Range extensions and conservation of some threatened or little known Brazilian grassland birds

Populations of grassland birds are declining in Brazil due to profound alterations to grassland habitats. In this paper, we present recent records and range extensions for 12 threatened or little known Brazilian grassland species: Ocellated Crake Micropygia schomburgkii, Sickle-winged Nightjar Eleothreptus anomalus, Campo Miner Geositta poeciloptera, Rufous-sided Pygmytyrant Euscarthmus rufomarginatus, Sharp-tailed Grass-tyrant Culicivora caudacuta, Cocktailed Tyrant Alectrurus tricolor, Cinereous Warbling-finch Poospiza cinerea, Black-masked Finch Coryphaspiza melanotis, Tawny-bellied Seedeater Sporophila hypoxantha, Marsh Seedeater S. palustris, Chestnut Seedeater S. cinnamomea and Black-bellied Seedeater S. melanogaster. We also comment on the biogeography and conservation of these species.

Taxonomic study on the molluscs collected in Marion-Dufresne expedition (MD55) to SE Brazil: Xenophoridae, Cypraeoidea, mitriforms and Terebridae (Caenogastropoda)

The deep-water molluscs collected during the expedition MD55 off SE Brazil have been gradually studied in some previous papers. The present one is focused on samples belonging to caenogastropod taxa Xenophoridae Troschel, 1852, Cypraeoidea Rafinesque, 1815, mitriforms and Terebridae Morch, 1852. Regarding the Xenophoridae, Onustus aquitanus n. sp. is a new species, collected off the littoral of Espirito Santo and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 430-637 m depth (continental slope). The main characters of the species include the small size (c. 20 mm), the proportionally wide shell, the white colour, the short peripheral flange, the oblique riblets weakly developed and a brown multispiral protoconch. This appears to be the smallest living species of the family, resembling in this aspect fossil species. In respect to the Cypraeoidea, the following results were obtained: family Cypraeidae Rafinesque, 1815: Erosaria acicularis (Gmelin, 1791) and Luria cinerea (Gmelin, 1791) had the deepest record, respectively 607-620 m and 295-940 m, although the samples were all dead, eroded shells. Family Lamellariidae d'Orbigny, 1841: a total of three lots were collected, provisionally identified as Lamellaria spp. as the samples consist of only vestigial shells; possibly each lot represents a different species. Family Pediculariidae Gray, 1853: a sample of Pedicularia tibia Simone, 2005 was found, expanding the range c. 1000 km southwards, from Ceara to Espirito Santo. Family Ovulidae Fleming, 1822: Pseudosimnia lacrima n. sp., collected off Espirito Santo, 607-620 m depth, is described here and is mainly characterised by its strong biconic outline, small size (c. 7 mm), and a thick peripheral callus. Family Triviidae Troschel, 1863: Cleotrivia antillarum (Schilder, 1922) is recorded for the first time as deep as 620 m, and its distribution expanded from Rio Grande do Norte to Espirito Santo; Dolichupis akangus n. sp. with rounded outline and c. 15 transverse ribs; D. pingius n. sp. with the outer lip expanded posteriorly and c. 10 ribs. In respect to the mitriform neogastropods, the following species are emphasised: family Costellariidae MacDonald, 1860: Vexillum sp., 607-620 m depth; Turricostellaria amphissa n. sp., 295 m depth; T. jukyry n. sp.; T. apyrahi n. sp., both 790-1575 m depth; T. ovir n. sp., 1200 m depth; Nodicostellaria crassa (Simone, 1995), 240-600 m depth, with extension northwards of the range up to Espirito Santo; Austromitra decresca n. sp., 60-105 m depth. Family Mitridae Swainson, 1829: Subcancilla joapyra n. sp., 295 m depth; S. cf. straminea (Adams, 1853), 607-620 m depth. Family Volutomitridae Gray, 1854: Microvoluta corona n. sp., 1500-1575 m depth. Family Mitromorphidae Casey, 1904: Mitromorpha sama n. sp., 607-940 m depth; M. mirim n. sp., 60105 m depth. Regarding the conoidean Terebridae, this paper is a complement of a previous study. It deals with a new species Terebra assu Simone n. sp., from the Abrolhos Bank, 295 m depth, characterised by its narrow outline, yellowish colour, weak sculpture on the last whorls, and a proportionally broad, paucispiral protoconch. A second finding of Terebra alagoensis Lima, Tenorio & Barros, 2007 expands the geographic range from Alagoas to north Espirito Santo. A discussion on the systematics of the "complex Terebra doellojuradoi" in South American coast is also provided, highlighting the improbability of synonymy between T. leptapsis Simone, 1999 and T doellojuradoi Carcelles, 1953. Differences in size, sculpture, spire angulation, aperture, and mainly in protoconch, indicate specific separations. The presently studied terebrids belong to the "complex Terebra doellojuradoi", which encompasses closely related, deep-water, small species, possessing a relatively high degree of endemicity.

