Review of the Brazilian Atlantic Rainforest harvestman Longiperna (Opiliones: Gonyleptidae: Mitobatinae)

Longiperna Roewer, 1929 is revised and new records of distribution are presented for the Brazilian Costal Atlantic Rain Forest (from Rio de Janeiro to Santa Catarina states). The following new synonymies are established: Longiperna concolor (Mello-Leitão, 1923) = L. zonata Mello-Leitão, 1935 and L. heliaca B. Soares, 1942; Longiperna coxalis (Roewer, 1943) = L. areolata B. Soares, 1944; Longiperna insperata (Soares & Soares, 1947) = L. paranensis Soares & Soares, 1947 and L. curitibana Kury, 2003. Two new species are described: Longiperna kuryi sp. nov. (type-locality: Brazil, Rio de Janeiro, Parati); Longiperna trembao sp. nov. (type-locality: Brazil, Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte).

First record of Stygnidae for the state of Espírito Santo and description of a new Protimesius (Arachnida: Opiliones: Laniatores)

Protimesius osvaldoi sp. nov. is described from the Reserva Biológica de Sooretama, state of Espírito Santo, southeastern Brazil, being the first record of Stygnidae from this State and the southernmost record of the family in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest (hitherto, the family was recorded down to Bahia only), extending in 210 km south of the previously known distribution. This is a large species, with armature of leg IV very reduced and penial morphology differing from the closest counterparts mainly in the ventral plate, which recedes deeply at the lateral borders and has the distal margin curved ventrally and by the presence of two small intermediate setae. Protimesius Roewer, 1913 consisted hitherto of 17 species, recorded from northern/northeastern Brazil and Amazonia of adjacent countries. A key is given for the 17 species of Protimesius for which males are known.

Description of Coctilelater minimus sp. nov. (Coleoptera, Elateridae, Agrypninae)

Coctilelater minimus from Brazil (Pará) is described and illustrated. This new species is mainly characterized by small size and coloration pattern.

Transpressive dextral shear in the Italva-Itaperuna section, Northern State of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Structural analysis carried out on a segment of the Neoproterozoic Ribeira Belt, southeastern Brazil, show that it represents part of the transpressive dextral orogen related to the Central Mantiqueira Province. NNE-trending and steeply dipping regional mylonitic belts form anastomosed geometry, and describe a map-scale, S-C-like structure that is characterized by their deflection towards NE near the Além Paraíba Lineament. Lithological and structural control related to deformation partition were responsible for the formation of felsic mylonitic granulites with S-type granites lenses developed in ductile shear zones, alternated with less deformed intermediate to basic granulites associated with charnockites. The dextral shear sense indicators are consistent with transpressive deformation in the region and are common especially at the border of the main shear zones. The presence of S-type leucogranite may lead to variations of linear and planar relationships, which result in local extension zones. These elements are consistent with oblique continental collision considering the São Francisco Craton as a stable block.

Spatial and temporal distribution of fish in Palmas bay, Ubatuba, Brazil

The aim of this study was to analyze the distribution and abundance of the fish fauna of Palmas bay on Anchieta Island in southeastern Brazil. Specimens were caught in the summer and winter of 1992, using an otter trawl at three locations in the bay. The specimens were caught in both the nighttime and daytime. Data on the water temperature and salinity were recorded for the characterization of the predominant water mass in the region, and sediment samples were taken for granulometric analysis. A total of 7 656 specimens (79 species), with a total weight of approximately 300 kg, were recorded. The most abundant species were Eucinostomus argenteus, Ctenosciaena gracilicirrhus, Haemulon steindachneri, Eucinostomus gula and Diapterus rhombeus, which together accounted for more than 73% of the sample. In general, the ecological indices showed no differences in the composition of species for the abiotic variables analyzed. The multivariate analysis showed that the variations in the distribution of the fish fauna were mainly associated with intra-annual differences in temperature and salinity, resulting from the presence of South Atlantic Central Water (SACW) in the area during the summer. The analysis also showed an association with the type of bottom and a lesser association with respect to the night/day periods.

