Natural history and population data of fishes in caves of the Serra do Ramalho karst area, Middle São Francisco basin, northeastern Brazil

During the exploration and mapping of new caves in Serra do Ramalho karst area, southern Bahia state, cavers from the Grupo Bambuí de Pesquisas Espeleológicas - GBPE (Belo Horizonte) noticed the presence of troglomorphic catfishes (species with reduced eyes and/or melanic pigmentation), which we intensively investigated with regards to their ecology and behavior since 2005. Non-troglomorphic fishes regularly found in the studied caves were included in this investigation. We present here data on the natural history of two troglobitic (exclusively subterranean troglomorphic species) fishes - Rhamdia enfurnada Bichuette & Trajano, 2005 (Heptapteridae; Gruna do Enfurnado) and Trichomycterus undescribed species (Trichomycteridae; Lapa dos Peixes and Gruna da Água Clara), and non-troglomorphic Hoplias cf. malabaricus, probably a troglophile (able to form populations both in epigean and subterranean habitats) in the Gruna do Enfurnado, and Pimelodella sp., a species with a sink population in the Lapa dos Peixes.

Australian Glow-worms in Caves

Glow-worms are the larvae of a fly from the family Keroplatidae. Their closest relatives are the “fungus flies” that seek out mushrooms for their larvae to consume. Glow-worms have gone out on an evolutionary limb, albeit a successful one. They have lost their association with fungi and have instead become carnivorous. The unique feature of glow-worms is their ability to bioluminesce—to produce light.

Sistemas de impermeabilização de caves: aplicação a dois casos de estudo

O presente documento é um relatório de estágio curricular sobre Sistemas de Impermeabilização aplicados em caves de dois parques de estacionamento subterrâneos situados em Lagos: o Parque do Anel Verde e o Parque da Frente Ribeirinha. Inicialmente é abordada a temática da impermeabilização de uma forma geral, onde se apresentam as soluções mais correntes no nosso País. Posteriormente foram analisadas, do ponto de vista técnico e de execução, as soluções aplicadas em ambos os parques, utilizando sempre um ponto de vista crítico e ao mesmo tempo construtivo. Na obra do Parque do Anel Verde foi também possível apresentar algumas soluções alternativas e compará-las com as soluções aplicadas em termos de vantagens, inconvenientes, custos e mão-de-obra.

A Profissão de guia-intérprete nas caves de vinho do Porto

O presente estudo, inserido no projecto final do Mestrado em Tradução e Interpretação Especializadas, do Instituto Superior de Contabilidade e Administração do Porto, intitulado “A profissão de Guia – Intérprete nas Caves de Vinho do Porto”, visa ser um modesto contributo para a análise e compreensão duma profissão que, tendo vindo, sobretudo nas últimas décadas, a ganhar um relevo crescente, é não raras vezes esquecida e social e economicamente votada a um certo menosprezo. De facto, se é verdade que estatisticamente o número de visitantes das Caves do Vinho do Porto tem aumentado de forma exponencial, sendo estimado em cerca de 700 mil visitantes por ano, e se, paralelamente, tem também aumentado o número de Guias -Intérpretes contratados para responder às exigências crescentes do mercado, a profissão continua a ser desconhecida e pouco considerada socialmente. A formação académica da autora, licenciada em Tradução e Interpretação Especializadas pelo ISCAP e a frequentar o referido Mestrado, bem como a sua situação profissional, integrando, desde 2008, a empresa Croft, como Guia-Intérprete, justificam a escolha do tema. O gosto pela profissão que se iniciou com a frequência da disciplina de Interpretação de Acompanhamento, uma das novas unidades curriculares que integram o Mestrado, bem como o facto de se tratar de um tema ainda inexplorado pelos estudantes de Tradução e Interpretação Especializadas do Instituto Superior de Contabilidade e Administração do Porto, consolidaram ainda mais a ideia de que uma pesquisa e um estudo sobre esta profissão poderia revelar-se, de facto, num contributo importante. Quando ainda estava a frequentar as aulas de Mestrado, decidi enviar um curriculum vitae para as caves de vinho do Porto porque, para além de ser licenciada em Tradução e Interpretação e ter um bom conhecimento linguístico, pensei, na altura, que valeria a pena apostar num local turístico onde pudesse de facto praticar as línguas que domino, bem como apostar na interacção cultural, quanto mais não fosse para obter experiência profissional. No entanto, passados alguns meses no exercício da profissão, pude realmente constatar que, apesar do gosto em trabalhar como Guia Intérprete, vi nascer em mim uma paixão pela profissão e também pelo local em si: as Caves de Vinho do Porto.

