Copitarsia uncilata Burgos & Leiva sp. nov. de Cuculliinae para Colombia y México (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae)

Se describe e ilustran los adultos y genitalia de macho y hembra de Copitarsia uncilata Burgos & Leiva sp. nov., que se distribuye en Colombia y México. La nueva especie se caracteriza por poseer un uncus ancho apicalmente espatulado con una diminuta proyección dorsal bulbosa, digitus de corte apical ampliamente cóncavo y una ampulla con ápice recurvado que sobresale de la valva, externamente es similar a Copitarsia decolora (Guenée).

Synanthropy and ecological aspects of Muscidae (Diptera) in a tropical dry forest ecosystem in Colombia

The synanthropic index and other ecological aspects of the Muscidae family were evaluated through simultaneous monthly sampling in three different environments (urban, rural and forest) using van Someren-Rydon traps baited with human faeces, chicken viscera and decomposing fish and onion. Four traps were set up in each environment (one per bait item) for 48 hours per month, with samples taken every 12 hours. A total of 5726 specimens were collected, belonging to 19 species and 13 genera. Brontaea normata (+99,9), Brontaea quadristigma (+96,9), Synthesiomyia nudiseta (+96,5), Ophyra aenescens (+96,2), Musca domestica (+95,7) and Atherigona orientalis (+93,8) had the highest synanthropic indices, showing a marked preference for human environments. The most abundant species were B. normata (24,31%), Biopyrellia bipuncta (20,60%) and Pseudoptilolepis nigripoda (15,82%), the latter two showed a preference for uninhabited areas. A total of 11 new records for Colombia were found: Ophyra aenescens, Cyrtoneuropsis pararescita, Morellia basalis, Neomuscina dorsipuncta, Biopyrellia bipuncta, Pseudoptilolepis nigripoda, Neomuscina instabilis, Neomuscina currani, Polietina orbitalis, Neomuscina pictipennis and Cyrtoneuropsis maculipennis. Except for the first four species, the remainder presented negative synantrophy indexes (from minor to major), which would allow to use them as ecological indicators of the disturbance degree of dry forests in Colombia.

A new species of Giovanella Bonatto (Diptera, Calliphoridae, Mesembrinellinae) from Colombia

A new species of Giovanella Bonatto (Diptera, Calliphoridae, Mesembrinellinae) from Colombia. The Mesembrinellinae are exclusively Neotropical, with 33 nominal species distributed in nine genera. Only the genera Mesembrinella, Eumesembrinella, Huascaromusca and Laneella had until now been recorded in Colombia. In this work we present a new species of Giovanella Bonatto, 2005, genus with only one species, G. bolivar Bonatto, differing from the new species G. carvalhoi sp. nov., in the characters: legs entirely dark chestnut; thorax with dorsocentrals setae 1:2; abdomen with T5 with discal bristles poorly differentiated; T6 symmetric and paraphallus not extended and with denticules. Giovanella carvalhoi sp. nov. is from Cordillera Oriental, from the Departments of Caquetá (Amazonian foothills) and Santander, Colombia, collected between 22002400 m., and associated with decomposing organic matter. A key for the identification of males and females of the two species of Giovanella, illustrations of the genitalia and photographs of male and female of new species are also presented.

Insects associated with tropical foliage produced in the coffee growing region of Colombia

We conducted a survey of insects and pest management practices on 34 farms growing ornamental tropical foliage plants in the central coffee region of Colombia over two years. Tropical foliage provided habitat for a diverse range of insects. In total, phytophagous or detritivorous insects from six orders, 40 families and 62 genera were collected. The most common were Hemiptera (29 genera from 16 families), followed by Coleoptera (17 genera from 4 families), Diptera (5 genera from 5 families), Lepidoptera (5 genera from 4 families), Hymenoptera (3 genera from 2 families) and Orthoptera (2 genera from 2 families). The most common phytophagous species were leaf cutting ants (Atta and Acromyrmex spp.), leaf beetles (Chrysomelidae), leafhoppers (Cicadellidae), stinkbugs (Pentatomidae), squash bugs (Coreidae), tree hoppers (Membracidae) and plant hoppers (Fulgoridae). Beneficial insects identified from tropical foliage included predators and parasitoids amongst 5 orders, 12 families and 22 genera. The most abundant were predators among the Coccinellidae, Chrysopidae, Reduviidae, Lycidae and Formicidae but only low numbers of parasitoids (Ichneumonidae, Braconidae and Tachinidae) were collected. A pest management questionnaire given to growers revealed a preponderance of reliance on broad spectrum insecticides with a smaller number of growers (approximately one third) also using some biological control methods. Our survey contributes basic information regarding diversity of Neotropical insects associated with ornamental foliage plants.

