Repositório RCAAP

Anchovies are members of the Engraulidae family, characterized to present coastal pelagic habits, concentrating in large schoolings distributed among the continental shelf and semi-closed environment, like bays, where they are target of heavy fisheries. The present study aims to describe spatial and temporal distribution of Cetengraulis edentulous (Cuvier, 1828) in the Sepetiba bay (22º54'-23º04'S, 43º34'-44º10'W) and to assess influences of environmental variables on fish occurrence. A monthly sampling programme was carried out between October 1998 and September 1999, to take both, fish and environmental information on temperature, salinity and depth. Three bay zones were established based on spatial gradient of salinity and depth. Adults C. edentulus were more abundant in the inner bay zone; seasonally, larger size groups (total length > 16 cm) occurred in spring/summer. Significant negative correlations were found between fish abundance and salinity and depth. The close relationship of this species to innermost areas in bays, and the absence of juveniles in sandy beaches, suggest that young-of-the-year use mangrove areas as recruitment sites.

In Sula leucogaster (Boddaert, 1783) it happens a brood reduction from two to one egg. The eggs hatch asynchronously and it is rare for the second chick to survive for long. A quantify parental investment is proposed and the differences between males and females of Sula leucogaster is verified for to help to understand the brood reduction. The studies were conducted on Ilhas dos Currais, Paraná, Brazil, where a total of 140 nests were studied. Males and females shared the breeding care period. However, females invested about 8% more on incubation than males (c² = 7,37; c² critic = 3,842). Time of absence in the nest for females was larger than for males (c² = 13,9; c² critic = 3,842). This is probably a function of females bringing food to chicks more frequently (61%, n = 120) than males (c² = 5,63; c² critic = 3,842). The main parental investment during the phases with eggs and/or hatchings was protection, and during the postfledging period was to provide feeding. The brood reduction in S. leucogaster is due to the high cost of rearing two chicks during the same breeding attempt. This could be a disadvantage to the future survival and/or the reproduction of both parents and chicks.

The ichthyofauna of a tidal creek in Rasa da Cotinga Island, Paranaguá Bay, Paraná was studied through monthly collections in the quadrature high and low tides, with seine net of 30 m x 1.5 m and 10 mm mesh and "fyke" net of 30 m x 1.5 m with 10 mm mesh in the wings and 8 mm mesh in the bag. Together with the nekton sampling, temperature, salinity and water transparency values were also obtained as well as current speed. A total of 9068 fish belonging to 54 species and 23 families were collected. The ichthyofauna was dominated by Harengula clupeola (Cuvier, 1829), Atherinella brasiliensis (Quoy & Gaimard, 1825), Sphoeroides greeley (Gilbert, 1900) and Sphoeroides testudineus (Linnaeus, 1758), that contributed to 66.1% of the capture in number and 79.7% in weight. Statistical differences between the collection months and months groups were observed for the number of species, number and weight of fish, species richness and species diversity (weight). The observed temporal biological structure seems to be better explained by the rainfall, rainfall and salinity and combined action of the rainfall, salinity and water transparency.

Nesting activity of Centris aenea Lepeletier, 1841 was studied in two Brazilian habitats, Caatinga (Monte Santo, Bahia) and Cerrado (Palmeiras, Bahia and Luiz Antônio, São Paulo). Nests were excavated in the ground and did not tend to be aggregated together at the two sites, but at Palmeiras, nests were in a large aggregation. Nest architecture consists of a single unbranched tunnel, sloping to vertical, which leads to a linear series of four cells, placed from 8 to 26 cm in depth. Cells are urn-shaped with a rounded base, and their cell caps have a central hollow process, as in other Centridini. Nest architecture of C. aenea was compared to other species of Centris Fabricius, 1804. Provisions are composed of a pollen mass covered by a thin liquid layer on which the egg is placed. Females were observed gathering oil on Mcvaughia bahiana W.R. Anderson flowers from October to March in the Caatinga, and on Byrsonima intermedia A.Juss. as well as other Malpighiaceae species from August to December in the Cerrado. Pollen is gathered by buzzing flowers of Solanaceae, Caesalpiniaceae, Malpighiaceae, and Ochnaceae. Several nectar sources were recorded. There is indirect evidence that Mesoplia sp. parasitizes nests of C. aenea in the Cerrado.

Herein, the advertisement and territorial calls recorded from topotypes of Scinax arduous Peixoto, 2002 and S. perpusillus (A. Lutz & B. Lutz, 1939) are described. These two species belong to the Scinax perpusillus species group and show acoustic parameters of territorial calls similar to the catharinae species group, suggesting that they are phylogenetically related. The acoustic parameters of advertisement calls of S. arduous and S. perpusillus suggest a monophyletic origin for the Scinax perpusillus species group.

From material collected in the northeast of Rio Grande do Sul State, one new species of Novamundoniscus Schultz, 1995 is described.

