Courtship behavior of Mesoclemmys vanderhaegei (Bour, 1973) (Testudines: Chelidae) under natural conditions in the Brazilian Cerrado

Mesoclemmys vanderhaegei is a Neotropical chelid lacking basic natural history studies. Based on a film made in December 2004, we describe the courtship behavior in this species. Field observations were conducted at Chapada dos Guimarães, Mato Grosso State, southwestern Brazil, in an oligotrophic stream amidst the savannah like Cerrado formation. We provide a schematic drawing of the behavioral sequences during courtship, as well as a flow diagram describing sequential responses of the female to the male behavioral patterns. Mesoclemmys vanderhaegei courtship behavior is similar to that described for other freshwater chelonians.

Climatic variables and altitude as predictors of anuran species richness and number of reproductive modes in Brazil

Because anuran species are highly dependent on environmental variables, we hypothesized that anuran species richness and the number of reproductive modes from different Brazilian localities vary according to climatic and altitudinal variables. Published data were compiled from 36 Brazilian localities and climatic and altitudinal data were extracted from an available database. A partial redundancy analysis (pRDA) showed that 23.5% of the data set's variation was explained by climatic and altitudinal data, while the remaining 76.5% remained unexplained. This analysis suggests that other factors not analysed herein may also be important for predicting anuran species richness and the number of reproductive modes in Brazil. Altitude and total annual rainfall were positively correlated with anuran species richness and the number of reproductive modes, and total annual rainfall was strongly associated with these two biotic variables in the triplot of pRDA. The positive association of total annual rainfall and the negative association of the concentration of annual rainfall were already expected based on physiological and reproductive requirements of anurans. On the other hand, temperature was not associated with richness or the number of reproductive modes. Copyright © 2010 Cambridge University Press.

Reproductive biology of an endemic Physalaemus of the Brazilian Atlantic forest, and the trade-of between clutch and egg size in terrestrial breeders of the P. signifer group

Physalaemus crombiei is a small foam-nesting frog endemic to the Atlantic forest. It is a member of the P. signifer group known only from its type locality in Santa Teresa, State of Espírito Santo, and from another locality in the State of Bahia, Brazil. Most Physalaemus species are aquatic breeders, and species in the P. signifer group are the only ones exhibiting a tendency toward terrestrial reproduction in the genus. Here we describe the reproductive period, breeding site and reproductive modes of P. crombiei from a third population in the Atlantic forest, southeastern Brazil. We also investigated reproductive effort and size-fecundity relationships in females. Reproductive traits were compared to other species in the genus Physalaemus, especially those included in the P. signifer group. Physalaemus crombiei is a prolonged breeder, reproducing throughout the year with a peak of activity during the most rainy months (October-March). Males called from the humid forest foor and eggs embedded in foam nests were deposited in the water as well as on the humid foor amidst the leaf litter, or inside fallen leaves or tree holes containing rainwater on the forest foor. As expected, P. crombiei exhibited three alternative reproductive modes, as described for other species of the P. signifer group. The number of eggs produced per female varied from 91 to 250. Female body size is positively correlated both with ovary mass and clutch size (number of eggs per clutch). Variation in the number and size of eggs observed in Physalaemus species may be explained not only by female size, but also by the terrestrial reproductive mode exhibited by the species in the P. signifer group.

Phytoseiidae (Acari: Mesostigmata) on plants of the central region of the Brazilian cerrado

Four surveys of Phytoseiidae species associated with native plants were conducted in ten fragments of Cerrado sensu stricto to determine the species associated with the plants of this region. Twelve of the most common plant species were sampled in each fragment. Twenty six phytoseiid species were recorded during the surveys. Stryphnodendron adstringens was the host plant that had the highest number of species (eight species). Amblyseius neochiapensis Lofego, Moraes and McMurtry 2000 and Neoseiulus tunus (De Leon) 1967 were the most common phytoseiid species. These species occurred on 24 and 20 host species, respectively. Approximately 76 % of the phytoseiids found belonged to the subfamily Amblyseiinae Muma, 1961. Almost 27 % of phytoseiid species recorded were associated with only one plant species. In addition, approximately two thirds of species found in this study also occur in the Atlantic Forest. The comparison of our results from the central areas with previous surveys in peripheral areas of the Cerrado showed that only 12 phytoseiid species were common to both areas.

