A new species of Constrictotermes from central Brazil with notes on the mandibular glands of workers (Isoptera: Termitidae: Nasutitermitinae)

Constrictotermes rupestris, new species, is described from central Brazil, with illustrations of the imago, soldier, worker head, worker mandibles, worker mandibular gland, and nest. The new species lives in a dry forest, on rocky terrain, building its nest always on rocks. In the colonies examined, all castes showed a striking reddish coloration due to something accumulated in the fat tissues. Inquilinitermes microcerus was present in most examined nests. The worker of C. rupestris has an enlarged mandibular gland. Workers also show an aggressive behavior, which suggests that the mandibular glands may produce defensive secretions.

Review and update on the biology of coptotermes havilandi (Isoptera, Rhinotermitidae)

The introduction of Coptotermes havilandi in Brazil and some aspects of its biology are reviewed. We also describe an aerial principal nest collected from the 15th floor of a high-rise building and its subsidiary nest collected from the 14th floor of the same building. The population of the principal nest consisted of one imaginal physogastric queen, one imaginal king, 20 nymphoid neotenics (14 females and 6 males), 188 nymphs, many workers, presoldiers, soldiers and larvae. The population of the subsidiary nest consisted of 32 nymphoid neotenics (all females), alates, 2 preneotenics, some larvae and nymphs, many workers, presoldiers and soldiers. These neotenics were larger than those found in the principal nest. No eggs were found in either nest. A morphometric analysis of the nymphs and nymphoids was carried out and the morphology of the neotenics and of the imaginai reproductives is described.

Biological data for the neotropical termite Nasutitermes globiceps (Isoptera: Termitidae: Nasutitermitinae)

Nasutitermes globiceps is a Neotropical termite, considered a pest in Brazil. It has been reported to cause damage to wood of buildings, transmission poles, fences, trees and stored material. Nest architecture of this arboreal Nasutitermes is described in a small area of natural vegetation of Sāo Paulo state. Polycalism and polygyny are reported as reproductive mechanisms present in the species.

Growth patterns of incipient colonies of Coptotermes havilandi (Isoptera, Rhinotermitidae) initiated in the laboratory from swarming alates

Fifty two colonies of Coptotermes havilandi were set up under laboratory conditions using alates collected from an urban area during a period of swarming. The first artificial nest used for each royal couple was a 6cm diameter Petri dish (22ml) filled with a moistened matrix of decayed pine sawdust. After 6 months, these colonies were transferred to 250ml plastic containers with the same culturing matrix. After 24 months a census of all colonies was performed. Each young colony had a live royal pair and the population size of all colonies indicated a nonlinear development. The total population (workers + soldiers + immatures + reproductives) of these incipient colonies ranged from 64 to 1, 164, with a mean of 345 individuals. The number of workers ranged from 53 to 830 individuals, and the number of soldiers ranged from 6 to 83. The present data showed a higher population of incipient colonies than our previous record for the species. We also compared the development of 12 transferred colonies to that of 12 untransferred incipient colonies. The results showed a higher population in transferred colonies, but in both incipient colonies (transferred and untransferred) there was a wide variation in total population. The correlation between queen weight and population size was positive in all 24 colonies.

Affinities of the Saw-billed Hermit (Ramphodon naevius) determined by cytochrome-b sequence data

We sequenced 912 bp of the cytochrome-b gene to examine phylogenetic relationships of the enigmatic Saw-billed Hermit (Ramphodon naevius), a large and distinctive hummingbird endemic to tropical forests of southeastern Brazil. Bootstrapped maximum parsimony and maximum likelihood analyses of sequence data from 11 hummingbirds and several outgroups (two swifts, one goatsucker) support: (a) monophyly of the traditional hermit (Phaethornithinae) and nonhermit (Trochilinae) subfamilies, (b) placement of Ramphodon among hermits, and (c) a sister relationship between Ramphodon and an exemplar of the widespread polytypic hermit genus Glaucis. The association of Ramphodon with derived hermit lineages is concordant with subfamilial patterns of wing anatomy and nest architecture. However, the unusual plumages (striped underparts) and male bills (long, serrated, hooked) shared by Ramphodon and the Tooth-billed Hummingbird (Androdon aequatorialis) appear to have evolved within separate hermit and nonhermit tooth-billed clades. Distal placement of the Ramphodon-Glaucis clade within hermits implies that even distinctive Brazilian endemics such as Ramphodon are derived forms that evolved relatively recently.

Key to the nests of Brazilian Epiponini wasps (Vespidae: Polistinae)

Brazil possesses the richest diversity of Epiponini wasps in the world. However, field identification of genera of these wasps, based on morphological features, is difficult without optical equipment. Therefore, this work presents a key to the Brazilian Epiponini genera based on the structural features of the nests.

