New Species of Eugenia sect. Racemosae (Myrtaceae) from the Atlantic Forest, Eastern Brazil

Morphological characters support the description of four new species of Eugenia L sect. Racemosae O. Berg (Myrtaceae) from Brazilian Atlantic Forest. The new species are described, illustrated, and compared with putatively related species. They are: E. brunneopubescens Mazine from Parana, E. capixaba Mazine from Espirito San to, E. costatifructa Mazine from Bahia and Sergipe, and E. longibracteata Mazine from Sao Paulo.

A New Baurusuchid (Crocodyliformes, Mesoeucrocodylia) from the Late Cretaceous of Brazil and the Phylogeny of Baurusuchidae

Background: Baurusuchidae is a group of extinct Crocodyliformes with peculiar, dog-faced skulls, hypertrophied canines, and terrestrial, cursorial limb morphologies. Their importance for crocodyliform evolution and biogeography is widely recognized, and many new taxa have been recently described. In most phylogenetic analyses of Mesoeucrocodylia, the entire clade is represented only by Baurusuchus pachecoi, and no work has attempted to study the internal relationships of the group or diagnose the clade and its members. Methodology/Principal Findings: Based on a nearly complete skull and a referred partial skull and lower jaw, we describe a new baurusuchid from the Vale do Rio do Peixe Formation (Bauru Group), Late Cretaceous of Brazil. The taxon is diagnosed by a suite of characters that include: four maxillary teeth, supratemporal fenestra with equally developed medial and anterior rims, four laterally visible quadrate fenestrae, lateral Eustachian foramina larger than medial Eustachian foramen, deep depression on the dorsal surface of pterygoid wing. The new taxon was compared to all other baurusuchids and their internal relationships were examined based on the maximum parsimony analysis of a discrete morphological data matrix. Conclusion: The monophyly of Baurusuchidae is supported by a large number of unique characters implying an equally large morphological gap between the clade and its immediate outgroups. A complex phylogeny of baurusuchids was recovered. The internal branch pattern suggests two main lineages, one with a relatively broad geographical range between Argentina and Brazil (Pissarrachampsinae), which includes the new taxon, and an endemic clade of the Bauru Group in Brazil (Baurusuchinae).

A molecular phylogeny and the evolution of nest architecture and behavior in Trigona s.s. (Hymenoptera : Apidae : Meliponini)

Stingless bees exhibit extraordinary variation in nest architecture within and among species. To test for phylogenetic association of behavioral traits for species of the Neotropical stingless bee genus Trigona s.s., a phylogenetic hypothesis was generated by combining sequence data of 24 taxa from one mitochondrial (16S rRNA) and four nuclear gene fragments (long-wavelength rhodopsin copy 1 (opsin), elongation factor-1 alpha copy F2, arginine kinase, and 28S rRNA). Fifteen characteristics of the nest architecture were coded and tested for phylogenetic association. Several characters have significant phylogenetic signal, including type of nesting substrate, nest construction material, and hemipterophily, the tending of hemipteroid insects in exchange for sugar excretions. Phylogenetic independent habits encountered in Trigona s.s. include coprophily and necrophagy.

Pessoa e Pirandello: confluência de dramas

The present study aims to compare two modern authors - Luigi Pirandello and Fernando Pessoa - from different cultural environments - Italy / Brazil - pointing to a common theme: the various levels of the individual's expression. The arguments to support the proposed analysis are based on the shifting literary genres, specifically on the non-dramatic characters by Pirandello and on the drama in people by Pessoa.

New reports of Antricola guglielmonei and Antricola delacruzi in Brazil, and a description of a new argasid species (Acari)

Adults of 3 tick species (Acari: Argasidae) identified as Antricola guglielmonei, Antricola delacruzi, and Carios rondoniensis n. sp. were collected oil bill guano in a cave in the state of Rondonia, western Amazon. Brazil. Adults of C. rondoniensis Possess a unique combination of characters that distinguish them front all described adults in the Argasidae. i.e.. a large spiracular plate densely filled with small goblets, a well-developed flap covering the female genital opening, and palpi containing several tufts of long setae oil articles 2 and 3. Unlike Ornithodoros or other Carios species. adults of C rondoniensis have a scooplike hypostome devoid of denticles, as in Antricola spp. Conversely, the presence of a pair of long posthypostomal setae, and a slitlike transverse fissure at the Capsule opening of the Haller's organ, are characters of C. rondonensis that are also found ill species of Carios and Ornithodoros, but not in Antricola species. Molecular analyses inferred from a portion of the 16S rRNA mitochondrial gene indicate that C. rondoniensis is phylogenetically closest to species of Carios. followed by species of Antricola. and then Ornithodoros. Because the highest bootstrap value linking C. rondoniensis to Carios spp. was 62%, further phylogenetic studies are needed to better evaluate the taxonomic Status of the former species.

