RCAAP Repository

The four new species Sennius bruneus sp. nov., S. kingsolveri sp. nov., S. maculatus sp. nov. and S. niger sp. nov., predators of seeds of Chamaecrista Moench (Caesalpinaceae) from Serra do Cipó, Santana doRiacho, Minas Gerais, Brazil are described, and their host species listed. A key to the four species is also included.

A detailed study of the morphology of the head of Thyridia psidii cetoides (Rosenberg & Talbot, 1914) (Nymphalidae, Ithomiinae) adults from both sexes is presented. The material was obtained at the city's plant nursery "Horto Florestal de Curitiba", Paraná, Brazil; mainly by rearing eggs and larvae collected there on Cyphomandra betacea (Canavilles) Sendtner, 1845 (Solanaceae). When possible, all the results obtained were compared with those already available in the literature concerning external morphology studies pertinent to other Nymphalidae subfamilies (Brassolinae, Morphinae and Danainae).

Riggia cryptocularis sp. nov. (Isopoda, Cymothoidae) is described on the basis of one female and one male specimen from the body cavity of freshwater fish from Mato Grosso do Sul State, Brazil. The new species is similar in size to R. paranensis Szidat, 1948, but differs from that species in the following respects. The body shapes are different since the widest part of the adult female is more anterior in R. paranensis. The eyes of the new species are covered and non-functional unlike those of the other species. The cephalon of the new species has a postero-dorsal elevation and a rounded and depressed frons which are lacking in the other species. Pereonites 5-7 are subequal in length in the new species and decrease in length in R. paranensis. The pleon/pleotelson tapers in the female of the new species and in the other it is bluntly rounded and with nearly parallel sides. The pleopods of R. cryptocularis sp. nov. also taper while those of R. paranensis are rounded. The recently described species, R. acuticaudata Thatcher, Lopes & Froehlich, 2002, was also obtained in Mato Grosso do Sul State but differs greatly from the presently described species. The body of R. acuticaudata is much smaller, and more rounded. The eyes of this species are large and functional, the dorsum of the cephalon lacks a dorsal prominence and the pleon/pleotelson tapers more abruptly.

The spatial distribution of mollusks in the intertidal zone was examined monthly from August 1995 through July 1997, in Enseada, Barra Velha and Araçá beaches in southeastern of Brazil. One study sector was selected in Enseada and Barra Velha, and two sectors in Araçá (Araçá I and Araçá II). The sectors were 10 m wide and equivalent in length to the width of the intertidal zone. Each sector was divided into three horizontal levels: lower, middle and upper, where the samples were taken with a cylinder corer with a base area of 0.16 m². In order to characterize the intertidal environment in these areas, some environmental variables were analyzed. In general, the mollusks were distributed in the sectors as follows: Enseada - Olivella minuta (Link, 1807) in the lower level and Tagelus plebeius (Lightfoot, 1786) in the upper level; Araçá I - O. minuta in the lower level, Tellina lineata Turton, 1819 and Anomalocardia brasiliana (Gmelin, 1791) in the middle levels; Araçá II - Cerithium atratum (Born, 1778) in the lower level, O. minuta in the lower and middle levels, and A. brasiliana and Corbula caribaea Orbigny, 1842 in the middle level; Barra Velha - Tagelus divisus (Spengler, 1794), Lucina pectinata (Gmelin, 1791) and Tellina versicolor De Kay, 1843 in the lower level, and A. brasiliana and Macoma constricta (Brugüìere, 1792) in the upper level. The intertidal zone of the study sectors could be divided into two biological zones: the upper zone, where T. plebeius, A. brasiliana and M. constricta were more abundant; and the lower zone, where O. minuta, C. atratum, T. lineata, T. versicolor, C. caribaea, T. divisus and L. pectinata were abundant.

A new Brazilian Calomys Waterhouse, 1837 species is described based on morphologic and karyologic data. This species is endemic to the Cerrado of Central Brazil and allopatric with all other species of the genus Calomys. Its chromosome complement (2n = 46, AN = 66) is different from those described in other Calomys species. Morphometric analysis significantly distinguished this new species from other Calomys of the Brazilian fauna like C. callosus (Renger, 1830), C. expulsus (Lund, 1841) and C. tener (Winge, 1887) and placed it among the large-sized Calomys.

