DOI: 10.3897/zoologia.38.e65001

Authors: Álvaro J.B. de Freitas, Carine A.M. Bezerra, Yuri C. Meneses, Marcia Cristina N. Justo, Diego C. Viana, Simone C. Cohen

Abstract: Three new species of Urocleidoides Mizelle & Price, 1964 are described from the gills of characiform fishes in the Tocantins River and its tributaries. Urocleidoides boulengerellae sp. nov. is described from Boulengerella cuvieri (Spix & Agassiz, 1829) and differs from all its congeners by the dorsal bar with a long posteromedial projection; male copulatory organ with 2–3 counterclockwise rings and a base with a flange; an accessory piece comprising a robust Y-shaped unit and a sheath-like unit; and a highly sclerotized vaginal canal. Urocleidoides paratriangulus sp. nov., described from Psectrogaster amazonica Eigenmann & Eigenmann, 1889, Cyphocharax gouldingi Vari, 1992, Caenotropus labyrinthicus (Kner, 1858) and Mylesinus paucisquamatus Jégu & Santos, 1988, is most similar to Urocleidoides triangulus (Suriano, 1981) Rossin & Timi, 2016 based on the shape of the anchors and bars but differs from U. triangulus in the morphology of the projection of the dorsal bar, the number of rings of male copulatory organ, and by the smaller size of members of hook pairs 1 and 5 compared with those of the remaining pairs. Urocleidoides tocantinensis sp. nov. is easily distinguished from all other species of the genus by the morphology of the vagina, which present a vaginal vestibule with a membranous cap. Urocleidoides triangulus is reported from its type host in the Guandu River, state of Rio de Janeiro. The present study increases the number of Urocleidoides species to 37 recognized species that fit all the generic characters.

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DOI: 10.3897/zoologia.38.e66300

Authors: Rodrigo S. Bouzan, Luiz Felipe M. Iniesta, João Paulo P. Pena-Barbosa, Antonio D. Brescovit

Abstract: This study concerns the diplopod genus Eucampesmella Schubart, 1955, widespread in Brazil. After this work, the genus includes 12 valid species, and three incertae sedis: E. pugiuncula (Schubart, 1946), E. brunnea Kraus, 1959 and E. schubarti Kraus, 1957. The type-species, Eucampesmella tricuspis (Attems, 1931), is redescribed based on the holotype, and the following six new Brazilian species are added: Eucampesmella macunaima sp. nov. from the states of Rondônia, Pará, and Piauí; E. capitu sp. nov. from the states of Piauí and Paraíba; E. brascubas sp. nov. from the state of Sergipe; E. iracema sp. nov. from the state of Pernambuco; E. pedrobala sp. nov. from the state of Ceará; and E. lalla sp. nov. from the state of Rio Grande do Norte. Furthermore, E. lartiguei ferrii (Schubart, 1956) is recognized as a junior synonym of E. lartiguei lartiguei (Silvestri, 1897), which also had its status changed, and E. sulcata (Attems, 1898) is revalidated, prevailing under the name Leptodesmus tuberculiporus Attems, 1898. In addition, drawings, diagnoses, and distribution maps for all species of the genus are provided.

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DOI: 10.3897/zoologia.38.e64154

Authors: Nathália Del G. da R. Celli, Lúcia M. Almeida, Daniel S. Basílio, Camila F. Castro

Abstract: Among the predatory ladybird beetles (Coccinellidae: Coleoptera), members of the Coccinellini, predators of aphids and psyllids, stand out. Although the beneficial status of these beetles has been acknowledged by biological control researchers, there are no keys or detailed studies on the immature stages of South American Coccinellidae, especially Coccinellini. We provide descriptions and illustrations of the immatures and adults of major predatory Coccinellini species in southern Brazil along with an identification key for fourth instar larvae and pupae. The following species are included: Cycloneda sanguinea (Linnaeus, 1763), Eriopis connexa (Germar, 1824), Harmonia axyridis (Pallas, 1773), Hippodamia convergens Guérin-Méneville, 1842 and Olla v-nigrum (Mulsant, 1866). The morphological study, which included the use of scanning electron microscopy, revealed new characters such as the type of tarsal claws, spiracles, chalazae, parascoli and strumae. The identification key provided here may be useful in biological control programs.

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DOI: 10.3897/zoologia.38.e65471

Authors: Bárbara Branches, Janice Muriel-Cunha, Marcus Vinícius Domingues

Abstract: Two new monogenoidean species of Unilatus Mizelle & Kritsky, 1967 found in the gills of loricariids in the Lower Xingu-Iriri rivers are described: Unilatus humboldtii sp. nov. from Baryancistrus niveatus (Castelnau, 1855), Panaque armbrusteri Lujan, Hidalgo & Stewart, 2010, Pseudacanthicus sp. (type-host), and Scobinancistrus aureatus Burgess, 1994; and Unilatus luciarappae sp. nov. from P. armbrusteri. Unilatus humboldtii sp. nov. is distinguished from other congeneric species due to its anterior anchor with well-developed superficial root with depressed or truncated distal portion, and inconspicuous or reduced deep root; anterior bar with posteromedial projection; hooks of pair 1 with dilated shaft comprising 2/3 of the hook length; spiraled male copulatory organ with approximately 16–18 counterclockwise loops. Unilatus luciarappae sp. nov. is characterized by having anterior anchor with well-developed superficial root and reduced deep root, slightly curved shaft, elongated, slightly curved, and tapered point; spiraled MCO with approximately 18–19 counterclockwise loops, with median distal bulbous portion and remaining portion tapered and elongated, comprising 1/4 of the body length; and accessory piece comprising approximately 2/3 of the MCO length. More than fifty years after the description of the type species of Unilatus from an artificial environment (U.S. aquaria), this study represents the first formal record and description of Unilatus species from hosts collected in natural habitats in the Xingu River. Considering the impact of the Belo Monte dam on the formerly pristine conditions of the study region and the importance of loricariids for the ornamental fish trade, we recommend monitoring monogenoidean diversity, parasite-host interaction, as well as the dispersion patterns and pathogenicity of these parasites.