Use of artificial substrates of different colors for oviposition by the brown stink bug Euschistus heros (Hemiptera, Pentatomidae)

Aiming to contribute to a rearing methodology for the brown stink bug, Euschistus heros, in the laboratory, we evaluated oviposition on artificial substrates of different colors. During six days, oviposition was evaluated daily, by counting the total number of eggs, number of clutches, and eggs/clutch. Females laid 12,463 eggs, in 1,677 clutches, resulting in an average of 7.28 ± 0.44 eggs/clutch. Black, brown, and green felt had the most eggs and clutches. The results demonstrated that many colors are suitable as oviposition substrate for E. heros, providing information for the mass rearing of this insect.

Review of Thompsoniella Guimarães with description of a new species from Colombia (Diptera, Calliphoridae, Mesembrinellinae)

Review of Thompsoniella Guimarães with description of a new species from Colombia (Diptera, Calliphoridae, Mesembrinellinae). The Mesembrinellinae (Diptera, Calliphoridae) are exclusively Neotropical with nine genera comprising 36 recognized species, including the genus Thompsoniella Guimarães with a single species, T. anomala Guimarães. We describe a new species, Thompsoniella andina sp. nov., from the Departments of Antioquia and Caldas, Colombia (Cordillera Central of the Andes, between 2600 - 2700 m) and redescribe T. anomala. A key to the nine genera of Mesembrinellinae and a key to the males of the two species of Thompsoniella are provided. Color photographs to illustrate the two species of Thompsoniella and drawings of the male genitalia of both species are also provided. Here we record Thompsoniella for the first time in Colombia.

Preliminary study of insects associated to indoor body decay in Colombia

Preliminary study of insects associated to indoor body decay in Colombia. This is the first report studying insects associated to indoor body decay process of a white pig (Sus scrofa) (Artiodactyla, Suidae) in a controlled indoor environment in an urban area of Florencia city, Amazonia Piedmont, Colombia. For a period of 54 days, 9,220 individuals (immature and adults), distributed in 3 orders, 5 families, 10 genera, and 10 species were collected using entomological nets and tweezers. Five decaying stages are described (fresh, bloated, active decay, advanced decay and remains). During the fresh stage we recorded Cochliomyia macellaria (Fabricius, 1775), Chrysomya albiceps (Wiedemann, 1819), Ophyra aenescens (Wiedemann, 1830), Oxysarcodexia sp., Lepidodexia sp. and Lasiophanes sp.; during the bloating stage C. macellaria, C. albiceps, Lucilia eximia (Wiedemann, 1819), Hemilucillia semidiaphana (Rondani, 1850), Musca domestica Linnaeus, 1758, O. aenescens, Oxysarcodexia sp., Lepidodexia sp., Dermestes maculatus De Geer, 1774 and Lasiphanes sp.; during the active decay C. macellaria, C. albiceps, L. eximia, M. domestica, O. aenescens, Lepidodexia sp. D. maculatus and Lasiophanes sp.; during the advanced decay C. macellaria, C. albiceps, M. domestica, Lepidodexia sp. and Lasiophanes sp.; and during the remains stage C. albiceps, D. maculatus and Lasiophanes sp. The insects were sorted out in 3 ecological categories; necrophagous, predators and parasites and sarco-saprophagous. According to Chao and Jack estimators, total richness was observed on day 20, with 100% of the expected species.

Desenvolvimento e análise de uma rede neural artificial para estimativa da erosividade da chuva para o Estado de São Paulo

O conhecimento do valor da erosividade da chuva (R) de determinada localidade é fundamental para a estimativa das perdas de solo feitas a partir da Equação Universal de Perdas de Solo, sendo, portanto, de grande importância no planejamento conservacionista. A fim de obter estimativas do valor de R para localidades onde este é desconhecido, desenvolveu-se uma rede neural artificial (RNA) e analisou-se a acurácia desta com o método de interpolação "Inverso de uma Potência da Distância" (ID). Comparando a RNA desenvolvida com o método de interpolação ID, verificou-se que a primeira apresentou menor erro relativo médio na estimativa de R e melhor índice de confiança, classificado como "Ótimo", podendo, portanto, ser utilizada no planejamento de uso, manejo e conservação do solo no Estado de São Paulo.

