RCAAP Repository

The influence of photoperiod on the ability of Notothenia rossii Richardson, 1844 to detect prey was studied experimentally. In 12L/12D there was the highest number of individuals stimulated visually and chemically while in 24D chemical perception was the same as that observed in 12L/12D, the latter being lower than in 24L. The ultrastructure of chemo- and photo-sensory structures, involved in the detection of food, was studied. The photoreceptor cells of the retina are single and double cones, and rods. Taste buds were concentrated in the central part of upper and lower lips. Their shape is even, but the size is variable. The olfactory rosette has a sensory and a non-sensory epithelium, being rich in different mucosubstances. The conclusion was that in different photoperiods there is a difference in the response to visual and chemical stimulation for prey detection and that all sensory systems are more stimulated in periods of more luminosity, mainly when there is an alternation between light and dark periods. Sensory organs are complex when compared to some other Antarctic fish such as Gobionotothen gibberifrons Lönnberg, 1905 and Ophthalmolycus amberensis Tomo, Marshoff & Torno, 1977 but similar to those of N. coriiceps Rchardson, 1844.

Glands of the reproductive system are important for taxonomical identification of flatworms. We studied the histology and histochemical characteristics of the glands of the male copulatory apparatus in Girardia anderlani (KAWAKATSU & HAUSER, 1983). Specimens were fixed in reproductive state, i. e. during and following copulation at four, eight, 12 and 16 hours intervals. Secretory cells were distinguished on the basis of secretion morphology and their staining properties, using trichrome methods and histochemical reactions. Twelve secretory cell types and five main types of secretions were identified in the male copulatory apparatus: glycoproteic with and without tryptophan; glycosaminoglycidic; neutral mucopolysaccharidic; and proteic. Compared to other Girardia species, more diverse types of secretory cells comprise the glands of the male reproductive system. Histophysiological comparative studies of species of Girardia, in a reproductive state, are necessary to characterize the various regions of the copulatory apparatus as well as to understand the physiology of reproduction.

The phylogenetic relationships of genera and families of Aplousobranchia Lahille (Tunicata, Ascidiacea) is reconstructed based on morphological characters - the first comprehensive morphology-based phylogenetic analysis for the Aplousobranchia. Monophyly of Aplousobranchia and its families were tested with samples of 14 families. The final character matrix comprised 47 characters and 41 genera as terminal taxa. Nine equally most parsimonious trees (length 161, CI = 0.5031, RI = 0.7922) were found. Characters describing replication, colony system formation, and branchial walls were the more important in phylogenetic reconstruction. These characters were more useful than others more traditionally used in ascidian taxonomy, such as: body division, position of the heart, gonads and epicardium. Characters not frequently used in phylogenetic analysis, such as body wall muscles, muscles associated with transversal blood vessels and arrangement of the larval papillae, also have phylogenetic information. Results supported monophyly of the Aplousobranchia sensu Lahille, 1887 including only Polycitoridae, Polyclinidae, and Didemnidae. On the other hand, Aplousobranchia including also Cionidae and Diazonidae is not monophyletic since Perophora and Ecteinascidia were included as ingroups in the cladogram, Ciona (now closer to Ascidia) was no longer included in Aplousobranchia and the position of Rhopalaea and Diazona is not resolved. We propose a revised classification based on this phylogenetic analysis, in which Aplousobranchia, with three new families and an indeterminate taxon, now has 15 families.

Naatlo Coddington, 1986 is diagnosed by the presence of the epigynal flap in the females and the reduced conductor and the more complex embolic tip in the males. In this paper it are described and illustrated two news species from Brazil: N. serrana sp. nov. from state of Rio Grande do Sul and N. maturaca sp. nov. from states of Amazonas, Pará and Mato Grosso.

Piezochaerus and the species P. bondari Melzer, 1932 (type-species) are redescribed. Three new species are described from Brazil: P. monnei sp. nov. (Linhares, Espírito Santo) have dorsal pubescence whitish gray with a bluish reflection depending on the direction of illumination; basal half of the epipleuron with a spot formed by orangish pubescence; P. melzeri sp. nov. (Pedra Azul, Minas Gerais and Pedro Canário, Espírito Santo) with elytra narrower at the apex, sides converging towards the apex beginning at the basal 1/3; apex without external spine; elytral pubescence yellowish with brownish spot, developed and oblique at the base and other median; and P. marcelae sp. nov. (Juiz de Fora, Minas Gerais) with unicolor dorsal pubescence, whitish gray, elytra not depressed; bicolorous femurs, witch is orangish in the basal 2/3, dark in the apical 1/3. An illustrated key to the species is also included.

