RCAAP Repository

Gametogenic and histochemical aspects of an edible bivalve, lphigenia brasiliana (Lamarek, 1818) from Itaipu Lagoon, Niterói, State of Rio de Janeiro, were studied. Between May 1998 and October 1999 a total of 120 clams were picked up. Samples of 10 animals were collected once a month. Specimens were fixed in Bouin's fixative for 4 hours or less and transferred to 10% formalin for 24 hours. The shell lenght has been measured with the valves lightly opened to permit the penetration of fixative solution deeply in the tissues. Transverse sections including digestive diverticula, mantle, gills, gonad and foot were obtained from the total body. After fixative treatment, tissues sections were embedded in paraffin, cut routinely at 5 µm and stained with Harris's hematoxylin and eosin. Microscopic analysis was carried out at low and high dry magnifications, as well as under oil immersion. Advanced ova stages were measured. Special staining techniques have been applied as a tentative tool for searching glycogen, mucous cells, collagenic and reticulin fibers, RNA and protozoan organisms. The animals collected showed variation in lenght from 7.20 cm to 4.10 cm and in height from 4.60 cm to 3.10 cm. The sex ratio (M:F) was 40:69. The average ova diameter of I. brasiliana was 34.70 µm with a standard deviation of 5.19 µm. Nothing could be observed in I. brasiliana, concerning to lesions and parasites at histopathological analysis.

The aim of this study is to characterize the reproductive features of Macrobrachium olfersii (Wiegman, 1836) from Santa Catarina's lsland. The animals were collected in freshwater streams of the Ratones Hidrografic Basin (site A1) and at the Peri's Pond (site A2). In the laboratory, the procedures of sexual differentiation were carried out to classify the individuais in males, females or ovigerous females, followed by the determination of total weight (g), quelipod relative weight (g) and total length (mm). The eggs were removed from the ovigerous females and counted. Sexual maturity and fecundity were analyzed based in the dimensions and number of eggs carried by ovigerous females. The water temperature on the capture sites varied from 17 to 29ºC throughout the months of study. A total of 503 individuais were captured, with 129 individuais from site A1 and 374 from site A2. The mean total size and length was 49.65 mm and 3.79 g for the males, 38.75 mm and 1.61 g for the females and 36.19 mm and 1.08 g for the ovigerous females. At the sites A1 and A2, the individual sexual maturity was reached with 27.3 and 21.2 mm of total length, respectively, while populational sexual maturity was estimated for the 45.0 to 50.0 mm class at site A1 and for the 30.0 to 35.0 mm class at site A2. The ovigerous females carried an average of 3464 eggs at site A1, and 1440 eggs at site A2. These reproductive features, presented by M. olfersii, show the species' plasticity, which can be associated with environmental variations, contributing to its reproductive success.

New species of Anthidium Fabricius, 1804 are described: Anthidium danieli sp. n. from Argentina; Anthidium toro sp. n. from Chile; Anthidium alsinai sp. n., Anthidium luizae sp. n., Anthidium igori sp. n., Anthidium masunariae sp. n., Anthidium rafaeli sp. n., Anthidium rozeni sp. n. and Anthidium tarsoi sp. n. from Peru.

A new species of Podochela Stimpson, 1860, P. meloi sp. n., collected from one of the estuaries of the State of Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil is described with illustrations showing its distinguishing features. A key to the species is provided.

Female mosquitoes (Culicidae) were collected in human bait weekly between March 1997 to February 1998, in three different areas of the oceanic region of Niterói city, Rio de Janeiro State, in southeastern coast of Brazil. The results indicated the presence of 16 species: Anopheles aquasalis, Aedes scapularis, A. taeniorhynchus, A. albopictus, A. aegypti, Haemagogus leucocelaenus, Psorophora ferox, P. conffinis, P. cingulata, Culex quinquefasciatus, C. nigripalpus, Coquillettidia venezuelensis, Uranotaenia calosomata, Limatus durhami, Weyomyia oblita and Phoniomyia sp. A statistical analysis between monthly female frequencies and temperature, air humidity and precipitation monthly indices was done, using Sperman correlation in Statistica 4.2 program. The only difference among the collected points is the higher number of species collected in Engenho do Mato, in spite of the differences between them in relation to vegetal formation and conservation. The species showed higher frequencies of females during spring and summer seasons, and permit us to conclude that temperature and precipitation demonstrated high levels of correlation to female frequencies along the one year study, but the same was not observed in relation to air humidity. Some of the identified species, such as Aedes aegypti, A. albopictus, A. scapularis, Haemagogus leucocelaenus and Culex quinquefasciatus are important as disease vectors and control suggestions are made in front of the relative abundance of them in different periods of the year.