A total of 58 Ucides cordatus (Linnaeus, 1763) ovigerous females in final embryonic stage were collected in mangrove forest at Iguape (São Paulo). Each female were kept in laboratory until the larvae hatching and had their carapace width (CW) measured with caliper (0.05 mm) and the larval number (LN) calculated by volumetric method. The hatching rates (HR) were calculated for each animal's size class (5 mm). The values of LN and CW obtained were subjected to regression analyses and the best fitting model was chosen by comparing the obtained determination coefficients (R²). The fertility varied from 71,200 to 220,800 larvae (147,169 ± 32,070 larvae), corresponding to 41.7 to 76.8 mm CW (63.7±7.9 mm), respectively. The relationship LNxCW was expressed by the equation LN = 284.1CW1.5º¹ (N = 58; R² = 0.74; p < 0.01), that showed a positive correlation between the variables. Most part of ovigerous females (89.7%) showed their hatching during the nightly period. A negative correlation between HR and CW was observed in these animals (p < 0.05), probably due to reduction of spermatophores in the seminal receptacle (multiparous females) or due to senility in the females with large size. The biological studies of U. cordatus are very important for practices adoption that preserve and make the rational use of this recourse in Brazilian's mangrove forests.

Use of the space by the opossum Didelphis aurita Wied-Newied, 1826 (Mammalia, Marsupialia) in a mixed forest fragment of southern Brazil. The space use of the marsupial Didelphis aurita was studied in a forest fragment of southern Brazil from February 1995 to January 1996. The method used was the 'distribution utilization' in which each trap was set in 38 x 38 m quadrats. Captures of each marked individual in each point give information on its habitat use. Food availability was searched and compared to the habitat utilization and to the food consumption of opossums. Distribution patterns of captures (aggregated to random) and spatial overlap between individuals were searched. Results showed aggregated distributions of individuals, particularly females, in the fragment. Females used exclusively the fragment during the drier season. Opossums tend to not choose the sites with highest food availability to establish home ranges. Spatial overlap was usually low between forest resident and neighbouring resident females, but much lower during the breeding season (only forest resident females) in an apparently pattern of territoriality. Hence, core areas of females decreased in size during the breeding season. Males probably searched primarily for mates during the breeding season being less opportunistic than females in feeding habits, yet their space use did not correlate to food consumption.

The gastropods Costaclis egregia (Dall, 1889), Thaleia nisonis (Dall, 1889), Tjaernoeia michaeli Engl, 2001 and the bivalves Bathyarca sp., Myonera aff. ruginosa (Jeffreys, 1882) are recorded for the first time in Brazilian waters. This paper presents a brief description of these species and also include ilustrations.

Lamprosoma alacre sp. nov. from Mato Grosso is described and illustrated. The genus Lamprosoma is redescribed and illustrations of characters are provided. The following south american species are redescribed: L. amethystinum Perty, 1832, L. azureum Germar, 1824, L. bicolor W. Kirby, 1818, L. chrysopygium Germar, 1824, L. corruscum Guérin-Méneville, 1844, L. podtiaguini Monrós, 1947 and L. triste Guérin-Méneville, 1844.