Comparative immature morphology of Brazilian fire ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Solenopsis)

Although common in Brazil, the biology of the fire ant Solenopsis saevissima (Smith) is still poorly studied. Larval descriptions are useful to genus-level ant systematics and sometimes to species-level taxonomy. This study presents a detailed description of juveniles of S. saevissima from Brazil, which were compared with Brazilian specimens of Solenopsis invicta Buren, Solenopsis geminata (Fabricius), and Solenopsis altipunctata Pitts. Different larval instars were separated by diagnostic morphological traits which were confirmed by observing moults. Reproductive larvae could be easily sorted by their distinctive body dimensions and shape. Contrary to previous reports on this species, the larvae of S. saevissima proved to be generally identical to those of S. invicta, while a few specimens resembled those of other close species, such as Solenopsis megergates Trager. Mature larvae thus presented considerable intraspecific variation in some characters recently proposed to aid fire ant species separation (morphology of head hairs). © 2012 Eduardo Gonalves Paterson Fox et al.

New records and distribution extensions of three species of Mesoclemmys Gray, 1863 (Testudines: Chelidae) in Mato Grosso state, Brazil, with observations on terrestrial movements

Distribution patterns of most of the 20 Neotropical freshwater turtles belonging to the family Chelidae are usually based on few locality records. We here report on vouchered records of three species of the chelid genus Mesoclemmys in the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso. Presence of M. vanderhaegei is confirmed for the Amazon River Basin, and M. gibba and M. raniceps are recorded in Mato Grosso for the first time. © 2012 Check List and Authors.

Brazilian catfish parasitized by Epistylis sp. (Ciliophora, Epistylididae), with description of parasite intensity score

The determination of mean intensity of parasitism for colony-forming sessile protozoan such as Epistylis has been a great problem in parasitological studies. Some alternatives have been proposed by researchers for laboratory and field conditions. This study describes the criteria to establish the parasitic intensity score for epistylidid infestation in fish. Parasite distribution and the host-parasite relationship in four species of Brazilian cultured catfish and their hybrids are discussed. The highest prevalence rates were found in the hybrid jundiara, Leiarius marmoratus male × Pseudoplatystoma reticulatum female (96.4 %), followed by jurupoca, Hemisorubim platyrhynchos (60 %), and the hybrid surubim, Pseudoplatystoma corruscans male × P. reticulatum female (52.7 %). Positive correlation between parasitic intensity score and the fish size, weight, and relative condition factor were also observed. These findings indicate that Epistylis infestation in Brazilian catfish is an emerging disease in cultured fish. © 2012 Springer-Verlag.

Redescription of Astyanax multidens eigenmann, 1908 (Characiformes: Characidae), a small characid of the Brazilian Amazon

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

First record of chilodonella hexasticha (ciliophora: Chilodonellidae) in brazilian cultured fish: A morphological and pathological assessment

Chilodonelids are small ciliated protozoans found worldwide and can be dangerous in culture conditions. This study presents morphometric data on the ciliate Chilodonella that is found in cultured Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus), native bait fish tuvira (Gymnotus aff. inaequilabiatus) and native pacu (Piaractus mesopotamicus) and includes a histopathological assessment of the changes that occur in the pacu. For parasitic diagnosis, skin and gill samples were scraped onto slides, dried at room temperature, stained with Giemsa or impregnated with silver nitrate, and the measurements were obtained from photomicrographs. In the diseased pacu, the first gill arch was collected and fixed in a 10% buffered formalin solution for histopathological analysis. Parasite specimens from the different collection sites were identified morphologically as C. hexasticha Kiernik (1909). Diseased fish exhibited depigmentation, skin ulceration, scale loss, excessive mucus production and gill lesions. Histopathological analysis of pacu gills displayed epithelial proliferation with mononuclear inflammatory infiltrate, hemorrhages, and scattering necrosis. In Brazilian-farmed fish this is the first record of C. hexasticha, which has great pathogenic potential in cultured freshwater species. In addition, two new hosts are presented. © 2012 Elsevier B.V.