Rugosidade da superfície do solo sob diferentes sistemas de manejo e influenciada por chuva artificial

A rugosidade da superfície do solo é influenciada pelo manejo, formada em especial pelo tipo de preparo e reduzida pela ação da chuva, principalmente. O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar a influência de diferentes sistemas de manejo do solo e da aplicação de chuva artificial na rugosidade da superfície do solo. Os tratamentos estudados resultaram da combinação de três sistemas de manejo do solo, semeadura direta (SD), preparo convencional (PC) e cultivo mínimo (CM), com três doses de resíduo vegetal seco de soja (Glycine max L. Merrill): 0, 2 e 4 Mg ha-1. Nas unidades experimentais foram aplicadas sete chuvas, com intensidade de precipitação pluvial de 60 mm h-1 e duração de 60 min cada, totalizando 420 mm de lâmina de chuva. A rugosidade foi avaliada imediatamente antes e após o preparo do solo e imediatamente após a aplicação de cada uma das sete chuvas artificiais. Obtiveram-se valores do índice de rugosidade ao acaso entre 1,88 e 5,41 mm na semeadura direta; entre 3,88 e 8,30 mm no preparo convencional; e entre 8,99 e 17,45 mm no cultivo mínimo. Concluiu-se que: as operações de preparo do solo aumentaram a rugosidade da sua superfície, em geral; o cultivo mínimo foi o sistema de preparo do solo que proporcionou os maiores valores de rugosidade ao acaso; e nos tratamentos semeadura direta com cobertura do solo a ação da chuva não promoveu decaimento do microrrelevo do solo.

Comparison between artificial neural networks and maximum likelihood classification in digital soil mapping

Soil surveys are the main source of spatial information on soils and have a range of different applications, mainly in agriculture. The continuity of this activity has however been severely compromised, mainly due to a lack of governmental funding. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of two different classifiers (artificial neural networks and a maximum likelihood algorithm) in the prediction of soil classes in the northwest of the state of Rio de Janeiro. Terrain attributes such as elevation, slope, aspect, plan curvature and compound topographic index (CTI) and indices of clay minerals, iron oxide and Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), derived from Landsat 7 ETM+ sensor imagery, were used as discriminating variables. The two classifiers were trained and validated for each soil class using 300 and 150 samples respectively, representing the characteristics of these classes in terms of the discriminating variables. According to the statistical tests, the accuracy of the classifier based on artificial neural networks (ANNs) was greater than of the classic Maximum Likelihood Classifier (MLC). Comparing the results with 126 points of reference showed that the resulting ANN map (73.81 %) was superior to the MLC map (57.94 %). The main errors when using the two classifiers were caused by: a) the geological heterogeneity of the area coupled with problems related to the geological map; b) the depth of lithic contact and/or rock exposure, and c) problems with the environmental correlation model used due to the polygenetic nature of the soils. This study confirms that the use of terrain attributes together with remote sensing data by an ANN approach can be a tool to facilitate soil mapping in Brazil, primarily due to the availability of low-cost remote sensing data and the ease by which terrain attributes can be obtained.

Artificial neural networks applied for soil class prediction in mountainous landscape of the Serra do Mar¹

Soil information is needed for managing the agricultural environment. The aim of this study was to apply artificial neural networks (ANNs) for the prediction of soil classes using orbital remote sensing products, terrain attributes derived from a digital elevation model and local geology information as data sources. This approach to digital soil mapping was evaluated in an area with a high degree of lithologic diversity in the Serra do Mar. The neural network simulator used in this study was JavaNNS and the backpropagation learning algorithm. For soil class prediction, different combinations of the selected discriminant variables were tested: elevation, declivity, aspect, curvature, curvature plan, curvature profile, topographic index, solar radiation, LS topographic factor, local geology information, and clay mineral indices, iron oxides and the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) derived from an image of a Landsat-7 Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+) sensor. With the tested sets, best results were obtained when all discriminant variables were associated with geological information (overall accuracy 93.2 - 95.6 %, Kappa index 0.924 - 0.951, for set 13). Excluding the variable profile curvature (set 12), overall accuracy ranged from 93.9 to 95.4 % and the Kappa index from 0.932 to 0.948. The maps based on the neural network classifier were consistent and similar to conventional soil maps drawn for the study area, although with more spatial details. The results show the potential of ANNs for soil class prediction in mountainous areas with lithological diversity.