A new species of Benthana Budde-Lund, 1908 is described from southern Brazil. Benthana cairensis sp. nov. is distinguished from the other species in the genus by having 17 aesthetascs on the antennula and the elongated male pleopod 1 exopod with a lobe on the inner lateral margin and up to six setae on the outer lateral margin. The new species most resembles B. olfersii (Brandt, 1833), but may be distinguished by lacking the lobe with six setae on the internal margin of the proximal extremity of the merus of pereiopod 7. Furthermore, we include B. olfersii in the subgenus Benthanoscia based on the examined material as described herein.

Protimesius osvaldoi sp. nov. is described from the Reserva Biológica de Sooretama, state of Espírito Santo, southeastern Brazil, being the first record of Stygnidae from this State and the southernmost record of the family in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest (hitherto, the family was recorded down to Bahia only), extending in 210 km south of the previously known distribution. This is a large species, with armature of leg IV very reduced and penial morphology differing from the closest counterparts mainly in the ventral plate, which recedes deeply at the lateral borders and has the distal margin curved ventrally and by the presence of two small intermediate setae. Protimesius Roewer, 1913 consisted hitherto of 17 species, recorded from northern/northeastern Brazil and Amazonia of adjacent countries. A key is given for the 17 species of Protimesius for which males are known.

Nesse trabalho duas novas espécies de Labicymbium Millidge, 1991 do Brasil são descritas: Labicymbium otti sp. nov. e Labicymbium curitiba sp. nov. Espécimes de L. otti sp. nov. foram coletados no estado do Rio Grande do Sul e são caracterizados pela presença de uma apófise suprategular distal projetada, paracímbio com margem arredondada e radix menos desenvolvido. A fêmea dessa espécie apresenta ductos copulatórios curtos formando uma alça na porção posterior. Espécimes de L. curitiba sp. nov., coletados no estado do Paraná, apresentam uma apófise suprategular distal proeminente e arredondada, esclerito hematodocal basal sobre o subtégulo, tíbia do palpo longa, processo cimbial retromediano menos afilado do que aqueles das espécies próximas, paracímbio com projeção sobre o subtégulo e esclerito hematodocal basal. Labicymbium rusticulum (Keyserling, 1891) é registrada de outras localidades do estado do Rio Grande do Sul.

The female of Zimiromus hortenciae Buckup & Brescovit, 1993 is described for the first time and Trachyzelotes kulczynskii (Bösemberg, 1902), a species introduced from Europe, is recorded for the first time on the island of Fernando de Noronha, state of Pernambuco. The latter, along with T. lyonneti (Audouim, 1826) recorded from the state of Rio Grande do Sul, is the second species of this genus to be reported from Brazil. The spiders were collected with pitfall traps in five points of the island. Ecological data showed that Gnaphosidae was the fifth best sampled spider family, with 179 specimens, belonging to two species, T. kulczynskii and Z. hortenciae. Trachyzelotes kulczynskii was the most abundant with 118 adults while Z. hortenciae was represented by only 21 adults. Both species were collected during the dry and wet seasons but T. kulczynskii was more abundant during the wet season while Z. hortenciae was more abundant during the dry season. The male:female ratio for the dry season was similar for both species but in the wet season it was three times higher for T. kulczynskii.

O presente trabalho reúne os resultados de um levantamento de quirópteros conduzido na Reserva Biológica (REBIO) do Tinguá, Nova Iguaçu, estado do Rio de Janeiro, sudeste do Brasil. Foram realizadas 31 noites de coletas, em 14 sítios situados em altitudes de 65 a 1270 m. As coletas foram realizadas com redes "mist-nets", armadas ao nível do solo, em trilhas ou clareiras, em frente a plantas em floração ou frutificação, próximo a construções e cavidades naturais, sobre riachos e corpos d'água ou perto desses. Um total de 655 indivíduos foi capturado. Vinte e oito espécies de morcegos, distribuídas em quatro famílias, Emballonuridae (duas espécies), Phyllostomidae (19 espécies), Vespertilionidae (cinco espécies) e Molossidae (duas espécies) são assinaladas para a Reserva. Destacam-se os registros de Lonchophylla bokermanni Sazima, Vizotto & Taddei, 1978, Platyrrhinus recifinus (Thomas, 1901) e Myotis ruber (E. Geoffroy, 1806), que constam como vulneráveis na "Lista das Espécies Brasileiras Ameaçadas de Extinção". Para cada espécie, uma medida externa (comprimento de antebraço) e 13 medidas cranianas foram estudadas. As medidas de machos e fêmeas são tratadas separadamente. Comentários taxonômicos são fornecidos para todas as espécies.