One hundred and eight species of Cecidomyiinae (Cecidomyiidae) were found in association with 53 species of plant distributed among 42 genera and 32 families at restingas of Barra de Maricá, Itaipuaçu and Carapebus. Ninety four gall midge species were cecidogenous, four predaceous, five inquilinous of galls and five were free living. Galling species were associated with 47 plant species belonging to 36 genera and 28 families. The majority of the galls occurred on the leaves (N = 63); 13 on buds; nine on inflorescence, closed flower or flower peduncle; three on fruits and one on tendril. Myrtaceae were the richest plant family in number of galls followed by Burseraceae, Nyctaginaceae, Sapotaceae, Erythroxylaceae, Malpighiaceae and Solanaceae. New records of host plants and localities were recorded. Seventy nine Cecidomyiinae species were found at Restinga of Barra de Maricá, 64 at Carapebus and 41 at Itaipuaçu. Sorensen's index revealed that the restingas of Barra de Maricá and Itaipuaçu ate more similar in Cecidomyiinae fauna, confirming a positive relation between geographical proximity and fauna similarity.

The gametogenic aspects of mussel Perna perna (Linnaeus, 1758) from Itaipu Lagoon, Niterói, were studied through November 1998 to October 1999. Microscopic analysis was carried out at low and high dry magnifications, as well as under oil immersion. The animals collected showed variation of size from 4.8 to 9.1 cm in total length and from 2.0 to 3.9 cm in total width. Most advanced gonadal stage was detected through May, August and October of 1999 for female specimens. Male advanced gonadal stage occurred in September of the same year. The sex-ratio (M:F) for P. perna was 64:52.

The immature stages and the larval hosts of some subspecies of Copiopteryx semiramis (Cramer, 1775) are reported. Egg, larval instars, pupa and adults to the subspecies C. semiramis montei Gagarin, 1933 are illustrated in color for the first time.

Albinism in the common vampire bat Desmodus rotundus (E. Geoffrey, 1810) was already reported for seven individuals, six of them did in Brazil. Although this species is relatively easy to keep in captivity and many studies with normally pigmented bats were did under laboratory conditions, no reports on detailed observations of captive albino vampire bats were found in literature. This paper reports some behavioral observation of a single albino female D. rotundus kept in captivity in Brazil between 1991 and 1993. Information on feeding behavior, interactions with normally colored individuals and reproduction were recorded.

The first capture of the phyllostomid bat Micronycteris homezi Pirlot, 1867 in Brazil is reported. An adult male was captured in a forest fragment in Alter do Chão, Santarám, Pará State, in May 7th , 1998. A description of the species, previously reported only in Venezuela and French Guiana, is given, as well as the measures of the captured specimen. After this report, the bat fauna of Brazil is composed by 139 species.

Chaceon fenneri (Manning & Holthuis, 1984), so far known only from the offshore region of Florida, was collected off the Northeast of Brazil. A discussion on the variation within the species and morphometric data of the specimens examined are also given.

They are registered for the first time in the South Brazilian coast, the crabs Mithrax hispidus (Herbst, 1790) and Mithrax tortugae Rathbun, 1920, which previous Southern limit of distribution were at São Paulo State and now it is extended to the Santa Catarina State coast line.

Specimens of terrestrial isopods collected in Rio Grande do Sul were identified as Pseudodiploexochus tabularis (Barnard, 1932). This is the first record of the species from Brazil.

