Fauna of Culicidae in rural areas of Porto Velho and the first record of Mansonia (Mansonia) flaveola (Coquillet, 1906), for the state of Rondônia, Brazil

INTRODUCTION: Knowledge concerning the fauna of Culicidae in the Brazilian Amazon States contributes to current understanding of the bionomics of the insects collected and makes it possible to observe changes in the fauna over time. METHODS: The Culicidae were captured with a BG-Sentinel® trap in extra-domiciliary area of two rural regions of Porto Velho in June and July of 2007 and 2008. RESULTS: A total of 10,695 Culicidae was collected, belonging to nine genera: Coquillettidia, Culex, Mansonia, Psorophora, Aedes, Aedeomyia, Anopheles, Uranotaenia and Wyeomyia. CONCLUSIONS: The presence of Mansonia (Mansonia) flaveola was recorded in the State of Rondônia for the first time.

Sandfly fauna in an area endemic for visceral leishmaniasis in Aracaju, State of Sergipe, Northeast Brazil

INTRODUCTION: In recent years, visceral leishmaniasis, a major public health problem, has been spreading from the rural to urban areas in many areas of Brazil, including Aracaju, the capital of the State of Sergipe. However, there are no studies of the sandfly fauna in this municipality or its variation over the year. METHODS: Phlebotomine sandflies were collected from a rural area of Aracaju from September 2007 to July 2009. Modified CDC ultra-violet (UV) light traps were used to evaluate sandfly monthly distribution and their presence in the domestic and peridomestic environments. RESULTS: The most abundant species was Lutzomyia longipalpis (90.4%) followed by Evandromyia lenti (9.6%). A chicken shed trap site had the highest proportion of L. longipalpis (51.1%) and large numbers of L. longipalpis were also collected in the houses closest to the chicken shed. There was a positive correlation between monthly rainfall and L. longipalpis abundance. CONCLUSIONS: Lutzomyia longipalpis is the most abundant species and is probably the main vector of the visceral leishmaniasis agent in the rural area of Aracaju. An increase in L. longipalpis frequency was observed during the rainy season. The peridomicile-intradomicile observations corroborate the importance of chicken sheds for the presence of L. longipalpis in the peridomestic environment. The great numbers of L. longipalpis inside the houses confirm the endophilic behaviour of this species and the possibility of visceral transmission in the intradomicile.

Ecological aspects of the sandfly fauna (Diptera, Psychodidae) in an American cutaneous leishmaniasis endemic area under the influence of hydroelectric plants in Paranapanema river, State of Paraná, Brazil

INTRODUCTION: An epidemiological study was undertaken to identify determinant factors in the occurrence of American cutaneous leishmaniasis in areas under the influence of hydroelectric plants in Paranapanema river, State of Paraná, Brazil. The ecological aspects of the phlebotomine fauna were investigated. METHODS: Sandflies were sampled with automatic light traps from February 2004 to June 2006 at 25 sites in the urban and rural areas of Itambaracá, and in Porto Almeida and São Joaquim do Pontal. RESULTS: A total of 3,187 sandflies of 15 species were captured. Nyssomyia neivai predominated (34.4%), followed by Pintomyia pessoai (32.6%), Migonemyia migonei (11.6%), Nyssomyia whitmani (8.8%), and Pintomyia fischeri (2.7%), all implicated in the transmission of Leishmania. Males predominated for Ny. neivai, and females for the other vector species, with significant statistical differences (p < 0.001). Nyssomyia neivai, Pi. pessoai, Ny. whitmani, Brumptomyia brumpti, Mg. migonei, and Pi. fischeri presented the highest values for the Standardized Species Abundance Index (SSAI). The highest frequencies and diversities were found in the preserved forest in Porto Almeida, followed by forests with degradation in São Joaquim do Pontal and Vila Rural. CONCLUSIONS: Sandflies were captured in all localities, with the five vectors predominating. Ny. neivai had its highest frequencies in nearby peridomestic environments and Pi. pessoai in areas of preserved forests. The highest SSAI values of Ny. neivai and Pi. pessoai reflect their wider dispersion and higher frequencies compared with other species, which seems to indicate that these two species may be transmitting leishmaniasis in the area.