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DOI: 10.3897/zoologia.38.e63526

Authors: Vitor Osmar Becker

Abstract: Bardaxima Walker, 1858 includes 12 species, eight of them occurring in Brazil. The Brazilian species are treated here, including diagnoses and illustrations of both adults and genitalia to allow their identification: B. donatian (Schaus), B. fulgurifera (Walker, 1869), stat. rev. (= demea (Druce, 1895)); B. ionia (Druce, 1900) (= albolimbata (Dognin, 1909), syn. nov., B. ambigua (Dyar, 1908), syn. nov., B. metcalfi (Schaus, 1928), syn. nov.); B. lucilinea Walker, 1858; B. marcida (C. Felder, 1874); B. procne (Schaus, 1892) (= meyeri (Schaus, 1928), syn. nov.); B. sambana (Druce, 1895), stat. rev. (= belizensis Thiaucourt, 2010, syn. nov., bolivari Thiaucourt, 2010, syn. nov., coloradorum Thiaucourt, 2010, syn. nov., panamensis (Draudt, 1932), syn. nov.); B. subrutila (Dognin, 1908); and B. terminalba Jones, 1908 (= oakley (Schaus, 1939)). Bardaxima perses Druce, 1900 is transferred to Elasmia Möschler, 1883 as a new combination, Elasmia perses (Druce, 1900). Stragulodonta gen. nov. is proposed to accommodate Heterocampa stragula Möschler, 1883, comb. nov. (= belua (Draudt, 1932), syn. nov.).

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DOI: 10.3897/zoologia.38.e63051

Authors: Mengmeng Liu, Zejian Li, Meicai Wei

Abstract: Five species of Strongylogaster Dahlbom, 1835 are recorded from Zhejiang Province, China. They are four known species, S. formosana (Rohwer, 1916), S. macula (Klug, 1817), S. takeuchii Naito, 1980 and S. xanthocera (Stephens, 1835), and a new species. Strongylogaster tianmunica sp. nov., collected from Mt. Tianmu in Zhejiang Province, is here described and illustrated. This new species resembles S. nantouensis Naito, 1990, but differs from the latter by the following characters: female body length 10–12 mm, male body length 8–10 mm; tegula brown to dark brown; pronotum largely yellowish-white; trochanters black, apical half of hind femora and of hind tibiae yellowish-white; malar space as long as radius of median ocellus; antennomere 3 as long as antennomere 4; and ovipositor apical sheath with distinct lateral scapes. A key to the five species of Strongylogaster from Zhejiang Province is provided.

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DOI: 10.3897/zoologia.38.e60598

Authors: Wei Wang, Yongzhong Cui, Xiaoming Chen, Nawaz Haider Bashir, Hang Chen

Abstract: Plants and insects have co-existed for millions of years. Although research has been conducted on various insect species that induce galls on various plant tissues, information is particularly scarce when it comes to insects that form galls on the tough trunk of their host plants. This contribution describes the gall-inducing aphid Nipponaphis hubeiensis sp. nov. from the Zhushan County, Shiyan City, Hubei Province of China. This aphid induces enclosed galls with woody external layer on the trunk of Sycopsis sinensis (Saxifragales: Hamamelidaceae), an uncommon ecological niche in the aphid-plant interaction system. Morphological features for the identification of new species are provided. In addition, a partial sequence of the nuclear gene EF1α was amplified and sequenced to construct a cluster graph. Based on the clustering graph combined with morphology traits, the gall-forming aphid was classified into Nipponaphis. The unique ecological habits of this new aphid will bring innovative perspectives to the study of the evolution and diversity in aphid-host interaction.

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DOI: 10.3897/zoologia.38.e59733

Authors: Yihai Zhong, Zejian Li, Meicai Wei

Abstract: The flavipes group of Pachyprotasis Hartig, 1837, with twenty-four species recognized in China, is reviewed. This number includes two newly described species, Pachyprotasis rufodorsata sp. nov., from Sichuan, Hubei, Ningxia, and Shaanxi provinces, and Pachyprotasis nigritarsalia sp. nov., from Hunan province. The mesopleuron and metapleuron of the two new species are reddish-brown, distinguishing them from other similar species of the P. flavipes group. Thirty-four species of this group have been recorded from China, one species (P. variegate Fallén, 1808) was found to be widespread throughout Europe and Siberia, twenty-four were originally described from the China and Burma-Yunnan frontier, eleven from India, and five from Japan. A key to the species of this group from China is provided.

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DOI: 10.3897/zoologia.38.e56529

Authors: Maria I. Sotelo-Gonzalez, Manuel García-Ulloa, Andrés M. Góngora-Gómez, Luis A. Salcido-Guevara, Juan F. Arzola-González, Carlos H. Sepúlveda, Rebeca Sánchez-Cárdenas

Abstract: Larkinia grandis (Broderip & G.B. Sowerby I, 1829), an important fishing resource for Mexican communities, is an Arcidae clam. It is also considered a species with aquaculture potential. In this work we investigated the gonadal phases and sexuality in a population of L. grandis in the Gulf of California. Our findings support the hypothesis that there is one male per female in the population studied. It also documents that the shape, position and color of the gonads of L. grandis are consistent with observations in other Arcidae species. Additionally, five gonadal phases are differentiated and described in males and females (development, mature, spawning, post-spawning and resting), with a noticeable presence of brown cells during post-spawning and the onset of the resting phase, suggesting that those cells are involved in the reabsorption of remnants. Additionally, asynchronous gametogenesis in males, synchronic gametogenesis in females and batch spawning are defined. The results of this contribution can be used in the efforts to protect this bivalve.