Development of microsatellite markers for the Neotropical endemic Brazilian Guanabara frog, Euparkerella brasiliensis, through 454 shotgun pyrosequencing

The new-generation 454 GS-FLX Titanium pyrosequencing was used to isolate microsatellite markers for the Brazilian Guanabara frog, Euparkerella brasiliensis, an Atlantic forest endemic species. Three multiplex polymerase chain reaction sets were optimized for genotyping of 11 polymorphic (di- and tetranucleotide) microsatellite markers. Genetic diversity was assessed in 21 individuals from a population (Reserva Ecológica de Guapiaçu, REGUA) locatedin the central region of the Rio de Janeiro State, in Brazil. The mean number of alleles per locus ranged from 3 to 12. Observed and expected heterozygosities ranged from 0.095 to 0.905 and from 0.094 to 0.904, respectively. After using the Bonferroni correction for multiple tests, there was no evidence of linkage disequilibrium between pairs of loci but deviations for Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium were found in 4 loci. We found no evidence for allele dropouts or stuttering, but we detected the presence of null alleles at loci Eb10 and Eb36. These markers will be useful for analyses of fine-scale population structure and determination of relative effects of habitat loss and fragmentation on population genetic variability within species. © FUNPEC-RP.

Phenotypic changes and small mammal impoverishment on a Brazilian Atlantic Forest Island

Faunal impoverishment and distorted species compositions are common phenomena in oceanic islands; however, many land-bridge islands are poorly inventoried, especially in the Neotropics. We sampled a small mammal community on a land-bridge island (Anchieta Island) along the Brazilian coast. We found only one marsupial Didelphis aurita (Wied-Neuwied, 1826) and two rodent species Oligoryzomys nigripes (Olfers, 1818) and Trinomys iheringi (Thomas, 1911) during 12 months of live trapping and 9195 trap-nights. The diversity of rodents and marsupials was not explained by species-area relations, indicating possible past extinctions. The abundance of D. aurita and O. nigripes was approximately three times higher, while the abundance of T. iheringi was approximately four times lower than abundances reported from other Brazilian Atlantic Forest sites. The population of D. aurita exhibited many phenotypic changes; males were on average 8 % smaller and females produced 30 % less litters than those from the mainland and other land-bridge islands. The long history of forest disturbance, habitat loss, reduction in forest productivity, and the recent introduction of mesopredators may be the major drivers that explain the small mammal community composition on this island. © 2013 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston.

Water availability determines the richness and density of fig trees within Brazilian semideciduous forest landscapes

The success of fig trees in tropical ecosystems is evidenced by the great diversity (+750 species) and wide geographic distribution of the genus. We assessed the contribution of environmental variables on the species richness and density of fig trees in fragments of seasonal semideciduous forest (SSF) in Brazil. We assessed 20 forest fragments in three regions in Sao Paulo State, Brazil. Fig tree richness and density was estimated in rectangular plots, comprising 31.4 ha sampled. Both richness and fig tree density were linearly modeled as function of variables representing (1) fragment metrics, (2) forest structure, and (3) landscape metrics expressing water drainage in the fragments. Model selection was performed by comparing the AIC values (Akaike Information Criterion) and the relative weight of each model (wAIC). Both species richness and fig tree density were better explained by the water availability in the fragment (meter of streams/ha): wAICrichness = 0.45, wAICdensity = 0.96. The remaining variables related to anthropic perturbation and forest structure were of little weight in the models. The rainfall seasonality in SSF seems to select for both establishment strategies and morphological adaptations in the hemiepiphytic fig tree species. In the studied SSF, hemiepiphytes established at lower heights in their host trees than reported for fig trees in evergreen rainforests. Some hemiepiphytic fig species evolved superficial roots extending up to 100 m from their trunks, resulting in hectare-scale root zones that allow them to efficiently forage water and soil nutrients. The community of fig trees was robust to variation in forest structure and conservation level of SSF fragments, making this group of plants an important element for the functioning of seasonal tropical forests. © 2013 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Development of an analytical method for the quantification of pfaffic acid in Brazilian ginseng (Hebanthe eriantha)

