Helminths of the teiid lizard Kentropyx calcarata (Squamata) from an Amazonian site in western Brazil

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

Observation of a New Xi(b) Baryon

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Novos registros de aves para a Fazenda Barreiro Rico, Anhembi-São Paulo

We recorded eleven bird species new for the Barreiro Rico farm in Anhembi, in the state of São Paulo, southeastern Brazil. This is one of the best-known birding sites in Brazil. Three hundred and fifty nine species have been recorded after 45 years of ornithological surveys.

Helminths of lizards from the municipality of Aripuanã in the southern Amazon region of Brazil

Ninety-five specimens from 13 species of lizard collected during a herpetofaunal monitoring programme of the Faxinal II power plant, municipality of Aripuanã, state of Mato Grosso, Brazil (southern Amazon region) were examined for helminths. A total of 21 helminth species (16 Nematoda, 1 Cestoda and 4 Trematoda) were recovered, with an overall prevalence of 67.37%. Seventeen new host records and seven new locality records are reported. A low number of specialists and core helminth species were found. Lizard body size was positively correlated with both the total number of helminth species and individuals. Active foragers exhibited higher helminth diversity. However, sit-and-wait foragers, especially Plica plica, had similar diversity values as active foragers and harboured more helminth species. The degree of similarity in helminth fauna was higher among closely related host species. Copyright © 2011 Cambridge University Press.

Helmintos de quirópteros da região Centro-Oeste do estado de São Paulo

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Vespas sociais da Floresta Nacional de Caxiuanã, Melgaço, Pará: descrição da fauna numa grade de 25 Km² e compararação entre protocolos de amostragem (Hymenoptera, vespidae)

Vespas sociais destacam-se pela complexidade da organização social, pela arquitetura dos ninhos e pela importância na cadeia alimentar, como predadores de outros insetos e artrópodes. Os levantamentos faunísticos no Brasil ainda são considerados reduzidos e há carência de padronização entre protocolos de coleta, o que dificulta a comparação dos resultados obtidos. O presente trabalho consiste em estudo da fauna de vespas sociais numa parcela de floresta de terra firme em Caxiuanã, Melgaço, PA, um quadrado de 25 km² previamente demarcado com trilhas de 5000 m entrecruzadas, em formato de grade. A coleta consistiu na busca ativa por indivíduos e colônias de vespas sociais ao longo das trilhas e na instalação de armadilhas de Malaise em alguns cruzamentos de trilhas. Foram percorridas 60 trilhas e instaladas 26 armadilhas, ao longo de 44 dias descontínuos de campo. Foram registradas 65 espécies de vespas sociais pertencentes a 12 gêneros. Polybia e Mischocyttarus destacaram-se como os principais gêneros em número de espécies. Agelaia fulvofasciata e Angiopolybia pallens foram as espécies mais freqüentes. Busca ativa apresentou um melhor desempenho quanto à descoberta de espécies de vespas sociais (63) do que armadilha de Malaise (26). Dois subconjuntos de 25 amostras, cujas respectivas acumulações também resultam em totais de 63 espécies, foram obtidos através do programa DIVA-GIS, demonstrando que o resultado geral do inventário poderia em tese ser alcançado com um esforço consideravelmente menor, distribuído por toda a extensão da grade. O levantamento representou um incremento de 21 espécies à lista obtida anteriormente para Caxiuanã, totalizando 100 espécies para a região, e de dois novos registros para o estado do Pará (Polybia brunnea e Mischocyttarus vaqueroi).