Chorioallantoic placentation in Galea spixii (Rodentia, Caviomorpha, Caviidae)

Background: Placentas of guinea pig-related rodents are appropriate animal models for human placentation because of their striking similarities to those of humans. To optimize the pool of potential models in this context, it is essential to identify the occurrence of characters in close relatives. Methods: In this study we first analyzed chorioallantoic placentation in the prea, Galea spixii, as one of the guinea pig's closest relatives. Material was collected from a breeding group at the University of Mossoro, Brazil, including 18 individuals covering an ontogenetic sequence from initial pregnancy to term. Placentas were investigated by means of histology, electron microscopy, immunohistochemistry (vimentin, alpha-smooth muscle actin, cytokeration) and proliferation activity (PCNA). Results: Placentation in Galea is primarily characterized by an apparent regionalization into labyrinth, trophospongium and subplacenta. It also has associated growing processes with clusters of proliferating trophoblast cells at the placental margin, internally directed projections and a second centre of proliferation in the labyrinth. Finally, the subplacenta, which is temporarily supplied in parallel by the maternal and fetal blood systems, served as the center of origin for trophoblast invasion. Conclusion: Placentation in Galea reveals major parallels to the guinea pig and other caviomorphs with respect to the regionalization of the placenta, the associated growing processes, as well as trophoblast invasion. A principal difference compared to the guinea pig occurred in the blood supply of the subplacenta. Characteristics of the invasion and expanding processes indicate that Galea may serve as an additional animal model that is much smaller than the guinea pig and where the subplacenta partly has access to both maternal and fetal blood systems.

EVOLUTION OF FLORAL MORPHOLOGY AND POLLINATION SYSTEM IN BIGNONIEAE (BIGNONIACEAE)

The radiation of angiosperms is associated with shifts among pollination modes that are thought to have driven the diversification of floral forms. However, the exact sequence of evolutionary events that led to such great diversity in floral traits is unknown for most plant groups. Here, we characterize the patterns of evolution of individual floral traits and overall floral morphologies in the tribe Bignonieae (Bignoniaceae). We identified 12 discrete traits that are associated with seven floral types previously described for the group and used a penalized likelihood tree of the tribe to reconstruct the ancestral states of those traits at all nodes of the phylogeny of Bignonieae. In addition, evolutionary correlations among traits were conducted using a maximum likelihood approach to test whether the evolution of individual floral traits followed the correlated patterns of evolution expected under the ""pollination syndrome"" concept. The ancestral Bignonieae flower presented an Anemopaegma-type morphology, which was followed by several parallel shifts in floral morphologies. Those shifts occurred through intermediate stages resulting in mixed floral morphologies as well as directly from the Anemopaegma-type morphology to other floral types. Positive and negative evolutionary correlations among traits fit patterns expected under the pollination syndrome perspective, suggesting that interactions between Bignonieae flowers and pollinators likely played important roles in the diversification of the group as a whole.

Diversification and Species Boundaries of Rhinebothrium (Cestoda; Rhinebothriidea) in South American Freshwater Stingrays (Batoidea; Potamotrygonidae)

Background: Neotropical freshwater stingrays (Batoidea: Potamotrygonidae) host a diverse parasite fauna, including cestodes. Both cestodes and their stingray hosts are marine-derived, but the taxonomy of this host/parasite system is poorly understood. Methodology: Morphological and molecular (Cytochrome oxidase I) data were used to investigate diversity in freshwater lineages of the cestode genus Rhinebothrium Linton, 1890. Results were based on a phylogenetic hypothesis for 74 COI sequences and morphological analysis of over 400 specimens. Cestodes studied were obtained from 888 individual potamotrygonids, representing 14 recognized and 18 potentially undescribed species from most river systems of South America. Results: Morphological species boundaries were based mainly on microthrix characters observed with scanning electron microscopy, and were supported by COI data. Four species were recognized, including two redescribed (Rhinebothrium copianullum and R. paratrygoni), and two newly described (R. brooksi n. sp. and R. fulbrighti n. sp.). Rhinebothrium paranaensis Menoret & Ivanov, 2009 is considered a junior synonym of R. paratrygoni because the morphological features of the two species overlap substantially. The diagnosis of Rhinebothrium Linton, 1890 is emended to accommodate the presence of marginal longitudinal septa observed in R. copianullum and R. brooksi n. sp. Patterns of host specificity and distribution ranged from use of few host species in few river basins, to use of as many as eight host species in multiple river basins. Significance: The level of intra-specific morphological variation observed in features such as total length and number of proglottids is unparalleled among other elasmobranch cestodes. This is attributed to the large representation of host and biogeographical samples. It is unclear whether the intra-specific morphological variation observed is unique to this freshwater system. Nonetheless, caution is urged when using morphological discontinuities to delimit elasmobranch cestode species because the amount of variation encountered is highly dependent on sample size and/or biogeographical representation.