Hebanthe eriantha (Poir.) Pedersen (Amaranthaceae), which is known as Brazilian ginseng is widely used in folk medicine as an aphrodisiac and antidiabetic tonic. The anti-tumor activity, attributed to the pfaffic acid present in roots of H. eriantha, is responsible for the great interest in the commercialization of this species. In Brazil, the species H. eriantha is mainly used in commercial preparations, although other plants of the genus Pfaffia and Hebanthe have been marketed as Pfaffia paniculata or Brazilian ginseng. The pfaffic acid present in the roots is mainly conjugated with sugars (pfaffosides) and can be used as an active marker of H. eriantha, which helps to differentiate this species from others marketed as Brazilian ginseng. The main objective of this study was to develop and validate a liquid chromatographic method to quantify pfaffic acid in the roots of H. eriantha. The extraction and hydrolysis conditions were optimized using an univariate and experimental design, respectively, and the quantification of pfaffic acid by high performance liquid chromatography with diode-array detection (HPLC-DAD) was validated. This method was used to evaluate the pfaffic acid content in 30 different genotypes of the species from a germplasm collection. The content of pfaffic acid ranged from 0.97 to 4.29% (w/w) on a dry weight basis. © 2013 Elsevier B.V.

Distribution related to temperature and salinity of the shrimps Acetes americanus and Peisos petrunkevitchi (Crustacea: Sergestoidea) in the south-eastern Brazilian littoral zone

The abundance and ecological distribution of Acetes americanus and Peisos petrunkevitchi were investigated from July 2006 to June 2007, in Ubatuba, Brazil. Eight transects were identified and sampled monthly: six of these transects were located in Ubatuba bay, with depths reaching 21 m, and the other two transects were in estuarine environments. A total of 33,888 A. americanus shrimp were captured, with the majority coming from the shallower transects (up to 10 m). Conversely, 6,173 of the P. petrunkevitchi shrimps were captured in deeper areas (from 9 to 21 m). No individuals from either species were found in the estuary. The highest abundances obtained for both species were sampled during the summer. Canonical correlation analysis resulted in a coefficient value of 0.68 (P = 0.00). The abundance of both species was strongly correlated with depth. Variations in temperature and salinity values were also informative in predicting the seasonal presence of P. petrunkevitchi in deeper areas and A. americanus in the shallower areas of the bay. It is conceivable that the shrimp adjust their ecological distribution according to their intrinsic physiological limitations. © 2012 Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom.

Population structure and canopy use by Coussapoa microcarpa, a strangler hemiepiphyte from the Brazilian Atlantic Forest

We studied density, size structure, and establishment sites of Coussapoa microcarpa in the Brazilian Atlantic rain forest. This species is a hemiepiphyte that begins its life in the tops of trees and survives the death of its host to become a free-standing tree. All individuals of C. microcarpa already rooted in the ground were recorded in a 3.43 ha (1.75 ha in lowland and 1.68 ha in submontane) sample of forest plots. Data on total height, root diameter at breast height, host height and diameter at breast height, as well as height, type and diameter of the establishment site were collected. Coussapoa microcarpa present a high density (36.5 ind. ha-1) and the population studied was composed mainly of young individuals. Young and adults differed in establishment sites. The diameter of establishment sites of young was narrower than the diameter of establishment sites of adults, which points out to a limiting factor (diameter of establishment site) regulating the establishment of C. microcarpa. © 2013 Cambridge University Press.