Patterns of distribution and abundance of larval phosichthyidae (actinopterygii, stomiiformes) in southeastern Brazilian waters

Horizontal and vertical distribution patterns and abundance of larval phosichthyids were investigated from oblique and depth-stratified towns off Southeastern brazilian waters, from São Tomé cape (41ºW.; 22ºS.) to São Sebastião island (45ºW.; 24ºS.). The sampling was performed during two cruises (January/2002 -summer; August/2002 -winter). Overall 538 larvae of Phosichthyidae were collected during summer and 158 in the winter. Three species, Pollichthys mauli, Vinciguerria nimbaria and Ichthyioccoccus sp. occurred in the area, but Ichthyioccoccus sp. was extremely rare represented by only one specimen, caught in the oceanic region during the summer. Geographically, larval were concentrated in the oceanic region, and vertically distributed mainly between the surface and 80 m depth in the summer and winter. Larvae were more abundant during the night, performing a diel vertical migration in the water column. The results suggest that the meandering and eddies of Brazil Current play important role on the transport and distribution patterns of larval phosichthyids over the oceanic and neritic area in the Southeastern Brazil.

Description of the larva and pupal case of Ommatius orenoquensis Bigot (Diptera, Asilidae, Ommatiinae)

Description of the larva and pupal case of Ommatius orenoquensis Bigot (Diptera, Asilidae, Ommatiinae). The last instar larva and the pupal case of Ommatius orenoquensis Bigot, 1896 from a Cerrado (Brazilian Savanna) area in São Paulo, southeastern Brazil, are for the first time described and illustrated.

Culicídeos em bromélias: diversidade de fauna segundo influência antrópica, litoral de São Paulo

OBJETIVO: Comparar a diversidade da fauna de culicídeos em bromélias de solo segundo ambientes urbano, periurbano e mata primitiva. MÉTODOS: O estudo foi realizado no município de Ilhabela, litoral norte do estado de São Paulo, em tanques de bromélias de ambientes urbano, periurbano e mata. Realizaram-se coletas de imaturos quinzenalmente, de março de 1998 a julho de 1999. A presença e freqüência de espécies nos diferentes ambientes foram comparadas com base em estimativas da diversidade para medir a riqueza, dominância e análise de variância (ANOVA). RESULTADOS: Coletaram-se 31.134 formas imaturas de mosquitos nas bromélias, distribuídas em sete gêneros e 37 espécies. O ambiente urbano registrou maior abundância, 14.575 indivíduos, seguido do periurbano com 10.987, e a mata, com o menor número de exemplares, 5.572. Foram coletadas 30 espécies no habitat urbano, 32 no periurbano e 33 na mata. As espécies dominantes foram Culex (Microculex) pleuristriatus nos ambientes urbano e periurbano, e Culex ocellatus na mata. De acordo com teste ANOVA a freqüência de mosquitos em bromélias não foi diferente entre os ambientes pesquisados (F=0,5564; p=0,5769). A diversidade de espécies na mata foi maior, e semelhante entre periurbano e urbano. CONCLUSÕES: A composição específica de culicídeos em bromélias de solo mostrou-se diversificada, sendo maior naquelas de ambiente de mata. As espécies dominantes foram Cx. (Mcx.) pleuristriatus e Cx. ocellatus.

