The importance of relative humidity for telenomus remus (Hymenoptera: Platygastridae) parasitism and development on Corcyra cephalonica (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) and Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) eggs

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Acromyrmex charruanus: a new inquiline social parasite species of leaf-cutting ants

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Parasitism by Sphincterodiplostomum musculosum (Digenea, Diplostomidae) metacercariae in the eyes of Steindachnerina insculpta (Characiformes, Curimatidae)

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Taxonomic redescription and biological notes on Diaugia angusta (Diptera,Tachinidae): parasitoid of the palm boring weevils Metamasius ensirostris and M. hemipterus (Coleoptera, Dryophthoridae)

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Leishmania (Viannia) shawi purified antigens confer protection against murine cutaneous leishmaniasis

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Parasitology of juvenile mullet (Mugil liza) and effect of formaldehyde on parasites and host

Few studies have been performed with parasites of marine and estuarine fish in southern Brazil. In the present study, unpublished results show the ways of parasitism of juvenile mullet by parasites. The toxicity of formaldehyde and the effectiveness of this chemotherapy in controlling parasites in reared juvenile mullet Mugil liza were also studied. Juvenile mullets (1 +/- 0.26 g; 4.1 +/- 0.4 cm) were exposed to different concentrations of 37% formaldehyde: control group and five formaldehyde concentrations which were tested: T1 (13.5), T2 (21.6), T3 (40.5), T4 (81) and T5 (135) mg L-1 with 8 fish per repetition in triplicate. To verify the drug effectiveness in parasitic control, juvenile mullets were exposed to 1 h prophylactic bath of 37% formaldehyde with a control group and five formaldehyde concentrations: T1 (67.5), T2 (135), T3 (270), T4 (405) and T5 (540) mg L-1, 8 fish per repetition in triplicate. Ligophorus cf. uruguayensis (Monogenoidea: Ancyrocephalidae) and Solostamenides cf. platyorchis (Monogenoidea: Microcotylidae) were identified in the gills. Digenea and Nematoda were observed in the intestines. This is the first occurrence of S. cf. platyorchis in Brazil. During the toxicity test, the LC50-96 h was estimated at 20.77 mg L-1 of formaldehyde. During the 1 h formaldehyde prophylactic bath, all parasites were eliminated in formaldehyde concentrations between 135 and 540 mg L-1. High survival rate was observed in all treatments. Values of prevalence and intensity of infestation observed in this study showed the potential damage caused by Monogenoidea to mullet. Formaldehyde baths with 135 mg L-1 are recommended to control Monogenoidea in mullet and the safe limits for formaldehyde use were presented. Besides, the endoparasites were tolerant to formaldehyde exposure. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

HEMATOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT IN FOUR BRAZILIAN TELEOST FISH WITH PARASITIC INFECTIONS, COLLECTED IN FEEFISHING FROM FRANCA, São Paulo, BRAZIL

The effects of parasitic infections in condition factor, hematocrit, hemoglobin, mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC), and leucocytes and thrombocytes distribution in Piaractus mesopotamicus, Leporinus macrocephalus, hybrid tambacu (P. mesopotamicus x Colossoma macropomum and Brycon amazonicus collected in feefishing from Franca, São Paulo, Brazil were evaluated. Parasitized tambacu and L. macrocephalus had higher (p<0.05) condition factor than unparasitized fish. However, the contrary occurred in P. mesopotamicus and B. amazonicus. Changes in the hematocrit, hemoglobin and MCHC were not related to parasitism. Parasitic infections did not cause effect on leucocytes and thrombocytes percentage (p>0.05) of tambacu. In P. mesopotamicus parasitized by Monogenea Anacanthorus penilabiatus and dinoflagellate Piscinoodinium pillulare, increase in monocytes and decrease in thrombocytes percentage (p<0.05) were found. However, the same parasitic association in L. macrocephalus caused a decrease in lymphocytes percentage accompanied by increase in neutrophils percentage (p<0.05). In B. amazonicus, infection by Ichthyophthirius multifiliis, P. pillulare and monogeneans caused increase in neutrophils percentage.

Spatial choice is biased by chemical cues from conspecifics in the speckeled worm eel Myrophis punctatus

A enguia mirongo-mirim Myrophis punctatus vive em agrupamentos de alta densidade populacional e comumente se enterra ou permanece sob o substrato. Esses comportamentos podem levar a marcas químicas no subtrato e podem, portanto, modular o uso do espaço nessa espécie. Neste estudo, testamos a hipótese de que a preferência espacial da enguia mirongo-mirim é influenciada pela presença de odor do animal coespecífico no subtrato. Mostramos que as enguias evitam a área que contém tal odor, indicando que as decisões de ocupação espacial podem ser influenciadas por pistas químicas de coespecíficos. As enguias claramente detectaram o odor de um animal coespecífico e essa percepção poderia ser um indicativo da presença de um coespecífico enterrado no substrato. Visto que elas evitam uma área contendo tal odor, sugerimos que isso poderia ser uma resposta para evitar invadir o território de um animal residente.

