RCAAP Repository

Five new species of Neophlepsius Linnavuori, 1955 are described: N. peruvianus sp.n., N. abruptus sp.n., N. denticulatus sp.n., N. bifidus sp.n., and N. malkowskiae sp.n., (the first one from Peru and the remainder from Brazil). N. phorus Cheng, 1980 is a new synonym of N. gracilis (Osborn, 1923).

A total of 1257 caprellids, mostly females, were collected, from Februaty to September 1991. The average sex-ratio was of 0,83, with a range from 1,58 and 0,20. Salinity ranged from 30‰ to 36‰ seawater and air temperature ranged from 26,00 to 17,66ºC and 25,23 to 18,60ºC respectively. Caprellid densities were higher during the cold months and males were the largest of the population. Males could be distributed in 12 length classes, while females in seven only.

It is described the anatomy and microanatomy of the phallus complex of Rectartemon depressus (Heynemann, 1868). The complex is composed by a phallus, a diverticle of the phallus and an epiphallus, where the deferens duct is thrown in: the retractor muscle is splitted in two parts, inserted into the region of the epiphallus through a smaller branch, and at the extremity of the diverticle, through a longer and thiner branch. The lumen of the phallus, epiphallus and diverticle have corrugations and thorns. On the phallus the thorns are arranged in a protuberance and disposed alternately in rows, ali with an aculeus form and with a chestnut collor point and a yellow basis.

This Study Concerns the morphological changes of the testes of "curimbatá", Prochilodus scrofa (Steindachner, 1881) at the beginning of sperm production, before and after the hormonal injections. We examined 25 three year old males that were reared in tanks at the Experimental Fish and Frog Culturing Station of Pindamonhangaba of the Fisheries Institute of São Paulo. The testes were sampled at the start of sperm production, after the first hormone injection (5 IU/g for weight of hCG), and 14 days before and after a second injection. Testicle fragments of these specimens were fixed and embedded in historesin. At the beginning of sperm production, the milky-white gonad showed consistem superficial vascularization, exceeding thick sperm under light pressure. Microscopically, the presence of spermatogonia, many spermatocytes, spemiatids and some tubules with spermatozoa were conspicuous. After the first hormonal dose, the gonads increased in volume, occupying most of the abdominal cavity superficial blood irrigation was evident, and sperm flowed easily out of the genital pore. Many spermatozoa were observed in the histology sections, along with spermatocytes and spemiatids, within the lumen of the seminal tubules. After 14 days, the testes exhibited decreased volume and pink-white coloration. Light microscopy revealed few spermatozoa and disarrangement of the structures forming the seminal tubules. After the second hCG dose, the testes again increased in volume, occupying most of the abdominal cavity. Some tubules were filled with spermatozoa whereas others showed reduced numbers of this cellular type.

The microsculpture of Rectartemon depressus (Heynemann, 1868) shell is described on scanning electron microscope. The generics characteristics are proposed: shell's dorsal sculture formed for ribs striae radial; nuclear whorls smooth; ventral surface of the shell smooth or slightly striate; and as specifics characteristics: the number of ribs striae radial on the last world. The R. (R.) depressus presented seven or eight ribs striae radial for millimeter.

Patterns of geographic variation in 10 morphometric characters were analyzed in a sample of 91 specimens of the batfish, Ogcocephalus vespertilio (L.), from the NE and SE Brazilian coast, using multivariate statistics and randomization tests. The specimens were ordinated by principal components analysis in two groups corresponding to the regions north and south of the 23ºC isotherm, and size variation was found to account for 70.3%, whereas shape differences accounted for 23.6% of the total variation in morphometric characters. The two groups were different at the 1% significance level by multivariate analysis of variance based on the Wilk's criterion, tested by a randomization procedure. Width of illicial cavity and distance from anus to anal fin were the characters most contributing to the differentiation of the population samples.

Artificial incubation of 558 eggs from 70 clutches of Trachemys dorbignyi (Duméril & Bibron, 1835) were performed at São Paulo Zoo during 1992 and 1993. Hatching occurred when eggs were incubated between 25 and 31.5oC. Incubation time varied from 54 (at 31.5oC) to 120 days (at 25oC), similarly to Trachemys scripla sspp. Hatchling used the caruncle to made small incisions in the egg shell, latter enlarged by movements of the head and forefeet. Hatching usually lasted from one to two days. Newborn's carapace and plastron showed their natural form few hours after the emergence from the egg shell. During the third or fourth week, caruncle usually disappeared, and yolk sac was completely absorbed. Average (x±sd) measures of newborn were 3.55±0.18cm of carapace length, 3.35±0.17cm of plastron length, and 10.73±1.36g of weight.