Ant fauna (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Magnoliophyta native to the Atlantic forest

The aim of the study was to analyze the preferences of ant species visiting the trunks of eight species of Magnoliophyta, belonging to the families Fabaceae, Arecaceae, Myrtaceae, Melastomataceae and Euphorbiaceae, located in a fragment of the Atlantic Forest in southeastern Brazil. A total of 101 ant species, belonging to eight subfamilies and 32 genera, were sampled during the 12-month collection period. Close to 30% of the ant species can be considered arboreal, and the others are species that nest in the ground and use trees only for foraging, which can be occasional, as in the case of the Ecitoninae sampled in Arecaceae and Euphorbiaceae. Pachycondyla mesonotalis was the only species collected on all the Magnoliophyta, whereas Camponotus rufipes, Acromyrmex niger and Crematogaster spp., were found on 87.5% of the trees analyzed. No strong similarities were found, using the Jaccard Index, among plant species in the same family of Magnoliophyta based on the visiting ants, except for the Euphorbiaceae species. This result is probably related to the presence of extra-floral nectar, which is very attractive to ants and characteristic of this family.

An evaluation of the productivity of mischocyttarus drewseni in a semi-urban environment (Hymenoptera: Polistinae)

The biology and productivity of Myschocytarus drewseni were studied in semi urban conditions at Rio Claro, S P - Brazil. We observed 51 nest foundations, of which 24 (47%) were destroyed or predated, 13 (25.5 %) were abandoned and 14 (27.5%) completed the cycle. The life-span of colonies ranged from 44-427 days with a mean of 216.7 ± 140.6 days, producing 8-390 cells with a mean of 125.7 ± 137.9 cells, and 2-303 adults with a mean of 89.4 ± 110.36 adults. We observed a maximum of 3 utilizations/cell. This showed that the species presents asynchronous foundation and abandoningoccurs throughout the year. Also, the chance of a colony utilizing the same cells two or three times for adult production is highly dependent on the colony size/age, and the relation between them is positive, meaning that there is a greater chance of cell re-utilization in larger/older colonies.

Intraspecific and intracolonial variation in the profile of venom alkaloids and cuticular hydrocarbons of the fire ant Solenopsis saevissima smith (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

Fire ants are aggressive Neotropical ants that are extensively similar in general biology and morphology, making species identification difficult. Some fire ant species are top-rated pests spreading throughout the world by trade vessels. Many researchers attempted to sort between invasive and native species by using chemical characters, including patterns of venom alkaloids. The present study is the first to report intraspecific variation in some chemical characters, namely, cuticular hydrocarbons and venom alkaloids, within the Brazilian fire ant species Solenopsis saevissima and also reports on within-nest variations among members of different castes. Two different haplotypes (cryptic species) of S. saevissima were clearly identified, one presenting a predominant combination of the venom alkaloids cis- and trans-2-methyl-6-undecylpiperidine with the cuticular hydrocarbons C23, 3-Me-C23, 10-C 25:1, C25, and 3-Me-C25, and the other a predominant combination of cis- and trans-2-methyl-6-tridecenylpiperidine with predominance of 12-C25:1, C25, 11-Me-C25, 3-Me-C25, 13-C27:1, C27, and 13-Me-C 27. Intranest variations revealed that the proportions among these compounds varied sensibly among workers of different sizes, gynes, and males (no alkaloids were detected in the latter). Larva contained vestiges of the same compounds. The recorded chemical profiles are quite different from previous reports with S. saevissima samples from So Paulo. The finds thus support other recent claims that S. saevissima includes cryptic species; the study, moreover, adds the find that they can occur in the same geographical location. © 2012 Eduardo Gonalves Paterson Fox et al.

Fungal communities in the garden chamber soils of leaf-cutting ants

Leaf-cutting ants modify the properties of the soil adjacent to their nests. Here, we examined whether such an ant-altered environment impacts the belowground fungal communities. Fungal diversity and community structure of soil from the fungus garden chambers of Atta sexdens rubropilosa and Atta bisphaerica, two widespread leaf-cutting ants in Brazil, were determined and compared with non-nest soils. Culture-dependent methods revealed similar species richness but different community compositions between both types of soils. Penicillium janthinellum and Trichoderma spirale were the prevalent isolates in fungus chamber soils and non-nest soils, respectively. In contrast to cultivation methods, analyses of clone libraries based on the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region indicated that richness of operational taxonomic units significantly differed between soils of the fungus chamber and non-nest soils. FastUnifrac analyses based on ITS sequences further revealed a clear distinction in the community structure between both types of soils. Plectania milleri and an uncultured Clavariaceae fungus were prevalent in fungus chamber soils and non-nest soils, respectively. FastUnifrac analyses also revealed that fungal community structures of soil from the garden chambers markedly differed among ant species. Our findings suggest that leaf-cutting ants affect fungal communities in the soil from the fungus chamber in comparison to non-nest soils. © 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co.