NOTES on THE BIOLOGY and BEHAVIOUR of THE JEWEL WASP, AMPULEX COMPRESSA (FABRICIUS, 1781) (HYMENOPTERA; AMPULICIDAE), IN THE LABORATORY, INCLUDING FIRST RECORD of GREGARIOUS REPRODUCTION

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Effects of different temperatures on the life history of Evania appendigaster L. (Hymenoptera: Evaniidae), a solitary oothecal parasitoid of Periplaneta americana L. (Dictyoptera: Blattidae)

The influence of temperatures on the life parameters of the solitary oothecal parasitoid Evania appendigaster, was investigated in the laboratory. Parasitized oothecae of Periplaneta americana were left to develop under seven constant temperatures: 15, 17, 20, 25, 30, 35, and 40 degrees C. At the end, we found that: (i) E. appendigaster was able to complete development within the temperature range of 17-34 degrees C; (ii) mean adult longevity decreased as temperature increased, with the temperature of 40 degrees C being fatal in a matter of hours; (iii) males lived longer than females between 15 and 30 degrees C; (iv) adult emergence rate was the highest at 25 degrees C, and (v) no wasps emerged at 15 or 40 degrees C. Non-emerged oothecae contained either unhatched eggs or dead larvae. We determined the theoretical lower developmental threshold and thermal constant for the complete development as 12.9 degrees C and 584.8 day-degrees for males, and 13.1 degrees C and 588.2 day-degrees for females, respectively. A good balance between faster development, maximum adult longevity and good egg viability was obtained between 25-30 degrees C, and that would be the best temperature range for rearing E. appendigaster. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Behavioral Repertoire of Basal Fungus-Growing Ant Sexuals (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in the Parental Nest

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Fecundity and reproductive output of the speckled swimming crab Arenacus cribrarius (Lamarck, 1818) (Brachyura, Portunidae)

Areanaeus cribrarius females were collected over a 12-month period with otter-trawl nets in the Ubatuba littoral zone, Brazil. Ovigerous individuals were measured (CW = carapace width excluding lateral spines) and weighed (WW = wet weight). Each egg brood was weighed (WE = wet weight), dried, and the number of eggs (EN) counted. Scatterplots from EN/CW, EN/WW, and EN/WE were submitted to regression analyses. Mean relative fecundity ((F) over bar') was calculated in each month/season to assess seasonal variation of reproductive intensity. The number of eggs showed a positive correlation with CW, WW, and WE. Fecundity of A. cribrarius ranged from 135,210 to 682,156 eggs, intermediate in comparison with other portunids. Fecundity in Portunidae is typically high; lower values are found in Polybiinae and higher ones in Portuninae. Mean fecundity did not reveal significant differences over months and seasons, but reproductive activity tended to be more intense in summer and winter, a phenomenon related to reduced temperature oscillations as found in subtropical regions.

Preferential infection sites of Cysticercus bovis in cattle experimentally infected with Taenia saginata eggs

The preferential sites of infection of Cysticercus bovis were evaluated in the skeletal muscle and entrails of 25 cattle that were experimentally infected with Taenia saginata (2 x 10(4) eggs). Two other animals were not inoculated (control). Ninety days after inoculation, all the cattle were euthanized. The carcasses were deboned and dissected into 26 anatomical sections (masseter muscles, brain, tongue, esophagus, heart, diaphragm, lungs, liver, kidneys, spleen, top sirloin butt, bottom sirloin butt, outside round, top (inside) round, transversus abdominus, top sirloin cap, strip loin, full tenderloin, eye of round, knuckle, shoulder clod, foreshank, shank, chuck, back ribs, and tail muscles). The dissected tissues were sliced into 5 mm sections. From the 25 cattle, 9258 C. bovis (cysticerci) were recovered; 75.02% (6946) of these were recovered from skeletal muscles and 24.98% (2312) from the entrails. A high parasitism level was found in the shoulder clod (12.55%), heart (11.02%), liver (9.48%), masseter muscles (8.51%), chuck (8.25%), strip loin and full tenderloin (7.26%), knuckle (6.63%), and back ribs (5.53%), totaling 69.23% (5738) of all of the detected cysticerci. on the other hand, there was a low C. bovis parasitism level in the brain, spleen, tail muscles, kidneys, esophagus, and diaphragm, representing just 3.9% of the total number of cysticerci. Given these results, we conclude that specific skeletal musculature regions, such as the shoulder blade, chuck, strip loin and full tenderloin, knuckle, back ribs and top round, which are not officially examined in many countries, are effective sites to efficiently screen C. bovis infection. To date, these regions have not been considered as preferential sites of C. bovis infection. Based on our work, however, these regions deserve greater attention from health inspectors because they contained a greater number of Cysticercus than the other regions of carcasses that are parasitized by T. saginata larvae. (c) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Estudo clínico, cirúrgico e anatomopatológico de intussuscepção em quatro bovinos

Descrevem-se os achados clínico, cirúrgico e anatomopatológico de intussuscepção em quatro bovinos fêmeas. Observaram-se intussuscepção do jejuno, com obstrução total, em três animais, e intussuscepção do cólon, com obstrução parcial, em um animal. A presença de parasitismo intenso por Oesophagostomum sp. em dois animais sugere a participação desse parasita na gênese da intussuscepção.

Quality of Cotesia flavipes (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) reared at different host densities and the estimated cost of its commercial production

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)