RCAAP Repository

Studies were carried out on the relationship between Phthiraptera and wild birds captured by mist nets at the Engenho Independência, at Vicência's county. Three families of Phthiraptera were identified. The Menoponidae were the one with the highest number of hosts. They were specially found in the dorsal face of the remiges. The Trochiloecetidae were only seen infesting the neck of birds belonging to the hummingbirds. The Philopteridae were observed on birds from three orders showing the highest variety of distribution on the birds.

Studies were carried out on the relationship between feather mites in wild birds captured by mist nets at the Engenho Independência, county of Vicência. The captures were performed in June, September and December (1995) and March (1996). Mites belonging to the families: Analgidae, Psoroptoididae, Avenzoariidae, Proctophyllodidae e Trouessartiidae were identified to genera. The most representative genera, according to the number of hosts they were found were Pterodectes sp. (Proctophyllodidae), with eighteen and Trouessartia sp. (Trouessartiidae), with sixteen hosts, respectively. The Psoroptoididae and Avenzoariidae families were found in only one host each. The ventral face of remiges and rectrices were the main sites inhabited by mites.

Rhabdepyris longifoveatus sp.n. from southeastern Brazil and R. vesiculosus sp.n.. from Central America and northwestern South America are described and illustrated. Rhabdepyris virescens Evans, 1965, R. vesculus Evans, 1065, R. subviridis (Kieffer, 1906), R. violaceus Evans, 1965, R. septemlineatus Kieffer, 1906 and R. lobatifrons Kieffer, 1906 had their sting and male genitalia described.

The Muscoidea community of two adjacent areas was sampled. For eight months one area was of secondary tropical forest and the other was an open field used for cattle grazing. The main purpose of the study was to investigate if there would be any differences in abundance, family diversity, community composition and bait attractiveness. Results suggest that the change in the environment resulted in a reduction of overall abundance, but not a reduced diversity in terms of families. None of the families was led to a marked decrease or increase, as might be expected in a disturbed environment. The changes observed in the community composition were not significant for the distribution and abundance rank of the families within that community. The environmental change also seemed to affect the way the flies responded to the baits.

Funkhouseriana gen.n. is described (type species Tynelia cerulea Funkhouser, 1935). Funkhouseriana cerulea, comb.n. is redescribed and illustrated.

Two specimens of Phyllocaulis boraceiensis were found in concomitant cross copulation on 19.VII.1997. Each was in the "U"-shape position. Both specimens were the same age. One was 100 mm. long and weighed 14.53 g.; the other was 129 mm long and weighed 16.08 g. Thirty-one days later the largest one laid 11 eggs; all hatched 64 days later. The other died in October, 1997 without laying.

No summary/description provided

Old descriptions of species frequently present imprecise or even non-existing toponyms. Based on comparisons of old collecting maps by HENSEL (1867), it is suggested the river basin to which belongs the material collected and designed as a new species (Rio Caí basin), namely Chilina parva Martens, 1868. The type-locality of this material, Rödersberg, can hardly be categorically affirmed, but as coordinates were raised, along other evidences, it is suggested that the actual toponym be Morro Reuter county, Rio Grande do Sul.

No summary/description provided

Diagnosis and genitalia description and illustration of Dissomphalus bicavatusEvans, 1979;D. bispinulatusEvans, 1969;D. brasiliensisKieffer, 1910;Z). caviclypeus Evans, 1969; D. cornutus Evans 1964; D. dumosus, Evans, 1966; D. fungosus Evans, 1979; D. gilvipes Evans, 1979; D. incomptus Evans, 1964; D. infissus Evans, 1969; D. mendicus Evans, 1969; D. microstictus Evans, 1969; D. mirabilis Evans, 1966; D. nanellus Evans, 1969; D. napo Evans, 1979; D. plaumanni Evans, 1964; D. punctatus (Kieffer, 1910); D. puteolus Evans, 1969; D. rufipalpis Kieffer, 1910; D. xanthopus Ashmead, 1893 are provided. Female of D. mirabilis is first described. Five synonymies are proposed: D. connubialis Evans, 1966 of D. brasiliensis, D. montanus Kieffer, 1910 of D. punctatus, D. obliquus Evans, 1979 of D. rufipalpis, D. teren Evans, 1969 of D. cornutus and D. hastatus Evans, 1979 of D. bispinulatus. D. microtuberculatus sp.n. from Northern Argentina is described and illustrated.

Two new species of Dasmeusa Melichar, 1926 are descri bed and illustrated: D. basseti sp.n. from Guyana and D. isabellina sp.n. from Brazil, Pará.

The collects from mosquitoes' sample that repro-duce in leaf imbricate of bromeliads were done by two differents methods: a conven-tional method where the plants were felled and the water inside were dropped in a recipient and in the second method the samples were collected by sucking the water, so the plant wasn't felled. The number of bromeliads studied in each method was 120 plants from zero to 15 m height. The period of study lasted from january till december 1989. The bromeliads were collected monthly by each method. The score of immature was done at the laboratory. The variables studied were the number of leaf axils with water (Xi, Yi), water volume (cm³) inside each bromeliad (X2, Y2), the number of immature mosquitoes (larvae and pupae) inside each water volume from each bromeliad (X3, Y3), respectivelly, for the methods that the samples were obtained: by sucking or by felling the plant and the time (month) variable. By this study, we concluded that there is no significative difference between the methods done for a = 0,05. There is also no significative difference between both methods in each month. However, there was significative difference between the monlhs for α = 0.05.

