Two projects funded by the Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT, Portugal) allowed the implementation of the inventory of selected groups of terrestrial arthropods from Madeira Laurisilva (ref. PDCT/BIA-BDE/59202/2004; from 2005-2008) and from various habitats in Madeira archipelago (ref. PTDC/BIA-BEC/099138/2008; from 2010-2013). A standardised sampling protocol (BALA – combining pitfall sampling and vegetation beating) was applied in both projects, being complemented with the application of other techniques to sample terrestrial arthropods (e.g. direct sampling, Berlese extraction). These sampling techniques were applied in over one hundred localities encompassing several habitat-types in the islands of Madeira (and Ponta de S. Lourenço islets), Porto Santo (and surrounding islets) and Desertas.
These projects allowed the discovery of new species to Science, new records for the archipelago, and the identification of conservation priorities among selected arthropod groups. They also generated data to allow the understanding of spatial patterns of biodiversity and endemicity in Madeira archipelago and were crucial for the knowledge update on the terrestrial biodiversity of Madeira and Selvagens archipelagos.
A project addressing the role of insect-plant interactions in Madeira archipelago (2gether – FCT ref. PTDC/BIA-BIC/1013/2014) will start in January 2016 and last for the next three years.
FCT PDCT/BIA-BDE/59202/2004- High Endemism Areas in the Archipelago of Madeira - Establishing priorities for the conservation of the endemic insect fauna (2006-2009).
FCT - PTDC/BIA-BEC/099138/2008- Conflict between human activities and the conservation of island endemics in a Global Biodiversity Hotspot. (2010-2013).
FCT-PTDC/BIA-BIC/1013/2014- 2gether “Threatened specialized interactions endemic to a biodiversity hotspot” - Starting January 2016.
SPNM – Serviço do Parque Natural da Madeira; DCA - Departamento de Ciências Agrárias, Universidade dos Açores; SPEN - Sociedade Portuguesa de Entomologia; IMAR - Instituto do Mar, Universidade de Coimbra; Laboratório de Qualidade Agrícola da Madeira.
Quartau, J.A., Boieiro, M., Rego, C., Menezes, D., Gonçalves, Y. & Capela, R. (2011) The Asianidia Zachvatkin (Hemiptera, Cicadellidae) associated with the laurisilva forest of Madeira island: species phenology and host-plant preferences. Cicadina - Beitraege zur Zikadenkunde,12, 47-56.
Borges, P.A.V., Abreu, C., Aguiar, A.M.F., Carvalho, P., Jardim, R., Melo, I., Oliveira, P., Sérgio, C., Serrano, A.R.M. & Vieira, P. (eds.) (2008) A list of the terrestrial fungi, flora and fauna of Madeira and Selvagens archipelagos. Direcção Regional do Ambiente da Madeira and Universidade dos Açores, Funchal and Angra do Heroísmo. 438 pp. ISBN: 978-989-95790-0-2
Serrano, A.R.M., Borges, P.A.V., Boieiro M. & Oromí, P. (eds.) (2010) Terrestrial arthropods of Macaronesia – Biodiversity, Ecology and Evolution. Sociedade Portuguesa de Entomologia, Lisboa. 327 pp. ISBN: 972-97241-2-1
Serrano, AR.M., Aguiar, C.A.S., Boieiro, M., Borges, P.A.V., Rego, C., Amorim, I.R., Ribeiro, S.P. & Pereira, F. (2009) A new species of Orthomus Chaudoir, 1838 (Coleoptera Carabidae) from Madeira Island (Macaronesia) and notes on related species. Zootaxa, 1972, 20–34.
Serrano, A.R.M., Aguiar, C.A.S., Boieiro, M., Borges, P.A.V., Rego, C., Amorim, I.R., Ribeiro, S.P. & Pereira, F. (2012) Synonymy of Orthomus susanae Serrano & Borges, 2009 with Orthomus annae (Donabauer, 2008). Zootaxa, 3219, 67-68.
Crespo, L., Boieiro, M., Cardoso, P., Aguiar, C., Amorim, I., Barrinha, C., Borges, P.A.V., Menezes, D., Pereira, F., Rego, C., Ribeiro, S., Silva, I. & Serrano, A. (2014) "Spatial distribution of Madeira Island Laurisilva endemic spiders (Arachnida: Araneae)". Biodiversity Data Journal, 2, e1051-e1051.
Boieiro, M., Aguia,r C., Barrinha, C., Faria e Silva, I., Amorim, I.R., Borges P.A.V., Cardoso, P., Pereira, P., Rego, C., Menezes, D., Ribeiro, S. & Serrano, A.R.M. (2012) New data on the spatial distribution of endemic ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) from Madeira Island. Arquipelago - Life and Marine Sciences, 29, 15-23.
Boieiro, M., Aguiar, A., Aguiar, C., Borges, P.A.V., Cardoso, P., Crespo, L., Farinha, A., Hortal, J., Silva, P.M., Menezes, D., Palma, C., Pereira, F., Prado e Castro, C., Rego, C., Silva, P.R., Santos, A.M.C., Silva, I., Sousa, J.P. & Serrano, A.R.M. (2014) Conflito entre actividades humanas e a conservação de endemismos insulares numa área de elevada biodiversidade à escala mundial. Ecologi@, 7, 85-88.
Rego, C., Boieiro, M., Gonçalves, Y., Menezes, D., Aguin-Pombo, D. & Capela, R. (2014) The drosophilids (Diptera: Drosophilidae) from a Laurisilva patch in Madeira with two new records for this Island. Bocagiana, 238, 1-8.
Boieiro, M., Carvalho, J.C., Cardoso, P., Aguiar, C.A.S., Rego, C., Faria e Silva, I., Amorim, I., Pereira, F., Azevedo, E.B., Borges, P.A.V.& Serrano, A.R.M. (2013). Spatial factors play a major role as determinants of endemic ground-beetle assemblages in Madeiran Laurisilva. PlosOne 8(5): e64591. DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0064591