Trans fatty acid intake among the population of the city of São Paulo, Brazil

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the monounsaturated and polyunsaturated trans fatty acid intake among the general population. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted in São Paulo, Southeastern Brazil, in 2003, on a representative sample of 2,298 male and female subjects, including 803 adolescents (12 to 19 years), 713 adults (20 to 59 years) and 782 elderly people (60 years or over). Food intake was measured using 24-hour recall. Mean trans fatty acid intake was described according to gender and age group. RESULTS: The mean trans fatty acid intake was 5.0 g/day (SE = 0.1), accounting for 2.4% (SE = 0.1) of total energy and 6.8% (SE = 0.1) of total lipids. The adolescents had the highest mean intake levels (7.4 g/day; 2.9% of energy) while the adults and the elderly had similar intake (2.2% of energy for both; 6.4% of lipids and 6.5% of lipids, respectively). The mean trans fatty acid intake among adult and elderly women (approximately 2.5% of energy and 7.0% of lipids) was higher than among men in the same age group. The food item with the highest contribution towards trans fatty acids was margarine, accounting for more than 30% of total intake, followed by filled cookies among adolescents and meat among adults and the elderly. CONCLUSIONS: The trans fatty acid intake is above the level recommended by the World Health Organization. Replacement of the trans fatty acids in manufactured food items may be an effective measure for reducing trans fatty acid intake in Brazil.

Do Código Florestal para o Código da Biodiversidade

Em face do gigantismo do território e da situação real em que se encontram os seus macro biomas - Amazônia Brasileira, Brasil Tropical Atlântico, Cerrados do Brasil Central, Planalto das Araucárias, e Pradarias Mistas do Brasil Subtropical - e de seus numerosos mini-biomas, faixas de transição e relictos de ecossistemas, qualquer tentativa de mudança no "Código Florestal" tem que ser conduzido por pessoas competentes e bioeticamente sensíveis. Por muitas razões, se houvesse um movimento para aprimorar o atual Código Florestal, teria que envolver o sentido mais amplo de um Código de Biodiversidades, levando em conta o complexo mosaico vegetacional de nosso território. Enquanto o mundo inteiro trabalha para a diminuição radical de emissão de CO2, o projeto de reforma proposto na Câmara Federal de revisão do Código Florestal defende um processo que significará uma onda de desmatamento e emissões incontroláveis de gás carbônico, fato observado por muitos críticos em diversos trabalhos e entrevistas. A utopia de um desenvolvimento com o máximo de florestas em pé não pode ser eliminada por princípio em função de mudanças radicais do Código Florestal, sendo necessário pensar no território total de nosso país, sob um ampliado e correto Código de Biodiversidade. Ou seja, um pensamento que envolva: as nossas grandes florestas (Amazônia e Matas Tropicais Atlânticas); o domínio das caatingas e agrestes sertanejos; planaltos centrais com cerrados, cerradões e campestres; os planaltos de araucárias sul-brasileiros; as pradarias mistas do Rio Grande do Sul; e os redutos e mini-biomas da costa brasileira e do Pantanal mato-grossense, e faixas de transição e contrato (core-áreas) de todos os domínios morfoclimáticos e fitogeográficos brasileiros).

Redescription of Anopheles (Nyssorhynchus) antunesi Galvão & Amaral and description of a new species of the Myzorhynchella Section (Diptera: Culicidae) from Serra da Mantiqueira, Brazil

Anopheles (Nyssorhynchus) pristinus Nagaki & Sallum, n. sp. of the Myzorhynchella Section is described based on morphological characters of adult females, males, fourth-instar larvae, pupae and male genitalia. Anopheles (Nyssorhynchus) antunesi Galvão & Amaral is characterized to fix its identity and distinguish it from An. pristinus. The eggs of An. antunesi are described for the first time. Molecular characterization employing sequences of the COI mitochondrial gene and the ITS2 region of ribosomal DNA are provided for each species. An. antunesi and An. pristinus are compared with morphologically similar species of the Myzorhynchella Section. The results of the present study suggest that the new species has been misidentified as both An. antunesi and Anopheles lutzii Cruz. An. antunesi and An. pristinus are sympatric, occurring at high altitudes in Serra da Mantiqueira, southeastern Brazil

