Immatures of Lamprosoma amethystinum Perty, 1832 (Chrysomelidae, Lamprosomatinae)

The genus Lamprosoma Kirby, 1818 includes 128 neotropical species and 54 of them are recorded from Brazil (Monros, 1960). The first species with a described larva was L. seraphinum Lacordaire. After that, larvae and pupae of three species were described: L. bicolor Kirby, 1818, L. chorisiae Monros, 1948 and L. azureum Germar, 1824. Fiebrig (1910) described the larva of L. seraphinum Lacordaire, collected on Teminalia hassleriana Chod. (Combretaceae) of Paraguay. Moreira (1913) described L. bicolor collected on Terminalia catappa L., in Rio de Janeiro. According to him, this tree was introduced from Molucas Islands, in Oceania. He also considered it probable that L. bicolor lived on one native species of Terminalia or on another species of Combretaceae and adaptated itself to live on Terminalia catappa. Monros (1949) described L. chorisiae collected on Chorisia speciosa and Ch. insignis [ Ceiba speciosa (A. St.-Hil., A. Juss. & Cambess.) Ravenna and Ceiba insignis (Kunth) P. E. Gibbs & J. Semir] (Bombacaceae) ("" palos borrachos"") in Tucuman. Caxambu and Almeida (1999) described L. azureum collected on Psidium cattleianum Sabine (Myrtaceae)(""araca""), in Parana state. Herein, the larva and pupa of L. amethystinum collected on Terminalia catappa amendoeira-da-praia"", "" chapeu-de-sol"") in Campinas, Sao Paulo state, are described and illustrated.

Extremely slow feeding in a tropical drilling ectoparasite, Vitularia salebrosa (King and Broderip, 1832) (Gastropoda: Muricidae), on molluscan hosts from Pacific Panama

This study documents one of the slowest feeding behaviors ever recorded for a muricid gastropod in one of the most biotically rigorous regions on the planet. In Pacific Panama, Vitularia salebrosa attacks mollusks by drilling through their shells. The duration of attacks estimated by isotope sclerochronology of oyster shells collected during attacks in progress range from 90 to 230 days, while experimental observation of interactions documented one attack greater than 103 days. The prolonged nature of attacks suggests that V. salebrosa is best characterized as an ectoparasite than as a predator, which is the ancestral condition in the Muricidae. An ectoparasitic lifestyle is also evident in the unusual interaction traces of this species, which include foot scars, feeding tunnels and feeding tubes, specialized soft anatomy, and in the formation of male-female Pairs, which is consistent with protandrous hermaphroditism, as is typical in sedentary gastropods. To delay death of its host, V. salebrosa targets renewable resources when feeding, such as blood and digestive glands. A congener, Vitularia miliaris from the Indo-Pacific, has an identical feeding biology The origin and persistence of extremely slow feeding in the tropics challenges our present understanding of selective pressures influencing the evolution of muricid feeding behaviors and morphological adaptations. Previously, it has been suggested that faster feeding is advantageous because it permits predators to spend a greater proportion of time hiding in enemy-free refugia or to take additional prey, the energetic benefits of which could be translated into increased fecundity or defenses. The benefits of exceptionally slow feeding have received little consideration. In the microhabitat preferred by V. salebrosa (beneath boulders), it is possible that prolonged interactions with hosts decrease vulnerability to enemies by reducing the frequency of risky foraging events between feedings . Ectoparasitic feeding through tunnels by V. salebrosa may also reduce competitive interactions with kleptoparasites (e.g., crabs, snails) that steal food through the gaped valves of dead or dying hosts.

Unusual anatomy of the ectoparasitic muricid Vitularia salebrosa (King and Broderip, 1832) (Neogastropoda: Muricidae) from the Pacific coast of Panama

The morphology and anatomy of Vitularia salebrosa, a muricid ectoparasitic on other mollusks, are investigated based on study of specimens from western Panama. Distinctive characters of this species include the small size of the buccal mass and radular apparatus, simplification of the odontophore muscles and diminished lateral teeth of the radula; all elongated, narrow proboscis; narrow digestive tract and a differentiable glandular region at the beginning of the posterior esophagus. These traits are consistent with adaptive specialization for an ectoparasitic life history.

Dynamics of cell and tissue genesis in the male reproductive system of ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) Amblyomma cajennense (Fabricius, 1787) and Amblyomma aureolatum (Pallas, 1772): a comparative analysis

Ticks are classified into three families: Argasidae, Ixodidae, and Nutalliellidae. The taxonomy and phylogeny within Ixodidae are still discussed by the specialists, thus requiring further studies. Amblyomma cajennese and Amblyomma aureolatum (Brazil) belong to two species complexes known as “cajennese” and “ovale”, respectively, and are directly related to the transmission of the Brazilian spotted fever. This confirms the medical and veterinary significance of these species, as well as the need for further morphological studies that will bring a better understanding of their taxonomy, phylogeny, and control. In this context, the present study aimed to characterize the morphology of the male reproductive system of A. cajennese and A. aureolatum when unfed and after 4 days of feeding, thereby seeking to: (a) distinguish the two species or “complexes”, and (b) study an internal system which has the potential to be targeted by acaricides. Therefore, males from both species (unfed and after 4 days of feeding) were cold-anesthetized, dissected, and had their reproductive systems removed for histological analysis. The results showed that the morphology of the male reproductive system is generally similar between both species, like in other Ixodidae ticks, exhibiting a multilobed accessory gland complex related to seminal fluid secretion, a pair of vasa deferentia and a pair of testes housing germ cells (spermatocytes) in different stages. The main differences were found in the development of the accessory gland complex cells and germ cells, showing that the maturation of the male reproductive system starts later in A. aureolatum, when compared to A. cajennese. However, during the blood meal, A. aureolatum development is increased, thus making germ cell maturation and gland complex activity higher than in A. cajennese. This study shows the differences in the development of the male reproductive systems of both species, while providing information that can assist in the establishment of new control methods.

Reassessment of the taxonomic status of Amblyomma cajennense (Fabricius, 1787) with the description of three new species, Amblyomma tonelliae n. sp., Amblyomma interandinum n. sp. and Amblyomma patinoi n. sp., and reinstatement of Amblyomma mixtum Koch, 1844, and Amblyomma sculptum Berlese, 1888 (Ixodida: Ixodidae)

A reassessment of the taxonomic status of Amblyomma cajennense based on the morphological analyses of ticks from the whole distribution area of the species resulted in the redescription of A. cajennense, the validation of 2 species which had been reduced to synonymy in the past, Amblyomma mixtum and Amblyomma sculptum, and the description and definition of 3 new species, Amblyomma tonelliae n. sp., Amblyomma interandinum n. sp., and Amblyomma patinoi n. sp. This study provides descriptions and redescriptions, scanning electron microscopic and stereomicroscopic images, updated synonymies, information on geographical distributions, and host associations for each of the 6 species. Amblyomma cajennense s.s. is found in the Amazonian region of South America, A. interandinum is reported from the northern part of the Inter-Andean valley of Peru, A. mixtum is present from Texas (U.S.A.) to western Ecuador, A. patinoi occurs in the Eastern Cordillera of Colombia, A. tonelliae is associated with the dry areas of the Chaco region which spans from central-northern Argentina to Bolivia and Paraguay, whereas A. sculptum is distributed from the humid areas of northern Argentina, to the contiguous regions of Bolivia and Paraguay and the coastal and central-western states of Brazil.