Comparing the artificial neural network with parcial least squares for prediction of soil organic carbon and pH at different moisture content levels using visible and near-infrared spectroscopy

Visible and near infrared (vis-NIR) spectroscopy is widely used to detect soil properties. The objective of this study is to evaluate the combined effect of moisture content (MC) and the modeling algorithm on prediction of soil organic carbon (SOC) and pH. Partial least squares (PLS) and the Artificial neural network (ANN) for modeling of SOC and pH at different MC levels were compared in terms of efficiency in prediction of regression. A total of 270 soil samples were used. Before spectral measurement, dry soil samples were weighed to determine the amount of water to be added by weight to achieve the specified gravimetric MC levels of 5, 10, 15, 20, and 25 %. A fiber-optic vis-NIR spectrophotometer (350-2500 nm) was used to measure spectra of soil samples in the diffuse reflectance mode. Spectra preprocessing and PLS regression were carried using Unscrambler® software. Statistica® software was used for ANN modeling. The best prediction result for SOC was obtained using the ANN (RMSEP = 0.82 % and RPD = 4.23) for soil samples with 25 % MC. The best prediction results for pH were obtained with PLS for dry soil samples (RMSEP = 0.65 % and RPD = 1.68) and soil samples with 10 % MC (RMSEP = 0.61 % and RPD = 1.71). Whereas the ANN showed better performance for SOC prediction at all MC levels, PLS showed better predictive accuracy of pH at all MC levels except for 25 % MC. Therefore, based on the data set used in the current study, the ANN is recommended for the analyses of SOC at all MC levels, whereas PLS is recommended for the analysis of pH at MC levels below 20 %.

INTELIGÊNCIA ARTIFICIAL: SISTEMAS ESPECIALISTAS NO GERENCIAMENTO DA INFORMAÇÃO

O principal objetivo deste artigo é propor um modelo para sistemas de gerenciamento da informação baseado em técnicas de inteligência artificial. O modelo propõe uma arquitetura de sistema especialista para gerenciamento da informação, sugerindo a utilização de um analisador semântico embutido na interface do usuário final. A abordagem enfatiza a dificuldade em se obter informações com precisão e qualidade, para apoiar tomadores de decisões, e a necessidade de prover os usuários finais com mecanismos, poderosos, capazes de analisar, selecionar e direcionar-lhes informações, de acordo com as necessidades e urgências de cada um

La bioprospección como un mecanismo de cooperación internacional para fortalecimiento de capacidades en ciencia y tecnología en Colombia

La bioprospección, definida como la exploración de la biodiversidad para fines comerciales, se ha convertido recientemente en una potencial estrategia mediante la cual los países ricos en biodiversidad pueden aumentar sus capacidades endógenas para realizar actividades de CyT, especialmente mediante la interacción con otros países de mayor desarrollo tecnológico. Es así, como este trabajo se concentra en analizar la mecánica de cooperación internacional de un país considerado megadiverso, Colombia, a través del análisis de coautoría de 342 artículos publicados en revistas indexadas en las redes ISI y SCOPUS, información que se complementa mediante entrevistas con 12 líderes de grupos colombianos. Los resultados evidencian que España es el país con mayor colaboración con Colombia; que la cooperación con países de América se sitúa en un tercer plano y ésta se intensifica cuando hay de por medio un país europeo; la escasa cooperación entre grupos colombianos origina una agenda de investigación dispersa y en temas muy variados sin orientación y prioridades estratégicas.

Comportamento de fungos e de sementes de feijoeiro durante o teste de envelhecimento artificial

O teste de envelhecimento artificial, recomendado para avaliar o vigor de lotes de sementes, apresenta variabilidade em seus resultados; a ação dos fungos é considerada uma das causas dessa variabilidade. Este trabalho objetivou verificar os efeitos de diferentes períodos de envelhecimento artificial, no comportamento fisiológico de sementes do feijoeiro e dos fungos Aspergillus spp., Penicillium spp., Fusarium oxysporum e Colletotrichum lindemuthianum, inoculados artificialmente. Foram conduzidos testes de sanidade, germinação, tetrazólio, emergência, condutividade elétrica e lixiviação de potássio. As respostas obtidas, dependentes da duração do período de envelhecimento, indicaram efeitos da espécie fúngica presente. Concluiu-se que o teste de envelhecimento artificial associa a expressão de causas fisiológicas e sanitárias, o que prejudica a interpretação dos dados obtidos; a presença de fungos, principalmente de Aspergillus spp., pode ser considerada como capaz de interferir de modo negativo no desempenho das sementes envelhecidas artificialmente.