Drosophilids (Diptera) from an Atlantic Forest Area in Santa Catarina, Southern Brazil

The present work aims at knowing the faunal composition of drosophilids in forest areas of southern Brazil. Besides, estimation of species richness for this fauna is briefly discussed. The sampling were carried out in three well-preserved areas of the Atlantic Rain Forest in the State of Santa Catarina. In this study, 136,931 specimens were captured and 96.6% of them were identified in the specific level. The observed species richness (153 species) is the largest that has been registered in faunal inventories conducted in Brazil. Sixty-three of the captured species did not fit to the available descriptions, and we believe that most of them are non-described species. The incidence-based estimators tended to give rise to the largest richness estimates while the abundance based give rise to the smallest ones. Such estimators suggest the presence from 172.28 to 220.65 species in the studied area. Based on these values, from 69.35 to 88.81% of the expected species richness were sampled. We suggest that the large richness recorded in this study is a consequence of the large sampling effort, the capture method, recent advances in the taxonomy of drosophilids, the high preservation level and the large extension of the sampled fragment and the high complexity of the Atlantic Rain forest. Finally, our data set suggest that the employment of estimators of richness for drosophilid assemblages is useful but it requires caution.

Inbreeding in the greater white-toothed shrew, Crocidura russula.

We combined mark-and-recapture studies with genetic techniques of parentage assignment to evaluate the interactions between mating, dispersal, and inbreeding, in a free-ranging population of Crocidura russula. We found a pattern of limited and female-biased dispersal, followed by random mating within individual neighborhoods. This results in significant inbreeding at the population level: mating among relatives occurs more often than random, and F(IT) analyses reveal significant deficits in heterozygotes. However, related mating partners were not less fecund, and inbred offspring had no lower lifetime reproductive output. Power analyses show these negative results to be quite robust. Absence of phenotypic evidence of inbreeding depression might result from a history of purging: local populations are small and undergo disequilibrium gene dynamics. Dispersal is likely caused by local saturation and (re)colonization of empty breeding sites, rather than inbreeding avoidance.

New species of Hymenoepimecis Viereck (Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae, Pimplinae) from Brazilian Atlantic forest

In this study three new Brazilian species of Hymenoepimecis are described and illustrated. The specimens were collected using sweeping the vegetation and Malaise traps in areas of Atlantic forest in southeastern Brazil. The material described is figured with digital images.

Attractivity of omnivore, carnivore and herbivore mammalian dung to Scarabaeinae (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae) in a tropical Atlantic rainforest remnant

In this study, performed in a remnant of Brazilian Atlantic Forest, three types of dung from animals with distinct alimentary habits were utilized, in order to verify possible differences of attractivity of these dungs to the Scarabaeinae and the influence of seasonality in the attractivity. Three habitats were sampled: edge, clearing and forest core, each with 40 pitfall traps. A total of 2,137 beetles were collected from August 2005 to July 2006. Canthidium sp. 1 (43%) and Dichotomius sericeus (41%) were the most abundant species. From the total number of beetles collected, 80.5% were attracted to human dung, 11% to jaguar dung, 7.8% to waterbuck dung and 0.7% to the control. The species Canthidium sp.1, Canthidium sp. 2, Ateuchus sp., Canthon nigripenne, Canthonella sp. and D. sericeus came to all three bait types. Eight species were found in the baits with human dung, where Canthidium sp.1 (49%) and D. sericeus (39%) were the most common. A significant difference in attractiveness of the different baits was observed; the highest abundance found in traps baited with human dung (F = 36.59; g.l. = 3; p < 0.0001). A significant difference in richness was observed between rainy and dry seasons (F = 12.29; g.l. = 1; p < 0.001), the highest richness found in the dry season.

White Cane Update, Summer 2006

The White Cane Update newsletter includes information about the latest happenings at the Iowa Department for the Blind.

White Cane Update, Winter 2007

The White Cane Update newsletter includes information about the latest happenings at the Iowa Department for the Blind.

White Cane Update, Summer 2007

The White Cane Update newsletter includes information about the latest happenings at the Iowa Department for the Blind.

White Cane Update, Fall 2007

The White Cane Update newsletter includes information about the latest happenings at the Iowa Department for the Blind.