The individuais of Charadriifonnes present plumages of either young, or adults; adults in turn, present plumages of either reproduction, ar intermediate. Aiming to monitor plumages and molts, and associating them to migrations, specimens were collected on the coast of Pernambuco State, in the Coroa do Avião, Santa Cruz channel (7º40'S e 34º 50'W). Plumages of young, non-breeding adults, intermediate adults, and breeding adults were recorded amongst the specimens captured. The molt cicle of primary remiges indicates that individuals initiating molts in June and July will not return to their areas of reproduction, and that the ones who start from August to October, ending till February, will migrate in the same year to their breeding grounds. Retrix molts showed variations. Regarding adults of Calidris pusilla (Linnaeus, 1766) the cicle ended till March.

Apenesia quadrimera sp. n., A. rotunda sp. n. and A. clypeata sp. n. are described and illustrated. New geographic records and variation data of A. cusco Evans, 1966, A distinta Corrêa & Azevedo, 2001, A. funebris Evans, 1963, A. fusilis Corrêa & Azevedo, 2001, A. inca Evans, 1963 and A. transversa Evans, 1963 are added.

The diel of the giant armadillo - Priodontes maximus (Kerr,1792) - was studied in the field at Fazenda São Miguel, Unaí, Minas Gerais, Brazil, through 82 samples collected at foraging excavations and 25 fecal samples. In both types of sample the most common item was insects (Isoptera e Hymenoptera) and, in less quantity, plant fragments and orhers invertebrates (Aranae, Blattaria, Coleoptera, Diplopoda, Scorpiones). These data suggest the giant armadillo is a specialist on insects with an opportunistic foraging strategy.

Data on immature stages and range extension of Prepona pheridamas (Cramer, 1777) are presented. The larva feed on Hirtella gracilipes (Hook. f.) (Chrysobalanaceae), the same natural hostplant for Agrias claudina godmani Fruhstorfer,1895 in the high Rio Arinos region, Mato Grosso State.

The oviposition behavior and development time of Brachymeria villoso (Oliver, 1790) on Trypoxylon albitarse Fabricius, 1804 (Sphecidae) is reported. The parasitism occurs through a little hole made by the parasitoid female in the host nest wall. This hole is used by the parasitoid offspring after its emergence to left the host nest. The parasitoid egg is laid on the host larva before it built its cocoon, when such structure is made the parasitoid egg hatch into a larva that feeds on the living host larva and the parasitoid growth enclosed in the host cocoon without build its own. The development time of B. villosa was 65 days. From two nest of T. albitarse were reared 12 females and one male of B. villosa.

Little information is available about natural populations of fishes exposed to polluted waters in Brazil. Contaminants may be lethal or predispose fishes to sickness, being the analysis of aquatic organisms a good indicator of environmental quality. The violinha, Rineloricaria strigilata (Hensel, 1868), is a common loricariid catfish in the Guaíba lake basin, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, and has been selected as a bioindicator for being resident, occurring in more than 50% of the samples, and by showing externally detectable neoplasies. These are characterized by its dark pigmentation, bony plates hypertrophy, and hypertrophy and irregular arrangement of the odontodes. Histology showed hypertrophied epitelial tissues, with an increased number of secretory cells, blood cells, and melanina pigments, giving the dark appearance to the neoplasm. Observed frequencies of neoplasm were higher in lake Guaíba than in comparativo samples. Inside lake Guaíba, a pattern of distribution of neoplasm was observed, with the absence of neoplasm in fishes at the collected site that receives water from rio Jacuí, and frequencies of 3.04 to 16.81% in the collection localities in front of Porto Alegre and downstream localities, that receive water from rio Jacuí, rio dos Sinos and rio Gravataí, that drain urban and industrial area of Porto Alegre and neighborhood cities.

This study presents data on morphometric variation for length and width of elytra in tive sympatric species of the genus Chauliognathus Hentz, 1830: C. flavipes Fabricius, 1781, C. octomaculatus Pie, 1915, C. expansus Waterhouse, 1878, C. fallax Germar, 1824 and C. lineatus Zwetsch & Machado, 2000. The meaning of this variation is discussed in the light of the theory of mimicry and visual communication between prey and predator. Females are larger than males in all species, except C. expansus. The analysis of variance for length of elytron as well as for width showed that the differences between species are significant for males and females; significant interaction (sex x species) was also found. The similarity in color pattern of these species, as well as similarities in the morphometric analysis, suggests that they could form a mimetic ring of the Müllerian type, which the authors suggest be called, a "yellow-black" complex.