Shallow landslide prediction in the Serra do Mar, Sao Paulo, Brazil

Various methods are currently used in order to predict shallow landslides within the catchment scale. Among them, physically based models present advantages associated with the physical description of processes by means of mathematical equations. The main objective of this research is the prediction of shallow landslides using TRIGRS model, in a pilot catchment located at Serra do Mar mountain range, Sao Paulo State, southeastern Brazil. Susceptibility scenarios have been simulated taking into account different mechanical and hydrological values. These scenarios were analysed based on a landslide scars map from the January 1985 event, upon which two indexes were applied: Scars Concentration (SC - ratio between the number of cells with scars, in each class, and the total number of cells with scars within the catchment) and Landslide Potential (LP - ratio between the number of cells with scars, in each class, and the total number of cells in that same class). The results showed a significant agreement between the simulated scenarios and the scar's map. In unstable areas (SF <= 1), the SC values exceeded 50% in all scenarios. Based on the results, the use of this model should be considered an important tool for shallow landslide prediction, especially in areas where mechanical and hydrological properties of the materials are not well known.

Pollen foraging in colonies of Melipona bicolor (Apidae, Meliponini): effects of season, colony size and queen number

We evaluated the ratio between the number of pollen foragers and the total number of bees entering colonies of Melipona bicolor, a facultative polygynous species of stingless bees. The variables considered in our analysis were: seasonality, colony size and the number of physogastric queens in each colony. The pollen forager ratios varied significantly between seasons; the ratio was higher in winter than in summer. However, colony size and number of queens per colony had no significant effect. We conclude that seasonal differences in pollen harvest are related to the production of sexuals and to the number of individuals and their body size.

Comparative analysis of two sampling techniques for pollen gathered by Nannotrigona testaceicornis Lepeletier (Apidae, Meliponini)

Pollen counts from samples taken from storage pots throughout one year (from October to September) were adjusted by Tasei's volumetric correction coefficient for the determination of pollen sources exploited by two colonies of Nannotrigona testaceicornis in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The results obtained by this sampling technique for seven months (December to June) were compared with those from corbicula load samples taken within the same period. This species visited a large variety of plant species, but few of them were frequently used. As a rule, pollen sources that appeared at frequencies greater than 1% were found with both sampling methods and significant positive correlations (Spearman correlation coefficient) were found between their values. The pollen load sample data showed that N. testaceicornis gathered pollen throughout the external activity period.

Emission and dry deposition of accumulation mode particles in the Amazon Basin

Size-resolved vertical aerosol number fluxes of particles in the diameter range 0.25-2.5 mu m were measured with the eddy covariance method from a 53 m high tower over the Amazon rain forest, 60 km NNW of Manaus, Brazil. This study focuses on data measured during the relatively clean wet season, but a shorter measurement period from the more polluted dry season is used as a comparison. Size-resolved net particle fluxes of the five lowest size bins, representing 0.25-0.45 mu m in diameter, were in general dominated by deposition in more or less all wind sectors in the wet season. This is an indication that the source of primary biogenic aerosol particles may be small in this particle size range. Transfer velocities within this particle size range were observed to increase linearly with increasing friction velocity and increasing particle diameter. In the diameter range 0.5-2.5 mu m, vertical particle fluxes were highly dependent on wind direction. In wind sectors where anthropogenic influence was low, net upward fluxes were observed. However, in wind sectors associated with higher anthropogenic influence, deposition fluxes dominated. The net upward fluxes were interpreted as a result of primary biogenic aerosol emission, but deposition of anthropogenic particles seems to have masked this emission in wind sectors with higher anthropogenic influence. The net emission fluxes were at maximum in the afternoon when the mixed layer is well developed, and were best correlated with horizontal wind speed according to the equation log(10)F = 0.48.U + 2.21 where F is the net emission number flux of 0.5-2.5 mu m particles [m(-2) s(-1)] and U is the horizontal wind speed [ms(-1)] at the top of the tower.