RCAAP Repository

Swimming crabs are commonly found in the otter-trawl shrimp fishery by-catch, which operate intensively in the Coastal Plain of Leste Beach, where is located Shangri-lá Beach (25°37'30"S and 48°25'08"W), Paraná State. This work aimed to study the population structure of Callinectes ornatus Ordway, 1863, the most abundant swimming crab in this beach. Between March 2000 and April 2001, fortnightly visits were accomplished in Shangri-lá at the fish market, where all swimming crabs of one otter-trawl were collected. The following data from each individual of C. ornatus were obtained: sex, carapace width (excluding lateral spines), weight, and the gonadal maturation stage, based on its color and size. Juveniles and mature males were dominant, mean sexual proportion was 2.2:1 (males:females). Two recruitment periods were detected, but few ovigerous females were obtained. Size at sexual maturation was estimated at 55mm for males, and 48 mm for females. Both sexes presented positives allometric growths. The results indicate that an important portion of C. ornatus population is captured in the otter-trawl shrimp fishery in Shangri-lá Beach (Paraná). Such information is important for futures plans of by-catch management in that area.

A survey of the louse flies species (Diptera, Hippoboscidae) in the State of Paraná, Brazil was carried out. Keys to eight genera and 15 species found are given. The following species are recorded for the first time in Paraná: Lipoptena (Lipoptenella) guimaraesi Bequaert, 1957; Stipolmetopoda legtersi Bequaert, 1955; Icosta (Ornithopomus) latifacies Bequaert, 1955; Icosta (Ornithpomus) rufiventris (Bigot, 1885); Icosta (Ardmoeca) albipennis (Say, 1823) and Olfersia bisulcata Macquart, 1847. Baryphthengus ruficapillus (Vieillot, 1818) (Momotidae) and Ciccaba virgata Carbin, 1849 (Strigidae) are new host records for Ornithoica vicina (Walker, 1849) and I. (Ardmoeca) albipennis; Chiroxiphia caudata (Shaw, 1793) and Schiffornis virescens (Lafresnaye, 1838) (Pipridae) for Ornithoctona fusciventris (Wiedemann, 1830) and Gallus gallus domesticus (Linnaeus, 1758) (Phasianidae) for S. legtersi.

From July to September, 2000 (winter), and from January to March, 2001 (summer), 30 dust samples were collected for each season, from beds of rural dwellings located in farms in the geographical area named "Zona da Mata", Minas Gerais, Brazil. After being sorted, the mites were identified and quantified. The prevalence of mites in the samples was 100%. 891 mites were found in winter (22.97%), and 2988 in summer (77.03%). In winter, Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus (Trouessart, 1897) was the most prevalent (55.00%), followed by Blomia tropicalis (Bronswijk, Cock & Oshima, 1973) (27.06%), Euroglyphus maynei (Cooreman, 1950) (8.85%), and predator mites from Cheyletidae family (8.07%). In summer, the most prevalent species was B. tropicalis (47.79%), followed by D. pteronyssinus (43.38%), Cheyletidae (6.87%), and E. maynei (1.28%). Few Dermatophagoides farinae (Hughes, 1961), Chortoglyphus arcuatus (Troupeau, 1879), and mites from Tarsonemidae and Cunaxidae families were found, the last two occurring only in summer. No mites from Acaridae family were found. The greatest number of immature forms found in summer suggested a greater breeding activity in this season. It was also noted that different building materials and varied cleaning routines may influence the population size of domiciliary dust mites.

A detailed study of the abdominal external morphology of both sexes of Thyridia psidii cetoides (Rosenberg & Talbot, 1914) is presented. The material for this research was obtained at the city's plant nursery "Horto Florestal de Curitiba", Paraná, Brazil; mainly by rearing eggs and larvae collected on Cyphomandra betacea (Canavilles) Sendtner, 1845 (Solanaceae). When possible, the results obtained were compared with those already available in the literature concerning other Nymphalidae subfamilies morphology (Brassolinae, Morphinae and Danainae); the most striking feature being the asymmetrical valvae of the male and the length and faint sclerotinization of the third abdominal sternite in both sexes. A resume containing the main morphological differences to other nymphalid subfamillies, found throughout this research concerning head, thorax and abdome, is presented.