Phlebotomine sandflies fauna (Diptera: Psychodidae) at rural settlements in the municipality of Cáceres, State of Mato Grosso, Brazil

INTRODUCTION: Leishmaniasis is expanding across Brazil, including the State of Mato Grosso (MT). The aim of this study was to characterize the phlebotomine sandfly fauna at threerural settlements located in the municipality of Cáceres, MT, from August 2010 to July 2011. METHODS: Sandfly captures were conducted at the forest border and in intra and peridomicile areas with automatic light traps, biweekly, from 5pm to 6am. RESULTS: Of the 630 sandflies collected, 348 were female, and 282 were male. Captured specimens were distributed across 11 genera - Brumptomyia, Evandromyia, Expapillata, Lutzomyia, Martinsmyia, Micropygomyia, Nyssomyia, Pintomyia, Psathyromyia, Psychodopygus, and Sciopemyia - and 28 species. Among these, six species had not been marked yet in MT (Brumptomyia avellari, Br. mangabeirai, Evandromyia aldafalcaoae, Micropygomyia echinatopharynx, Micropygomyia peresi, and Pa. campograndensis). Nyssomyia whitmani was the most abundant species across ecotopes at all settlements. Interestingly, Lutzomyia longipalpis and Lutzomyia cruzi were found in sympatry. CONCLUSIONS: The disorganized occupation of the environment that is happening at the rural settlements of Mata Comprida, Laranjeira I and II could provide opportunities for the domiciliation of wild populations of phlebotomine, including vectors of leishmaniasis. Therefore, more studies are needed to understand the epidemiology of the disease in these areas and its impact on the human population.

Phlebotomine sandfly fauna and natural Leishmania infection rates in a rural area of Cerrado (tropical savannah) in Nova Mutum, State of Mato Grosso in Brazil

Introduction American cutaneous leishmaniasis (ACL) has been reported in every municipality of the State of Mato Grosso, Brazil, but the transmission epidemiology remains poorly understood. Our study was developed in a rural area of the Nova Mutum municipality where four autochthonous cases of ACL were reported in 2009. Our aims were to describe the local phlebotomine sandfly fauna and to investigate the infection rates and infecting Leishmania species in the captured sandflies. Methods Entomological captures were performed bimonthly at 10 fixed sites close to the edge of a forested area between June 2011 and April 2012. Results A total of 3,743 phlebotomine sandflies belonging to 31 distinct species were captured. Approximately 75% of the specimens were females. The most abundant species (45.4%) was Lutzomyia antunesi, which was consistently captured at every site. Species that are epidemiologically important for ACL, such as L. flaviscutellata, L. whitmani and L. umbratilis, were also captured. L. antunesi and L. ubiquitalis were naturally infected by Leishmania braziliensis or Le. guyanensis, with minimum infection rates of 0.88% and 6.67%, respectively. Surprisingly, L. antunesi was infected by Le. infantum (synonym chagasi). Conclusions The natural infection of L. antunesi and L. ubiquitalis by Leishmania sp. suggests that these species might play a role in the zoonotic cycle of ACL in Nova Mutum. The presence of Le. infantum in L. antunesi suggests that there may be a risk of an outbreak of visceral leishmaniasis (VL) in Nova Mutum.

First inventory of the sandfly fauna (Diptera: Psychodidae, Phlebotominae) in the municipality of Juiz de Fora, State of Minas Gerais, Brazil

Introduction: This study aimed to inventory the phlebotomine sandfly fauna present in the urban area of Juiz de Fora, with an emphasis on the genus Lutzomyia. Methods: Capture was performed from March to September 2012, using HP light traps placed at peridomestic sites, in a municipal kennel and a forest biome. Results: A total of 133 specimens were captured, representing eight species of the genus Lutzomyia. Lutzomyia pascalei was the most prevalent species. Conclusions: This research provides an inventory and description of the spatial locations of the phlebotomine sandfly fauna of Juiz de Fora.