Observations on Indiana caves / by Oliver Cummings Farrington, Ph.D., Curator, Dept. of Geology.

v.1:no.8(1901)

Caves of the Reserve area [by] Paul S. Martin, Chief Curator, Department of Anthropology, John B. Rinaldo -- [and] Elaine Bluhm --.

v.42(1954)

Diversity of sandflies (Psychodidae: Phlebotominae) captured in sandstone caves from Central Amazonia, Brazil

In the present paper we describe the diversity of phlebotomine sandflies collected in three sandstone caves in the municipality of Presidente Figueiredo, state of Amazonas, Brazil. The phlebotomines were captured during 2006 with CDC light traps. Guano samples from inside the Gruta Refúgio do Maruaga were collected to investigate the presence of immature specimens. A total of 2,160 adult phlebotomines representing 15 species were captured. Pintomyia pacae was the dominant species in Gruta dos Animais (1,723 specimens) and Gruta dos Lages (50 specimens) and Deanemyia maruaga new comb (280 specimens) was the dominant species in Gruta Refúgio do Maruaga. A total of 18 guano samples were collected and seven of these samples included immature specimens. A total of 507 immature specimens were captured; 495 of these specimens were larvae and 12 were pupae. The presence of paca (Agouti paca) footprints near Gruta dos Animais and Gruta dos Lages suggests the association of Pi. pacae with this rodent. This finding may explain the abundance of Pi. pacae in these locations, while the species is relatively rare in the forest. Deanemyia maruaga is a cave species that uses guano to breed during its immature stages. Adult specimens of this species are apparently parthenogenetic and autogenous and represent the second record of parthenogenesis for the subfamily Phlebotominae.

Sandflies (Diptera: Psychodidae) from caves of the quartzite Espinhaço Range, Minas Gerais, Brazil

This study investigated the sandfly fauna of two quartzite caves in the Espinhaço Mountain Range, located in the municipality of Diamantina, state Minas Gerais. From August 2010-July 2011, entomological sampling was performed in the caves of Salitre and Monte Cristo with two HP light traps exposed in the photic and aphotic zones of each cave. The sandfly fauna consisted of 17 species, among which Lutzomyia cipoensis was predominant (54.76%). The male/female ratio in the total captures was 1:2.5. The aphotic zone showed the highest frequency of specimens captured (65%). A greater density of sandflies occurred during the summer (January-February), coinciding with the period of higher temperatures, humidity and rainfall. The presence of Lutzomyia longipalpis, Lutzomyia whitmani and Lutzomyia pessoai, proven or suspected vectors of leishmaniasis, is of concern because the area is visited by many tourists.

Phlebotomines (Diptera, Psychodidae) in caves of the Serra da Bodoquena, Mato Grosso do Sul State, Brazil

The present paper deals with the phlebotomine species captured during the period from January 1998 to June 2000 in 12 caves located in the Serra da Bodoquena, situated in the south central region of Mato Grosso do Sul State, Brazil. Three of the caves are situated further north (in Bodoquena county), seven in the central area (Bonito county) and two in the south (Jardim county). These last two caves and three of those in Bonito are located at the west side of the ridge. Eighteen species of phlebotomines were captured within the caves: Brumptomyia avellari (Costa Lima, 1932), Brumptomyia brumpti (Larrousse, 1920), Brumptomyia cunhai (Mangabeira, 1942), Brumptomyia galindoi (Fairchild & Hertig, 1947), Evandromyia corumbaensis (Galati, Nunes, Oshiro & Rego, 1989), Lutzomyia almerioi Galati & Nunes, 1999, Lutzomyia longipalpis (Lutz & Neiva, 1912), Martinsmyia oliveirai (Martins, Falcão & Silva, 1970), Micropygomyia acanthopharynx (Martins, Falcão & Silva, 1962), Micropygomyia peresi (Mangabeira, 1942), Micropygomyia quinquefer (Dyar, 1929), Nyssomyia whitmani (Antunes & Coutinho, 1939), Psathyromyia campograndensis (Oliveira, Andrade-Filho, Falcão & Brazil, 2001), Psathyromyia punctigeniculata (Floch & Abonnenc, 1944), Psathyromyia shannoni (Dyar, 1929), Pintomyia kuscheli (Le Pont, Martinez, Torrez-Espejo & Dujardin, 1998), Sciopemyia sordellii (Shannon & Del Ponte, 1927) and Sciopemyia sp. A total of 29,599 phlebotomine sandflies was obtained. Lutzomyia almerioi was absolutely predominant (91.5%) over the other species on both sides of the Bodoquena ridge, with the exception of the southern caves in which it was absent. It presents summer predominance, with nocturnal and diurnal activities. The species breeds in the caves and was captured during daytime both in the dark area and in the mouth of the caves. Martinsmyia oliveirai, the second most frequent sandfly, also presents a summer peak and only predominated over the other species in one cave, in which there were human residues.0

Unravelling the enigmatic origin of calcitic nanofibres in soils and caves: purely physicochemical or biogenic processes?