The length-weight relationship and spatial, temporal and ontogenetic changes in the condition factor of Micropogonias furnieri (Desmarest, 1823) were analyzed, from samples collected between October 1998 and September 1999, in the Sepetiba Bay, a coastal area with a wide communication with the sea (22º54'-23º04'S, 43º34'-44º10'W) at Southeast Brazil. The aim was to supply basic information on the form of growth of the population of M. furnieri that uses the bay, as well as to assess changes in the fish condition. Most fish were young and subadults. The length-weight equation, based on 2499 unsexed individuals, was Wt = 0.009095 * Lt2.99, where Wt is the total weight (g) and Lt is the total length (cm). The regression constant and the regression coefficient presented significant inverse relationship (p < 0.01), indicating that the regression coefficient from the length-weight relationship is not a good parameter for characterizing different populations, because its strong association between one another. The best condition was recorded in October/November and April, and the worst, between January and March. Spatially, the best condition was observed in the inner bay zone, where most fish were young-of-the-year, and in the outer zone where predominate larger sized fish, indicating that individuals of intermediary size could be allocating large amount of energy for growth, presenting, consequently, lowest condition. Isometry was detected for M. furnieri populations at Sepetiba Bay, and variations in physiologic condition could be associated to feeding availability, mainly in the inner zone, where the harsh water quality would not be constrained for development of this species.

Uroderma magnirostrum Davis, 1968 is reported from four new localities in southeastern Brazil, significantly extending its geographical distribution south and westward. A total of 12 adult specimens collected in areas of Caatinga and Atlantic Forest in the states of Minas Gerais, Espírito Santo, and Rio de Janeiro, including specimens from the new localities and museum specimens were examined. Females from southeastern Brazil were larger than males in all external measurements analyzed, but after univariate statistical analyses using corrected p values for multiple tests no significant sexual dimorphism was detected. Mean values obtained from this sample fall within the known range documented for the species in both external and cranial measurements, and are similar to those found in specimens from north and northeastern Brazil. The habitats of the new localities of U. magnirostrum in southeastern Brazil ranged from pristine and secondary forests to a small urban park. Uroderma magnirostrum is apparently a rare species in southeast Brazil, which corroborates most previous reports of populations of this bat at other localities.

Nematodes from opossums and rodents captured in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest in the State of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil were studied. From the opossums Didelphis aurita Weid-Neuweid, 1826 and Philander opossum (Linnaeus, 1758) the following nematode species were recovered: Viannaia hamata Travassos, 1914, Aspidodera raillieti Travassos, 1913, Cruzia tentaculata (Rudolphi, 1819), Travassos, 1917, Turgida turgida (Rudolphi, 1819) Travassos, 1919, Gongylonemoides marsupialis (Vaz &amp; Pereira, 1934) Freitas &amp; Lent, 1937, Viannaia viannai Travassos, 1914, Spirura guianensis (Ortlepp, 1924) Chitwood, 1938 and from the rodents Akodon cursor (Winger, 1887), Nectomys squamipes (Brants, 1827), Oligoryzomys eliurus (Wagner, 1845) and Oryzomys intermedius (Leche, 1886): Hassalstrongylus epsilon (Travassos, 1937) Durette-Desset, 1971, Syphacia obvelata (Rudolphi, 1802) Seurat, 1916, S. venteli Travassos, 1937, Physaloptera bispiculata Vaz &amp; Pereira, 1935, Litomosoides carinii (Travassos, 1919) Vaz, 1934, Viannaia viannai, Hassalstrongylus epsilon, H. zeta (Travassos, 1937) Durette-Desset, 1971, Stilestrongylus aculeata (Travassos, 1918) Durette-Desset, 1971 S. eta (Travassos, 1937) Durette-Desset, 1971. Highest worm burdens and prevalences were those related to Cruzia tentaculata in marsupials. Stilestrongylus aculeata was referred for the first time in Akodon cursor.

Potnia spatulata sp. nov., from Amazonas State, Brazil, is described and illustrated.

The observation of pigmentation alteration in isopod crustaceans induced by acanthocephalans, known as pigmentation dystrophy, has been documented in North America in species of the aquatic genera Asellus Geoffroy, 1764, Lirceus Rafinesque-Schmaltz, 1820, and Caecidotea Packard, 1871, and in Europe, in Asellus. Recently, three depigmented specimens of Atlantoscia floridana (van Name, 1940), a terrestrial isopod, occurring from >Florida, USA to northern Argentina were found showing pigmentation dystrophy and harboring larval acanthocephalans. Photographic documentation of live and preserved, infected isopods is presented. Morphometric data and photomicrographs of the male, unencysted cystacanth specimen which allowed its placement in the genus Centrorhynchus Lühe, 1911 are presented. This is the first record of the phenomenon of pigmentation dystrophy in terrestrial isopod crustaceans, the first record of A. floridana infected by an acanthocephalan and the first record of a species of Centrorhynchus in a terrestrial isopod.

