Cytogenetic Mapping of the Retroelements Rex1, Rex3 and Rex6 among Cichlid Fish: New Insights on the Chromosomal Distribution of Transposable Elements

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

Genus Paracoccidioides: Species Recognition and Biogeographic Aspects

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

Ecological distribution and reproductive period of the hermit crab Loxopagurus loxochelis (Anomura, Diogenidae) on the northern coast of São Paulo State, Brazil

The present study aimed to determine the ecological distribution of Loxopagurus loxochelis as a function of selected environmental factors, as well as its reproductive period based on the combined analysis of the presence of ovigerous females and the development of the gonad. The collections were carried out monthly from January to December 2000 in the region of Ubatuba (SP), using a fishing boat equipped with two double rig nets, in isobaths of 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35 and 40 m, at which depths samples of sediment and water were collected. The cephalothoracic shield length and sex of the animals were determined; the abdomen was dissected to verify gonad development stages. A total of 334 individuals was obtained ( 196 males, 48 ovigerous females and 90 non-ovigerous females) with sizes varying from 3.0 to 8.6 mm (5.7 +/- 1.0 mm). A greater abundance of L. loxochelis (95.2%) was observed at depths of 20 and 25 m. These sites mainly revealed a substratum stable with a very fine sand fraction, which facilitates the habit of embedding shown by this hermit. With regard to gonadal analysis, it was possible to classify four gonad development stages for each sex: immature, rudimentary, developing and developed. It was observed that in the winter months about 71% of the females had gonads either developing or developed and 67% were ovigerous. Therefore, the winter period can be considered the peak of reproduction for this species, characterizing a typical seasonal-continuous reproduction.

On the population biology of the mottled shore crab Pachygrapsus transversus (Gibbes, 1850) (Brachyura, Grapsidae) in a subtropical area

The mottled shore crab P. transversus is probably the most common brachyuran crab living in the marine rocky intertidal of southeastern Brazil. However, its biology is largely unknown. In this study, some aspects of the population biology of this species are investigated. Distribution of individuals in the intertidal range is heterogeneous. Sabellariid worm reefs and mytilid mussel beds can be considered as nursery grounds retaining most part of juveniles, while the rocky surface is mostly inhabited by adults, which find safety shelters in rock crevices. Annual size frequency distributions revealed clues of population stability and indicated that young individuals reach the adult habitat in a gradual process. Sex-ratio follows the 1:1 proportion in smaller size classes but is biased towards males in larger ones. Higher mortality in larger females is indicated as a possible cause of this pattern. Ovigerous ratio shows a remarkable seasonality in which highest percentages of ovigerous females occur during summer months, while recruitment of young is more intense from April to July, suggesting a very extensive larval development. Once established in the intertidal zone, young recruits will develop to mature individuals in late spring, when molting crabs become scarce and proportion of breeding females increases. Therefore, growth and reproduction are in a great part temporally separated, allowing an annual life cycle in which settlement, growth and breeding may take place within a I-yr period.

Occurrence of Pseudosida ramosa Daday, 1904 (Crustacea: Cladocera: Ctenopoda) in marginal lakes of the Paranapanema River, with comments on its distribution.

Aim: Contribute to the understanding of the distribution of a littoral cladoceran, Pseudosida ramosa Daday, 1904, in Brazil, with special reference for the Paranapanema River basin (Southeast Brazil); Methods: The specimens were sampled in two floodplain lakes located in the middle Paranapanema River basin, in the boundary of São Paulo and Parana States, using a standard plankton net (50 [mu]m mesh size). Trinocular microscopic with camera lucida and milimetric scale was used for the observation and measurements of the specimens; Results: Only three individuals were found (in winter and summer), despite of an extensive sampling program during 17 consecutive months of observations in both lakes. The largest body length was 1,146 [mu]m. The taxonomical identification followed Korovchinsky (1992); Conclusions: This species have a wide geographical distribution in Brazil, but it is restricted to zones colonized by aquatic macrophytes and seems to occur in low population abundance. The scarcity of registers of P. ramosa demonstrates the necessity of deeper investigations of littoral habits as well as the important role of this kind of environment for the conservation of the rivers/reservoirs biota, including some possible rare species.