From the analysis of 230 scats, the diet of the maned wolves, Chrysocyon brachyurus (Illiger, 1815), was determined in a private natural reserve in southeastern Brazil in which ecotourism activities are developed and the animals are deliberately fed bovine meat. A total of 569 occurrences of food items were recorded, of which 56.8% were of animal origin and 29.1% of vegetal origin. Rodents, insects and birds added up to 35.8% of the occurrences, yet accounted for 68.5% of the total number of preys (277). Insects, however, had practically no importance (0.1%) in the total estimated biomass consumed. Even though the fruit Solanum lycocarpum St.-Hil. is a common food item in the diet of the maned wolf, its occurrence in the diet at the Serra do Caraça Reserve was insignificant, accounting for only 4.8% of the total number of food item occurrences and 3.4% of the total estimated biomass consumption. Food items of anthropic origin and inorganic items (e.g., plastic) represented 14.1% of all occurrences, which shows that the animals are used to the presence of humans. Seasonal variations in consumption were found for S. lycocarpum (c² = 10,09; p < 0,001), for other fruits (c² = 19,73; p < 0,001), and for reptiles (c² = 15,56; p < 0,001), all of which were more frequently eaten during the dry months. There was a significant correlation between the availability of small mammals and their consumption by the maned wolves (r s = 0.59; p = 0.041), yet the same was not observed for the fruits of S. lycocarpum (r s = 0,101; p = 0,754). Our findings stress the need for a better understanding of the effects of additional foods on the natural feeding habits of the maned wolf.

The Serra do Caraça Reserve is situated in the southern portion of the Espinhaço Mountain Range, and contains areas of "campos de altitude", "cerrado" and atlantic forest. This study had as its objective the registering of the bats species that occur in the reserve. The data collection was carried out in one year through monthly samplings, using mist nets set on trails, and also through hand capture. A total of 246 individuals were collected (0.72 bats/net-hour), distributed across 15 species, belonging to the families Phyllostomidae (83.0%; nine species), Vespertilionidae (12.5%; three species) and Molossidae (4.5%; three species). The most abundant species were Sturnira lilium (E. Geoffroy, 1810) (n = 121, 60.5%), Myotis nigricans (Schinz, 1821) (n = 21, 10.5%) and Platyrrhinus lineatus (E. Geoffroy, 1810) (n = 10, 5.0%), and less represented were Lasiurus blossevilli (Lesson y Garnot, 1826) (n = 2, 1.0%), Eumops perotis (Schinz, 1821) (n = 2, 1.0%) e Vampyressa pusilla (Wagner, 1843) (n = 1, 0.5%). The richness of species found and the non-occurrence of phyllostomines in the reserve could be indicative of some level of forest disturbance.

The Mollusca Pteropoda from Fernando de Noronha Chain Northeastern Brazil were studied in order to know their taxonomy and distribution. Collections were carried out during the I Oceanographical Expedition of the REVIZEE Program (Live Resources of the Economical Exclusive Zone) from August to September 1995. The studied area is located between 03°04'S-04°23'S and 32°19'W-36°26'W, comprising 35 stations. Sampling was performed through oblique hauls from 50m depth to surface and from 100 m depth to surface, with a Bongo net (300 and 500 µm mesh size, net diameter: 60 cm), that was equipped with a flow meter. Samples in a total of 99 were preserved, immediately, in buffered 4% formaldehyde. Qualitative and quantitative analyses of the samples were performed based on total sample. The samples were analysed on a counting plate "Bogorov" type under a stereo microscope. A total of 8,258 organisms were identified belonging to: 8 families, 16 genera and 27 species. Limacina inflata (d´Orbigny, 1836) and Creseis virgula (Rang, 1828) were frequent and very frequent in the area outranking among the studied Pteropoda. The total density varied from 2.5 to 3,012.05 org.m-³. Highest richness was registered at the Continental Shelf and Slope with 1two species. The Pteropoda association showed higher differences between day and night collections. Limacina inflata caused this difference due to its higher density at night collections and it was independent of the depth, mesh size and temperature. Creseis virgula had its occurrence, mainly, during day time.

Data on nematodes of the genus Pelecitus Railliet &amp; Henry, 1910, namely P. fulicaeatrae (Diesing, 1851) López-Neyra, 1956, P. anhingae Vuylsteke, 1957, P. tubercauda Vanderburgh, Anderson &amp; Stock, 1984, P. vuylstekae (Molin, 1860) Bartlett &amp; Greiner, 1986, P. tercostatus (Molin, 1860) Railliet &amp; Henry, 1910, P. helicinus (Molin, 1860) Railliet &amp; Henry, 1910, P. circularis (Molin, 1860) Railliet &amp; Henry, 1910 and Pelecitus sp., are presented, with basis on 29 nematode samples recovered from Brazilian birds representing 13 families and 19 species that were captured between 1934-1951 in the southeastern and central regions; parasites were formerly deposited as unidentified material in the Helminthological Collection of the Oswaldo Cruz Institute.