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DOI: 10.3897/zoologia.38.e56781

Authors: Axell K. Minowa, André R.S. Garraffoni

Abstract: Ornamentula Kisielewski, 1991 is a monospecific genus in Order Chaetonotida. The sole species, O. paraensis Kisielewsk, 1991, is a semiplanktonic gastrotrich found in a single pond in the Amazon region of Brazil. Herein we describe a new species of the genus Ornamentula, collected in a small urban lagoon in the Atlantic Forest of southeast Brazil. Ornamentula miyazakii sp. nov. resembles O. paraensis, but it shows differences in the ornamented trunk scales and spinal spines distribution, sufficient to proposte it as it’s a new species.

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DOI: 10.3897/zoologia.38.e55803

Authors: Nawaz Haider Bashir, Li Ma, Qiang Li

Abstract: A new species, Spilomena capatrata Bashir & Ma, sp. nov. is described from Palearctic and Oriental China. Additionally, eleven species are reported, of which five are new records from China: S. beata Blüthgen, S. hainesi N. Smith, S. menkei R. Bohart, S. punctatissima Blüthgen, and S. valkeilai Vikberg. A key to Chinese species of Spilomena Shuckard is also provided.

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DOI: 10.3897/zoologia.38.e55283

Authors: Breno Rodrigo Araujo, Ângelo Parise Pinto

Abstract: This study provides a comprehensive checklist of Odonata species from the protected area of Mananciais da Serra. The survey was conducted in the endangered Atlantic Forest domain at the southern Serra do Mar mountain chain within a well-preserved area in the municipality of Piraquara, state of Paraná, Brazil. Adults and larvae were sampled between June 2017 and March 2020 using different techniques in numerous mesohabitats, including phytotelmata, pools, small streams, and large reservoirs. A total of 1,708 specimens from 9 families, 43 genera and 84 species were sampled resulting in 53 new records for the state of Paraná, almost doubling the known occurrence records for dragonflies and damselflies in that state. Furthermore, two hitherto undescribed females from the genera Planiplax and Heteragrion, four ultimate stadium larvae from Planiplax, Neocordulia, Heteragrion, and Acanthagrion, and five undescribed species were detected, one each from the genera Heteragrion, Progomphus, Brechmorhoga, Erythrodiplax, and Dasythemis. The estimated richness of odonates in this area is greater than 100 species, while the observed richness corresponding to almost 10% of all Odonata species in Brazil, the species-richest country in the world. These results reiterate the need to investigate undersampled areas to improve knowledge on diversity, taxonomy, and distribution of neotropical species. Finally, taxonomic notes for some species, including the rare corduliid Neocordulia mambucabensis Costa & T.C. Santos, 2000, are provided.

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DOI: 10.3897/zoologia.37.e58960

Authors: Jorge Luiz da Silva, Ricardo José da Silva, Izaias Médice Fernandes, Wesley Oliveira de Sousa, Fernando Zagury Vaz-de-Mello

Abstract: Although dung beetles are important members of ecological communities and indicators of ecosystem quality, species diversity, and how it varies over space and habitat types, remains poorly understood in the Brazilian Cerrado. We compared dung beetle communities among plant formations in the Serra Azul State Park (SASP) in the state of Mato Grosso, Brazil. Sampling (by baited pitfall and flight-interception traps) was carried out in 2012 in the Park in four habitat types: two different savanna formations (typical and open) and two forest formations (seasonally deciduous and gallery). A total of 5,400 individuals collected comprised 57 species in 22 genera. Typical savanna had the greatest species richness and abundance, followed by open savanna and deciduous forest, while the gallery forest had the fewest species but high abundance. Tunnelers (one of three main nesting behavior guilds) showed the greatest richness and abundance (except in the gallery forest, where one dweller species was extremely abundant) in all plant formations. We found that species richness and abundance of the dung beetle community are influenced by differences among plant formations. Habitat heterogeneity in the different plant formations along with anthropic influences (fire, habitat fragmentation) are cited as important factors that explain guild and species richness and distribution patterns. These results emphasize the importance of protected areas, such as SASP, for the maintenance and conservation of species diversity in the Brazilian Cerrado.

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DOI: 10.3897/zoologia.37.e50834

Authors: Sergio N. Stampar, Edgar Gamero-Mora, Maximiliano M. Maronna, Juliano M. Fritscher, Bruno S. P. Oliveira, Cláudio L. S. Sampaio, André C. Morandini

Abstract: The massive occurrence of jellyfish in several areas of the world is reported annually, but most of the data come from the northern hemisphere and often refer to a restricted group of species that are not in the genus Cassiopea. This study records a massive, clonal and non-native population of Cassiopea and discusses the possible scenarios that resulted in the invasion of the Brazilian coast by these organisms. The results indicate that this jellyfish might have invaded the Brazilian coast multiple times.

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DOI: 10.3897/zoologia.37.e51168

Authors: Mengmeng Liu, Zejian Li, Meicai Wei

Abstract: The Macrophya sibirica group was proposed by Li et al. (2016). A new species in this group, Macrophya nigrotrochanterata sp. nov. from Liaoning Province, China, is here described and illustrated. A key to all Chinese species and a distribution map of the M. sibirica group in China are provided.

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DOI: 10.3897/zoologia.37.e53092

Authors: Héctor E. Ramírez-Chaves, Andrés Fernando Tamayo-Zuluaga, Jose J. Henao-Osorio, Alexandra Cardona-Giraldo, Paula A. Ossa-López, Fredy A. Rivera-Páez

Abstract: Some species of mastiff bats, Molossus Geoffroy, 1805, inhabit human shelters such as houses and barns. Among them, the Pallas’s mastiff bat, Molossus molossus Pallas, 1766, is the most common species in South America. There are a few studies on this bat in Colombia, mostly on colony size, diet, ectoparasite records, and activity patterns in the Andean and Caribbean regions. Here, we provide information on the prevalence of chiggerfleas, Hectopsylla pulex (Haller, 1880), on M. molossus, along with molecular data on the flea, and its distribution in Colombia. In addition, we describe the size and sex ratio of the infested bat colony, located in the central Andes of Colombia. The bat colony was represented by ca. 45 individuals, of which 33 were captured. The colony had more females (25 individuals) than males (8 individuals). A total of four Pallas’s mastiff bats had chiggerfleas, H. pulex, most of which were attached to the bat’s faces and ears. The composition of the colony (sex ratio) and the observed activity times match those reported for other colonies of the species in Colombia. The cytochrome oxidase subunit 1, and the 12S rRNA mitochondrial gene obtained from H. pulex represent the second and first available sequences for the species, respectively. The level of infestation of individuals in the colony was low, similar to that observed in other South American countries, such as Brazil. Finally, the new locality is the seventh confirmed and the highest elevational record of H. pulex in Colombia.

