RCAAP Repository

This paper presents 72 new records and 10 records from literature on the distribuition of nine species of phytophagous mites and nine species of predatory mites from 13 species of palms in 13 Brazilian States.

In a residual forest patch at Curitiba city, captures of culicidae were performed using human bait, at land levei, between 5:00 to 9:00 hours p.m. The period covered 12 months, march-90 to march-91 and the captures lasted 108 hours. In this período were caught 18 specie distributed in nine genera. The four specie caught that made more than ten percent were Aedes (Ochlerotatus) scapularis (Rondani, 1848), Culex (Culex) group coronator Dyar & Knab, 1906, Culex (Culex) quinquefasciatus Say, 1823 e Aedes (Ochlerotatus) crinifer (Theobald, 1903). The most frequent specie was Culex coronator. Along the season, the best yield was at autumn. With regard to the meteorological pattern, Aedes scapularis showed a positive and signifícative associalion with the rainfall and so do Aedes crinifer with the mean temperature. However, Culex coronator e Culex quinquefasciatus showed no association between air humidity and rainfall. During the time interval analised, bitting activity was performed firstly by Aedes scapularis and Aedes crinifer and then by Culex coronator and Culex quinquefasciatus.

The lack of bioecological studies on aphids in regions with complex floristic and faunistic structure, such as the Atlantic Tropical Rain Forest, lead to the initiation of this research. The objectives were to determine species richness and diversity of aphids and to investigate the influence of altitude and environmental perturbations on aphid populations. The collections were made with yellow pan traps at 11 sites with altitudes from -10 m to 1000 m above sea level (a.s.l.), in the Serra do Mar, Paraná, Brazil, from December 1993 to December 1994. Richness and diversity of aphids were greatest at 85 m a.s.l. This site was characterized by three distinct floral communities: primary vegetation, secondaiy vegetation in successional stages, and secondary vegetation subject to regular mowing. No pattern in the number or kinds of species could be established along the altitudinal gradient. These results, indicate that several factors interact, but especially floristic composition and climatic conditions, to determine aphidofauna richness and diversity in this region of the Atlantic Tropical Rain Forest.

In the feeding study of O. longirostris Menezes & Gèry, 1983, 211 stomachs from fish caught between March 1993 and February 1994 were analysed. Diet composition was analysed by the index of relative importance which deals with the numerical and gravimetric occurrence frequency. Results indicated that the species is piscivorous and its preferential food consisted oíAslyanax sp. 2. It was also found that Astyanax sp. 3 became an important food item, depending on the site of capture and its availability. Availability of prey seems to have a strong influence on the diet of O. longirostris. This same tendency has been observed during the different seasons of the year. Ontogenetic changes have also been found in the basic diet.

Stomach contents of Holoshesthes heterodon Eigenmann, 1915 (Teleostei, Cheirodontinae), collected in the depletion zone of Cajuru reservoir when it was at its maximum water level in two stations with different vegetal densities, were studied in order to investigate the influence of the flooded vegetal biomass on the food quantity and quality ingested by fish. Eighteen individuals from each station were examined. The standard length was l.53±0.05 cm and l.52±0.05 cm, respectively at the lower biomass (8.19 kg diy weight/ha) and higher biomass (38.10 kg diy weight/ha) sampling stations. The stomach repletion Index (SRI) was applied for the quantitative analysis. The alimentary index (IAi) was used for the quali-quantitative analysis, with the volume of the items obtained through the points method. SRI did not show values significatively different between the two stations, p>0.05, by applying the Mann-Whitney test. In both situations, Cladocera was the most important item. There were no correlation between the flooded vegetal biomass in the depletion zone and the intake of food by H. heterodon. However, as there were no empty stomachs, possibly even the lower vegetal biomass was enough to provide abundant feeding resources.

Neoechinorhynchus pimelodi sp.n. is described as the first record of Acanthocephala in Pimelodus maculatus Lacépède. 1803, collected in the São Francisco river, Três Marias, Minas Gerais. The new species is distinguished from other of the genus by the three circles of hooks of different sizes, and by the eggs measurements. The hooks measuring 100-1 12 (105), 32-40 (36) and 20-27 (23) in length in the males and 102-142 (129), 34-55 (47) and 27-35 (29) in length in the females for the anterior, middle and posterior circles. The eggs measuring 15-22 (18) in length and 12-15 (14) in width, with concentric layers of texture smooth, enveloping the acanthor.