Monthly catches were carried out during five days/month in the Adolpho Ducke Forest Reserve (Manaus, Amazonas), from February 1990 to January 1991 in order to assess the sandfly fauna of that region, evaluate the atractivity of these insects with regard to different kinds of traps and baits and to know vertical stratification of these insects. The traps and baits used in catches were: Disney traps with baits: Didelphis sp., Gallus sp. and Mesocricetus sp.; CDC light traps at three vertical levels (1m, 5m and 10m); Suspended trap (5m) and Malaise trap (1m) and catches on bases of tree-trunks. The most efficient type was the CDC. Malaise and Suspended did not collect specimens of Culicoides Latreille, 1809. The Disney traps with baits only attracted specimens of C. fusipalpis Wirth & Blanton, 1973. In vertical stratification, the CDC trap placed at 1m caught 898 specimens of nine species; at 5m 895 specimens were collected which belonged to 13 species; and at 10m 224 specimens of 14 species were collected. Two thousand and forty-six specimens of Culicoides were captured, being about 5,66% males and 94,34% females, which belonged to 17 different species; the most frequent were C. fusipalpis (43,05%), followed by C. pseudodiabolicus Fox, 1946 (32,79%), C. hylas Macfie, 1940 (12,31%) and C. foxi Ortiz, 1950 (3,71%). The other 13 species totalized 8,15%.

This paper presents the study of population fluctuation of Anastrepha fraterculus (Wiedemann, 1824) and Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann, 1830) in peach orchards in Porto Alegre city. The peak for A. fraterculus was in November and December and for C. capitata in December and January. There was no significant difference among the population levels in the cultivars Fla 13-72, Premier and Marli.

The present paper reports the presence of glandular structures in legs of some stingless bee species. The glands appear as: the epidermis transformation in a glandular epithelium as in basitarsus, an epithelial sac inside the segment as in the femur of queens or in the last tarsomere, as round glandular cells, scattered or forming groupments. The saculiform gland of femur is present only in queens, the other glands are present in males, queens and workers of the studied species, apparently without any type of polymorphism. This occurrence seems indicate that the function of these glands have not to do with the sociality or specific behavior of castes.

The genus Neocalvia Crotch, I87l is revised through the study of external morphology and especially of the genitalia characters. A key to the species is added. Neocalvia areolata Gorham, 1892 was not studied and the original description is transcribed.

Monasa nigrifrons is reported from the region of Três Lagoas (Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil), with information on its feeding behavior and nesting. This is the first report of this bird on this region, as well as the first observations on its nest burrowing behavior.

The Guaratuba Bay (25o52'S, 48o39'W) is the second largest estuarine system of the State of Parana, Brazil. It extended inside of the continent for about 15 km and is surrounded by mangroves. Water depth can reach up to six meters. The fish faunal composition of this area was evaluated with a bottom trawl and, occasionally, casting and gill nets. One species of Chondrichthyes and 59 of the Actinopterygii (50 genera and 28 families) were reported from the Bay. The results were not significantly different from those of the Paranagua Bay, except by the lower number of species. These differences appear related to distinct collection efforts and the extension of surveyed areas. No species can be considered endemic to the region. Tipically freshwater species were not collected.

Reproductive and biometrical analyses were pertormed on 1629 individuals of P. corvinaeformis collected monthly from October 1993 to September 1996, at Guaratuba Bay, Southern Brazilian coast. The results indicate that the species is more abundant in the mangrove area during winter, when the largest individuais were collected, and spring, when the water temperature is lower and the salinity higher than summer or autumn. The relationship of body weight to body length, for grouped sexes, is "lnTW= -12,0456 + 3,1831 lnTL". The monthly Condition Factor is highest during summer and lowest during winter. It is suggested that P. corvinaeformis is present in the mangrove area during a specific etape of its life cycle and does not use this area to maturation and spawn.

Body fluid ionic content of fishes varies with ambient. Variations in the plasmatic ionic concentration have also been related with sex or maturation cycle, once that reproduction modifies metabolic processes. In fishes, the gallbladder is an important osmoregulatory organ. So, the present work has been focused on the relation of plasmatic and biliar electrolytes with sex and maturation cycle, of the teleost fish Prochilodus scrofa at the resting and mature stages of gonadal cycle. The animals (28 males and 30 females) were collected at Cachoeira de Emas (Pirassununga, São Paulo) and they were fasted for three days before the experiments. Deteminations of Na+, K+, Mg++, and Ca++ were made by spectophotometry and Cl- by microtitulation. Comparisons of ionic content between sex and maturation cycle were assessed using analysis of variance and Student-Newman-Keuls test. In this work it was seen that in males and females at resting and mature stages, there are no difference at ionic plasmatic content. K+ contents were higher in the bile of mature males than in resting ones. Mg++ biliar contents were higher in resting males than in resting and mature males. Na+, Ca++ e Cl- contents have no difference. Na+, K+, Ca++ and Mg++ contents were higher in the bile than in the plasma. Cl- content was higher in plasma than in bile. Variations related with proteic synthesis, and another metabolic processes during cycle, may be the reason of variations in the biliar ionic content.