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DOI: 10.3897/zoologia.37.e56795

Authors: Roberto Leonan M. Novaes, Fernanda M. Alves, Renan F. Souza, Rafael S. Laurindo, Ricardo Moratelli

Abstract: Amblyomma Koch, 1844 is distributed worldwide, with ca. 130 species currently recognized. These ticks are vectors of pathogens to animals and humans, including the causative agent of the New World Rocky Mountain spotted fever. Species of the Amblyomma parasitize a wide range of organisms, especially medium and large terrestrial mammals. Here we report for the first time the association of Myotis lavali Moratelli, Peracchi, Dias & Oliveira, 2011, Noctilio albiventris Desmarest, 1818 and Noctilio leporinus (Linnaeus, 1758) as hosts for Amblyomma sculptum Berlese, 1888. The ticks were originally identified as Amblyomma cajennense (Fabricius, 1787), in 2011. However, a later taxonomic review indicated that the species of the A. cajennense complex occurring in the Caatinga is A. sculptum. We also discuss the ecoepidemiological implications of this association.

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DOI: 10.3897/zoologia.37.e46392

Authors: Allan P.M. Santos, Leandro L. Dumas, Ana L. Henriques-Oliveira, W. Rafael M. Souza, Lucas M. Camargos, Adolfo R. Calor, Ana M.O. Pes

Abstract: Caddisflies are a highly diverse group of aquatic insects, particularly in the Neotropical region where there is a high number of endemic taxa. Based on taxonomic contributions published until August 2019, a total of 796 caddisfly species have been recorded from Brazil. Taxonomic data about Brazilian caddisflies are currently open access at the “Catálogo Taxonômico da Fauna do Brasil” website (CTFB), an on-line database with taxonomic information on the animal species occurring in Brazil. The order Trichoptera at CTFB includes a catalog of species recorded for the country, with synonymic lists, distribution throughout six biomes, 12 hydrographic regions, and 27 political states (including Federal District) from Brazil. The database is constantly updated to include newly published data. In this study, we reviewed the taxonomic effort on Brazilian caddisflies based on data currently in CTFB database. The accumulation curve of species described or recorded from the country, by year, shows a strong upward trend in last 25 years, indicating that it is possible that there are many more species to be described. Based on presence/absence of caddisfly species at three geographic levels (biomes, hydrographic regions, and states), second order Jackknife estimated at least 1,586 species occurring in Brazil (with hydrographic regions as unities), indicating we currently know about 50% of the Brazilian caddisfly fauna. Species distribution by Brazilian biomes reveals that the Atlantic Forest is the most diverse, with 490 species (298 endemic), followed by the Amazon Forest, with 255 species (101 endemic). Even though these numbers may be biased because there has been more intense collecting in these two biomes, the percentage of endemic caddisfly species in the Atlantic Forest is remarkable. Considering the distribution throughout hydrographic regions, clustering analyses (UPGMA) based on incidence data reveals two groups: northwestern basins and southeastern. Although these groups have weak bootstrap support and low similarity in species composition, this division of Brazilian caddisfly fauna could be related to Amazon-Atlantic Forest disjunction, with the South American dry diagonal acting as a potential barrier throughout evolutionary time.

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DOI: 10.3897/zoologia.37.e37716

Authors: Leonardo Fernandes França, Victória Helen Figueiredo-Paixão, Thales Afonso Duarte-Silva, Kamila Barbosa dos Santos

Abstract: Rainfall in tropical semi-arid areas may act as a reliable cue for timing bird reproduction, since it precedes future food supply. With this in mind, we set-up a study to test the reproductive response of insectivorous bird to arthropod abundance and rainfall patterns. Sampling occurred in a seasonally dry Neotropical forest, in north-eastern Brazil, between October, 2015 and October 2016, at 14-day intervals. We used brood patch to assess reproductive periodicity of insectivorous birds (eight species, 475 captures, 121 patch records). We sampled arthropods to quantify abundance, using biomass and number of individuals (1755 individuals, 15 Orders). Rainfall temporal distribution was analyzed using daily precipitation data. We used a cross-correlation function to test for correlation and time-lags between the covariates under study. Both the number of reproductively-active birds and arthropod abundance were higher in time periods close to the rainy season. Increase in arthropod biomass in the aerial stratum preceded the period of greatest rainfall by one (14 days, r = 0.44) to three sampling periods (0.47). In contrast, the highest proportion of individuals with brood patches occurred after the main rainfall peak, with the strongest relationship occurring after two (0.52) to four (0.50) time lags. Finally, the proportion of individuals with brood patches was positively correlated with aerial stratum arthropod biomass when five time lags were considered (0.55). Our results support the hypothesis of a temporal process involving rainfall, arthropods and reproduction of insectivorous birds in the wet/dry tropics. However, rainfall did not appear to act as a cue for the timing of reproduction, since records indicated higher arthropod biomass before the main rainfall peak. At least occasionally in the study area, insectivorous bird reproduction peaks after food abundance.

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DOI: 10.3897/zoologia.37.e46879

Authors: Márcia Couri, Adrian Pont

Abstract: The type specimens of 153 species of Limnophorini in the Museum für Naturkunde, Berlin, Germany, were revised. Differential diagnoses, notes on the types, and photographs of some of them (habitus and labels) are provided.

