USE OF FALLEN COCOA PODS BY ANTS (HYMENOPTERA, FORMICIDAE) IN SOUTHEASTERN BRAZIL

Fallen cocoa pods serve as nesting and foraging sites for litter and ground ants in southeastern Brazil. The distribution of the number of species per pod deviated significantly from a Poisson distribution, with a prevalence of one species per pod. Only 17 species of a much larger fauna were present in pods, with the dominant species being Gnamptogenys striatula, and Oligomyrmex sp. Colony populations for 13 species are given.

Distribuição vertical, danos e controle cultural de Stenoma catenifer Walsingham (Lepidoptera: Elachistidae) em pomar de abacate

Stenoma catenifer Walsingham is the major pest in avocado groves (Persea americana Mill.) in the Neotropical region. Management has been difficult for many reasons related to the reduced knowledge on its bioecology and the avocado growing systems. The goal of this work was to study the vertical distribution of S. catenifer in avocado plants, the gagging effect of infested fruit on its survival, and the losses caused. The experiments were conducted in a commercial grove located at the Sao Tomas de Aquino, State of Minas Gerais, Brazil, during the 2001/2002 and 2002/2003 growing season. S. catenifer was observed especially at the lower and central part of the plant, and the inner canopy was the least attacked in comparison with the north, south, east and west quadrants. These results may be important indicators for the use of am adequate sampling procedure. The highest percentage of attacked fruit had one to four larvae; in some cases up to eight individuals per fruit were found. The losses caused by the borer varied during the agricultural season, with figures close to 5% in a single evaluation, and the harvest loss may reach 27%. The bagging of infested fruit caused mortality of S. catenifer, as observed through the evaluation carried out four days later.

Ocorrência e flutuação populacional de ácaros associados a seringais vizinhos de fragmentos de cerrado

The basic knowledge of the seasonal occurrence of mites can supply data for elaboration of programs of ecological management to be implanted with success in the future. The objective of this study was to determine the species richness and the seasonality of mites present in two areas of rubber tree crops neighboring to native areas in Itiquira, MT. Along one year, 25 quantitative samplings were accomplished in rubber tree crop neighboring to two fragments of Cerrado (Cerradao and Mata Riparia). There were registered 199,380 mites, of 48 species, belonging to 15 families. of those, 13 species are phytophagous, 18 predators and 17 mycophagous or of unknown alimentary habit. Three phytophagous species represented more than 97% of the mites collected: Phyllocoptruta seringueirae Feres (80.8%), Tenuipalpus heveae Baker (12.7%) and Calacarus heveae Feres (3.6%). Among the predators, the most abundant species were Agistemus sp., Scirula sp. and Euseius concordis (Chant). Twenty-eight species were common to both crops. The families that had the largest number of species collected in the neighboring area to Cerradao were Tydeidae (7), Tarsonemidae (6), Eriophyidae and Phytoseiidae (4), and in the area close to Mata Riparia, Tydeidae (9) and Phytoseiidae (8). The presence of vegetation near the crop should explain the great number of species of mites classified as accidental found in this study. The largest abundances and species richness occurred in the end of the rainy season and beginning of the dry season.

Artrópodes associados ao excremento de aves poedeiras

A research about arthropode fauna in laying hen excrement was carried out in a poultry house in the State of São Paulo, from January 2001 to December 2002. The objective was to verify the frequency of Diptera and Coleoptera collected by Berlese funil and flutuation methods, and to show correlation between the collect methods and sazonality possible in the currents seasons. A total of 29,499 insects were collected from seventy five collects, being 16,702 Diptera (six families) and 12,797 Coleoptera (four families). Some arthropodes presented direct relation with the collect method, the seasons of the years and the rainfall precipitation, with significant increase in the number of insects collected in certain periods of the year.

Induction of the split sting trait in Africanized Apis mellifera (Hymenoptera : Apidae) by cold treatment of pupae

Split sting is the name given to a nonfunctional honey bee sting characterized by lancets not attached to the stylet. It has appeared in a mutant line in Brazil, and has provoked interest as a possible means to reduce honey bee colony defensiveness. We induced this alteration in Africanized Apis mellifera L. workers and queens by maintaining pupae at 20 degrees C. In particular, we determined the pupal phase most susceptible to alterations in the sting caused by cold treatment, and we investigated whether this treatment also affected survival to the adult phase and wing morphology. The highest frequency of split sting was detected in workers treated at the pink-eyed pupal phase. The lowest frequency was observed in the bees treated at the oldest worker pupal phase studied (brown-eyed pupae with lightly pigmented cuticle). Both queen pupal phases tested (white and pink-eyed pupae) were equally sensitive and produced high percentages of adults with split sting. However, the 20 degrees C treatment of workers and queens, at the different pupal phases, resulted in high frequencies of adults with deformed wings. Also, fewer workers and queens treated at the earlier pupal stages reached adult emergence. There was also an arrest in developmental time, corresponding to the period of cold treatment.

Morphological caste differences and non-sterility of workers in Brachygastra augusti (Hymenoptera, Vespidae, Epiponini), a neotropical swarm-founding wasp

Morphological caste differences and ovary conditions were analyzed in four colonies of Brachygastra augusti collected in different stages of the colony cycle. Differences between castes are distinct suggesting pre-imaginal determination. Many intermediates (non-inseminated ovary-developed females) were found. Because these intermediate females were morphologically similar to workers, it is suggested that they are young ovary-developed workers. Because there is a more evident overlap between queens and workers in the colony in pre-emergence of workers stage, and in three colonies in latter stages, especially in worker-production colonies, it is suggested that smaller queens are probably less viable than larger queens as observed in previously studied epiponines.