RCAAP Repository

Osteologic collections are used as an aid to scientific and teaching activities, to provide information on specific vertebrate characteristics, such as body support, posture, mode of locomotion, feeding habits and ecological niche. Known techniques for cleaning entire skeletons or mammalian skulls vary according to the destination of the material, the objective of the study, the taxonomic group, and the size of the specimen. The objective of this study was to test three different methods of maceration for cleaning bat skulls (traditional biological maceration, controlled biological maceration using Dermestes maculatus and controlled biological maceration using necrophagous fly larvae). The methods were carried out during five consecutive months, and the minimum and maximum times taken by each method were recorded and documented. Cleaning by fly larvae was the least costly method; the whole process was carried out during the preparation of the osteologic material. The flies ovulated directly on the pieces and the time spent was relatively short. Cleaning by dermestid larvae also resulted in clean parts in a short period, however, its culture needs specific maintenance conditions, since the size of the colony oscillates according to environmental temperature.

Malformations in animals have long been known. In gastropod, natural and induced malformations are mentioned in different systems and in ocular tentacles, mainly linked to cases of parasitism and exposure to pollutants (molluscicides and chemicals). In this study we present a new malformation not documented in the ocular tentacles of slug Deroceras reticulatum that could be due to the action of pesticides. This malformation in D. reticulatum is the first malformation to be mentioned for South America in nursery gardens.

As espécies Neotropicais de Curtonotidae são atualizadas e catalogadas. Um total de 33 nomes específicos é listado, incluindo dois táxons fósseis e um nomem dubium. Nomes válidos e inválidos e sinônimos são apresentados, totalizando 45 nomes. Referências bibliográficas são dadas para todas as espécies listadas, incluindo informações sobre o nome, autor, ano de publicação, número de página, espécie-tipo e localidade-tipo. Lectótipo e paralectótipos são designados para Curtonotum punctithorax (Fischer, 1933).

Based on material recently collected in Peru (Loreto department) the female of Poeciloxestia plagiata (Waterhouse, 1880), and the male of Iuati spinithorax Martins & Galileo, 2010 are described and figured for the first time. Both species are recorded for the first time from Peru.

Belostomatidae is a family of giant water bugs with 52 valid species in Brazil. Here, we list 33 valid species housed in the Invertebrates Collection of the Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia – INPA, Manaus, Brazil. Of the total species examined, 26 had their distributional ranges increased (new records provided in parentheses): Belostoma amazonum Estévez & Polhemus (Mato Grosso and Roraima); B. aurivillianum (Montandon) (Rondônia); B. bosqi De Carlo (Maranhão); B. candidulum Montandon (Mato Grosso do Sul); B. carajaensis Ribeiro & Estévez (Amazonas); B. dallasi De Carlo (Bahia and Pará); B. dentatum (Mayr) (Roraima); B. denticolle Montandon (Roraima); B. dilatatum (Dufour) (Maranhão); B. discretum Montandon (Rio Grande do Sul); B. elongatum Montandon (Paraná); B. estevezae Ribeiro & Alecrim (Amazonas); B. fittkaui De Carlo (Roraima); B. gestroi Montandon (Pará); B. guianae Lauck (Brazil, in Roraima); B. micantulum (Stål) (Maranhão, Rio Grande do Norte, Rondônia and Roraima); B. minusculum (Uhler) (Brazil, in Amazonas, Pará and Rio Grande do Norte); B. parvum Estévez & Polhemus (Amazonas and Roraima); B. plebejum (Stål) (Roraima); B. pygmeum (Dufour) (Pará); B. ribeiroi De Carlo (Mato Grosso do Sul); B. stollii (Amyot & Serville) (Roraima); Horvathinia pelocoroides Montandon (Rondônia); Lethocerus annulipes (Herrich-Schaeffer) (Maranhão, Paraíba and Paraná); L. delpontei De Carlo (Amazonas and Pará) and L. maximus De Carlo (Acre, Amapá, Amazonas and Roraima). In addition, we provide a list of type and non-type specimens of Belostomatidae from INPA’s collection identified to the species level, photographs of these species and relevant taxonomic notes, when available.

Two new species of Novantinoe from Mexico, N. oaxaquena and N. fabiolae; and two new species of Eurysthea, E. nogueirai, from Mexico, and E. nakagomei from Colombia are described. Furthermore, geographical distributions of three species are expanded.