A new species of the Bokermannohyla circumdata group (Anura: Hylidae) from southeastern Brazil, with bioacoustic data on seven species of the genus

We describe a new species of the Bokermannohyla circumdata group from the Estacao de Pesquisa e Desenvolvimento Ambiental Galheiro (EPDA-Galheiro) (19 degrees 12'S; 47 degrees 08'W), Municipality of Perdizes, State of Minas Gerais, a mid-altitudinal (similar or equal to 850 m above sea level) riparian forest environment in the Cerrado of southeastern Brazil. Bokermannohyla napolii sp. nov. is allied to the large-sized species of the group, diagnosed on the basis of adult morphology/morphometrics, and mainly vocalizations. Adult specimens of the new species are most closely related to those of B. luctuosa and B. circumdata, but can be differentiated from the former by having distal subarticular tubercle of finger III bifid/divided in males, and finger IV bifid/divided in males and females; and from both B. luctuosa and B. circumdata by a distinctive advertisement call structure. We also provide bioacoustic data on seven other species of the genus, including previously unknown advertisement calls of B. circumdata and B. carvalhoi, and re-description of the advertisement calls of B. luctuosa, B. ibitiguara, B. nanuzae, B. sazimai, and B. hylax.

Molting dynamics and juvenile hormone titer profiles in the nymphal stages of a lower termite, Cryptotermes secundus (Kalotermitidae) - signatures of developmental plasticity

Termites are social cockroaches and this sociality is founded on a high plasticity during development. Three molting types (progressive, stationary and regressive molts) are fundamental to achieve plasticity during alate/sexual development, and they make termites a major challenge to any model on endocrine regulation in insect development. As the endocrine signatures underpinning this plasticity are barely understood, we studied the developmental dynamics and their underlying juvenile hormone OH) titers in a wood-dwelling termite. Cryptotermes secundus, which is characterized by an ancestral life style of living in dead wood and individuals being totipotent in development. The following general pattern elements could be identified during winged sexual development (i) regressive molts were accompanied by longer intermolt periods than other molting types, (ii) JH titers decreased gradually during the developmental transition from larva (immatures without wing buds), to nymph (immatures with wing buds), to winged adult, (iii) in all nymphal stages, the JH titer rose before the next molt and dropped thereafter within the first week, (iv) considerable variation in JH titers occurred in the midphase of the molting cycle of the 2nd and 3rd nymphal instar, inferring that this variation may reflect the underlying endocrine signature of each of the three molting types, (v) the 4th nymphal instar, the shortest of all, seems to be a switch point in development, as nymphs in this stage mainly developed progressively. When comparing these patterns with endocrine signatures seen in cockroaches, the developmental program of Cryprotermes can be interpreted as a co-option and repetitive use of hormonal dynamics of the post dorsal-closure phase of cockroach embryonic development. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All tights reserved.