorsal chaetotaxy but differs in ventral head, collophore and manubrial plate chaetotaxy. Identification keys for Brazilian species of Cyphoderus, Pseudosinella and Trogolaphysa are also provided.

SzeptyckithecaBetsch & Weiner is a genus of Sphyrothecinae (Sminthuridae) similar toSphyrothecaBörner, with 13 nominal species. Most descriptions ofSzeptyckithecataxa lack valuable data in face of the current taxonomy of Symphypleona. In this study the previously described species of the genus were surveyed, aiming to provide updated diagnoses for them. Three species were also transferred toSzeptyckitheca:Sphyrotheca karlarumPalacios-Vargas, Vázquez & Cuéllar, 2003,S. peteriPalacios-Vargas, Vázquez & Cuéllar, 2003, andS. koreanaBetsch & Weiner, 2009, based on trochanteral and/or dental chaetotaxy. Two new Brazilian species of the genus are described and illustrated,S. andrzejiMedeiros, Bellini & Weiner,sp. nov., with a remarkable reduced ventral dental chaetotaxy not seen in other Neotropical species, andS. cyaneaOliveira, Medeiros & Bellini,sp. nov.with a distinctive large set of head vertex spines (18). Finally, an updated key to all the valid species of the genus is presented.

Mastigoceras camponoti Handschin, the sole member of its genus and the Mastigocerini tribe, exhibits unusual dorsal chaetotaxy compared to other Orchesellidae. This includes a reduction in dorsal macrochaetotaxy and a secondary covering of fusiform scales intermixed with ciliate microchaetae. Despite three redescriptions, Mastigoceras chaetotaxy remains poorly understood, with no data on tergal sensilla patterns or dorsal macrochaetae homology. Here, the genus is revisited by describing a new Brazilian species a century after the original description of M. camponoti, based on morphological depiction combined with the use of DNA barcoding, Mastigoceras handschini Rodrigues, Souza & Bellini, sp. nov. The two species are differentiated by a few and unusual aspects of the dorsal chaetotaxy, especially scales distribution, and may be considered as pseudocryptic taxa. Our study of tergal sensilla formula, scales morphology, and distribution in Mastigoceras reveals no clear morphological support for placing Mastigocerini within Heteromurinae.

The Brazilian Pampa is a rich domain mainly represented by grasslands. Conversion of native vegetation into Eucalyptus plantation leads to soil degradation and losses on local fauna and flora. The objectives of this study were to compare the taxonomic structure and abundance of epigeic springtails (Collembola) in two different types of land-use in the Brazilian Pampa, native grassland and Eucalyptus plantation, as well as to understand the processes that may cause species loss after grassland afforestation. Specimens were sampled in 10 paired plots of grasslands and Eucalyptus in southern Brazil. After sampling, all specimens were sorted, counted and identified. We evaluated the taxonomic composition, alpha and beta diversity, and used Random Forest Analysis to understand the influence of environmental factors on the structure and composition of Collembola communities. We sampled 1249 specimens in 26 morphospecies, and our data support there are significant losses in native Collembola communities after the conversion of grasslands into Eucalyptus plantations regarding abundance, species composition, richness, and alpha diversity. Species turnover better explained the beta diversity, and plant richness and dominance were the main environmental factors driving the Collembola diversity. These results deepen the knowledge of the impacts of native grassland conversion on soil fauna.

A new species of Nothobrya Arlé is described and illustrated. The specimens were collected in Serra da Capivara National Park and its vicinities, Caatinga Biome, Piauí State, Brazil, from soil and leaf litter samples. Nothobrya sertaneja sp. nov. differs from the two previously described species of the genus, N. arlei Silveira & Mendonça and N. schubarti Arlé, by antennae with 4–5 antennomeres (6 in N. arlei and N. schubarti); metatrochanteral organ with 7–13 spine-like chaetae (15 in N. arlei and 3–4 in N. schubarti); tenaculum with 2–3 smooth chaetae on corpus (4 ciliated chaetae in N. arlei and 2 chaetae with unclear morphology in N. schubarti); and inner unguis with 2 basal paired teeth, 1 median and 1 apical tooth (2 basal paired, 1 median and 2 lateral teeth in N. arlei and 2 basal paired and 0–1 unpaired median tooth in N. schubarti). We present herein the first complete and labelled dorsal chaetotaxy description of the genus and the entire subfamily, including the S-chaetotaxy of the tergal segments. Finally, we also provide a new diagnosis to Nothobrya, plus an identification key to species of Nothobryinae.