Abundance of copepods from multinet samples during POLARSTERN cruise ANT-XX/1

Abundance and species composition of copepods were studied during the expedition ANT XXI/1 on a latitudinal transect in the eastern Atlantic from 34°49.5' N to 27°28.1' S between 2-20 November 2002. Stratified zooplankton tows were carried out at 19 stations with a multiple opening-closing net between 300 m water depth and the surface. Cyclopoid and calanoid copepods showed similar patterns of distribution and abundance. Oithona was the most abundant cyclopoid genus, followed by Oncaea. A total of 149 calanoid copepod species were identified. Clausocalanus was by far the most abundant genus, comprising on average about 45% of all calanoids, followed by Calocalanus (13%), Delibus (9%), Paracalanus (6%), and Pleuromamma (5%). All other genera comprised on average less than 5% each, with 40 genera less than 1%. The calanoid copepod communities were distinguished broadly in accordance with sea surface temperature, separating the subtropical from the tropical stations, and were largely determined by variation in species composition and species abundance. Nine Clausocalanus species were identified. The most numerous Clausocalanus species was C. furcatus, which on average comprised half of all adult of this genus. C. pergens, C. paululus, and C. jobei, contributed an average of 19%, 9%, and 9%, respectively. The Clausocalanus species differed markedly in their horizontal and vertical distributions: C. furcatus, C. jobei, and C. mastigophorus had widespread distributions and inhabited the upper water layers. Major differences between the species were found in abundance. C. paululus and C. arcuicornis were biantitropical and were absent or occurred in very low numbers in the equatorial zone. C. parapergens was found at all stations and showed a bimodal distribution pattern with maxima in the subtropics. C. pergens occurred in higher numbers only at the southern stations, where it replaced C. furcatus in dominance. In contrast to the widespread species, the bulk of the C. paululus, C. arcuicornis, C. parapergens, and C. pergens populations was concentrated in the colder, deeper water layers below the thermocline, thereby avoiding the warm surface waters. C. lividus was found only at the most northern and C. ingens only at the most southern stations. Both species were found almost exclusively in the upper 50 m. The distinct differences in abundance and horizontal and vertical distribution suggest a strong ecological differentiation among the Clausocalanus species.

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Mode of access: Internet.

FOOD CONCENTRATION AND TEMPERATURE EFFECTS ON LIFE CYCLE CHARACTERISTICS OF TROPICAL CLADOCERA (Daphnia gessneri Herbst, Diaphanosoma sarsi Richard, Moina reticulata (Daday)): I. DEVELOPMENT TIME

The effects of food concentration and temperature on embryonic and postem-bryonic duration of three tropical species, Daphnia gessneri(1.5mm), Diaphanosoma sarsi(1.2mm) and Moina reticulata(0.8mm), were investigated as part of life cycle studies which included growth, body size and reproduction. These are the very first experimental studies undertaken on these species. The long-term growth experiments were performed under controlled laboratory conditions at all combinations of temperature (22"C, 27"C and 32"C) and constant food concentration (0.03, 0.05, 0.10, 0.25, 0.50 and 1.00 mgC/L) of the unicellular green alga Scenedesmus acutus.Animals were examined twice daily throughout their life cycle from the neonate to third adult instar. In all three species, temperature exerted the most powerful influence on embryonic duration but there was also a smaller food effect. In D. gessneri,postembry-onic durations remained more or less the same at food levels 0.25 mgC/L but were influenced by temperature. At food concentrations of 0.1 mgC/L or lower, postembryonic durations became increasingly prolonged, particularly at high temperatures. This threshold concentration is affected by temperature: in D. gessneri,it was 0.1 mgC/L at 22oC and 27oC but higher at 32oC (between 0.25 and 0.50 mgC/L). At the same temperature of 27oC, the food threshold level varied between species: it was higher (0.25 mgC/L) for D. sarsiand lower (0.05 mgC/L) for M. reticulatacompared with D. gessneri(0.1 mgC/L). In both embryonic and postembryonic durations there is a body size effect as the absolute durations were longest in the largest species and shortest in the smallest species In all three species, prolongation of postembryonic duration at combinations of high temperature and lowered food levels was accompanied by increased number of juvenile instars.