Calcitic nanofibres are ubiquitous habits of sec- ondary calcium carbonate (CaCO3 ) accumulations observed in calcareous vadose environments. Despite their widespread occurrence, the origin of these nanofeatures remains enig- matic. Three possible mechanisms fuel the debate: (i) purely physicochemical processes, (ii) mineralization of rod-shaped bacteria, and (iii) crystal precipitation on organic templates. Nanofibres can be either mineral (calcitic) or organic in na- ture. They are very often observed in association with needle fibre calcite (NFC), another typical secondary CaCO3 habit in terrestrial environments. This association has contributed to some confusion between both habits, however they are truly two distinct calcitic features and their recurrent asso- ciation is likely to be an important fact to help understanding the origin of nanofibres. In this paper the different hypotheses that currently exist to explain the origin of calcitic nanofibres are critically reviewed. In addition to this, a new hypothe- sis for the origin of nanofibres is proposed based on the fact that current knowledge attributes a fungal origin to NFC. As this feature and nanofibres are recurrently observed together, a possible fungal origin for nanofibres which are associated with NFC is investigated. Sequential enzymatic digestion of the fungal cell wall of selected fungal species demonstrates that the fungal cell wall can be a source of organic nanofibres. The obtained organic nanofibres show a striking morpho- logical resemblance when compared to their natural coun- terparts, emphasizing a fungal origin for part of the organic nanofibres observed in association with NFC. It is further hy- pothesized that these organic nanofibres may act as templates for calcite nucleation in a biologically influenced mineraliza- tion process, generating calcitic nanofibres. This highlights the possible involvement of fungi in CaCO3 biomineraliza- tion processes, a role still poorly documented. Moreover, on a global scale, the organomineralization of organic nanofi- bres into calcitic nanofibres might be an overlooked process deserving more attention to specify its impact on the biogeo- chemical cycles of both Ca and C.

Spatial and temporal variation of natural toxicity in cnidarians, bryozoans and tunicates in Mediterranean caves

The natural toxicity of cnidarians, bryozoans and tunicates in two caves was assessed using the Microtox® technique in spring and autumn. One cave was located in the Cabrera Archipelago (Balearic Islands) and the other in the Medes Islands (Catalan littoral). The organisms analysed were good representatives of the coverage of each Phylum in the communities; however, these Phyla are less abundant than sponges which are the dominant group in these caves. Seventy-one percent of the species of cnidarians and bryozoans analysed were toxic in one of the caves, communities or seasons, which indicates the relevance of bioactive species in these groups. The tunicate Lissoclinum perforatum was the most toxic species. Although all three Phyla had some highly toxic species, a common pattern that related the caves, communities and seasons was not found. Seasonal variation of toxicity in cnidarians and bryozoans was higher in the Cabrera than in the Medes cave. Moreover, variation in toxicity either between communities or between seasons was a common trait for most cnidarians and bryozoans, whereas tunicates remained toxic throughout communities and seasons.

Integration of ground-penetrating radar and microgravimetric methods to map shallow caves

Ground-penetrating radar (GPR) and microgravimetric surveys have been conducted in the southern Jura mountains of western Switzerland in order to map subsurface karstic features. The study site, La Grande Rolaz cave, is an extensive system in which many portions have been mapped. By using small station spacing and careful processing for the geophysical data, and by modeling these data with topographic information from within the cave, accurate interpretations have been achieved. The constraints on the interpreted geologic models are better when combining the geophysical methods than when using only one of the methods, despite the general limitations of two-dimensional (2D) profiling. For example, microgravimetry can complement GPR methods for accurately delineating a shallow cave section approximately 10 X 10 mt in size. Conversely, GPR methods can be complementary in determining cavity depths and in verifying the presence of off-line features and numerous areas of small cavities and fractures, which may be difficult to resolve in microgravimetric data.

[Voyage en Italie : 1824-1830]. , Maison Championnet : [plan, coupe partielle sur les caves] : [dessin] / h. L. [Henri Labrouste]

Référence bibliographique : Weigert, 396

[Voyage en Italie : 1824-1830]. , Maison Championnet : plan des caves sous la cour, [coupe sur la citerne, détail d'un sol de mosaïques, profil] : [dessin] / h. L. [Henri Labrouste]

Référence bibliographique : Weigert, 397