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DOI: 10.3897/zoologia.37.e46744

Authors: Sylvia M. Lucas, Victor Passanha, Antonio D. Brescovit

Abstract: The taxonomic history of Bumba Pérez-Miles, Bonaldo & Miglio, 2014 is mainly based on the inclusion of the new species. Bumba have been characterized by the type IV urticating setae present, retrolateral process on male palpal tibia, palpal bulb resting in a ventral distal excavation of palpal tibia, metatarsus I passes between the two branches of tibial apophysis when flexed, presence of spiniform setae on prolateral and retrolateral sides of maxillae and coxae I-IV. In this paper we include the row of teeth (denticulate row) in the median region of the inferior prolateral keel in all male palps. This structure range from a residual tooth to a ridge of up to five teeth. Both, the denticulate row and the retrolateral process on male palpal tibia in males could be considered as putative synapomorphies for Bumba. Here, Homoeomma humile Vellard, 1924 is transferred to Bumba and redescribed, while the female is described for the first time. Bumba cabocla (Pérez-Miles, 2000) is synonymyzed with B. horrida (Schmidt, 1994). Bumba pulcherrimaklaasi (Schmidt, 1991) is transferred to Cyclosternum Ausserer, 1871. Four new species are described and illustrated: Bumba tapajos sp. nov. from state of Pará, Bumba cuiaba sp. nov. and Bumba rondonia sp. nov., both from states of Rondônia and Mato Grosso, respectively, and Bumba mineiros sp. nov. from Paraguay and the Brazilian states of Goiás, Mato Grosso and Mato Grosso do Sul. Diagnosis of B. horrida and B. lennoni are extended and figures of this species are presented.

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DOI: 10.3897/zoologia.37.e37658

Authors: Aline Nunes-Silva, Isabela de Lima-Keppe, Robson V. de Souza, Gilmar Perbiche-Neves

Abstract: Copepods have been successfully used in many countries for the biological control of larvae of mosquitoes that vector diseases. In Brazil, this line of research has been focused on the use of the copepod Mesocyclops longisetus (Thiébaud, 1914) for the biological control of the mosquito Aedes aegypti (Linnaeus, 1792). The transportation of the copepods from the place where they are reared to where they will be used often involves long distances for extended periods of time. This study assesses the survivorship of M. longisetus during simulation of transport under different conditions. Different loading densities (20, 30, 40, 80, and 120 ind.L) and stirring times (30 minutes, one hour, two hours, and four hours) were tested. Survivorship was high, with 75% of the results equal or higher than 90% survival. Reduced mortality was observed when transportation time was up to 120 minutes and densities were up to 40 ind.L. In higher densities or longer transportation times, the mortality rate was significantly affected.

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DOI: 10.3897/zoologia.37.e37384

Authors: Paulo Pantoja, Marcos Drago-Bisneto, Regiane Saturnino

Abstract: Berlandiella Mello-Leitão, 1929 is currently composed of six Neotropical species, of which Berlandiella querencia Lise & Silva, 2011 is known only from female specimens; the other species of the genus were described based on both males and females. In this paper, we describe and illustrate Berlandiella zabele sp. nov., based on a few individuals collected in Sete Cidades National Park, Piracuruca and Brasileira, state of Piauí, Brazil. We illustrate and describe the previously unknown male of B. querencia, based on a specimen collected from Reserva Mocambo, Belém, state of Pará, Brazil. The taxa described herein have scopula in the tarsi and metatarsi, and the males have a cymbial process, characters recorded for the first time for the genus. Additionally, we present an updated diagnosis for Berlandiella.

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DOI: 10.3897/zoologia.37.e38837

Authors: Eva Huancachoque, Gloria Sáez, Celso Luis Cruces, Carlos Mendoza, José Luis Luque, Jhon Darly Chero

Abstract: During a survey of helminth parasites of the brown ground snake, Atractus major Boulenger, 1894 (Serpentes: Dipsadidae) from Moyobamba, region of San Martin (northeastern Peru), a new species of Glossidiella Travassos, 1927 (Plagiorchiida: Plagiorchiidae) was found and is described herein based on morphological and ultrastructural data. The digeneans found in the lung were measured and drawings were made with a drawing tube. The ultrastructure was studied using scanning electron microscope. Glossidiella peruensis sp. nov. is easily distinguished from the type- and only species of the genus, Glossidiella ornata Travassos, 1927, by having an oblong cirrus sac (claviform in G. ornata), distinctly ovate testes (rounded testes in G. ornata) and button-like papillae on the dorsal edge of the oral sucker region (absent in G. ornata). In addition, G. peruensis sp. nov. differs from G. ornata by possessing a longer distance between testes and substantially wider oral and ventral suckers. This is the first time that a species of digenean is described and reported parasitizing snakes in Peru.

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DOI: 10.3897/zoologia.37.e38783

Authors: Victor Quintas, Daniela M. Takiya, Isabele Côrte, Gabriel Mejdalani

Abstract: Cavichiana Mejdalani et al., 2014 was a formerly monotypic Cicadellinae genus exclusively found in bromeliads from southeastern Brazil. Here a new species is described, diagnosed, and illustrated from Itatiaia National Park, municipality of Itamonte, state of Minas Gerais (Mantiqueira mountain range); specimens were collected on Vriesea spp. (Bromeliaceae). Cavichiana alpina sp. nov. (male holotype in DZRJ) can be recognized by the following combination of features: (1) forewing clavus with basal portion and area along commissural margin orange, remainder of claval area blue (except dark brown apex); (2) corium with large blue area adjacent to claval sulcus, connected to blue area of clavus; (3) distal portion of female and male pygofer not sclerotized; (4) aedeagus with distinct basidorsal lobe and with apex narrowly rounded, not bearing crown of spines; and (5) female sternite VII with deep V-shaped posterior emargination. Notes on the distribution of the genus are provided and C. bromelicola Mejdalani et al., 2014 is newly recorded from southern Brazil.