Esforço de escavação e teor de lipídios em rainhas da formiga cortadeira Atta sexdens rubropilosa

Nest digging spends a lot of energy existing a question about how much energy is required to dig the tunnel and initial chamber. It was hypothesized that the lipid content is used during nest digging. This hypothesis was tested by comparing the consequences of increasing digging effort in queens that were experimentally stimulated to excavate a complete founding nest either once, twice or three times consecutively, compared to control queens that didn't dig. Weight and lipid content of queens were quantified. Results showed that, in contrast with the initial expectations, weight and lipid content were not affected by the increased digging effort in the experimentally-induced successive excavations. It was conclude that the excavation by the queens did not affect the percentages of lipids and consequently the energy content, in their bodies. Probably, energy resources for the excavation wasn't originated from lipid reserves, but from other energy sources, perhaps carbohydrates.

Maternal Care by the Earwig Doru lineare Eschs. (Dermaptera: Forficulidae)

We performed laboratory experiments to study maternal care in Doru lineare Eschs. (Dermaptera: Forficulidae), a predator of the maize pest Spodoptera frugiperda J.E. Smith (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae). Females laid 29.7 ± 8.43 (SD) eggs which took 7-10 days to hatch. Mothers searched for an appropriate nest, where they cleaned and defended eggs and nymphs. Females did not recognize eggs from other females as foreign and adopted them. Other evidence of maternal behavior was also observed, such as egg-cleaning, nest-cleaning, and a lower viability of eggs not cared for by females. © 2013 Springer Science+Business Media New York.

Efeito da privação de ninho sobre a agressividade e o sucesso de acasalamento em machos de tilápia do Nilo

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Early hunter-gatheres in the Terra Firme Rainforest: stemmed projectile points from the Curuá goldmines

Achados acidentais de instrumentos líticos em região de terra firme junto ao rio Curuá, no médio curso da Bacia do Xingu, sugere uma ocupação disseminada por caçador-coletores pré-cerâmicos na região, contrariamente a expectativas de que a floresta tropical teria recursos alimentares insuficientes para a ocupação humana longe da várzea. Os artefatos líticos incluem pontas de projétil de lascamento cuidadoso, possivelmente relacionados a alguns artefatos do Pleistoceno final encontrados na Caverna da Pedra Pintada, em Monte Alegre. Os resíduos alimentares encontrados com os artefatos de Monte Alegre eram de uma economia de coleta de ambientes rupestres e ribeirinhos. As pontas do Xingu foram recolhidas por garimpeiros nas reias e cascalhos no leito do rio Curuá. Os garimpeiros encontraram os artefatos enquanto escavavam e peneiravam sedimentos auríferos. Tais depósitos algumas vezes também contêm remanescentes de plantas e artefatos de madeira pré-históricos, fontes de informação potencial sobre antigos habitats, subsistência e tecnologia. O grupo de pesquisa do Projeto Baixo Amazonas viajou a diversos dos sítios submersos com os garimpeiros para preparar escavações para o futuro. Em um sítio, Curupité, onde os garimpeiros encontraram uma grande ponta com pedúnculo e um arpão de madeira inteiro em 1986, a equipe utilizou equipamento de mergulho para prospectar o leito do rio e os barrancos, e mapearam a topografa com um teodolito a laser.

Peanut mechanized digging regarding to plant population and soil water level

The largest losses in mechanical harvesting of peanuts occur during the stage of digging, and its assessment is still incipient in Brazil. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the quantitative losses and the performance of the tractor-digger-inverter, according to soil water content and plant populations. The experiment was conducted in a completely randomized block design with a factorial scheme 2 x 3, in which the treatments consisted of two soil, water content (19.3 and 24.8%) and three populations of plants (86,111, 127,603 and 141,144 plants ha-1), with four replications. The quantitative digging losses and the set mechanized performance were evaluated. The largest amount of visible and total losses was found in the population of 141.144 plants ha-1 for the 19.3% soil water content. The harvested material flow and the tractor-digger-inverter performance were not influenced by soil water content and plant population. The water content in the pods was higher in 24.8% soil water content only for the population of 86,111 plants ha-1; the yield was higher in the populations of 141.144 and 127.603 plants ha-1, in the 19.3 e 24.8% soil water content, respectively.