Helminths and Pentastomida of two synanthropic gecko lizards, Hemidactylus mabouia and Phyllopezus pollicaris, in an urban area in Northeastern Brazil

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Biodiversidade dos parasitas de peixes provenientes do rio Sapucaí-Mirim, Estado de São Paulo, Brasil

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

Experimental Infection of Contracaecum tipapillatum (Nematoda: Anisakinae) from Mexico in the Domestic Cat

Juveniles of Contracaecum multipapillatum infected the Mayan cichlid (Cichlasoma urophthalmus) and adults infected the olivaceous cormorant (Phalacrocorax olivaceus) and the great egret (Casmerodius albus) in the coastal lagoon at Celestun, State of Yucatan, Mexico. All are new host records, and, even though the geographic locality record of Mexico for the species has not been published, unidentified but presumably conspecific specimens have been reported from there. When juveniles of C. multipapillatum were fed to a kitten, but not rats, ducks, or chickens, they developed into adults. Measurements and morphological data are provided on the specimens from the kitten. Development of an avian ascaridoid in the intestine of a mammal increases the potential of this widespread species to infect other mammals, including humans.

Synaptolaemus latofasciatus, a new combination for Leporinus latofasciatus Steindachner, 1910 and its junior synonym Synaptolaemus cingulatus Myers and Fernandez-Yepez, 1950 (Characiformes: Anostomidae)

Leporinus latofasciatus was described by Steindachner (1910) on the basis of a single specimen collected in the rio Orinoco, Venezuela. Since then, no other specimen of the species was mentioned in the literature, and the species was only listed in catalogues, eventually mentioned and treated as a ""poorly known"" species, or even omitted in checklists of fishes from Venezuela. During a visit to the fish collection at the Naturhistorisches Museum at Vienna (NMW) to examine all the type specimens of Leporinus, we were able to study the holotype of Leporinus latofasciatus and recognize that the specimen corresponds to the species described by Myers and Fernandez-Yepez (in Myers, 1950) as Synaptolaemus cingulatus. Thus, the latter is a junior synonym of Leporinus latofasciatus and, based on that, Synaptolaemus latofasciatus (Steindachner, 1910) should be the name applied for this taxon, as a new combination. Herein new data on the holotype of Synaptolaemus latofasciatus are presented and compared with previously data from other authors. In addition, illustrations of live specimens are presented as well as new distribution records for the species.

New genera and species of Neotropical Rhinotragini (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae, Cerambycinae)

Giesberteclipta and Thomasella, two new genera of Rhinotragini Thomson, 1861 (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae: Cerambycinae), are described and illustrated. Six new species are also described and illustrated: Acyphoderes violaceus from Costa Rica; Ischasioides giesberti from Ecuador, and Oxylymma pallida, Pseudagaone williamsi, Stultutragus tippmanni and S. ventriguttatus from Brazil. Keys are provided for the known species of Pseudagaone Tippmann, 1960, Giesberteclipta, and Oxylymma Pascoe, 1859 and for parts of Ischasioides Tavakilian & Penaherrera-Leiva, 2003 and Stultutragus Clarke, 2010. The following new combinations are proposed: Giesberteclipta costipennis (Giesbert, 1991); G. monteverdensis (Giesbert, 1991); Thomasella igniventris (Giesbert, 1991), and Stultutragus romani (Aurivillius, 1919). The following three new country records are reported: Oxylymma durantoni Penaherrera-Leiva & Tavakilian, 2003 (Brazil), Oxylymma sudrei Penaherrera-Leiva & Tavakilian, 2003 (Brazil), and Ommata (Eclipta) faurei Penaherrera-Leiva & Tavakilian, 2003, all from Brazil.

First assessment of the endoparasitic nematode fauna of four psammophilous species of Tropiduridae (Squamata: Iguania) endemic to north-eastern Brazil

Tropiduridae (Squamata: Iguania) is a lizard taxon widely distributed in the neotropics. Among its representatives, some species are classified as generalists regarding habitat usage. Others exhibit a very restricted and probably relict distribution, and are strongly associated with predominantly sandy and dry habitats. Within this rather ecologically similar than phylogenetically closely related group we examined specimens of Eurolophosaurus amathites, E. divaricatus, Tropidurus hygomi, T. psammonastes for endoparasites. In all four species examined we recorded parasitic nematodes (Nemathelminthes: Nematoda). At least three nematode species were recovered: Parapharyngodon sp., Physaloptera lutzi and Strongyluris oscari, with Ph. lutzi being the most abundant parasite encountered in all lizard species examined. In spite of the hosts' habitat specialization, these parasites are also found frequently in non-psammophilous tropidurid species as well as in other squamates. Individual species richness per lizard was low, with usually just one species parasitizing at a time. These are the first parasites registered for these tropidurids and constitute a total of six new host records.