The diversity and richness patterns of bivalve molluscs were studied on the continental shelf of Ubatuba (23º38'S, 45º14'W and 23º25'S, 44º51'W) between 15-120 metres depth. The samples were taken with a rectangular dredge and a beam trawl. The results showed higher values of richness, diversity and evenness for inner shelf (from coast to nearly 50 m depth) and greater values of abundance for outer shelf (from 50 to around 120 m depth). This pattern might be due to the higher instability of the inner shelf, which is influenced by the seasonal intrusion of the South Atlantic Central Water (SACW) and the occurrence of cold fronts. Sanders' rarefation curves, distribution and abundance curves and DIMO model were used and the results compared. The Qinghong's model proved to be a good tool for summarizes the results of diversity in a such plural account.

The Coleoptera fauna of Parque Estadual de Vila Velha, Ponta Grossa, Parana, was sampled during 52 weeks using malaise traps (from September 1999 to August 2000). Five different sites were selected according to floristic conditions: one site in initial stage of vegetacional succession; one in intermediate stage; one in advanced stage (recognized as a mature forest); one with an Araucaria angustifolia (Bertol.) Kuntze plantation, invaded by native forest vegetation; and a fifth site in the edge area. The Coleoptera communities from the five sites were analyzed based on abundance and family richness. The total of specimens collected was 10,822 belonging to 64 families. The most abundant sites were those in initial and intermediate stages of plant succession; the abundance in the edge area was the lowest. The family richness is not related with the level of preservation of the sites. The beetle community structures of the five sites were not significantly different when involving all the families captured; but the more correlated pair-wise site structures reflected the vegetational stages of the sites. A temporal comparison of the beetle community structures was made, based on data gathered in one of the selected site which were sampled 13 years ago (1986/1987). The fauna collected in this year was more related with that of the initial stage of succession, in 1999/2000, than the one collected in the same area, in 1999/2000, nowadays considered as an intermediate stage of succession. This fact probably represents a parallel succession of fauna and flora. The dominant families, about 60% of total abundance, include Chrysomelidae, Curculionidae, Cerambycidae, Elateridae and Staphylinidae. Eventually, one or two of them, were substituted by Scarabaeidae, Ptilodactylidae, Cleridae, Coccinellidae, Lampyridae, Scolytidae, Cucujidae, Nitidulidae, Cantharidae, Scirtidae and Phengodidae. As observed in Vila Velha and other localities, there are a taxonomic family constancy among the most abundant Coleoptera families when using malaise traps. However, there were significant differences among the beetle community structures of the five areas in Vila Velha when only the seven most abundant families were included in the analysis.

This paper is a part of the studies on the Coleoptera fauna from Vila Velha, Ponta Grossa, Parana gathered through malaise and pitfall traps in sites with different floristic conditions. The present study deal with the data of pitfall trap captures, installed close to the malaise traps. The data were obtained weekly (52 samples), from September 1999 to August 2000. This survey was carried out on five areas, three of them with different plant succession stages (initial, intermediate, and advanced). The other two sites were: in Araucaria angustifolia plantation area, with the understory invaded by native forest vegetation and in the edge area. In the last one, two pitfall traps were installed, one inside the forest and other in the field vegetation. The Coleoptera communities were analyzed according the abundance, family richness, and the floristic conditions of the sites. The total of specimens collected was 13,093 belonging to 35 families. The most abundant site was the one in initial stage of succession; the abundance was lowest in the edge area. The beetle faunal composition of the five sites, including all the families, were not significantly different. However, when listed only the seven dominant families, the results showed the outside edge fauna composition significantly different from the other sites. Among the most abundant families in the Vila Velha litter are Staphylinidae, Ptiliidae, Nitidulidae, Scarabaeidae, Scolytidae, Hydrophilidae and Endomychidae, eventually substituted by Latridiidae, Corylophidae, Curculionidae, Carabidae and Histeridae. Several comparisons were made with the data from malaise and pitfall traps data obtained in Vila Velha, and from other studies in several world regions. From these comparisons was possible to highlight: the beetle family richness is higher when captured by malaise than pitfall trap; the family taxonomic compositions in the litter from several regions of the world are more similar among themselves than the taxonomic compositions from malaise captures in the same region; a small number of beetle families (five to seven) is liable by approximately 60% of the total abundance in the malaise, and about 90% in the litter; the majority litter faunal surveys showed non-herbivorous families as dominants, while in the malaise trap the herbivorous families are dominants; there are evidences that certain taxa are substituted by others of the same trophic group by ecologic reasons when in the same region, and by zoogeographic reasons in different regions.

