On the first tachinid fly (Diptera, Tachinidae) carrying Asclepiadoideae pollinaria in the Neotropical Region

On the first tachinid fly (Diptera, Tachinidae) carrying Asclepiadoideae pollinaria in the Neotropical Region. This paper reports the first Neotropical Tachinidae species possibly associated to pollination of Asclepiadoideae: a female of Euacaulona sumichrasti Townsend, 1908 (Diptera, Tachinidae, Phasiinae, Trichopodini) carrying pollinaria of Gonolobus parviflorus Decne., 1844 (Apocynaceae, Asclepiadoideae, Asclepiadeae: Gonolobinae) attached to its proboscis. The fly specimen was collected in Paraguay, Departamento Canindeyú. The pollinarium is illustrated and described herein. This represents the first anthophilous record to G. parviflorus and to the genus.

A new species of Gamasiphis (Acari: Ologamasidae) from Brazil, with a key to species from the Neotropical Region

Gamasiphis paulista n. sp. is described based on specimens representing all postembryonic stages, collected from litter and soil in Piracicaba, State of Sao Paulo. This is the first species of Gamasiphis described from Brazil. A key is provided for the separation of species of this genus known from the Neotropical Region.

Azana atlantica, n.sp., with reduced mouthparts and two ocelli: first record of Azana for the Neotropical region (Diptera : Mycetophilidae : Sciophilinae)

A new Sciophilinae-Azana atlantica, sp. n. - is described from the Atlantic Forest in southeastern Brazil. The species has a number of distinctive apomorphic features, including loss of the mid ocellus, reduced mouthparts, Sc short and incomplete, first section of Rs missing, r-m elongated, longitudinal in position, aligned with the second section of Rs ( R(5)), unforked medial and cubital veins, R(4) missing, M(4) entirely absent, gonostyle triangular, with an inner row of elongated spines and a basal, digitiform inner projection. Some of these features are shared with other genera of the Azana-group of Sciophilinae. The shape of the scutum and the strong spines on the gonostyle make it clear that the species belongs in Azana, despite the features that are distinctive from the remaining species in the genus. There are ten species described in Azana to date, from United States, Europe, Sri Lanka, Canary Islands, tropical Africa and Baltic amber. This is the first Neotropical species belonging to the genus. The complete loss of M(4) and the separated gonocoxites suggest that Azana atlantica, sp. n. forms a monophyletic group with the Afrotropical species of the genus. Azana, Morganiella, Neoaphelomera, Neotrizygia, and Trizygia are shown to compose a small clade within the Azana-group of genera. The division of the genus into two subgenera - A. ( Azana) and A. ( Jugazana) - most probably renders A. ( Azana) paraphyletic and it is suggested that this should be for the time being abandoned.

The genus Phthinia Winnertz (Diptera, Mycetophilidae) in the Neotropical region, with the first records from Brazil

Three Neotropical species of Phthinia Winnertz have been described to date. The genus is known from Chile and southern Argentina. Four new species are herein described for the genus in the region, two from Brazil-Phthinia theresae, sp. n., from the State of Espirito Santo, and Phithinia urubici, sp. n., from the State of Santa Catarina-and two from Chile-Phthinia freemani, sp. n., and Phthinia parafurcata, sp. n. Comments are made about the relationships between the Neotropical species. Some notes are added about P. furcata Freeman, P. flagellata Freeman, and P. fasciata Freeman, from Chile and southern Argentina. Attention is called for the fact that Phthinia has two species in Brazil disjunct from the other temperate species of the genus in South America, differently from most similar cases, that have a single known representative in Brazil.

A new genus of net-winged beetles from Neotropical Region (Coleoptera: Lycidae)

The new genus Brasilycus is proposed within the tribe Calopterini. Following new species are described in the genus: Brasilycus capixabus n. sp., B. rondonensis n. sp., and B. bolivianus n. sp., all from South America. Illustrations of diagnostic characters and key to Brasilycus are given.

A revision of Gasteruption Latreille (Hymenoptera: Gasteruptiidae) in the Neotropical Region