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DOI: 10.3897/zoologia.36.e38455

Authors: Germán Augusto Murrieta Morey, Mariana Vásquez Arimuya, Walter A. Boeger

Abstract: Biotodomella gen. nov. (Monogenoidea: Dactylogyridae) is proposed to accommodate Biotodomella mirospinata sp. nov., found on the gills of Biotodoma cupido (Heckel, 1840) (“cara bonita” or “green-streaked eartheater”), a freshwater cichlid from the Peruvian Amazon. The new genus and species differ from other Neotropical dactylogyrids in having the hooks of each hook pair well-differentiated from the remaining pairs, shafts varying in robustness, weakly sclerotized expansions at the proximal end of shaft, and a dorsal anchor with grooved shaft, bifid point. This study represents the first record of a monogenoid from a species of Biotodoma Eigenmann & Kennedy, 1903.

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DOI: 10.3897/zoologia.36.e33805

Authors: Gabriel A.R. Melo, Luiz R.R. Faria, Leandro M. Santos

Abstract: We describe a new species of the bee genus Xenochlora Engel, Brooks & Yanega, 1997, X. meridionalis sp. nov., based on a single female collected in the coastal forests of southeastern Brazil, in the state of Espírito Santo. The disjunct distribution exhibited by Xenochlora, with species in northern South America and in the Atlantic Forest of eastern Brazil, is discussed in light of current knowledge about other taxa with similar distribution pattern.

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DOI: 10.3897/zoologia.36.e31456

Authors: Lisiane Dilli Wendt, Luciane Marinoni

Abstract: A taxonomic revision of Megalothoracha Hendel, 1911 is provided, including a description of Megalothoraca rosalyae Wendt, sp. nov. from Colombia. The genus encompasses large species from Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia (new record), and each species was described based either on males or females. These species can be diagnosed by long and slender mid and hind legs and wing longer than body, vein R2+3 with two strong curves on apical third, and short spurious vein medially. And males have costal vein conspicuously bowed anteriorly and thickened on medial portion. The following nomenclatural changes are made: Megalothoraca hendeli Enderlein, 1912, syn. nov. is a junior synonym of M. pterodontida Hendel, 1911; Batrachophthalmum teleopsis (Hennig, 1938) comb. nov. is transferred from Megalothoraca, and Batrachophthalmum quimbaya Carvalho, Wolff & Wendt, 2011, syn. nov. is a junior synonym of B. teleopsis. A key to species and illustrations of the female and male terminalia are provided.

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DOI: 10.3897/zoologia.36.e36293

Authors: Gabriel A.R. Melo, Brunno B. Rosa

Abstract: The first fossil species of the wasp genus Tracheliodes from Dominican amber is described. Tracheliodes grimaldii sp. nov. is based on a single female specimen exhibiting a somewhat generalized morphology compared to the extant fauna. While the new species resembles the Neotropical species in a few characters, it does not possess the many specialized features exhibited by this species group, especially those related to the female legs. This is the 4th genus and the 7th species of apoid wasps described from Dominican amber.

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DOI: 10.3897/zoologia.36.e34604

Authors: Gilson R.P. Moreira, Cristiano M. Pereira, Vitor O. Becker, Alexandre Specht, Gislene L. Gonçalves

Abstract: Larvae of many-plumed moths (Alucitidae), especially in the world-wide genus Alucita Linnaeus, 1758 are known as borers or gall-inducers on flowers, fruits and shoots of a few dicotyledonous families, including Bignoniaceae, Caprifoliaceae and Rubiaceae. However, there is no study available on the biology of the monotypic, Neotropical genus Prymnotomis Meyrick, 1931 except for its original description that was based on a single male, the holotype of Prymnotomis crypsicroca Meyrick, 1931 from Espirito Santo, Brazil. We describe here a second species for this genus, Prymnotomis cecidicola sp. nov. whose larvae induce galls on Cordiera elliptica (Cham.) Kuntze (Rubiaceae), a dioecious plant with dimorphic inflorescences found in the Brazilian Cerrado, Planaltina City, Federal District. Adults, larvae, pupae and galls are illustrated under light and scanning electron microscopy. Galls are green, spherical, unilocular and develop individually on C. elliptica flower buds. During development they look like fruits in shape and colour but are larger, do not have style scars when on female plants, and are induced also in male inflorescences. Pupation occurs outside the gall within a silk cocoon, presumably in the litter. A preliminary analysis of DNA barcode sequences including putative members of other alucitid lineages and Neotropical BINs (Barcode Index Number) supports Prymnotomis cecidicola sp. nov. as an independent phylogenetic unit, with 12 to 18% divergence. Its nearest-neighbour was the BIN cluster 5 (BOLD:AAA0842) that includes specimens from Costa Rica.

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DOI: 10.3897/zoologia.36.e29587

Authors: Leroy Soria-Díaz, Jaime Luis Rábago-Castro, Hublester Domínguez-Vega, Yuriana Gómez-Ortíz, Javier Manjarrez, Lorena Garrido-Olvera

Abstract: There are few studies about parasitic infections in Crotalus triseriatus (Wagler, 1830), an endemic rattlesnake from the highlands of central Mexico. This species occupies several habitats, from conserved forested regions to heavily impacted landscapes. To increase the parasitological knowledge of this reptile species without impacting populations, we obtained fecal samples of 16 rattlesnakes between 2012 and 2014 from Toluca Valley, Mexico. By using flotation technique, we found oocysts of Eimeria sp. and eggs of Capillariidae sp. The most frequent parasite was Eimeria sp. (62.5%). This study provides the first records of occurrence of parasites in reptilian feces from Mexico. Our results may be important for wildlife conservation purposes, for example, they could indicate of the population health of this species during processes of translocation.