In this study 57 specimens of the lizard Ameiva ameiva (Linnaeus, 1758) collected in the restinga at Barra de Maricá, in the state of Rio de Janeiro, southeastern Brazil, were analyzed to investigate size relations and reproduction (in females) and sexual dimorphism of this population. We answered the following questions: 1) what is the minimum reproductive body size in females? 2) what is the average clutch size and 3) how is clutch size related to body size? 4) Are body and head sizes sexually dimorphic? Mean clutch size was 6.7 ± 2.1 eggs and was positively correlated with female body size. Sexual dimorphism favoring males was found: adult mean snout-vent length was great in males (124.2 ± 17.8 mm) than females (96.5 ± 23.1 mm SVL), and males were larger with respect to head width and length, and body mass. Thus, despite the marked seasonality at Barra de Maricá, A. ameiva has an extended reproductive period. Also, intrasexual selection may have acted on females to produce larger clutches, and on males, favoring larger males.

A fêmea de Pero minetraria (Oberthür, 1912) é descrita e novos registros da espécie no sudeste do Brasil são relatados. A fêmea tem antenas filiformes e coloração geral acastanhada; margem externa da asa anterior mais fortemente denteada que aquela do macho.

Predation on an adult male black capuchin monkey, Cebus nigritus (Goldfuss, 1809) by two domestic dogs was observed in the Parque Estadual Serra do Brigadeiro, in the Atlantic Forest of southeastern Minas Gerais. Predation occurred in an area of well preserved native forest 800 m from the nearest forest edge. This is the first confirmed record of predation by domestic dogs in this reserve, yet data from a study in the same area indicates that the domestic dog is the most frequently recorded mammal species, which suggests that it is common in the area. The few published reports indicate that this problem occurs in other conservation units in Brazil and should, therefore, be treated with more rigor by the environmental agencies.

Thomas' Mastiff bat, Eumops maurus (Thomas, 1901) is known from northern South America in Ecuador, Venezuela and Guiana and so it probably occurs in Brazil, yet it has not been reported. Here, we present the first record for E. maurus in Brazil. Captures were from the Brazilian states of Tocantins and Goiás (northern and midwestern Cerrado region of the country), and São Paulo (southeastern Brazil, Atlantic Forest). In the first two locations, all bats were roosting in palm leaves while in the later location, a single animal was found alive in a 15th-storey apartment in the city of São Paulo. This bat inhabits savannas with swamps dominated by the palm Mauritia flexuosa (buriti) and gallery forests. This record is the first of E. maurus in an urban area. Brazilian specimens are apparently larger than those from northern South America.

This study examines the spatial distribution of the ghost crabs, Ocypode quadrata Fabricius, 1787, in thirteen estuarine sandy beaches located along two main axes of the Paranaguá Bay Estuarine Complex, southern Brazil. Burrow densities of ghost crabs were measured at three beach levels established around the high tide mark during the summer and winter of 2005. All beaches showed a steep beach face slope (2.6 to 8.3º) with sediment composition varying from well sorted fine sand to very poorly sorted coarse sand towards the upper estuary. Water salinity ranged from around 31 at those beaches near the bay inlet, to 14 at beaches in the inner estuary. The burrow densities of O. quadrata in the estuarine beaches were similar to those observed in the oceanic beaches. However, the absence of burrows at the four innermost beaches suggests that low salinity and sediment penetrability may prevent ghost crabs from occurring in this region of the estuary. Burrow densities showed strong seasonal variability. The low densities observed during the winter are probably related to a delay crab activities due to low temperatures in the early morning during this season. The absence of a clear zonation pattern was related to estuarine beach morphology.