Pupae of chafer beetle (Melolonthidae) Cnemida retusa (Fabricius, 1801) (Rutelinae, Rutelini) were collected in October and November of 2017 in a decaying log at Reserva Florestal Adolpho Ducke, Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil, and are described and illustrated. The pupa description is the first to the genus and a key to known pupae of Rutelini is added.

On this study, we used camera traps in a Semi deciduous Seasonal Forest, northeast of Brazil, to estimate the frequencies of occurrence of two Neotropical herbivorous mammals: the spotted paca (Cuniculus paca) and the tapeti (Sylvilagus brasiliensis), analyzing their seasonal variations of spatial distribution. We also characterized the activity pattern of the species and their seasonal variation. The herbivorous frequencies of occurrence were constant during all the seasons. In general, both species were mostly active at night. However, between the rainy and dry season, we identified differences in spotted paca activity peaks. Here we present one of the first studies on the tapeti, whose ecology is understudied. Our results also show a general view of the spotted paca and tapeti behavior strategies to seasonal variations. Due to the scarce food resource in the dry season, possibly these herbivorous need to search for different kinds of food available IFS around.

Cavity-nesting bees are enigmatic because they are difficult to observe in the wild, hence trap-nests (man-made cavities) provide the means by which these bees may be studied. Trap-nests is an efficient methodology to study these bees and are common worldwide. These traps have been used for a variety of reasons, including inventories, to examine pollen load, to study habitat disturbance, and bee conservation. However Neotropical trap-nesting bees’ taxonomy and biology are still poorly known and here we provide a review about these subjects. We searched for trap-nest bee studies in the Neotropical Region using Google Scholar and ISI Web of Science at any time in the past to December 2017. We found 109 independent studies, most of which were from Brazil (87 studies), followed by Argentina (10 studies), and other countries had fewer than five studies each. A total of 140 species, 24 genera, 10 tribes and three subfamilies were reported in trap-nests. Nest architecture was described for only 49 species. Taxonomy is only well-known for 14 genera, somewhat known for seven and is essentially unavailable for three genera. Construction material, closing plug and cell shape are similar among species in the same tribes and genera. Vestibular and intercalary cells, and the preliminary plug are variable, even at the specific level. Apinae is the most studied group with available data for all genera recorded in trap-nests. Colletinae is the least-studied group and nothing is known for their nesting biology. Megachilinae is intermediate, with some studies of taxonomy and nesting. We suggest that further trap-nest studies should provide more detailed information on nest architecture and construction materials, including explicit mention of structures that are absent. All Neotropical bees need more taxonomic studies, but some, such as Hylaeus and Megachile, require more attention since Hylaeus is essentially unknown and Megachile is very common on trap-nests.

A new species, Asphondylia cipo sp. nov. (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) causing stem and petiole galls on Lessingianthus warmingianus (Baker) H. Rob. (Asteraceae) is described and illustrated from Serra do Cipó, Minas Gerais State, Brazil. A key is provided to separate species of this genus associated with host plants in the Asteraceae family from the Neotropical region.

Distress can be defined as a biological response of an individual to long-term threats to its homeostasis and it should be avoided from an animal welfare perspective. High levels of stress hormones and the expression of abnormal behaviours are responses normally observed in distressed animals. Captive environments can provoke distress, especially when inappropriate stimuli are provided to the animals. The concomitant use of behavioural and non-invasive hormonal measures is a means to evaluate captive animal welfare. Environmental enrichment is a tool that can reduce distress and minimize the expression of abnormal behaviour in captive animals. The aim of this study was to evaluate greater rheas’ responses (behavioral and hormonal) to food-based enrichment. Three birds from the Belo Horizonte Zoo, Brazil were studied. The study was divided into three phases (baseline, enrichment and post-enrichment): fruits scattered around the birds’ enclosure were used as enrichment. Behaviour and faecal sampling were undertaken in all phases of the study. Abnormal behaviours and faecal glucocorticoid metabolites (GCM) levels showed significant reduction during the environmental enrichment phase, and a significative positive correlation between GCM production and abnormal pacing was observed. From the results of this study, we conclude that the use of food as environmental enrichment should be encouraged because of its positive effects on animal welfare. Besides, studies with larger groups of greater rheas, with individuals of both sexes, should also be encouraged to evaluate if the results found in this pilot study are consistent and can be generalized to the species.