White Cane Update, Winter 2008

The White Cane Update newsletter includes information about the latest happenings at the Iowa Department for the Blind.

Seasonal and spatial species richness variation of dung beetle (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae s. str.) in the Atlantic Forest of southeastern Brazil

The knowledge on Atlantic Forest scarab beetle fauna is quite limited. This biome is strongly degraded and these insects can be used as bioindicators since they are sensitive to forest destruction and show distinct organizational patterns in forest fragments or in areas that have been deteriorated by human activity. Thus, a study of the Scarabaeidae (sensu stricto) dung beetles fauna that inhabit Serra do Japi, São Paulo, Brazil (23º12'-23º22' S and 46º53'-47º03'W) was carried out; the monthly species richness was analyzed in six areas during one year and the vegetation's structural physiognomy was described. The areas included a conserved and a degraded valley, a northward and a southward hillside, a hilltop, and an area of secondary forest growing under eucalyptus trees. The specimens were collected using four pitfall traps baited with human feces, which remained at each spot during 48 hours. Between September, 1997 and August, 1998, 3524 individuals of 39 species were collected; the most abundant were: Canthidium trinodosum, Eurysternus cyanescens, Uroxys kratochvili, Scybalocanthon nigriceps, Uroxys lata, Canthonella sp., Dichotomius assifer, Deltochilum furcatum, Canthidium sp.2, Canthon latipes, Deltochilum rubripenne, Eurysternus sp., and Dichotomius sp.1. The number of individuals and species was greater in the hot, rainy season, when there was a correlation between the number of species and the mean annual temperature [r²= 0.69; p<0.01]. The lower winter richness was most pronounced in the conserved valley, while richness remained relatively constant in the degraded valley; abundance was much higher in the degraded valley. The cluster analysis showed that the valleys and hillsides are the most similar in relation to species composition and abundance, yet different from the secondary forest with eucalypts and the hilltop.

Proton T1 relaxation times of metabolites in human occipital white and gray matter at 7 T.

Proton T1 relaxation times of metabolites in the human brain have not previously been published at 7 T. In this study, T1 values of CH3 and CH2 group of N-acetylaspartate and total creatine as well as nine other brain metabolites were measured in occipital white matter and gray matter at 7 T using an inversion-recovery technique combined with a newly implemented semi-adiabatic spin-echo full-intensity acquired localized spectroscopy sequence (echo time = 12 ms). The mean T1 values of metabolites in occipital white matter and gray matter ranged from 0.9 to 2.2 s. Among them, the T1 of glutathione, scyllo-inositol, taurine, phosphorylethanolamine, and N-acetylaspartylglutamate were determined for the first time in the human brain. Significant differences in T1 between white matter and gray matter were found for water (-28%), total choline (-14%), N-acetylaspartylglutamate (-29%), N-acetylaspartate (+4%), and glutamate (+8%). An increasing trend in T1 was observed when compared with previously reported values of N-acetylaspartate (CH3 ), total creatine (CH3 ), and total choline at 3 T. However, for N-acetylaspartate (CH3 ), total creatine, and total choline, no substantial differences compared to previously reported values at 9.4 T were discernible. The T1 values reported here will be useful for the quantification of metabolites and signal-to-noise optimization in human brain at 7 T. Magn Reson Med 69:931-936, 2013. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

A Hull and White formula for a general stochastic volatility jump-diffusion model with applications to the study of the short-time behavior of the implied volatility

In this paper, generalizing results in Alòs, León and Vives (2007b), we see that the dependence of jumps in the volatility under a jump-diffusion stochastic volatility model, has no effect on the short-time behaviour of the at-the-money implied volatility skew, although the corresponding Hull and White formula depends on the jumps. Towards this end, we use Malliavin calculus techniques for Lévy processes based on Løkka (2004), Petrou (2006), and Solé, Utzet and Vives (2007).

