Revision of the Neotropical subfamily Eurychoromyiinae (Diptera: Lauxaniidae)

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

Hemocyte types and total and differential counts in unparasitized and parasitized Anastrepha obliqua (Diptera, Tephritidae) larvae

Os tipos de hemócitos e as contagens total e diferencial foram estudados em larvas parasitadas e não parasitadas de Anastrepha obliqua pertencentes ao início e ao final da terceira fase. em ambas as fases do desenvolvimento, tanto em larvas parasitadas quanto nas não parasitadas, foram observados pró-hemócitos, plasmatócitos, granulócitos, adipo-hemócitos, esferulócitos e oenocitóides. A presença de divisões mitóticas indica os pró-hemócitos como células-tronco. Pró-hemócitos, plasmatócitos e granulócitos são as células mais numerosas na hemolinfa de A. obliqua. Foi observada diferença no número total de hemócitos entre larvas parasitadas e não parasitadas apenas no final da terceira fase.

Efficiency of entomopathogenic fungi in the control of eggs and larvae of the horn fly Haematobia irritans (Diptera: Muscidae)

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

Entomopathogenic fungal activity against pupae and adult Haematobia irritans (Diptera: Muscidae)

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

Nota sobre a biologia de "Microdon tigrinus" (Diptera: Syrphidae), parasito social de "Acromyrmex coronatus" (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

The fly of the syrphid Microdon tigrinus is a specific social parasite of leaf-cutting ant, Acromyrmex coronatus. Six colonies of Acromyrmex coronatus were collected in plastic containers, which there was a layer of 1 cm of plaster, with the purpose of maintaining the humidity of fungus culture. Larvae of social parasite were separate for the establishment of instars number, through morphometric study. The data were measured of 165 larvae, using spiracle (length (Ls), width (Ws) and distance between spiracle (Ds)). After that, the morphometric data obtained for the larvae were submitted to cluster analysis by Wong's hybrid method, which produces the adequate number of groups through pseudo F-statistics and pseudo t-squared statistics. The three morphometric variables studied permitted grouping of larvae into the following three distinct groups: cluster 1 [long dash] consisting of 55 larvae (Ls=0.177[plus or minus]0.026, Ws=0.163[plus or minus]0.030, Ds=0.052[plus or minus]0.008 mm); cluster 2 - consisting of 20 larvae (Ls=0.631[plus or minus]0.065, Ws=0.630[plus or minus]0.049, Ds=0.065[plus or minus]0.018 mm); cluster 3 - consisting of 90 larvae (Ls=1.294[plus or minus]0.062, Ws=1.308[plus or minus]0.069, Ds=0.140[plus or minus]0.018 mm). of the all couples, only 1 obtained success in the mating, and the female, after 24 hours, began the oviposition. The female layed 76 eggs in a period of 6 days, after that, her death. The larvae emerged in the seventh day (incubation period [plus or minus] 7 days). From 76 eggs, 54 were viable, with a viability of 71.05%. This study contributes to the knowledge of Microdon tigrinus biology of, a social parasite poorly studied in Brazil.

Occurrence of Physoclypeus farinosus Hendel (Diptera : Lauxaniidae) in flowerheads of Asteraceae (Asterales)

The occurrence of Physoclypeus farinosus Hendel in flowerheads of Asteraceae from different Brazilian localities is presented. The use of this resource by this fly is discussed.

A taxonomic review of Neogriphoneura Malloch, 1924 (Diptera : Lauxaniidae), with description of three new species

The status of the Lauxaniidae genus Rhabdolauxania Hendel, 1925 is reevaluated and is synonymized under Neogriphoneura Malloch, 1924. Three new combinations, N. immaculata (Hendel, 1933), comb. nov., N. laevifrons (Hendel, 1925), comb. nov., and N. schnusei (Hendel, 1925), comb. nov. are proposed. Two lectotypes are designated. Three new species of Neogriphoneura are described: N. bispoi sp. nov., from Santa Catarina, Brazil, N. pacata sp. nov., from La Paz, Bolivia, and N. corrugata sp. nov. from British Virgin Islands. Illustrations of the head, wing, male and female terminalia are provided for the new species. This raises the number of species in the genus from the present five to eleven. A key is provided for the species of the genus.