A New Genus of Microteiid Lizard from the Caparao Mountains, Southeastern Brazil, with a Discussion of Relationships among Gymnophthalminae (Squamata)

A new genus and species of microteiid lizard is described based on a series of specimens obtained at Parque Nacional do Caparao (20 degrees 28'S, 41 degrees 49'W), southeastern Brazil, along the division line between the States of Minas Gerais and Espirito Santo. The new lizard occurs in isolated high-altitude, open, rocky habitats above the altitudinal lit-nits of the Atlantic forest. It is characterized by the presence of prefrontals, frontoparietals, parietals, interparietal, and occipital scales; ear opening and eyelid distinct; three pairs of genials; absence of collar; lanceolate and mucronate dorsal scales; six regular transverse and longitudinal series of smooth ventrals that are longer than wide, with the lateral ones narrower. Maximum parsimony (MP) and partitioned Bayesian (PBA) phylogenetic analyses based on morphological and molecular characters with all known genera of Gymnophthalminae (except for Scriptosaura) Plus Rhachisaurus recovered this new lizard in a clade having Colobodactylus and Heterodactylus as its closest relatives. Both analyses recovered the monophyly of Gymnophthalminae and Gymnophthalmini. The monophyly of the Heterodactylini received moderate support in MP analyses but was not recovered in PBA. To eliminate classification controversy between these results, the present concept of Heterodactylini is restricted to accommodate the new genus, Colobodactylus and Heterodactylus, and a new tribe Iphisiini is proposed to allocate Alexandresaurus, Iphisa, Colobosaura, Acratosaura, and Stenolepis. Current phylogenetic knowledge of Gymnophthalminae suggests that fossoriality and increase of body elongation arose as adaptive responses to avoid extreme surface temperatures, either cold or hot, depending on circumstances.

Croton rufolepidotus (Euphorbiaceae s. str.), a New Species from Antioquia, Colombia

Crown rufolepidotus Caruzo & Riina (Euphorbiaceae s. str.), a new species from Colombia, is here described and illustrated. The new species is endemic to an area of lowland secondary forests in Antioquia. Morphological characters indicate that this species belongs to Croton sect. Cleodora (Klotzsch) Baill. due to its arborescent habit, petiolar glands, 15 to 25 stamens, as well as the pistillate flowers with imbricate sepals and multifid styles.

HYBRID, SUBSPECIES, OR SPECIES? THE VALIDITY AND TAXONOMIC STATUS OF PHAETHORNIS LONGUEMAREUS AETHOPYGA ZIMMER, 1950 (TROCHILIDAE)

Phaethornis longuemareus aethopyga was described by John T. Zimmer in 1950 and treated as a valid subspecies until it was proposed that the three known specimens were hybrids between R ruber and P. rupurumii amazonicus. On the basis of some recently collected specimens, we reevaluated the validity of P. l. aethopyga. Despite showing some differences related to age and sex, all specimens agree in the general plumage pattern and are fully diagnosable when compared with any other taxon of the genus. The hypothesis of a hybrid origin becomes unsustainable when one notes that (1) P. l. aethopyga has characters that are unique and absent in the purported parental species, such as the white outer margins at the base of the rectrices; and (2) P. l. aethopyga occurs far from the distribution of one of the alleged parental species. Furthermore, field data show that P. l. aethopyga has attributes typical of a valid and independent taxon, such as lekking behavior. Therefore, given its overall diagnosis, P. aethopyga could at least be treated as a phylogenetic species. Yet its morphological and vocal distinctiveness with respect to other Phaethornis spp. in the ""Pygmornis group"" is greater than that observed between some species pairs traditionally regarded as separate biological species within the group, which supports its recognition as a species under the biological species concept. Received 13 July 2008, accepted 9 March 2009.