The Pumpkin toadlet, Brachycephalus ephippium (Spix, 1824), is an orangish daily anuran, which inhabits the litter of the Atlantic Forest of Southeastem Brazil. During a survey of this species' natural history in the vicinities of Campinas (22º52'S, 46º49'W), São Paulo State, field observations were made on the oviposition behavior, in which after the male left the oviposition site, the female covered the surface of ali eggs with soil particles. She pressed and rolled each egg against the ground using her hindfeet, until the eggs were indistinguishable from the litter background. A clutch was obtained in laboratory and two others were found in the field. After 25 days of development the embryo possess a big yolk sac, differentiated mouth and a small tail with caudal membranes poorly developed. After 41 days, fingers and toes are fully formed, the tail is relatively smaller than the previous state, the abdômen is large due to the yolk within, and the mouth possess two egg tooth. After 54 days, the tail remains as a small appendix, there is only one egg teeth, and body is densely pigmented. The hatehling oceurred after 64 days of development, the young possess reddish brown coloration, vestigial tail, and no egg teeth.

The pupae of Anthrax oedipus oedipus Fabricius, 1805 and Anthrax oedipus aquilus Marston, 1970 are described and illustrated. Eleven species of four Hymenoptera families (Apidae, Eumenidae, Megachilidae and Sphecidae) are recorded as hosts of the immature stages of A. o. oedipus and A. o. aquilus.

Pimelodus maculatus Lacepede, 1803 is an important fish of the Säo Francisco river basin, where it is economically significant in both professional and sports fisheries. The fish, maintained in captivity, was subjected to hypophysation with crude caip pituitary extract. Approximately 70% of the females treated spawned viable eggs. The eggs were opaque, demersal, yellow and free. Egg stripping was performed at 213 hour-degrees (duration = 8.3 h) after the second dose injection, at water temperature of 25-26ºC. Hatching occurred at 394 hour-degrees (duration = 16.3 h) after egg fertilization, at water temperature of 24-25ºC. Egg fertilization rate was 64.8%. The relationship between absolute fecundity (AF), initial fertility (IF) and final fertility (FF) and body weight are expressed, respectively, by AF = - 331 + 181717 Wt (r² = 0.62), IF = - 16839+ 158123 Wt (r² = 0.65), and FF = -9874 + 100365 Wt (r² = 0.63).

The females and nests are described of two new species of social wasps (Hymenoptera, Vespidae) from dry evergreen forest on the Ilha de Maraca, Roraima, Brazil. Mischocyttarus (Monocyttarus) maracaensis sp.n. closely resembles M. flavicornis Zikan, 1935 in morphology and coloration. Polybia (Myrapetra) roraimae sp.n. is a member of the P. occidenlalis (Olivier, 1791) group of species.

Latrodectus gr. mactans is responsible for 28% of ali accidents provoked by spiders in state of Bahia, Brazil (1980-1990), which makes necessary the study of its manejament. The spiders were captured in Ondina, Salvador, and in Baxio, Esplanada (Bahia, Brazil); they were mantained in captivity, with food supply weekly (Atta sp., larva of Tenebrio sp. and Drosophila melanogaster) with three hours/ offers observation time, during march/95 to april/96. In captivity, the spiders accepted two kinds of food: Atta sp., which seems to be the major item of its diet in natural conditions, and larva of Tenebrio sp., which is not available in natural conditions. Drosophila melanogaster was systematically rejected. The feeding behavior iscomposed by four distinct steps: (1) imrnobilization, (2) inoculation, (3) second immobilization and (4) ingestion. Two kinds of social alimentary behavior are descri-bed. The results indicated that larvae of Tenebrio sp. can be an alternative supply for successfull maintenance of this specie in captivity.

This study provides a list of anurans occuring in Londrina Municipality, north of Paraná, and analyses the difference in species richness between one well preserved forest area (Parque Estadual Mata dos Godoy) and another, altered area (Estação de Piscicultura da Universidade Estadual de Londrina). The greatest number of species was in the preserved area (24 species) when compared to the altered one (14 species). The occurence of true forest species (stenoics), such Crossodactylus sp., Eleutherodactylus binotatus, E. guentheri, and Hyalinobatrachium uranoscopum, only in the Parque Estadual Mata dos Godoy shows the conservation leveis of áreas and put in evidence the anurans as biological indicators of environmental quality. New registers for Paraná State were the following species: H. uranoscopum, P. avelinoi and Scinax perereca.

A total of 6,575 larvae in the preflexion, flexion and post-flexion stages of 15 families, 26 genera and 29 species were captured in the surf zone of Pontal do Sul beach, Paraná, Brazil. Samples of the families Gerreidae and Scianidae predominated and larvae of Eucinostomus argenteus (Baird&Girard, 1854), Micropogonias furnieri (Desmarest, 1823), Eucinostomus gula (Cuvier, 1830), Menticirrhus ameri-canus (Linnaeus, 1758) and Anchoa tricolor (Agassiz, 1829) were the most dominant species. Greater abundance of larvae was observed during the summer, followed by winter and in a less extent during spring and autumn. The number of species was greater in the summer, and there were no significant differences in the rest of the seasons.

A new species of Plesiommata Provancher, 1889 is described, from Mato Grosso, Brazil. P. zanolae is similar with P. corniculata and P. mollicula, but its different in the structural aspect male genitalia and coloration.