Rivulus pictus has a wide distribution in Distrito Federal and lives in different environments, including small lakes. The analysis of gastric and intestinal contents showed that most of the 21 ingested food items were from autochthonous origin and characterized the diet of an omnivorous fish with a trend to planktivory. Five feeding items were important in the composition of the alimentary spectrum and revealed that food resources are explored near water surface (Acari), in the water column (Copepoda, Cladocera and Closterium sp.) and also in the bottom (Chironomidae). The varied diet and the capacity to explore all levels of the environment evidenced that feeding flexibility is one of the factors that facilitates the survival of this species in different environments.

Studies involving the reproduction of seabirds in the Santa Catarina coast are scarce. From 1996 to 2002 a sampling program was implanted with the objectives of identifying the ranches, the species and to study some aspects of their reproductive cycle. Five species: Sula leucogaster Boddaert, 1783; Fregata magnificens Matheus, 1914; Larus dominicanus Lichtenstein, 1823; Sterna hirundinacea Lesson, 1831; S. eurygnatha Sauders, 1876, breed in the islands of Santa Catarina, with the largest intensity in the period of May to December. The size of the colonies varied in function of the species and of the reproduction area.

A recreational fishery that use ghost-shrimp as bait was evaluated along 11 km of a sandy beach of Paraná State. The beach was divided in five sectors and samples were obtained along a transect extended on the middle of each sector, after and before months of major extractive activity. The highest densities were found in beaches with well select very fine sands and gentle slope. The density decreased only at the sector that presented greater extractive activity. In this sector, the smallest mean modal size was detected too. The total standing stock of the whole area was 2,486,250 individuals before summer's months, with a mean density of de 4.48 ind.m-2. Annual fishing effort represented nearly 10 % of total standing stock.

The feeding of E. crossotus was analyzed during the period from January to December 1995 using the frequency of occurrence, frequency of points and feeding index methods. The species presents a broad trophic specter and diversified, composed by 32 itens. The trophic analyses indicated the species show that the categories Crustacea, Polychaeta and Osteichthyes were the most exploited resources.

The first redescription of T. radiata Selenka, 1879 based on study of a live population and material other than the type is presented. A neotype is proposed for the species, from a locality some 400 km to the southwest as it has not been found in its original type locality, Guanabara Bay (Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro State).

A new species of Zischkaita Bechyné, 1956, Z. serrana sp. nov. are described from São Francisco de Paula and Cambará do Sul, Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil. Two new combinations are proposed: Zischkaita bucki (Bechyné & Bechyné, 1962), comb. nov., removed from Isotes and Cochabamba volxemi (Baly, 1889), comb. nov., transferred from Paranapiacaba.

The Lake Extremoz is one of the three big lakes in the State of Rio Grande do Norte. The present work was carried out in this lake during the period of October 2000 to September 2001, which included the dry and the rainy seasons. Parauchenipterus galeatus Linnaeus, 1766 represent 10% of the commercially important species captured from this lake. Fish samples were collected on a monthly basis, besides registering the rainfall, temperature, and dissolved oxygen of the lake. The populational structure of cangati and the stage of maturation of the gonads were determined, besides the gonadosomatic relation. The results indicate that the study population presented higher mean values of total length and weight during the dry season. Mature fishes were caught during the months of May, June and July which represented the reproductive season.

Amicitia Emden, 1940 is an Afrotropical genus of Coenosiinae (Diptera, Muscidae), with four known species described by Emden (1940): A. insignis, A. lucens, A. modesta and A. seclusa. All examined holotypes are deposited at "The Natural History Museum" (London, UK). Notes on the species and illustrations, especially of the terminalia are presented.

On the Brazilian coast, those species nest sympatrically, from the islands of Espírito Santo State to Santa Catarina State. From 1999 to 2002 a sampling program was implanted with the objectives of studying the breeding of S. hirundinacea and S. eurygnatha along Santa Catarina coast. The size of colonies in number of couples, reproduction strategy, length, width, weight and the volume of the eggs, as well as bill length and weight of the nestlings were determined. S. hirundinacea youth weight/length relationship was estimated and the reproductive success of the terns colonies was also determined.

Swimming crabs are commonly found in the otter-trawl shrimp fishery by-catch, which operate intensively in the Coastal Plain of Leste Beach, where is located Shangri-lá Beach (25°37'30"S and 48°25'08"W), Paraná State. This work aimed to study the population structure of Callinectes ornatus Ordway, 1863, the most abundant swimming crab in this beach. Between March 2000 and April 2001, fortnightly visits were accomplished in Shangri-lá at the fish market, where all swimming crabs of one otter-trawl were collected. The following data from each individual of C. ornatus were obtained: sex, carapace width (excluding lateral spines), weight, and the gonadal maturation stage, based on its color and size. Juveniles and mature males were dominant, mean sexual proportion was 2.2:1 (males:females). Two recruitment periods were detected, but few ovigerous females were obtained. Size at sexual maturation was estimated at 55mm for males, and 48 mm for females. Both sexes presented positives allometric growths. The results indicate that an important portion of C. ornatus population is captured in the otter-trawl shrimp fishery in Shangri-lá Beach (Paraná). Such information is important for futures plans of by-catch management in that area.