Presença e alterações da fauna de Artrópodos durante a preparação de um composto orgânico

No decorrer da preparação de um composto orgânico (150 dias de duração), foram feitas cinco amostragens para estudarem-se a presença e as alterações da fauna de artrópodos, durante algumas das diferentes fases de sua preparação. Foram utilizados, em seis canteiros feitos acima da superfície do solo, três tratamentos diferentes, além da inoculação bacteriana de três dos canteiros, aos 75 dias, e da cobertura de todos os canteiros com plástico durante uma boa parte do tempo de preparação do composto. Em todos os tratamentos, o grupo numericamente mais importante foi Acari (88-99, 5%), seguido por Collembola (0,3- 0%), Coleoptera (0, 1-1, 4%), Diplopoda (0,04-0,3%), Diptera (0,04-0,65%) e Formicidae (0,01-0,03%). O número de grupos taxonômicos e de indivíduos da fauna aumentou gradativamente com o tempo de preparação do composto, em todas os tratamentos. A inoculação bacteriana, aos 75 dias, resultou num incremento da fauna no tratamento 2 (com esterco de galinha), provavelmente em face do anterior fornecimento de uma eficiente fonte de nitrogênio e de microorganismos, representada pela adição inicial de esterco de galinha fresca ao material vegetal. Também a cobertura dos canteiros com plástico parece ter influido bastante na fauna presente no material, provocando uma sensível diminuição de sua densidade. O tratamento com esterco de galinha foi o que apresentou uma mais rápida colonização pela fauna, com uma maior diversidade de grupos taxonômicos e também o que teve uma mais rápida e completa humificação do material.

Projeto Flora Amazônica: eight years of binational botanical expeditions

A review of the history and results of the first eight years of fieldwork of Projeto Flora Amazônica is given. This binational plant collecting program, sponsored by the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico and the National Science Foundation, has mounted 25 expeditions to many parts of Brazilian Amazonia. Expeditions have visited both areas threatened with destruction of the forest and remote areas previously unknown botanically. The results have included the collection of 32,976 members of vascular plants, 16, 482 of cryptogams, as well as quantitative inventory of 18.67 hectares of forest with the collection of 7,294*** numbers of sterile vouncher collections. The non-inventory collections have been made in replicate sets of 10-13 where possible and divided equally between Brazilian and U.S. institutions. To date, 55 botanists from many different institutions and with many different specialities have taken part with 36 different Brazilian botanists. The resulting herbarioum material is just beginning to be worked up and many nem species have been collected as well as many interesting range extensions and extra material of many rare species.