Systematic review of Neotropical Lauxaniidae genera Triconopsis Hendel (Diptera, Schizophora)

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

Systematic review of Neotropical Lauxaniidae genera: Cephalella Malloch (Diptera, Schizophora)

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

Octenol as Attractant to Nyssomyia neivai (Diptera: Psychodidae: Phlebotominae) in the Field

The kairomone octenol is known as attractive to hematophagous Diptera such as mosquitoes, tsetse flies, and midges. There is little evidence that traps baited with octenol are also effective in attracting phlebotomine sand flies. The present report evaluated octenol in modified Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) traps in two experiments: 1) modified CDC trap without light and 2) modified CDC trap with light. The traps were baited with octenol at concentrations of 0.5, 27, and 43 mg/h in Rifled() locality, São Paulo, Brazil. Traps without octenol were used as controls. The sand fly Nyssomyia neivai (Pinto) (=Lutzomyia neivai) (Diptera: Psychodidae: Phlebotominae) was the prevalent species (99.9%) in both experiments. The results of the experiments showed that traps baited with octenol at 27 and 43 mg/h caught significantly more N. neivai than control and octenol at 0.5 mg/h with and without light. This is the first report that shows that octenol itself is attractive to N. neivai and associated with light traps significantly increases the catches.

Attraction of the cutaneous leishmaniasis vector Nyssomyia neivai (Diptera: Psychodidae) to host odour components in a wind tunnel

Background: Laboratory studies of host-seeking olfactory behaviour in sandflies have largely been restricted to the American visceral leishmaniasis vector Lutzomyia longipalpis. In comparison, almost nothing is known about the chemical ecology of related species, which transmit American cutaneous leishmaniasis (ACL), due in part to difficulties in raising these insects in the laboratory. Understanding how ACL vectors locate their hosts will be essential to developing new vector control strategies to combat this debilitating disease.Methods: This study examined host-odour seeking behaviour of the ACL vector Nyssomyia neivai (Pinto) (=Lutzomyia neivai) using a wind tunnel olfactometer. The primary aim was to determine whether field-collected female N. neivai would respond to host odours in the laboratory, thereby eliminating the need to maintain colonies of these insects for behavioural experiments. Responses to two key host odour components, 1-octen-3-ol and lactic acid, and a commercially-available mosquito lure (BG-Lure (TM)) were assessed and compared relative to an air control. We also tested whether trials could be conducted outside of the normal evening activity period of N. neivai without impacting on fly behaviour, and whether the same flies could be used to assess baseline responses to air without affecting responses to octenol, thereby reducing the number of flies required for experiments.Results: Octenol was found to both activate host-seeking behaviour and attract female N. neivai in the wind tunnel, while lactic acid elicited weaker responses of activation and attractiveness under identical conditions. The BG-Lure did not activate or attract N. neivai under test conditions. Further experiments showed that sandfly behaviour in the wind tunnel was not affected by time of day, such that experiments need not be restricted to nocturnal hours. Moreover, using the same flies to measure both baseline responses to air and attraction to test compounds did not affect odour-seeking behaviour.Conclusions: The results of this study demonstrate that N. neivai taken from the field are suitable for use in laboratory olfactometer experiments. It is hoped this work will facilitate further research into chemical ecology of this species, and other ACL vectors.

Are light traps baited with kairomones effective in the capture of Lutzomyia longipalpis and Lutzomyia intermedia? An evaluation of synthetic human odor as an attractant for phlebotomine sand flies (Diptera: Psychodidae: Phlebotominae)

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Quatro novos registros da fauna flebotomínica do gênero Lutzomyia França (Diptera: Psychodidae, Phlebotominae) do distrito rural de Brejo do Mutambal, Varzelândia, MG

During April and May 2006, experiments were carried out in Brejo do Mutambal, Varzelandia Town, Minas Gerais State, to evaluate the attractiveness of phlebotomine sandflies to CDC light traps, baited with kairomones. of the 19 species of Lutzomyia already registered for the region, L. lutziana (Costa Lima), L. longipennis (Barreto), L. goiana (Martins, Falcao & Silva) and L. brasiliensis (Costa Lima) were recorded for the first time, thus increasing the diversity of phlebotomine sandflies fauna in this area to 23 species. The new registered species and distribution are shown and discussed herein.

Parasitismo por Mermithidae (Nematoda) em larvas do gênero Chironomus gr. decorus (Diptera: Chironomidae) no Rio dos Peixes, Dois Córregos, SP, Brasil

Registramos a incidência de parasitismo por vermes Mermithidae em larvas de Chironomus gr. decorus (Diptera: Chironomidae), no Rio dos Peixes, Dois Córregos, região centro-oeste do Estado de São Paulo, Brasil. Neste estudo, de um total de 791 larvas amostradas, 205 (25,9%) estavam infectadas por mermitídeos, indicando que larvas de Chironomidae são comumente parasitadas por vermes mermitídeos.