Morphological caste studies in the neotropical swarm-founding polistinae wasp Angiopolybia pattern (Lepeletier) (hymenoptera: Vespidae)

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

Differentiation and species status of the Neotropical yellow-eared bats Vampyressa pusilla and V. thyone (Phyllostomidae) with a molecular phylogeny and review of the genus

A systematic re-evaluation of Vampyressa pusilla warrants the elevation of V. p. thyone from subspecies to species rank based on its distinction from the allopatric V. p. pusilla. Morphological, mensural, chromosomal, and mitochondrial differences define each of these two taxa as divergent lineages. Vampyressa pusilla is endemic to the Atlantic Forest of southeastern South America and V. thyone is found allopatrically in northwestern South America, Central America, and southern Mexico. A molecular phylogenetic analysis of the mtDNA ND3-4 gene region using restriction endonuclease cut sites resulted in a monophyletic, although weakly supported Vampyressa ingroup with Chiroderma, and a clade of Mesophylla and Ectophylla as successive basal outgroup lineages. The phylogeny within Vampyressa, with the exception of V. melissa which is most similar to V. thyone based on karyotypes and morphology, had a topology of ((pusilla + thyone) + ((brocki + nymphaea) + bidens))).

Experimental and field record of preferred temperature in the neotropical amphisbaenid Amphisbaena mertensi stauch (reptilia, amphisbaenidae)

1. 1. Temperature preference in experimental thermal gradient in the laboratory was determined and field preferred temperature was recorded, for Amphisbaena mertensi. 2. 2. Mean preferred temperature in 52 experiments averaged 21.4°C which was close to those recorded in 16 specimens measured in the field (21.1°C). 3. 3. Selected temperature varied from 12 to 27°C in the laboratory, and data taken in the field ranged from 18 to 26°C. © 1984.

Agelotoxin: a phospholipase A(2) from the venom of the neotropical social wasp cassununga (Agelaia pallipes pallipes) (Hymenoptera-Vespidae)

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Aquatic macrophytes as feeding site for small fishes in the Rosana Reservoir, Paranapanema River, southeastern Brazil

In the present investigation we studied the feeding habits of the fishes associated with aquatic macrophytes in the Rosana Reservoir, southeastern Brazil. Twenty fish species were collected during four field trips, regularly distributed across the dry and wet seasons. Focal snorkeling observations of the fishes were made over a total of six hours. Nine species were present in abundances of more than 1% and, therefore, had their feeding habits analyzed. Hemigrammus marginatus, Roeboides paranensis, Hyphessobrycon eques, Astyanax altiparanae, Serrasalmus spilopleura, and Bryconamericus stramineus were predominantly invertivores, with predominance of aquatic insects (Diptera, Ephemeroptera, and Trichoptera immatures) among their food items. The predominantly algivores were Apareiodon affinis, Serrapinnus notomelas, and Satanoperca pappaterra, with high frequency of filamentous blue-green algae, diatoms, clorophyts, and periderm. The different microhabitat exploitation plus diet composition suggests partitioning of resources and absence of food competition among the most representative fish species in the studied community, indicating the importance of the naturalistic approach to fish ecology studies.

Floral nectar production and nectary structure of a bee-pollinated shrub from Neotropical savanna

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Dynamics of foraging trails in the Neotropical termite Velocitermes heteropterus (Isoptera: Termitidae)

Foraging behavior in termites varies with the feeding habits of each species but often occurs through the formation of well-defined trails that connect the nest to food sources in species that build structured nests. We studied the formation of foraging trails and the change in caste ratio during foraging in the termite Velocitermes heteropterus. This species is widespread in Cerrado vegetation where it builds epigeal nests and forages in open-air at night. Our aim was to understand the processes involved in the formation of foraging trails, from the exploration of new unmarked areas to the recruitment of individuals to food and the stabilization of traffic on the trails, as well as the participation of the different castes during these processes. Foraging trails were videotaped in the laboratory and the videos were then analyzed both manually and automatically to assess the flow of individuals and the caste ratio on the trails as well as to examine the spatial organization of traffic over time. Foraging trails were composed of minor workers, major workers, and soldiers. The flow of individuals on the trails gradually increased from the beginning of the exploration of new areas up to the discovery of the food. The caste ratio remained constant throughout the foraging excursion: major workers, minor workers and soldiers forage in a ratio of 8:1:1, respectively. The speed of individuals was significantly different among castes, with major workers and soldiers being significantly faster than minor workers. Overall, our results show that foraging excursions in V. heteropterus may be divided in three different phases, characterized by individual speeds, differential flows and lane segregation.