PLANKTON-CAUGHT ZOEAL STAGES AND MEGALOPA OF THE LOBSTER SHRIMP AXIUS SERRATUS (DECAPODA: AXIIDAE) FROM THE BAY OF FUNDY, CANADA, WITH A SUMMARY OF AXIIDEAN AND GEBIIDEAN LITERATURE ON LARVAL DESCRIPTIONS

Wild-caught larvae, attributed to the lobster shrimp Arius serratus, consisting of two zoeal stages and a decapodid (megalopa), are described in detail. Parentage of larvae was ascertained based on geographic distribution of axiideans and gebiideans (= former thalassinideans) within the study area and close morphological resemblance to other congeneric larval stages. Larvae of A. serratus represent the first described 'thalassinidean' larvae from Canadian Atlantic waters and the first for Axiidae within the northwest Atlantic. Among axiidean larvae, those of A. serratus most closely resemble larvae of A. stirhynchus from the eastern Atlantic. Distinct features include the spination of the pleon that set A. serratus zoeae apart from those of most other 'thalassinideans' but that, in combination with a telson very similar to Homarus americanus, contributes to the general resemblance of A. serratus larvae to those of the American lobster. The primary distinction between these taxa is the presence of a chela on the third pereiopod in the latter that is not present in the former. In view of these appendages being prone to loss or damage, other characters that separate these taxa are listed and discussed. Given the uncertain status of some taxa within Axiidae and limited detailed information of larvae with certain parentage, difficulties in delineating the family based on larvae persist, as they do for cladistic analyses using adult morphology and molecular approaches.

Phylogeny and Taxonomy of the Neotropical Thepytus (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae: Theclinae)

The Neotropical lycaenid hairstreak genus Thepytus Robbins and its eight species are revised. Species treatments summarize nomenclature, distribution, habitat, behavior, and diagnostic traits, as well as noting why each species is considered distinct under a biological species concept. An identification key for males and a checklist are included. Beatheclus Balint & Dahners new synonym is synonymized with Thepytus, and Theppus beatrizae (Balint & Dahners) is a new combination. Other nomenclatural actions include the description of Thepytus jennifer Busby & Robbins new species. Thepytus nancyana Busby & Robbins new species, and Thepytus carmen Robbins & Duarte new species. A lectotype is designated or Thecla thyrea Hewitson, 1867, to ensure stability of this name. A phylogenetic analysis based on 22 coded morphological characters yields one equal weight most parsimonious 39-step tree. Implied weighting does not change the tree topology. Unambiguous changes in elevation optimized on the cladogram show that a montane lineage of Thepytus colonized the lowlands in at least one instance. The use of T. echelta (Hewitson) as a biological control agent for Psittacanthus (Loranthaceae) is discussed.

Molecular and morphological characterization of Amathia distans Busk and Amathia brasiliensis Busk (Bryozoa: Ctenostomata) from the tropical and subtropical Western Atlantic

Morphological and molecular analyses have proven to be complementary tools of taxonomic information for the redescription of the ctenostome bryozoans Amathia brasiliensis Busk, 1886 and Amathia distans Busk, 1886. The two species, originally described from material collected by the `Challenger` expedition but synonymized by later authors, now have their status fixed by means of the selection of lectotypes, morphological observations and analyses of DNA sequences described here. The morphological characters allowing the identification of living and/or preserved specimens are (1) A. brasiliensis: whitish-pale pigment spots in the frontal surface of stolons and zooids, and a wide stolon with biserial zooid clusters growing in clockwise and anti-clockwise spirals along it, the spirality direction being maintained from maternal to daughter stolons; and (2) A. distans: bright yellow pigment spots in stolonal and zooidal surfaces including lophophores, and a slender stolon, thickly cuticularized, with biserial zooid clusters growing in clockwise and anti-clockwise spirals along it and the spirality direction not maintained from maternal to daughter stolons. Pairwise comparisons of DNA sequences of the mitochondrial genes cytochrome c oxidase subunit I and large ribosomal RNA subunit revealed deep genetic divergence between A. brasiliensis and A. distans. Finally, analyses of those sequences within a Bayesian phylogenetic context recovered their genealogical species status.

Individual-level diet variation in four species of Brazilian frogs

Many natural populations exploiting a wide range of resources are actually composed of relatively specialized individuals. This interindividual variation is thought to be a consequence of the invasion of `empty` niches in depauperate communities, generally in temperate regions. If individual niches are constrained by functional trade-offs, the expansion of the population niche is only achieved by an increase in interindividual variation, consistent with the `niche variation hypothesis`. According to this hypothesis, we should not expect interindividual variation in species belonging to highly diverse, packed communities. In the present study, we measured the degree of interindividual diet variation in four species of frogs of the highly diverse Brazilian Cerrado, using both gut contents and delta(13)C stable isotopes. We found evidence of significant diet variation in the four species, indicating that this phenomenon is not restricted to depauperate communities in temperate regions. The lack of correlations between the frogs` morphology and diet indicate that trade-offs do not depend on the morphological characters measured here and are probably not biomechanical. The nature of the trade-offs remains unknown, but are likely to be cognitive or physiological. Finally, we found a positive correlation between the population niche width and the degree of diet variation, but a null model showed that this correlation can be generated by individuals sampling randomly from a common set of resources. Therefore, albeit consistent with, our results cannot be taken as evidence in favour of the niche variation hypothesis.