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DOI: 10.3897/zoologia.36.e29814

Authors: Leonardo Lopes Costa, Phillipe Mota Machado, Ilana Rosental Zalmon

Abstract: The role of morphodynamic features such as grain size, swash climate and wave action on the macrofauna of beaches are well-known. However, few studies have investigated natural disturbances as potential drivers of temporal community variations. In southeastern Brazil, we sampled the intertidal macrofauna of two sandy beaches to test whether seasonal disturbances as the frequency of storm wave events (SWE) and rainfall have significant influence on their composition and abundance. The macrofauna assemblage differed significantly between the rainy and the dry seasons, but rainfall was not the main driver of community changes, although both beaches are in the vicinity of extensive river plumes. Actually, SWE explained most macrofauna richness overtime, with positive effects. Our results point to the importance of learning more about the effects of poorly studied disturbances on macrofaunal communities, and based on them we strongly recommend including these seasonal phenomena when monitoring sandy beaches.

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DOI: 10.3897/zoologia.36.e28714

Authors: José Eriberto De Assis, José Roberto B. de Souza, Manuela M. de Lima, Gislaine V. de Lima, Ralf T.S. Cordeiro, Carlos D. Pérez

Abstract: Polynoid scale-worms have been found living as commensals with deep-water antipatharians (commonly known as black corals) in the Potiguar Basin, off Rio Grande do Norte State, Northeastern Brazil. In this paper two polychaete species and four black corals species are redescribed. Benhamipolynoe cf. antipathicola and Parahololepidella cf. greeffi, and the black coral Stylopathes adinocrada Opresko, 2006 are recorded for the Southwestern Atlantic. Benhamipolynoe cf. antipathicola was first described from off New Zealand and the Malay Archipelago, as symbiont with the black coral Stylopathes tenuispina (Silberfeld, 1909). It was later reported for the North Atlantic, off Florida, associated with Stylopathes columnaris (Duchassaing, 1870). In our study, B. cf. antipathicola was found in association with the black coral S. adinocrada. Parahololepidella cf. greeffi was first described as a free-living from shallow waters off São Tomé and Cabo Verde Islands, West Africa, and later reported as symbiont with the black coral Tanacetipathes cf. spinescens in the same location. Our data expand both the geographical distribution and the host range of this species which is reported for the first time as symbiont with Tanacetipathes barbadensis (Brook, 1889), T. tanacetum (Pourtalès, 1880) and T. thamnea (Warner, 1981) in Brazil. The aim of this study is to discuss commensal associations between two species of scale-worm polynoids and black corals found in the Southwestern Atlantic, and also reporting their global distribution. Finally, we provided an updated list of the commensal polynoids and their black coral hosts.

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DOI: 10.3897/zoologia.36.e29774

Authors: Diego García-Ulloa, Victor Landa-Jaime, Andres Martín Góngora-Gómez, Manuel García-Ulloa, Jaun Antonio Hernández-Sepúlveda

Abstract: Symbiosis between decapods and mollusks provides a unique opportunity to examine some of the evolutionary strategies employed by marine invertebrates. We describe the sexual and reproductive traits of the pearl oyster shrimp, Pontonia margarita Verril, 1869, found symbiotically inhabiting the mantle cavity of the rugose pen shell, Pinna rugosa Sowerby, 1835. Solitary males and females (ovigerous and non-ovigerous) and heterosexual pairs (with ovigerous and non-ovigerous females) were found in a total of 47 rugose pen shells collected from a sandy area with seagrass meadows on the southeastern coast of the Gulf of California, Mexico. The body length (BL) of female P. margarita was correlated with the shell volume of their rugose pen shell host. The sex ratio was female-biased (0.85M:1F). Female P. margarita were larger than their male counterparts in terms of BL, cephalothorax length (CL), and the maximum chelae length of the second pereopod (MCL). The CL and MCL were more strongly correlated for males (r = 0.70, p = 0.01). The number and volume of eggs per ovigerous female varied from 95 to 1,571 and from 5.46 ± 0.48 to 8.85 ± 0.97 mm3, respectively. Our results indicate polygamous behavior and social monogamy among P. margarita, and a short-term pairing system for their association with P. rugosa.

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DOI: 10.3897/zoologia.36.e32053

Authors: André V. L. Freitas, Luísa L. Mota, Eduardo P. Barbosa, Junia Y. O. Carreira

Abstract: The present paper describes the immature stages of the Neotropical satyrine butterfly Euptychia mollina (Hübner, [1813]) from the Brazilian Amazon Forest. Eggs were laid singly on the under surface of the fronds of its host plant, Selaginella sp. (Bryophyta: Selaginellaceae). Larvae are solitary in all instars, presenting a color pattern and shape that make them cryptic on its host plant. The pupa is short, smooth and varies from rusty brown to green. Despite the lack of a close phylogenetic relationship, larvae of Euptychia are very similar to those of the paleotropical satyrines Ragadia and Acrophtalmia, suggesting that camouflage is likely to be one of the factors explaining the similarities among them.

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DOI: 10.3897/zoologia.36.e24191

Authors: Moacyr Serafim-Júnior, Gilmar Perbiche-Neves, Fabio Lansac-Toha

Abstract: Zooplankton exhibit several trends of variation in space and time, and these trends can be more evident in natural environments without anthropic perturbations. Examples of anthropic factors are climate change, eutrophication and construction of reservoirs. This study evaluated the influence of three factors – seasonality, type of environment and the presence of aquatic macrophytes – on various ecological attributes of rotifers in a river-lake system located in the Paraná River floodplain. Monthly samplings were conducted during 1993 and 1994. The mean species richness per sample was 60 species. The seasonality and the type of environment influenced the ecological attributes of rotifer assemblages, while the presence or absence of aquatic macrophytes did not. Species richness was highest in the lake system and during the months when water levels were low. Multivariate analysis indicates a small group of species associated with the low water-level phase. In contrast, many species were associated with high water levels or increasing water levels. The seasonal variation of hydrological cycle and the type of environment are the most important factors for rotifer structure in natural conditions.