The first occurrence of phyllostomid bat Glyphonycteris sylvestris Thomas, 1896 in Rio de Janeiro State, Southeastern Brazil is reported. An adult female was caught with mist net in the Parque Estadual da Pedra Branca, an AtlanticForest area in West Zone of Rio de Janeiro city, in July 9th, 1996. Morphological aspects of this species are discussed. Measurements obtained for the specimen are also provided.

Anchoa tricolor (Agassiz, 1829) is the only anchovy of commercial importance in Sepetiba Bay, supporting an intensive commercial fishery by small sized seine boats provide of hydroacustics sounder detecting device. This study analyses the accompanying fauna in the A. tricolor fishery, and the influence of environmental parameters in fish composition. Seven samples were taken with a seine net between March and September 1999, capturing 114,430 fish, comprising 17 species and 11 families. Engraulidae and Clupeidae were the most abundant families, accounting to 94.2 % of the total number of fish. A. tricolor was the most abundant species contributing to more than one half of the total numerical abundance, followed in decreasing order by Anchoa januaria (Steindachner, 1879), Sardinella brasiliensis (Steindachner, 1789) and Harengula clupeola (Cuvier, 1829). A. tricolor showed a highly significant positive correlation with salinity, transparency and depth. A. januaria showed the opposite, being inversely correlated to these parameters and directly correlated to temperature. Clupeidae, on the other hand, seems to show a wider distribution in relations to these environmental parameters.

This study reports the mite fauna associated with Tabebuia roseo-alba, a native and ornamental tree, determining the abundance and seasonal occurrence of species and the diversity of the community. Twenty three species were found belonging to 11 families, 10 of predatory habits and five phytophagous. The food habits of the eight remaining species are not known. Besides the great richness, the diversity was small, as consequence of the dominance of Lorryia formosa Cooreman, 1958 and Aculus sp., the most abundant species. These species occurred in the same microhabitat but with seasonal segregation: L. formosa was the most abundant in the dry season, while Aculus sp. occurred only in the rainy season. In August, when the plant lost its leaves, the following species were found in the apical branch structures: Brevipalpus sp. (aff. phoenicis), Cheletogenes sp., Euseius citrifolius Denmark &amp; Muma, 1970, Lorryia formosa, Pronematus sp., and diapause females of Tenuipalponychus tabebuiae Aguilar, Flechtmann &amp; Ochoa, 1991. In September, with leaves growing again, Aceria sp. was the only species on the plant, and its abundance decreased accentuately in October. The richness and the abundance of the mite fauna were not correlated with the temperature or the precipitation. These data suggest that the plant phenology was more important than the climate in the occurrence of species.

Three new species of Aglaenita Spinola, 1850 are described: Aglaenita similis sp. nov., Aglaenita elegans sp. nov. and Aglaenita dubia sp. nov. from Amazonas State, Mato Grosso State and Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil, respectively. Illustrations and a key for the species and new occurrences for A. bipunctata Spinola, 1850 are presented. The three new species are similar among them, even so they can be distinguished by the aspect of the male genitalia, mainly by the aedeagus and pygofer.

Sycorax bahiensis sp. nov. from Bahia is described and illustred.

Parandra scaritoides Thomson, 1861 is removed from synonymy of Hesperandra colombica (White, 1853) and reinstated. Both species are redescribed. New species described from Venezuela: H. solangeae. A key to the three species is added.

Heterotermes tenuis (Hagen, 1858) is a subterranean termite that cause damage in forests, crops and urban areas. The population and foraging territory of an urban colony were determined using triple mark-release-recapture technique. Foraging population was estimated in 134,583 ± 5,803 individuals. The foraging territory encompassed an area of 175,5 m² and the maxim linear foraging distance was 36 m.