The Neotropical species of Gasteruption Latreille are revised, described, diagnosed, and illustrated; a key for females is provided. Twenty six valid species are recognized, thirteen of which are described as new: G. amputatum Townes, G. barnstoni (Westwood), G. bertae n. sp., G. bispinosum Kieffer, G. brachychaetum Schrottky, G. brandaoi n. sp., G. brasiliense (Blanchard), G. floridanum (Bradley), G. glauciae n. sp., G. guildingi (Westwood), G. hansoni n. sp., G. helenae n. sp., G. huberi n. sp., G. kaweahense (Bradley), G. lianae n. sp., G. loiaconoae n. sp., G. masneri n. sp., G. oliveirai n. sp., G. parvum Schrottky, G. rafaeli n. sp., G. sartor Schletterer, G. smithi n. sp., G. tenue Kieffer, G. townesi (Alayo), G. visaliae (Bradley), and G. wahli n. sp. The following new synonymies are proposed: G. maculicorne Cameron, G. macroderum Schletterer, and G. zapotecum Schletterer with G. barnstoni; G. bihamatum Kieffer, G. fallens Kieffer, G. fiebrigi Schrottky, G. leptodomum Kieffer, G. montivagum Kieffer, and G. strandi Kieffer with G. bispinosum; G. annulitarse Schrottky, G. brasiliae Kieffer, G. gracillimum (Schletterer), G. longicauda Kieffer, G. petroselini Schrottky, G. subtropicale Schrottky and G. torridum (Bradley) with G. brasiliense; G. rufipectus (Westwood) with G. guildingi; G. angustatum (Kieffer) with G. kaweahense; G. horni Brethes with G. parvum. The following taxa are considered as species inquirendae: G. albitarse Schletterer, G. austini Jennings and Smith, G. subcoriaceum Kieffer n. stat., and G. tenuicolle Schletterer. As well, G rubrum Taschenberg is synonymized with Pseudofoenus infumatus (Schletterer). In addition, G. tenue Pasteels, 1957a from Australia is a junior homonym of G. tenue Kieffer, 1922 and is renamed G. pasteelsi n. name.

Lymnaea viatrix and Lymnaea columella in the neotropical region: a distributional outline

A review of lymnaeid samples collected by the author from 106 localities in Mexico, Cuba, Jamaica, Haiti, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Martinique, Saint Lucia, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Panamá, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Chile, Argentina, Uruguay andBrazil showed that one of them (from Ecuador) belonged to Lymnaea cousini Jousseaume, 1887, and all the others to either L. viatrix Orbigny, 1835 or l. columella Say, 1817. The ranges of L. viatrix and L. columella overlap in Middle America, and in northern and southern South America (Venezuela-Colombia-Ecuador and northeastern Argentina-Uruguay-southernmost Brazil, respectively). L. viatrix was the only species found in Peru west of the Andes and in Chile, and is supposed to have migrated eastward to Argentina via the Negro river basin. The range of L. columella in South America is discontinuous. The species has been recorded from Venezuela, Colombia and Ecuador and, east of the Andes, from latitudes 15º S (central-west Brazil) to 35º S (La Plata, Argentina). Such a gap may be attributed to either introduction from the northern into the southern area, or migration along the unsampled region on the eastern side of the Andes, or extinction in the now vacant area. No lymnaeids have been found so far in Brazil north of latitude 15º S and in the Guianas.

Life history studies of heterophyid Trematodes in the neotropical region: Ascocotyle (Leighia) hadra sp.n

The life cycle of Ascocotyle (Leighia) hadra n.sp. was experimentally reproduced, starting from cercariae from naturally infected Littoridina parchappei, collected from Los Ranchos stream, near Mercedes city, Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. Metacercariae were found encysted in the liver and mesentery of experimentally and naturally infected fishes Cnesterodon decemmaculatus and Jenynsia lineata. Adults were obtained experimentally in chicks and mice. The natural host is unknown. The new species is compared with Ascocotyle (Leighia) mcintoshi Price 1936 as described by Leigh, 1974, differing in behavior and morphology of cercarial, metacercarial and adult stages

Life history of Pygidiopsis crassus n. sp. (Trematoda, Digenea, Heterophyidae) in the neotropical region

The life cycle of Pygidiopsis crassus n. sp. was experimentally reproduced, starting from cercariae from naturally infected Littoridina parchappei collected from Lujan River and different ponds in Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. Metacercariae were found encysted in the body cavity of experimentally and naturally infected fishes Cnesterodon decemmaculatus and naturally infected Jenynsia lineata. Adults were obtained experimentally in chicks and mice. The natural host is unknown. The new species is compared with Pygidiopsis macrostomum Travassos 1928, from Rattus norvegicus and from Noctilio leporinus mastivus, differing in body and egg sizes, in the size relation of oral and ventral sucker and the shape of excretory vesicle.