This paper reports a concise characterization, based on shell morphology, of 52 species collected dunng one year at intertidal regions of Barra Velha, Perequê and Engenho D'água beaches. Substrate information, species occurrence and geographic distribution are also provided.

With the purpose of characterizing morphologicaly the larvae and juveniles of Apareiodon affinis (Steindachner, 1879) and to verify their temporal distribution monthly samples were taken at Leopoldo's Inlet, upper Paraná River. The specimens were captured with a conic-cylindrical plankton net of mesh size 0,5mm from March 1991 to February 1992. Soon after identification, the specimens were separeted according to their development (prefle-xion, flexion, posflexion and juvenile) and then the moiphometric analyses were performed. The results showed that the larvae were captured from August 1991 to February 1992, with greatest densities in November 1991. The specimens occured in every timetable, however, larvae in pretlexion and flexion were captured during day time and, posflexion and juvenile, at night. According to series of morphological development, high body proportions variation were verifyed mainly in the head lenght, eye diameter and in height body. Moreover, the individuais showed little pigmentation and myomeres number changing between 39 to 42. The majority of morphometric characteristics have negative allometry with the cxception of head lenght with regard to standart lenght that have positive allometry.

The genus Tibraca Stål, 1860 is revised, and some taxonomic changes are introduced. The following species are considered to belong in this genus: Tibraca limbaliventris Stål, 1860, T. similima Barber, 1941, and T. exigua sp.n. (from Argentina). Three other species, formerly placed in Tibraca, are considered respectively: T. obscurata Bergroth, 1914, incertae sedis; Mecocephala fusca (Haglund, 1868), comb.n.; Ogmocoris hypomelas (Burmeister, 1835). The genus Ogmocoris Mayr, 1864 is reinstated.

A male specimen of Mirounga leonina Linnaeus, 1758 age estimated betvveen 7-8 years old, collected at Santa Vitória do Palmar, Rio Grande do Sul State, soutiiernmost Brazil (32º44'S and 53º22'W) is presented. Ali the skeleton was recovered except the rostral region. It shows an advanced osteomyelitis in the lefl dentary, extending from the synfisis until the middle portion of the body; as well as Scheuermann disease at lumbar vertebrae. Such diseases could explain its presence at that locality, where rt was shot. The bullct was recovered from the rostrum, and might be responsible for death. This is the first vhlually complete skeleton of M. leonina recovered from Brazilian coast.

A supplementary list of lhe Papilionidae, Pieridae, Nymphalinae (Morphinae, Nymphalinae) dcscribed by J.F. Zikán, with the repositories of their types, and informes about the Apatelodidae described by M. Draudt, from the Zikán collection, are presented. Lectotypes are designated for Papilio agalhosilaus Zikán, 1938; Phoebis trile race chryseida Zikán, 1940; Phoebis trile race chyseida form ismene Zikán, 1940; and Morpho hércules form irideus Zikán, 1935.

An important aspect of the hunting strategy of neotropical social wasps (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) is where they hunt. Three species used two behavioural components in their selection of a place to search for prey. The wasps uti lizcd the odour of freshly damaged leaves as cues (which could be synomones) to select which leaves to inspect and also they remembered a place to which they were strongly attracted to hunt recently and returned there. Polybia ignobilis (Haliday, 1836) and Polistes satan Bequaert, 1940 hunted on a lawn of Digitaria diversinervis Stapf immediately after it was mown in significantly larger numbers than at other times. P. ignobilis and Polistes versicolor (Olivier, 1791) hunted in significantly greater numbers on freshly cut leaves of passion vine (Passiflora edulis Sims) than on uncut leaves. Sometimes wasps inspected cards rubbed with freshly crushed leaves of P. edulis, but not control cards. Preliminary data suggest that several other species of social wasps around Brasilia hunt in a similar manner on native and exotic plants. Apparently the production of ephemeral odours by freshly cut leaves attract generalist insectivorous predators which perceive these scents and the social wasps investigated are members of the third trophic level of the plants' defence against attacks by herbivores. Available information suggests a difference between the behaviour of generalists and that of specialist arthropod predators which arc attracted to the odour emitted after their particular prey have damaged the leaves.