O "Programa Flora" do Brasil - historia e situação atual

Apanhado histórico do PROGRAMA FLORA do Brasil, contendo as razões que levaram o CHPq (Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientifico e Tecnológico) a criá-lo, e a situação atual desse projeto. São as seguintes as funções básicas do PROGRAMA FLORA: a) pesquisa fundamental sobre a vegetação e a flora silvestres do Brasil; b) organização de centros de excelência em Botânica em cada Estado e Território do país, especificamente para o desenvolvimento de pesquisas sobre os recursos vegetais silvestres da respectiva região, aqui incluindo a formação de novos botânicos e técnicos auxiliares, em todos os níveis; e c) desenvolvimento de sistemas de informação relacionados ao conhecimento dos recursos vegetais silvestres do Brasil, especialmente a criação e manutenção de bancos de dados com informações as mais completas possíveis sobre esses recursos. Depois de oito anos de funcionamento, e devido à falta de interesse das autoridades competentes, o PROGRAMA FLORA foi implantado em apenas 10 dos 26 Estados e Territórios do Brasil e está, no momento, quase desativado, esperando que o novo governo o reanime, criando núcleos nas demais áreas do pais e continuando a cumprir o projeto inicial, Enquanto o FLORA estava funcionando, ainda que com apenas Ínfimo auxílio governamental, ele proporcionou a contratação de 52 botânicos iniciantes que, sob a orientação de botânicos experimentados, deram grande impulso no estudo das flores de cada região. Os herbários que sediaram núcleos do FLORA foram modernizados, sendo que alguma, como os da Amazônia e do Nordeste, tiveram [zm apenas 5 anos) seus acervos duplicados ou mesmo triplicados. Vários dos botânicos iniciantes ingressaram em cursos de pos-graduação, sendo que alguns já receberam o grau de Mestre e já estão caminhando para a obtenção do grau de Doutor. Na área da Informática, dois técnicos brasileiros foram enviados aos EE.UU., para estágio visando à formação e tratamento de bancas de dados especificamente para o PROGRAMA FLORA. Posteriormente, dois professores norteamericanos vieram ao Brasil, trazendo sistemas de processamento de dados especificamente montados para uso em Botânica Sistemática. Tais sistemas foram implantados no CPD do Centro de Pesquisas Fisicas (CEPF), do CNPq, no Rio de Janeiro. Foram preenchidos mais de 400.000 formulários de coleta de dados nos herbários dos núcleos do FLORA. O SERPRO (Serviço federal de Processamento de Dados) providenciou a digitação dos dados dos formulários, produziu os arquivos, em fitas magnéticas, e o CPD do CBPF organizou e está mantendo o Banco de Dados referente às informações contidas nos herbários levantados.Estes dados dão uma idéia do que poderíamos esperar do PROGRAMA FLORA, se a este tivessem tido dados os indispensáveis recursos e tivesse sido cumprido o programa de ação inicialmente proposto. É, realmente, uma grande pena que as autoridades competentes tenham decidido desativar o PROGRAMA FLORA, justamente quando ele estava precisando ser fortalecido nos núcleos já implantados, e ter novos núcleos criados, cobrindo todo o território do Brasil.

The algal flora of two distinct habitats along the Moa River in the state of Acre, Brazil

Twenty-eoght algal samples were collected in September-October, 1984, from two distinct habitats in the state of Acre, Brazil. Eleven were from the Moa River, and 17 were from a sulfur water spring which flows into the Moa River. A total of 74 species, representing 48 genera of algae, were identified from these samples. Forty-nine species were found in the Moa River and 67 in the sulfur water spring. Both coolection site had rich assemblages of cyanophycean algae, chlorophycean algae, and diatoms. Chlorophycean species dominated the algae flora at both sites, cut were more numerous at the sulfur water spring. There was also a definite difference in the relatives proportions of desmids to filamentous chlorophycean algae at the two sites.

Notes of the flora of serra Aracá

A new species of Tepuianthus (Tepuianthaceae) is described from Serra Aracá in Amazonas, Brazil. Also discussed is the occurrence on this isolated tepui of two species of Perissocarpa (Ochnaceae). This is the first record of that genus in Brazil.

Contribuição à flora medicinal de Mato Grosso do Sul

Levantamento preliminar das plantas utilizadas na medicina popular do Estado do Mato Grosso do Sul. Apresenta identificação taxonômica das espécies estudadas, informações sobre os nomes vulgares e partes do vegetal que são empregadas, seu modo de preparo ou aplicação, destinação e indicação terapêutica popular, além de comentários adicionais.

Contribuição ao conhecimento da flora medicinal de Roraima

São apresentados dados etnobotânicos sobre a flora medicinal do Território Federal de Roraima, identificando-se cientificamente as espécies encontradas em levantamentos efetuados nos municípios de Boa Vista e Caracaraí.

NOTA SOBRE ÂNGULO MICROFIBRILAR NO XILEMA DE ANDIRA PARVI FLORA DUCKE E SACCOGLOTIS GUIANENSIS BENTH DA AMAZÔNIA

O ângulo microfibrilar exerce um efeito sobre uma ampla faixa de propriedades da madeira e a fibra em si. Nas duas espécies estudadas o ângulo mostra um decréscimo em direção ao càmbio. Na base da árvore são menores. O grau de correlação com comprimento de fibra á altamente significante.