Seasonal fluctuations in the abundance of orchid bees have already been reported. The variations in population dynamics may be expected to occur in more predictable and pronounced manners in environments with a clear distinction between rainy and dry seasons, where climatic variables are regarded to be good predictors of populational patterns. The main goal of this paper is to investigate the seasonality of males of orchid bees in fragments of Seasonal Semideciduous Forest in southern Brazil. Data comprise bait samples from five one-year periods on four forest fragments. The seasonality of species abundance was tested with circular statistics. Results suggest two phenological patterns, one for Eufriesea violacea (Blanchard), Eulaema nigrita Lepeletier and Euglossa cordata (Linnaeus), whose abundances are concentrated in late spring and early-middle summer and another for Euglossa fimbriata Moure with a tendency to be collected in middle-late summer and early autumn. These patterns are discussed, as well the possible driven factors, (i) the species life cycle and nesting behavior, (ii) synchrony with resource, and (iii) climate. We can postulate an important impact of climate change in local euglossine assemblage due to the small populations and marked seasonality.

The mosaic of protected areas of Boqueirão da Onça (8.636 km²), created in the north of Bahia state, is located in the Caatinga, an exclusively Brazilian biome, but exposed to a range of anthropic impacts that threaten its species and natural resources. Few data are available for various zoological groups in Caatinga, including mammals. In order to characterize the community of mammals of this region, considering species richness, we installed 80 camera-trap stations. With a sampling effort of 10,370 camera-days we recorded 28 species (22 wild and six domestic). Opportunistically, we recorded four mammals, resulting in a total richness of 32 species, five of which are included in the global list of endangered species, and seven in the national list. The results are significant, since the richness of wild mammals of the Boqueirão da Onça (S = 26) presented a high value when compared to other Caatinga localities. During the study we found evidence of human activities threatening the conservation of the region, such as poaching and deforestation. Therefore, there is an urgent need in the publication of the Management Plan of the recently created Boqueirão da Onça National Park, to minimize negative impacts on biodiversity and ensure the maintenance of ecological processes.

The White-collared Kite (Leptodon forbesi) is an endemic and threatened raptor of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. Here we present the known records of the species, describe the vegetation types where it was found and show Ecological Niche Models generated using Maxent algorithm. Most of the presence data were recorded in open ombrophilous forest and seasonal semideciduous forest in the states of Alagoas and Pernambuco. Maxent model had a good performance (AUC = 0.982 ± 0.004 SD), showing higher suitability for the species from Paraíba to Alagoas states. Maxent average model revealed a distribution range of 20,344 km² and an area of occupancy of 1,636.89 km². The most suitable areas for the species are those near watercourses and streams. We suggest the creation of protected areas, including private ones, and possible restoration actions to connect the most suitable forest fragments, along with the captive breeding, as the most appropriate strategies for the conservation of the White-collared Kite.

A systematic review of the Neotropical Lauxaniidae genus Neopachycerina Malloch, 1933 is presented. The genus is characterized mainly based on some features of the head, like the anterior pair of fronto-orbital setae conspicuously shorter than posterior one and rather close to them; face with a distinct elevation between antennal bases; antenna slightly elongate, first flagellomere tapered to tip and about three times as long as its basal width, arista thickened by dense black short hairs both above and below, with some longer outstanding hairs on upper side basally. Although some authors have grouped it with some other genera based on chaetotaxy of the head, it was considered closer to Parapachycerina Stuckenberg. Other authors, on the other hand, noted very important differences in the male terminalia, shape of the syntergosternite 7+8 and phallic complex, stressing a view that there are many convergent similarities in unrelated Old and New World lauxaniid genera. This shows that there is some conflicting evidence about the position of Neopachycerina within the Lauxaniidae, but a precise affiliation of Neopachycerina to any genus or group of genera still depends on a global cladistic analysis of the Lauxaniidae genera. In the present paper, Neopachycerina nigra sp. nov., from Argentina, is described and N. aristata Malloch, 1933 is redescribed, with illustrations of both species.