The individual size of Limnoperna fortunei (Dunker, 1857) was evaluated twice a month, for a year, based on samples from Veludo Beach (30º12'35"S, 51º11'68"W) in Guaiba Lake, southern Porto Alegre, Brazil. Physical and chemical data on water quality, such as temperature, transparency, depth, pH, dissolved oxygen, phosphorus, nitrogen, chlorophyll "a", and conductivity were also recorded. Adult samples were collected from underwater "sarandi" branches, Cephalanthus glabratus (Spreng) K. Schum (Rubiaceae), an aquatic macrophyte available at each site. Adults placed on artificial substrates were also checked every six months. Data were analyzed by applying multivariate statistics techniques related to the physical and chemical variables of the water and the density of individuals to estimate the patterns of the individual growth over the year. The adults were separated into three groups according to length classes: G1, G2 and G3 (groups 1 through 3). These three groups are related to the differences in behavior, namely, the ability of locomotion and fixation capacity. Individuals from Group 1 (5 to 7 mm in length) were the most abundant and were present in all the sampled months. Adults from artificial substrates were shown to display significant differences in seasonal growth and faster growth during spring and summer months.

Pontoporia blainvillei (Gervais & d'Orbigny, 1844) is threatened throughout its distribution. The species can be found year-round in the Babitonga bay estuary (26º 02'-26º 28'S and 48º28'-48º50'W), in the north coast of the state of Santa Catarina, Brazil. Boat surveys were conducted in order to evaluate its abundance and density between 2000 and 2003. Sampling was random and stratified, with 46 transects in five sub-areas, comprising a total area of 160 km². Data collection was conducted following the linear transect method with distance sampling. A total of 1174.7 km was scanned and 38 groups were observed. Franciscanas were not uniformly distributed in Babitonga bay. Group size ranged from one to 13 animals (mean ± SD = 5.02 ± 3.62). Model 1 (Half-Normal) showed the best fit to the data. The estimated population size was 50 animals and the density was 0.32 individuals km-2. Density estimates evaluated in the sub-areas where franciscanas occurred resulted in a density of 0.46 individuals km-2. Monitoring this population is of considerable importance due to the constant threats that this species faces in this bay.

Mysidacea are common sublittoral crustaceans that inhabit all coasts in the world. In this study, the population characteristics and the reproductive biology of Metamysidopsis neritica Bond-Buckup & Tavares, 1992 were studied in the surf zone of a south Brazilian beach (Atami). Mysids were sampled at monthly intervals from August, 1999 to July, 2000 (total of 29,490 individuals). Individuals were classified into six population categories. The highest abundance occurred in May (8,665) and August (6,415), and lowest in September (336) and December (368). Three main generations were identified, namely the summer, fall and winter generations. The winter generation was the longest (four to five months). The fall generation lasted four months, and the summer one extended from three to four months. Ovigerous females occurred throughout the year, with a greater proportion in July. The number of eggs or larvae varied from one to 16. Weak associations were found between female length and egg number, egg volume, and the number of larvae with and without eyes. Egg volume increased during the coldest season, whereas the smallest values were recorded during summer. These results suggest a possible direct relationship between egg volume and generation longevity.

We tested the effect of nest deprivation on the mating success and sexual selection of dominant Nile tilapia males in two treatments, consisting of two males and three females kept on aquarium with or without nesting substrate (INS: with substrate inside, N = 9; NOS: non-substrate inside, N = 11). Other male traits potentially affecting mating success, such as aggressiveness level, courtship investment, and condition factor were also analyzed. The dominant male's behavior was video-recorded in four 20-min sessions: 1, 4, 7, and 10 days after grouping. Latency to spawn and spawning frequency were similar in WS and NS groups, showing the same mating success among dominant males on the presence or absence of gravel. Nest investment was the main factor related to female choice in INS groups, but none of the other variables improved mating success in NOS. Although nesting is related to sexual selection in Nile tilapia, gravel substrate deprivation from which they construct a nest does not affect mating success. This finding may explain the reproductive success of the species in a wide range of environments and aquaculture systems.

Howler monkeys (Alouatta Lacèpéde, 1799) are folivores-frugivores with flexible diets depending on conditions. Here, we compare the diets of Alouatta caraya (Humboldt, 1812) in two riparian forests (island and mainland), in Porto Rico region, Upper Paraná River, Southern Brazil. Howlers were followed from October 2004 to September 2005 in the riparian forest of a 1,050 ha island and in the continuous riparian forest on the mainland (left bank of the river). The "scan sampling" method with instantaneous samples every 15 minutes was used. Besides vines, diet breadth was similar: 17 species consumed on the island versus 16 species on the mainland. Both consumed leaves followed by fruits more than any other food type (leaves: island - 65%, mainland - 49%, fruits: island - 24%, mainland - 46%). Even though the plant Cecropia pachystachya Trécul is less abundant in the mainland it was the item most consumed in both locations all year long, which suggests its importance for the howlers. Diet also varied both seasonally and between the island and mainland, apparently following changes in local abundance of each item and due to plant phenologies.