A new species of Notogynaphallia Ogren &amp; Kawakatsu, 1990, from Southern Brazil, is described. Notogynaphallia ceciliae sp. nov. has an elongated body with parallel margins and five dorsal dark longitudinal stripes on a yellowish ground. It possess branched efferent ducts, each branch opening separately into the anterior and median thirds of the long prostatic vesicle. Comparative commentaries on the most important characters of the external and internal morphology of the 23 species of the genus are also presented, so delimiting smaller inside groups.

Nematode assemblages associated to three species of lizards of the genus Mabuya Fitzinger, 1826 [M. agilis (Raddi, 1823), M. caissara Rebouças-spieker, 1974 and M. macrorhyncha Hoge, 1946] from three mainland sites and three island sites along the eastern Brazilian coast were analyzed. A total of six nematode species were recorded, with total nematode richness varying from one to four and overall nematode prevalences varying from 6.7% to 90.5% among host populations. Number of nematode species per host individual (including all hosts, infected and uninfected) varied among host populations from 0.07 to 1.05, but most infected lizards in all six host populations harbored a single nematode species. Both insular and continental populations of Mabuya spp. exhibited generally poor nematode assemblages, and no clear tendency for insular host populations to have more depauperate nematode faunas and/or lower infection rates compared to mainland ones (or vice versa) was evident on the basis of the present data.

Omolon similis sp. nov., from Caqueta, Florencia, Colombia, is described and illustrated.

Scallops were collected from beds at 30 to 40 m depth on the south-southern inner continental shelf of Brazil for histological gonadal characterization of the reproductive cycle. This hermaphroditic scallop was an important shellfish resource during 70-80 decade, with maximal annual landings of 8,845 tons, but now is depleted. Results shows that reproduction is continuous, with two major spawning periods, the first during end of summer and throughout autumn, and the second during winter and beginning of spring. A characteristic phenomenon of oocyte atresia, with maximal incidences in September is described. This phenomenon, followed by the mature oocyte resorption and new oocyte proliferation and maturation, was related to the lack of spawning stimulation. A semi-annual thermal cycle on the bottom water due to the South Atlantic Central Water intrusion seems to be the principal reproductive cycle controller. Fluctuations in landings registered since the beginning of the fishery may be partly related to oceanographic variations.

A technique to mounting simulium is modified and presented.

Saniba nom. nov. for Sabina Evans, 1955 (Lepidoptera, Hesperiidae, Hesperiinae). Sabina Evans, 1955 is preoccupied by Williams (1851) (Annelida, Polychaeta); a new replacement name is proposed: Saniba Mielke &amp; Casagrande.

An electronic database was developed for the proper and easy access to the samples deposited in the Helminthological Collection of the Oswaldo Cruz Institute (CHIOC) considering its great biodiversity and the permanent demands for scientific support from Brazilian and foreign research institutions, on what concerns to the loan and inclusion of either type or voucher specimens in the CHIOC, that is the largest helminth collection in South America.

The terrestrial isopod Atlantoscia floridana (van Name, 1940) occurs from the U.S.A. (Florida) to Brazil and Argentina. In the southernmost Brazilian State, Rio Grande do Sul, the species is recorded in many localities, in urban and in non-urban areas. The growth curve of Atlantoscia floridana based on field data is presented. The specimens were sampled from April, 2000 to October, 2001 at the Reserva Biológica do Lami (RBL), Rio Grande do Sul. Captured individuals were sexed and had their cephalothorax width measured, with the data analyzed with von Bertalanffy's model. The growth curves for males and females are described, respectively, by the equations: Wt = 1.303 [1 - e-0.00941 (t + 50.37)] and Wt = 1.682 [1 - e-0.00575 (t + 59.13)]. The curves showed differential growth between sexes, where females reach a higher Wµ with a slower growth rate. Based on the growth curves it was also possible to estimate life expectancy for males and females.