Revisionary notes on the fungus-growing ant genus Mycetarotes Emery (Hymenoptera, Formicidae)

Mycetarotes is a small genus of the exclusively Neotropical fungus-growing ants, that includes M. parallelus (Emery), M. senticosus Kempf, M. acutus Mayhé-Nunes and M. carinatus Mayhé-Nunes. We hereby revise historical and recent information regarding Mycetarotes species for the first time, providing an identification key to workers, diagnoses, synoptic illustrated redescriptions of the species, including those of sexuals when known, updates of distributional records, and nest pictures of M. carinatus and M. parallelus. We comment the taxonomy and phylogenetic relationships among Mycetarotes and related genera, and on their geographical distribution. The available biological information on the genus is summarized.

Revisão das espécies de Ceroplastinae Atkinson (Hemiptera, Coccoidea, Coccidae) do Estado de São Paulo, Brasil

As espécies de Ceroplastinae (Hemiptera, Coccoidea, Coccidae) que ocorrem no Estado de São Paulo são revisadas. São estudadas 36 espécies de Ceroplastinae, das quais 9 são sinonimizadas, 8 espécies novas são descritas e 19 são redescritas. Ceroplastes campinensis Hempel, 1901, C. bicolor Hempel, 1901, C. excaericae Hempel, 1912 e C. farmairii (Signoret, 1866), mencionadas para o Estado de São Paulo, não foram examinadas, devido a não localização do material tipo ou de outros exemplares. Nossos estudos indicaram que C. albolineatus Cockerell, 1894 e C. confluens Cockerell & Tinsley, 1898 foram erroneamente citadas por Hempel, 1900 para o estado de São Paulo. Coccus stellifer Westwood, 1871, atualmente Vinsonia stellifera (Westwood, 1871), é transferida para gênero Ceroplastes como Ceroplastes stellifer (Westwood, 1871) n. comb. C. flosculoides Matile-Ferrero, 1993 é registrada pela primeira vez para o país e C. cassiae (Chavannes, 1848), C. deodorensis Hempel, 1937, C. formosus Hempel, 1900 e C. quadratus Green, 1935 são registradas pela primeira vez no Estado de São Paulo. Ceroplastinae é agora representada por 31 espécies no Estado de São Paulo, todas incluídas no gênero Ceroplastes. Ilustrações e uma chave para espécies são incluídas. Novos sinônimos: C. formicarius Hempel = Ceroplastes communis Hempel, 1900 n. sin.; C. janeirensis Gray, 1828 = Ceroplastes psidii (Chavannes, 1848) n. sin. = C. simplex Hempel, 1900 n. sin.; C. cirripediformis Comstock, 1881 = C. cultus Hempel, 1900 n. sin. = C. cuneatus Hempel, 1900 n. sin. = C. rarus Hempel, 1900 n. sin e C. rotundus Hempel, 1900 n. sin.; C. lucidus Hempel, 1900 = C. novaesi Hempel, 1900 n. sin.; C. grandis Hempel, 1900 = C. rhizophorae Hempel, 1918 n. sin. Novas espécies descritas: C. acutus sp. nov.; C. bragai sp. nov.; C. coronatus sp. nov; C. glomeratus sp. nov; C. jordanensis sp. nov.; C. minimus sp. nov.; C. solanaceus sp. nov.; C. willinkae sp. nov. Espécies redescritas: C. agrestis Hempel, 1932; C. cassiae (Chavannes, 1848); C. cirripediformis; C. deodorensis Hempel, 1900; C. diospyros Hempel, 1928; C. floridensis Comstock, 1881; C. flosculoides Matile-Ferrero, 1993; C. formicarius Hempel, 1900; C. formosus Hempel, 1900; C. grandis Hempel, 1900; C. gregarius Hempel, 1932; C. iheringi Cockerell, 1895; C. janeirensis; C. lucidus; C. purpureus Hempel, 1900; C. quadratus Green, 1935; C. speciosus Hempel, 1900; C. stellifer e C. variegatus Hempel, 1900. São designados lectótipos e paralectótipos para C. agrestis, C. deodorensis, C. diospyros, C. formosus, C. purpureus, C. speciosus e C. variegatus e um neótipo para C. cassiae.