Evidence for temporal population replacement and the signature of ecological adaptation in a major Neotropical malaria vector in Amazonian Peru

The major Neotropical malaria vector, Anopheles darlingi, was reintroduced into the Iquitos, Loreto, Peru area during the early 1990s, where it displaced other anophelines and caused a major malaria epidemic. Since then, case numbers in Loreto have fluctuated, but annual increases have been reported since 2012. The population genetic structure of An. darlingi sampled before and after the introduction of long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs) was investigated to test the hypothesis of temporal population change (2006 vs. 2012). Current samples of An. darlingi were used to test the hypothesis of ecological adaptation to human modified (highway) compared with wild (riverine) habitat, linked to forest cover. In total, 693 An. darlingi from nine localities in Loreto, Peru area were genotyped using 13 microsatellite loci. To test the hypothesis of habitat differentiation in An. darlingi biting time patterns, HBR and EIR, four collections of An. darlingi from five localities (two riverine and three highway) were analysed. Analyses of microsatellite loci from seven (2006) and nine settlements (2012-2014) in the Iquitos area detected two distinctive populations with little overlap, although it is unclear whether this population replacement event is associated with LLIN distribution or climate. Within the 2012-2014 population two admixed subpopulations, A and B, were differentiated by habitat, with B significantly overrepresented in highway, and both in near-equal proportions in riverine. Both subpopulations had a signature of expansion and there was moderate genetic differentiation between them. Habitat and forest cover level had significant effects on HBR, such that Plasmodium transmission risk, as measured by EIR, in peridomestic riverine settlements was threefold higher than in peridomestic highway settlements. HBR was directly associated with available host biomass rather than forest cover. A population replacement event occurred between 2006 and 2012-2014, concurrently with LLIN distribution and a moderate El Niño event, and prior to an increase in malaria incidence. The likely drivers of this replacement cannot be determined with current data. The present-day An. darlingi population is composed of two highly admixed subpopulations, which appear to be in an early stage of differentiation, triggered by anthropogenic alterations to local habitat.

Ultrastructure of the digestive tract in neotropical carnivorous catfish Hemisorubim platyrhynchos (Valenciennes, 1840) (Siluriformes, Pimelodidae)

The surface of the digestive tract of Hemisorubim platyrhynchos was analyzed by scanning electron microscopy. Morphometric studies by transmission electron microscopy were performed to analysis the intestinal microvilli. H. platyrhynchos is a Neotropical carnivorous freshwater catfish featuring a short digestive tract composed of a short esophagus, saccular stomach, and intestine with four regions: anterior, middle, posterior, and rectal. The esophageal surface is constituted by fingerprint-like microridges that anchor the mucosubstances secreted by goblet cells facilitating the passage of food. Goblet cells present the opening to the esophageal lumen, between the microridges. Club cells are in basal epithelium and they do not present the opening to the lumen. The gastric luminal surface shows polygon-shaped epithelial cells which secrete granules by exocytose to protect the gastric surface. The intestinal luminal surface reveals folds that are thicker in the anterior intestine than in the posterior intestine, increasing the absorptive surface area. The intestinal surface presents the microvilli of enterocytes and the opening of goblet cells. The morphometric analysis showed that the microvilli are longer in the anterior intestine, significantly decreasing towards the posterior intestine. The microvilli surface area significantly is greater in the anterior and middle intestine than in the posterior intestine. Numerous openings of goblet cells were observed in the posterior intestine acting in epithelial protection and lubrication. SCANNING 9999:1-8, 2015. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Defesa e território de forrageamento das colônias do cupim Neotropical Ruptitermes reconditus (Isoptera, Termitidae, Apicotermitinae)

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Bromeliads as biodiversity amplifiers and habitat segregation of spider communities in a Neotropical rainforest

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

Predation on microcrustaceans in evidence: the role of chaoborid larvae and fish in two shallow and small Neotropical reservoirs

This study was focused on the predation upon microcrustaceans by an invertebrate predator (chaoborid larvae), and vertebrate predators (fish), in two small reservoirs in southeastern Brazil, with and without macrophytes, in two climatic periods (dry and rainy seasons). Chaoborus larvae were sampled in the limnetic zone, as they are scarce in the littoral, and fish in both limnetic and littoral zones. Their diets were evaluated by the analysis of the crop (chaoborid) or stomach contents (fish). Chaoborid larvae consumed the dinoflagellate Peridinium sp. or other algae, rotifers, and planktonic microcrustaceans. The fish species that included microcrustaceans in their diets were juveniles caught in the littoral. Aquatic insects, plant fragments, and detritus were their major dietary items, microcrustaceans representing a minor item. Planktonic copepods contributed more to the diet of chaoborid larvae than planktonic cladocerans. Fish preyed on planktonic microcrustaceans, as well as on benthic and macrophyte-associated species. Microcrustaceans were not heavily preyed on by chaoborid larvae and fish in both reservoirs.

Avaliação das condições bióticas e abióticas em um viveiro neotropical impactado

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Filogeografia de Nasutitermes corniger (Isoptera: Termitidae: Nasutitermitinae) na região Neotropical

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Evaluation of helminths associated with 14 amphibian species from a Neotropical island near the southeast coast of Brazil

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)