Novas Pragas Agrícolas na Ilha de São Nicolau - Cabo Verde - Tuta absoluta (Meyrick) (Lep - Gelechiidae) e Bactrocera invadens (Drew, Tsuruta & White) (Dipt - Tephritidae)

Em algumas das ilhas do Arquipélago de Cabo Verde entraram, nos últimos dois anos, espécies invasoras que constituem pragas de culturas agrícolas e que têm apresentado elevada repercussão económica. Entre elas contam-se a traça do tomateiro, Tuta absoluta (Meyrick) (Lepidoptera: Gelechidae) e Bactrocera invadens (Drew, Tsuruta & White) (Diptera: Tephritidae). Com o objectivo de avaliar a presença destas pragas na ilha de São Nicolau, foram instaladas armadilhas com atractivos em quatro zonas com bananeiras (Ribeira Prata, Fajã, Maiama e Campo de Preguiça) para a monitorização da mosca da fruta. Foram também instaladas ensaios em seis parcelas de tomateiro para a comparação de estratégias de protecção contra T. absoluta, armadilha com feromona sexual para captura em massa em conjunto com Bacillus thuringiensis e tratamento com deltametrina. Das quatro zonas monitorizadas, B. invadens só foi encontrada no Vale da Fajã. No que diz respeito a T. absoluta, fez-se a comparação entre a população presente em três estratos do tomateiro e não se encontraram diferenças significativas. As estratégias de protecção contra T. absoluta também não diferiram significativamente no que se refere ao número de minas nas folhas e frutos furados. Nesidiocoris tenuis foi identificado como inimigo natural de T. absoluta presente na ilha.

Biomass and abundance of termites in three remnant areas of Atlantic Forest in northeastern Brazil

Termite biomass and abundance were estimated in three remnant areas of Atlantic Forest in northeastern Brazil: Reserva Biológica de Pedra Talhada-RBPT (Alagoas State), Parque Estadual Dois Irmãos-PEDI (Pernambuco State), and Área de Proteção Ambiental Mata do Buraquinho-APMB (Paraíba State). A quantitative sampling of the termite assemblages present on trunks and leaf litter, in nests, and in the soil was undertaken during the months of June and July (rainy season) and November and December (dry season) of 2000. Thirty seven species of termites were encountered and quantified in the three remnant forest areas. The termite biomass varied from 10.09 to 11.30 g (fresh weight)/m² and abundance varied from 4911 to 5663 individuals/m². The subfamily Nasutitermitinae was dominant in terms of the number of species, biomass, and abundance. The soil-feeders were the most abundant at the three sites, while wood-feeders had the largest biomass at least at the PEDI and APMB sites. Among the microhabitats quantified, termites were most frequently encountered in the soil, being most heavily concentrated at depths of 0-20 cm. Two species stood out in terms of their biomass and abundance: Embiratermes parvirostris Constantino, on the soil, and Nasutitermes corniger (Motschulsky), on decomposing trunks and in nests. Estimates of biomass and abundance suggest that termites play an important role in the decomposition of the plant necromass in remnant forest areas of the Atlantic Forest in northeastern Brazil.

Phlebotomines (Diptera, Psychodidae) in the Speleological Province of the Ribeira Valley: 2. Parque Estadual do Alto Ribeira (PETAR), São Paulo State, Brazil

The Parque Estadual do Alto Ribeira (PETAR) with about 250 caves, in an Atlantic forest reserve, is an important ecotourist attraction in the Ribeira Valley, an endemic area of American cutaneous leishmaniasis (ACL). With the purpose of investigating Leishmania vector species bothersome to humans the sandfly fauna was identified and some of its ecological aspects in the Santana nucleus, captures were undertaken monthly with automatic light traps in 11 ecotopes, including caves, forests, a camping site and domiciliary environments, and on black and white Shannon traps, from January/2001 to December/2002. A total of 2,449 sandflies representing 21 species were captured. The highest values of abundance obtained in the captures with automatic light traps were for Psathyromyia pascalei and Psychodopygus ayrozai. A total of 107 specimens representing 13 species were captured on black (12 species) and white (6 species) Shannon traps set simultaneously. Psychodopygus geniculatus females predominated on the black (43.75%), and Psathyromyia lanei and Ps. ayrozai equally (32.4%) on the white. Nyssomyia intermedia and Nyssomyia neivai, both implicated in the transmission of ACL in the Brazilian Southeastern region, were also captured. Ny. intermedia predominated in the open camping area. Low frequencies of phlebotomines were observed in the caves, where Evandromyia edwardsi predominated Lutzomyia longipalpis, the main vector of the American visceral leishmaniasis, was aslo present. This is its most southernly reported occurrence in the Atlantic forest.