Radioautographic study of the seasonal distribution of leukocytes in turtles Phrynops hilarii (Chelonia Chelidae)

The aim of this study was to present a morphological description of the leukocytes of Phrynops hilarii turtles according to the seasonal distribution of these cells and to show their replacement in the blood circulation using a radioautographic method. Five animals of both sexes weighing 600-1200 g were used. The animal's blood was aspirated, smeared on glass slides, and stained with the Romanowsky stain, and 500 cells of each animal were counted during each season. The results obtained were analyzed statistically by analysis of variance followed by the Bonferrom test (NCSS), with the level of significance set at p < 0.05. The radioautographic analysis of turtle blood exposed to 1000 mu Ci of H-3-thymidine and developed after 30 days showed a large number of silver grains incorporated into the cells, except for basophils, with cell renewal occurring every seven days. Quantitative data demonstrated a seasonal influence on the distribution of some leukocyte types, with the following p values: heterophils (p = 0.0007), basophils (p = 0.0002), monocytes (p = 0.0016), eosinophils (p = 0.0073). However, using this statistical method, it was not possible to detect a significant difference related to seasonal influence on lymphocytes (p = 0. 16295) or thrombocytes (p = 0. 1046). Using this experimental animal model, a seasonal influence on the distribution of some leukocyte types was observed, and the radioautographic method revealed a cell renewal system occurring every seven days, except for basophils. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Yeasts and filamentous fungi carried by the gynes of leaf-cutting ants

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Spatial-temporal distribution of fire-protected savanna physiognomies in Southeastern Brazil

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Zoogeography of Chiropotes albinasus (Platyrrhini, Atelidae) in southwestern Amazonia

White-nosed bearded sakis (Chiropotes albinasus) are endemic to the Madeira-Xingu interfluvium in southern Amazonia, though recent fieldwork has produced conflicting data on the southwestern limits of the species's geographic range. We reevaluated the distribution of bearded sakis on the basis of surveys from 34 sites throughout the Brazilian state of Rondonia. Chiropotes albinasus occurred at seven sites in the eastern part of the state, including two west of the Jiparana-Pimenta Bueno river system in the extreme south, but there is no record of their presence further north and west in the Jiparana-Guapore interfluvium and they were absent from the Jiparana-Mamore interfluvium. The data suggest that ecological, rather than geographic barriers restrict the distribution of Chiropotes albinasus in southern Rondonia, but are contradictory with regard to the possible determining factors. Chiropotes albinasus appears able to thrive in transitional, savanna-like ecosystems in southern Rondonia, but is unexpectedly absent from adjacent areas of terra firme forest. Syntopy with the only other pitheciine found in the state (Pithecia irrorata) appears to have a negative effect on the abundance of Chiropotes albinasus which implies that interspecific competition may reinforce a complex of limiting factors, such as the availability of key plant species. Despite showing that Chiropotes albinasus is widespread in southern Rondonia, we also confirm its absence from the western two thirds of the state, a significant reduction in the known range of the species.

Distribution of Resources Collected Among Individuals From Colonies of Mischocyttarus drewseni (Hymenoptera, Vespidae)

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

Geographic Distribution and Morphological Variation of Striped and Nonstriped Populations of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest Treefrog Hypsiboas bischoffi (Anura: Hylidae)

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

Delimiting genetic units in Neotropical toads under incomplete lineage sorting and hybridization

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

Study of the nucleolar cycle and ribosomal RNA distribution during meiosis in triatomines (Triatominae, Heteroptera)

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

Range extension of the Peale's Free-tailed Bat Nyctinomops aurispinosus (Molossidae) in Brazil

Há uma grande lacuna no conhecimento da biologia e corologia de Nyctinomops aurispinosus. Nesta comunicação, nós apresentamos o registro mais austral deste molossídeo, realizado na cidade de Curitiba (25° 25' S e 49° 15' W, 920 m), estado do Paraná, Brasil, e sumarizamos a distribuição geográfica conhecida para a espécie na América do Sul.

Bromeliad architectural complexity and vertical distribution predict spider abundance and richness

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