The composition and potential hosts of mycophagous Drosophilidae from a section of the Brazilian Amazon forest in the Caxiuanã National forest were investigated. Sampling was performed in three different periods at long the wet season (January (beginning) and July (end) 2013 and May (middle) 2014). The samples were collected from existing trails by actively searching for fungal fruiting bodies where Drosophilidae were present. We present composition and richness analysis over two years of sampling sampling Drosophilidae and Fungi. We evaluate sampling completeness using asymptotic species richness estimators. Out of 159 fruiting body samples and 64 fungal species, 5,124 drosophilids belonging to 55 species and 5 genera were collected. The mycophagous Drosophilidae richness values estimated by Jackknife 1 and Bootstrap were 69 and 61, respectively. The estimated fly richness correlated positively with fungal richness and abundance. Among the Drosophilidae species identified in this study, approximately 5% represent new occurrences for Brazil and 56% represent new species. Four genera belonging to the Zygothrica genus group are found in the Amazon region, and these genera represent 80% of the fungus-associated fauna known to date for the tropics. In conclusion, our results show that the fungal richness and abundance were the factors that determined the high diversity of mycophagous Drosophilidae.

In this study, we record for the first time the genus Notocyrtus (Heteroptera, Reduviidae) from Argentina based on three species: Notocyrtus dorsalis (Gray), Notocyrtus dispersus Carvalho & Costa, and Notocyrtus foveatus Stål. We also describe and illustrate a mimetic complex comprising the three Notocyrtus species and Tetragona clavipes (Fabricius) (Apidae, Meliponini), that were collected on Bahuinia forficata Link (Leguminosae: Caesalpinioideae). We include biological comments on the plant-reduvid-bee interaction and hypothesize about the functionality of the mimetic complex described.

Oxylopsebus Clarke, 2008 is considered as a junior synonym of Oxycoleus Lacordaire, 1868. Equescollum is proposed as a new genus for E. birai sp. nov. from Costa Rica, which is described and illustrated.

The presence of the rotifer species Brachionus rotundiformis from the B. plicatilis species complex in Lake Arcturo, a saline lake in the Genovesa Island of the Galápagos Islands, is here reported. This is the first record of the species for the rotifer fauna of Ecuador as well as of the species complex to the Galápagos Islands. This finding is consistent with the idea of high dispersion capacity, and of cosmopolitan distribution of this species complex. Because Genovesa Island is uninhabited, passive transport by wind currents and zoochory by migrant birds seem to emerge as the most plausible factors in this process of colonization. Integrative studies on the morphological variations, genetic, molecular, and ecological aspects are still required to further understand the process of dispersion and the ecology of this member of the B. plicatilis species complex in this remote and isolated locality, and the exact taxonomical position of the island’s population to the other members of the complex.

The Colombian Orinoquia region is characterized by a high diversity of mammals, which is associated with complex ecosystems that include large extensions of Neotropical savannas (known locally as “Llanos Orientales”). Despite accelerated anthropogenic transformations in savanna ecosystems, the knowledge to design effective conservation strategies, such as the distribution of mammal assemblages, is still lacking for this region. In this paper, we evaluate if assemblages of medium and large mammals (i.e., species richness, relative abundance and the contribution of the different trophic guilds) are homogeneous across the Colombian Llanos by comparing three savanna ecosystems: floodplains savannas associated with an Andean river, aeolian floodplains savannas and highland savannas. After a sampling effort of 3,150 camera trap/days, we recorded 16 mammal species from the three savanna ecosystems. We compared the three assemblages and their constituent trophic guilds by ANOSIM and SIMPER non-parametric permutation tests. The three assemblages differed in composition, structure and trophic guilds. The floodplains savannas, associated to an Andean river, present the highest diversity, contrastingly, the high-plain associated with the Guyanese Shield presents the lowest diversity. This pattern could be explained due to the greatest floristic diversity, complex vegetation structure and more fertile soils present in the riparian forests of the floodplains savannas, despite being the most anthropogenically transformed. The carnivores were the most variable category and herbivores were the most abundant. Our results show that the diversity of medium and large mammals is heterogeneously distributed in the Colombian Llanos. Therefore, it is necessary to implement targeted conservation strategies according to the characteristics, local fragility of each ecosystem in the territory and each species response by local conditions.