A study of the temporal distribution of the decapod populations from a rocky shore at Farol Isle, Matinhos, State of Paraná, Brazil (25o51'S e48o32'W) was carried out. The rocky shore is 13m wide when the tidal level is zero meter and about 8o inclination. In the supralittoral, the rocky basins is mostly covered by a layer of litter coming from the terrestrial environment. In the midlittoral and upper infralittoral, the rocky slope is overlayed by boulders and pebbles and they constitute a highly complex environment of crevices, holes and concavities; the underlayer pebbles are embedded in sand, gravel and mud. In the infralittoral fringe, macrocospic algae grow as a continuous belt. Eight samples were taken by hand, monthly, from May-90 to April-91: two from supralittoral, four from midlittoral and two from infralittoral fringe. The density was calculated as number of individuais per cubic meter of pebble piles. The air temperature oscillated from 13.0oC (May-90) to 27.0oC (March-91), the surface water temperature from 16.0oC (July-90) to 28.0oC (February-91) and salinity from 6.7‰ (November-90) to 29.4‰ (July-90). There were registered 27 species (14 brachyuran crabs, 5 anomuran crabs and 8 caridean). The total density of decapod varied from 309.28 ind.m-3 (June-90) to 1,483.22 ind.m-3 (July-90). The density oscillated according to the temperature or salinity fluctuation only in three species. High densities were correlated to the breeding months in four species. Petrolisthes armatus (Gibbes, 1850) was the most numerous species and its density oscillated from 111.76 ind.m-3 (August-90) to 668.25 ind.m-3 (March-91). Eleven species occurred constantly (at least in 8 months), among which, five had a continuous breeding all year round: Synalpheus fritzmuelleri Coutière, 1909, Alpheus bouvieri A. Milne Edwards, 1878, Menippe nodifrons Stimpson, 1860, Pilumnus dasypodus Kingsley, 1879 and Petrolisthes armatus. Armases angustipes (Dana, 1852), Pachygrapsus transversus (Gibbes, 1850) and Panopeus occidentalis (Saussure, 1857) showed ovigerous females during the warm months, when the surface water temperature was equal or above 24oC, whilst Panopeus americanus Saussure, 1857 and Eurypanopeus abbreviatus Stimpson, 1860, equal or above 20oC. Despite of the constant occurrence of the porcelain crab Petrolisthes galalhinus (Bosc, 1801), it was not possible to infer its breeding period due to the absence of ovigerous females and the presence of juveniles only in a few samples.

The twenty species of butterflies (diurnal Lepidoptera) considered as threatened in the Minas Gerais (by statute) are described and discussed in relation to distribution, appearance and known records.

Hexapanopeus heblingi sp.n. is described in base of an adult male reared in the laboratory. This species of crab is typic of Anchieta Island, Ubatuba (23o32'S and 45o05'W), North coast of São Paulo State, Brazil.

The diet of Callinectes larvatus Ordway, 1863 population which occupy the mangrove of Jiribatuba, Bahia, Brazil (13o03'25"S and 38o47'38"W) is reported. The investigation of its stomachal contents showed that C. larvatus is an omnivorous species of ample feeding spectrum and presents detritivorous and opportunistic feeding strategy.

Gills arches of the freshwater fish Prochilodus scrofa Steindachner, 1881 (Lt= 8.0-12.4cm) were removed to be analyzed in a scanning electron microscope. The morphology of the superficial structures of the gill filaments and pharyngeal region of the gills arches was discussed and related to their functional aspects. A great quantity of mucous secretory cells and of microridges, along with the pavement cell surface of the primary lamellae and branchial pharyngeal region, indicate the existence of a protection strategy of the respiratory lamellae. The chloride cells are abundant, specially on the distal portion of the primary lamellae, and bring out the osmo regulatory capacity of this species. This fish seems not to be a filtering one according to: its short and simple gill rakers; presence of several taste buds turned towards the mouth opening; evidence of spines on the external side of the arches and an abundant secretion of mucous in the pharyngeal region. This species probably selects the food to be swallowed through its chemical receptors and retains it with the help of spines and mucous secretion this way protecting the gills filaments against the rubbing of particles over them.