Dinámica del heleoplancton en relación a las fluctuaciones hidrológicas en aiguamolls de l’Empordà (NE de la península Ibérica). Propuesta de un método sencillo de monitorización basado en la abundancia de grupos taxonómicos

Monitoring of the 'ecological water quality' in 'Aiguamolls de l’Empordà' Natural Park was carried out between September 1996 and August 1997 . The aim of this sampling programme was to design a simple method for rapid detect changes in water quality due to human activity. These include flow regulation by the Park management, nutrient entries from effluents of a nearby wastewater treatment plant or agricultural fertilising. The proposed method is based on the analysis of the abundance of characteristic taxonomic groups of aquatic invertebrates (heleoplankton). The simplicity of the method is ensured by the use of large taxa which are easier to recognise than species. The functioning of aquatic systems has been modelled by means of correspondence analysis between samples and taxa. Results can be summerized in five environmental conditions with a regular community structure. Dominated by one taxon: cladocerans, ostracods, calanoids, cyclopoids and harpacticoids. The dynamics of both freshwater and brackish lagoons can be modelled as displacements between these five groups of environmental conditions. Nevertheless, the “calanoids situation” and the “harpacticoids situation” occur mainly in brackish lagoons, whereas the “cladocerans situation” occurs mainly in freshwater. The four principal axes of data variation have been respectively identified as nutrient turnover rate, hypertrophy, degree of mineralization of the organic matter and eutrophy. The use of these taxa has been validated by comparison with a model obtained from the species. We conclude that in a highly fluctuating system such as the one here, only persistent situations of eutrophy or hypertrophy must be equated to low 'ecological water quality'

Nesting biology of the fungus growing ants Mycetarotes Emery (Attini, Formicidae)

Fungus-growing ants of the genus Mycetarotes are among the least studied in the tribe Attini. This report documents nest architecture and worker population numbers for 19 nests of M. parallelus and 5 nests of M. acutus, including the first such report for M. acutus. This new information is integrated with the scant biological information reported on Mycetarotes to date. The resulting picture of Mycetarotes life history, as well as the relative ease with which large numbers of nests can be collected and observed in the field, suggest that Mycetarotes (particularly M. parallelus) is an ideal model system for the study of coevolution of lower-attine ants and their cultivated fungi.

Evaluación de la primera alimentación en larvas de capaz pimelodus grosskopfii bajo condiciones de laboratorio

Evaluate the performance and survival of capaz larvae Pimelodus grosskopfii after supplying live food (Cladocera, Copepod and Artemia Salina). Materials and methods. Capaz larva were placed in plastic containers with an useful volume of 3 L , and a larvae density of 10 L-1, they were fed four times a day during 15 days with newly hatched Artemia nauplii, Cladocerans of the genders Moina and Ceriodaphnia and Copepods calanoides. Capaz larva were weighed and measured at the beginning and the end of the experiment in order to evaluate their weight gain (WG), length gain (LG), specific growth rate (SGR), relative growth factor (RGF), and survival rate(S). Results. The treatment that showed the best results in WG, LG and S was the lot fed with Artemia nauplii (3.8±0.2 mg, 8±0.7 mm and 48.3% respectively), followed by sample supplied with Cladocera and Copepods. Conclusions. The Artemia nauplii treatment revealed the best results on the productive variables evaluated in P. grosskopfii larvae at the beginning of their exogenous feeding.

Spatial and temporal distribution in density and biomass of two Pseudodiaptomus species (Copepoda: Calanoida) in the Caeté river estuary (Amazon region - North of Brazil)

A distribuição espacial e temporal da densidade e biomassa dos copépodos planctônicos Pseudodiaptomus richardi e P. acutus, ao longo de um gradiente de salinidade, foi estudada no Estuário do Rio Caeté (Norte do Brasil) durante os meses de junho e dezembro de 1998 (estação seca) e fevereiro e maio de 1999 (estação chuvosa). A biomassa dos copépodos foi estimada a partir de parâmetros da regressão baseada na relação entre o peso seco e o comprimento do corpo (prossoma) de organismos adultos. O Estuário do Rio Caeté caracterizou-se por uma grande variação espacial e sazonal na salinidade (0,8-37,2). A relação peso-comprimento para ambas as espécies de Pseudodiaptomus foi do tipo exponencial. Os valores de densidade e biomassa oscilaram entre 0,28-46,18 ind. m^-3 e 0,0022-0,3507 mg DW. m^-3 para P. richardi; e entre 0,01-17,02 ind. m^-3 e 0,0005-0,7181 mg DW. m^-3 para P. acutus. Os resultados revelaram que a contribuição de P. richardi para a produção secundária no Estuário do Rio Caeté é mais importante na zona liminética que em outras zonas onde foram dominantes os regimes eurihalino-polihalino. Contudo, para P. acutus não foi possível observar de forma clara um padrão de distribuição espacial e temporal para a área estudada.

Descrição da fauna parasitária de raias e tubarões marinhos (Elasmobranchii), fauna acompanhante da pesca comercial no litoral Sul e Sudeste do Brasil

Pós-graduação em Medicina Veterinária - FCAV