A survey of the louse flies species (Diptera, Hippoboscidae) in the State of Paraná, Brazil was carried out. Keys to eight genera and 15 species found are given. The following species are recorded for the first time in Paraná: Lipoptena (Lipoptenella) guimaraesi Bequaert, 1957; Stipolmetopoda legtersi Bequaert, 1955; Icosta (Ornithopomus) latifacies Bequaert, 1955; Icosta (Ornithpomus) rufiventris (Bigot, 1885); Icosta (Ardmoeca) albipennis (Say, 1823) and Olfersia bisulcata Macquart, 1847. Baryphthengus ruficapillus (Vieillot, 1818) (Momotidae) and Ciccaba virgata Carbin, 1849 (Strigidae) are new host records for Ornithoica vicina (Walker, 1849) and I. (Ardmoeca) albipennis; Chiroxiphia caudata (Shaw, 1793) and Schiffornis virescens (Lafresnaye, 1838) (Pipridae) for Ornithoctona fusciventris (Wiedemann, 1830) and Gallus gallus domesticus (Linnaeus, 1758) (Phasianidae) for S. legtersi.

From July to September, 2000 (winter), and from January to March, 2001 (summer), 30 dust samples were collected for each season, from beds of rural dwellings located in farms in the geographical area named "Zona da Mata", Minas Gerais, Brazil. After being sorted, the mites were identified and quantified. The prevalence of mites in the samples was 100%. 891 mites were found in winter (22.97%), and 2988 in summer (77.03%). In winter, Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus (Trouessart, 1897) was the most prevalent (55.00%), followed by Blomia tropicalis (Bronswijk, Cock & Oshima, 1973) (27.06%), Euroglyphus maynei (Cooreman, 1950) (8.85%), and predator mites from Cheyletidae family (8.07%). In summer, the most prevalent species was B. tropicalis (47.79%), followed by D. pteronyssinus (43.38%), Cheyletidae (6.87%), and E. maynei (1.28%). Few Dermatophagoides farinae (Hughes, 1961), Chortoglyphus arcuatus (Troupeau, 1879), and mites from Tarsonemidae and Cunaxidae families were found, the last two occurring only in summer. No mites from Acaridae family were found. The greatest number of immature forms found in summer suggested a greater breeding activity in this season. It was also noted that different building materials and varied cleaning routines may influence the population size of domiciliary dust mites.

A detailed study of the abdominal external morphology of both sexes of Thyridia psidii cetoides (Rosenberg & Talbot, 1914) is presented. The material for this research was obtained at the city's plant nursery "Horto Florestal de Curitiba", Paraná, Brazil; mainly by rearing eggs and larvae collected on Cyphomandra betacea (Canavilles) Sendtner, 1845 (Solanaceae). When possible, the results obtained were compared with those already available in the literature concerning other Nymphalidae subfamilies morphology (Brassolinae, Morphinae and Danainae); the most striking feature being the asymmetrical valvae of the male and the length and faint sclerotinization of the third abdominal sternite in both sexes. A resume containing the main morphological differences to other nymphalid subfamillies, found throughout this research concerning head, thorax and abdome, is presented.

The length-weight relationship and spatial, temporal and ontogenetic changes in the condition factor of Micropogonias furnieri (Desmarest, 1823) were analyzed, from samples collected between October 1998 and September 1999, in the Sepetiba Bay, a coastal area with a wide communication with the sea (22º54'-23º04'S, 43º34'-44º10'W) at Southeast Brazil. The aim was to supply basic information on the form of growth of the population of M. furnieri that uses the bay, as well as to assess changes in the fish condition. Most fish were young and subadults. The length-weight equation, based on 2499 unsexed individuals, was Wt = 0.009095 * Lt2.99, where Wt is the total weight (g) and Lt is the total length (cm). The regression constant and the regression coefficient presented significant inverse relationship (p < 0.01), indicating that the regression coefficient from the length-weight relationship is not a good parameter for characterizing different populations, because its strong association between one another. The best condition was recorded in October/November and April, and the worst, between January and March. Spatially, the best condition was observed in the inner bay zone, where most fish were young-of-the-year, and in the outer zone where predominate larger sized fish, indicating that individuals of intermediary size could be allocating large amount of energy for growth, presenting, consequently, lowest condition. Isometry was detected for M. furnieri populations at Sepetiba Bay, and variations in physiologic condition could be associated to feeding availability, mainly in the inner zone, where the harsh water quality would not be constrained for development of this species.