A New Genus for a Rare African Vespertilionid Bat: Insights from South Sudan

A new genus is proposed for the strikingly patterned African vespertilionid "Glauconycteris" superba Hayman, 1939 on the basis of cranial and external morphological comparisons. A review of the attributes of a newly collected specimen from South Sudan (a new country record) and other museum specimens of "G." superba suggests that "G." superba is markedly distinct ecomorphologically from other species classified in Glauconycteris and is likely the sister taxon to Glauconycteris sensu stricto. The recent capture of this rarely collected but widespread bat highlights the need for continued research in tropical sub-Saharan Africa and in particular, for more work in western South Sudan, which has received very little scientific attention. New country records for G. cf. poensis (South Sudan) and G. curryae (Gabon) are also reported.

The past ecology of Abies alba provides new perspectives on future responses of silver fir forests to global warming

Paleoecology can provide valuable insights into the ecology of species that complement observation and experiment-based assessments of climate impact dynamics. New paleoecological records (e.g., pollen, macrofossils) from the Italian Peninsula suggest a much wider climatic niche of the important European tree species Abies alba (silver fir) than observed in its present spatial range. To explore this discrepancy between current and past distribution of the species, we analyzed climatic data (temperature, precipitation, frost, humidity, sunshine) and vegetation-independent paleoclimatic reconstructions (e.g., lake levels, chironomids) and use global coupled carbon-cycle climate (NCAR CSM1.4) and dynamic vegetation (LandClim) modeling. The combined evidence suggests that during the mid-Holocene (6000 years ago), prior to humanization of vegetation, A. alba formed forests under conditions that exceeded the modern (1961-1990) upper temperature limit of the species by 5-7°C (July means). Annual precipitation during this natural period was comparable to today (>700-800 mm), with drier summers and wetter winters. In the meso-Mediterranean to sub-Mediterranean forests A. alba co-occurred with thermophilous taxa such as Quercus ilex, Q. pubescens, Olea europaea, Phillyrea, Arbutus, Cistus, Tilia, Ulmus, Acer, Hedera helix, Ilex aquifolium, Taxus, and Vitis. Results from the last interglacial (ca. 130 000-115 000 BP), when human impact was negligible, corroborate the Holocene evidence. Thermophilous Mediterranean A. alba stands became extinct during the last 5000 years when land-use pressure and specifically excessive anthropogenic fire and browsing disturbance increased. Our results imply that the ecology of this key European tree species is not yet well understood. On the basis of the reconstructed realized climatic niche of the species, we anticipate that the future geographic range of A. alba may not contract regardless of migration success, even if climate should become significantly warmer than today with summer temperatures increasing by up to 5-7°C, as long as precipitation does not fall below 700-800 mm/yr, and anthropogenic disturbance (e.g., fire, browsing) does not become excessive. Our finding contradicts recent studies that projected range contractions under global-warming scenarios, but did not factor how millennia of human impacts reduced the realized climatic niche of A. alba.

Observation of an Excited B±c Meson State with the ATLAS Detector

A search for excited states of the B ± c meson is performed using 4.9  fb −1 of 7 TeV and 19.2  fb −1 of 8 TeV pp collision data collected by the ATLAS experiment at the LHC. A new state is observed through its hadronic transition to the ground state, with the latter detected in the decay B ± c →J/ψπ ± . The state appears in the m(B ± c π + π − )−m(B ± c )−2m(π ± ) mass difference distribution with a significance of 5.2 standard deviations. The mass of the observed state is 6842±4±5  MeV , where the first error is statistical and the second is systematic. The mass and decay of this state are consistent with expectations for the second S -wave state of the B ± c meson, B ± c (2S) .