The phylogeny of Simulium (Chirostilbia) (Diptera: Simuliidae) and perspectives on the systematics of the genus in the Neotropical Region

Recently, knowledge of Neotropical Simuliidae has been accumulating quickly. However, information about supra-specific relationships is scarce and diagnoses of Simulium subgenera are unsatisfactory. To investigate the relationships among Simulium (Chirostilbia) species and test the subgenus monophyly, we performed a cladistic analysis. The ingroup included all species of this subgenus and the outgroup included representatives of the 17 species groups of Neotropical Simulium and three Holarctic species. The study was based on a data matrix with 31 terminal taxa and 45 morphological characteristics of adult, pupa and larva. The phylogenetic analysis under equal weights resulted in eight most-parsimonious trees (length = 178, consistency index = 34, retention index = 67). The monophyly of the S. (Chirostilbia) was not supported in our analysis. The Simulium subpallidum species group was closer to Simulium (Psilopelmia) and Simulium (Ectemnaspis) than to the Simulium pertinax species group. Additionally, we describe the three-dimensional shape of the terminalia of male and female of Simulium (Chirostilbia) for the first time and provide comments about the taxonomic problems involving some species of the subgenus: Simulium acarayense, Simulium papaveroi, S. pertinax, Simulium serranum, Simulium striginotum and S. subpallidum.

Genetic and morphological characterisation of a new species of the genus Hysterothylacium (Nematoda) from Paralichthys isosceles Jordan, 1890 (Pisces: Teleostei) of the Neotropical Region, state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Taking into account the difficulties of taxonomic identification of larval anisakid nematodes based on morphological characters, genetic analyses were performed, together with those usually applied, in order to identify anisakid larvae found in the flounder Paralichthys isosceles from the littoral of the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The analysis of 1,820 larvae revealed a new species, similar to Hysterothylacium MD, Hysterothylacium 2, Hysterothylacium KB and Hysterothylacium sp regarding the absence of the larval tooth, an excretory pore situated below the nerve ring level, and slender lateral alae. Moreover, the new species differs from Hysterothylacium fortalezae and Hysterothylacium reliquens with regard to the number and size of spines present on the tail end and from Hysterothylacium patagonicus by the absence of interlabia. The maximum parsimony and neighbour joining tree topologies based on the 18S ribosomal DNA gene, complete internal transcribed spacer region and cytochrome oxidase 2 (COII) gene demonstrated that the Brazilian larvae belong to Raphidascarididae and represent a unique genetic entity, confirmed as a new Hysterothylacium species. Furthermore, the new species presents COII genetic signatures and shares polymorphisms with Raphidascarididae members. This is the first description of a new anisakid species from Brazil through the integration of morphological and molecular taxonomy data.

First record of the genus Myllaena Erichson from Brazil, description of a new species and annotated catalog of Myllaena species from the Neotropical region (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae, Aleocharinae)

The genus Myllaena Erichson, 1837, of the tribe Myllaenini Ganglbauer, 1895, is recorded from Brazil for the first time. A new species, Myllaena brasiliensis sp. nov., is described and illustrated; it is closely related to the insomnis species group, described from the Nearctic region. A short diagnosis of the genus and an annotated catalog of Myllaena species from the Neotropical region are also provided.

On the first tachinid fly (Diptera, Tachinidae) carrying Asclepiadoideae pollinaria in the Neotropical Region

On the first tachinid fly (Diptera, Tachinidae) carrying Asclepiadoideae pollinaria in the Neotropical Region. This paper reports the first Neotropical Tachinidae species possibly associated to pollination of Asclepiadoideae: a female of Euacaulona sumichrasti Townsend, 1908 (Diptera, Tachinidae, Phasiinae, Trichopodini) carrying pollinaria of Gonolobus parviflorus Decne., 1844 (Apocynaceae, Asclepiadoideae, Asclepiadeae: Gonolobinae) attached to its proboscis. The fly specimen was collected in Paraguay, Departamento Canindeyú. The pollinarium is illustrated and described herein. This represents the first anthophilous record to G. parviflorus and to the genus.

A new species of Stilobezzia Kieffer from the neotropical region (Diptera, Ceratopogonidae)

A new species from the Neotropical Region, Stilobezzia (Stilobezzia) pseudopunctulata Cazorla & Ronderos, is described and illustrated based on male and female adults and pupal exuviae. Adults were collected in the Argentinian provinces of Chaco, Formosa, Corrientes and Buenos Aires, and in Santa Cruz, Bolivia. The pupa was collected from mats of floating aquatic macrophytes in a lagoon in Ilha da Marchantería, in the vicinities of Manaus, Brazil. This new species is compared with its similar congener Stilobezzia punctulata Lane, from which it can be mainly distinguished by the wing with only two dark spots, the parameres longer and hook-shaped, the pupal respiratory organ with 11-12 pores and the very short apicolateral processes of the anal segment.

Descriptions of two new species of Sphenorhina (Hemiptera, Cercopidae, Tomaspidinae) from the Neotropical region

Description of two new species of Sphenorhina (Hemiptera, Cercopidae, Tomaspidinae) from the Neotropical region. Two new species of Sphenorhina Amyot & Serville, S. pseudoboliviana SP. NOV: from Bolivia and S. plata SP. NOV: from Argentina are described and illustrated.