This Study was carried out at the Salmoniculture Experimental Station "Dr. Ascanio de Faria", in Campos do Jordão, São Paulo. Brazil. The aim was to compared the hematology of triploid and diploid rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss Walbaum, 1792, by sex and gonadal maturation stages. Blood was obtained from 144 individuais for determinati-ons of: haemoglobin rate (Hb), haematocrit (Ht), erythrocyte count (Er), mean corpuscular volume (MCV), mean corpuscular haemoglobin (MHC), mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC), and differential leucocyte counts. The ploid was determinated by measuring the erythrocyte major axis, in fresh and stainncd smears. Triploid rainbow trout had a large eiythrocyte diameter, mean erythrocyte volume and mean haemoglobin concentration, but lower erythrocyte count than diploid. Lymphocytes was the most frequent cell in peripherical blood.There was no dilTerence between males and females for ali parameters here analysed. The haematological analyses showcd signiffleant increase with the dcvelopment of gonadal maturation stages.

The observation of parents feeding a captive fledgling of Great Kiskadee revealed that visitation is more frequent in the first hour after sunrising, with lesscr peaks along the day. The diet supplied consisted mainly of insects (Hymenoptera, Lepidoptera, Coleoptera, Diptera), along with other items as human-made materiais (food scraps, pellets of animal food), lizards (Hemidactylus mabouia), non-identified fruit pulp, gastropods and arachnids (Opiliones). The ability that P. sulphuratus has for identifying food items absent froni more natural habitats and for exploiting resources of unpredictablc spatial and temporal distributions confers the species a dietary flexibility that probably contributes to its efficiency in colonizing urban habitats.

In order to characterizc the peach trees ecosystem in Porto Alegre related to tephrilidea species, a faunal study was developed over the data of the collects of these insects with traps in tvvelve months. For the characterization of the communities, constancy, abundance and frequency index were determined. Relation between sex were obtained by correlation matrix, sexual proportion and sexual rates. Anastrepha fratercalus (Wiedemann, 1830) was abundant, constant and frequent, Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann, 1824) was accessory and Anastrepha grandis (Macquart, 1845) accidental. A greatcr number of females than males was observed.

No summary/description provided

Data on Thelazia californiensis Price, 1930 are presented. The importance of this eye nematode is also related to a few human cases due to this parasite in the USA. This is the first report of T. californiensis occurring in a South American host, Mazama gouazoupira (Fischer, 1814), which is also a new record for the species.

A check-list of all the American Oniscidea known to the authors and their quotation in literature is presented. The species account comprises notes on species' distribution and a revised synonymy. As far as possible comments on taxonomic problems are given. The species are ascribed to the families which are commonly recognised, despite many of them are paraphyletic constructions. This check-list should support the work of both ecologists and taxonomist when dealing with New World Oniscidea.

Ecological and reproductive aspects of Neoechinorhynchus pimelodi Brasil-Sato & Pavanelli, 1998, in Pimelodus maculatus Lacépède, 1803 collected in the São Francisco river during periods of drought (July 1995 and 1996) and floodings (January 1996 and 1997) of this river basin are provided. In tropical regions where the amount of rainfall alters the hydrological regimen of limnological systems water temperature has not had an important role in infections of N. pimelodi in P. maculatus. Prevalence was somewhat higher during drought periods. Intensity of infection varied slightly between collecting periods. Mature male and female acanthocephalans were present in all periods. Females were predominant. Mature females were present in higher numbers during flooding periods with a corresponding decrease in juvenile acanthocephalans. Recruitment and constant losses of N. pimelodi seem to be controlled by transmission mechanisms independently of density. Mechanisms may consist of infected prey availability (potential intermediate hosts) and changes of preferred alimentary items in the diets of juvenile and mature P. maculatus.

Euglossinae bee fauna of two areas of terra firme forest near Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil was compared. Over a twelve-month period collections were done fortnightly, between 7:00 a.m and 5:00 p.m, using traps with eight kinds of scent baits. The traps were placed in the understory and in tree crowns. The majority of species and specimens was most active between August-December, near the beginning of the rainy season in this region. The bees were most active from 9:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m., while air temperatures were between 24.5-27ºC, but there was a decline in this activity when air temperature varied above or below of this range. There were differences in the seasonality and in the daily activity patterns for the two areas studied but these differences were not significative.