Morphological and physiological caste differences in Synoeca cyanea (Hymenoptera, Vespidae, Epiponini) according to the ontogenetic development of the colonies

Morphological caste differences in different stages of the biological cycle in Synoeca cyanea were not distinct. Females presented a gradual sequence in ovarian development from filamentous ovarioles to well developed ones with the presence of intermediates, with shorter ovaries than queens, which can be present or not according to the stage of colonial development. Such data suggest that access to the reproductive status would only be possible in some intervals of colonial development.

A PHYLOGENETIC ANALYSIS of SYNOECA DE SAUSSURE, 1852, A NEOTROPICAL GENUS of SOCIAL WASPS (HYMENOPTERA: VESPIDAE: EPIPONINI)

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

Ecological interaction between Atta sexdens (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) and the vegetation of a mesophyll semideciduous forest fragment in Botucatu, SP, Brazil

Among 89 plants species growing in a subtropical dry forest fragment located in Botucatu, State of São Paulo, Brazil, 35 species were cut by Atta sexdens, representing 39.34% of the current plants existing in this area. A. sexdens L., 1758 (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) has a selective preference for the following species: Alchornea triplinervia, Faramea cyanea, Cariniana estrellensis and Casearea obliqua, with the first being the most cut species. The frequency and absolute densities of the plant families and species significantly influence the selection process. When comparing the absolute frequency regarding the 10 most cut plant species and the cutting frequency, significant data were obtained only for the euphorbiaceous A. triplinervia species, proving the preference of A. sexdens for this species in particular. These interactions are discussed based on ecological and management factors in agro-ecosystems.

Interferência dos fatores físicos, químicos e do desenvolvimento do fungo simbionte de Atta sexdens rubropilosa Forel, 1908 (Hymenoptera: formicidae) na seleção de substratos e localização da desfolha

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Mecanismos de diferenciação cromossômica em besouros da subfamília Cassidinae s.l. (Polyphaga, Chrysomelidae)

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