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DOI: 10.3897/zoologia.36.e27708

Authors: Wesley O. de Sousa, Lincey E. Sousa, Fátima R.J. da Silva, Wildio I. da Graça Santos, Rodrigo Aranda

Abstract: Due to the important ecological role of Nymphalidae as consumers of fermented fruits, excrement, exudates of decomposed plants and animals, as well as bioindicators of environmental quality that attract the interest of the general public, this study aimed to characterize the fauna of frugivorous butterflies at the Serra Azul State Park – PESA (Mato Grosso, Brazil) with regards to composition, taxonomic richness and spatial distribution. Collections were carried out in 2014 from six 250 m plots in a RAPELD module (5x5 km). We defined five sampling points in each plot and placed a Van Someren-Rydon trap (VSR), with a bait made from banana fermented in cane juice, positioned 1 m above the ground for 24 hours. We collected 204 specimens of Nymphalidae from five subfamilies, 22 genera, and 40 species. Satyrinae was the most abundant and species-rich subfamily. The community structure varied spatially, with the gallery forest presenting the greatest richness, diversity, and equitability, while ‘cerrado ralo’ presented higher abundance and less diversity and equitability. Therefore, according to the pattern of abundance in the PESA, species were best adapted to the log series model. Yphthimoides renata (Stoll, 1780) (Satyrinae), Hamadryas feronia (Linnaeus, 1758), and Callicore sorana (Godart, 1824) (Biblidinae) were the most abundant species, 19 species were singletons, and eight were doubletons. Richness estimators showed that 63% of all species were sampled. Our results indicate that the frugivorous butterfly community is structured according to phytophysiognomies, and the dominance of species that are tolerant to disturbances indicates landscape fragmentation within the PESA, which interferes with species substitution pattern and their abundances in different environments of the park.

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DOI: 10.3897/zoologia.36.e21481

Authors: Valéria Cid Maia, Lazaro Araújo de Oliveira

Abstract: Clinodiplosis quartelensis sp. nov. (holotype male in MNRJ: Brazil, Minas Gerais State), a new gall midge species causing leaf galls on Banisteriopsis membranifolia (A. Juss.) B. Gates (Malpighiaceae), an endemic liana in Brazil, is described based on larva, pupa, adult male and female and its gall is characterized. Galls were collected in Quartel de São João, state of Minas Gerais, Southeastern Brazil. Larvae were removed from the galls and pupae and adults were obtained by rearing. Pupation takes place in the gall. The most important morphological characters were illustrated. The new species is compared with other Neotropical species of Clinodiplosis and belongs to the group with simple tarsal claws, curved beyond tarsus midlength. Clinodiplosis quartelensis sp. nov. shares the male cercus secondarily lobed, the 12th female flagellomere with setulose apical process, the deeply bilobed male hypoproct with convergent lobes, pupa lacking dorsal spines on abdominal segments, and larva with four pairs of setose terminal papillae with C. bellum from that might be distinguished by size of palpus, wing venation, level of sclerotization of eighth abdominal segment in the adults, as well as, by the pupal cephalic dorsal plate and larval spatula.

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DOI: 10.3897/zoologia.36.e26928

Authors: Tatiana A. Sepúlveda, Claudio J. B. de Carvalho, Alessandre Pereira-Colavite

Abstract: The monotypic genus Loxozus Enderlein, 1922 is redescribed. After examining the holotypes of Tetanocera cornuta Walker, 1853 and Loxozus clavicornis Enderlein, 1922, we confirm that these species are synonyms and reiterate that the correct name of the nominal species is Loxozus cornutus (Walker, 1853). The male of L. cornutus is described for the first time and notes on the species’ sexual dimorphism and illustrations of the genitalia are provided, together with distribution data, including new records for Venezuela, Brazil and Peru.

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DOI: 10.3897/zoologia.35.e21232

Authors: Thereza de Almeida Garbelotto, Ana Paula Leite Kochenborger, Luiz Alexandre Campos

Abstract: Lineostethus Ruckes, 1966 has four species, L. clypeatus (Stål, 1862), L. graziae Hildebrand & Becker, 1982, L. marginellus (Stål, 1872), and L. tenebricornis (Ruckes, 1957); mostly restricted to Central America, but with distribution records in the southern North America. Lineostethus is one of the discocephaline genera with discoid head. The last review of the genus, from the 1980’s, focused on the genital morphology and failed to provide updated descriptions or a key to species. We had access to material from different collections, including several specimens representing new species of Lineostethus, and males of L. marginellus which shows important variations in genital morphology. Here we update the generic description of Lineostethus and its known species and describe the new species Lineostethus acuminatus sp. nov. (holotype male in DZUP: Costa Rica, Guanacaste), Lineostethus auritus sp. nov. (holotype male in AMNH: Mexico, Oaxaca), Lineostethus otarus sp. nov. (holotype male in AMNH: Mexico, Michoacán) and Lineostethus sinuosus sp. nov. (holotype male in DZUP: Mexico, Yucatán). Additionally, we provide identification keys and distribution maps.

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DOI: 10.3897/zoologia.35.e23366

Authors: Cristiano Sampaio Costa, Amazonas Chagas-Junior, Ricardo Pinto-da-Rocha

Abstract: Epiperipatus edwardsii (Blanchard, 1847) is redescribed based on fresh material collected near the type locality. Additionally, five new species of velvet worms of the genus Epiperipatus Clark, 1913 from Brazil are described: Epiperipatus hyperbolicus sp. nov., Epiperipatus lucerna sp. nov., Epiperipatus titanicus sp. nov. (Holotypes deposited in MNRJ: Murici, Alagoas State), Epiperipatus beckeri sp. nov. (Holotype female deposited in MNRJ: Camacan, Bahia State) and Epiperipatus marajoara sp. nov. (Holotype male deposited in MZUSP: Breves, Marajó island, Pará State). The peculiar shape of the primary papillae (artichoke-like) of E. titanicus sp. nov. and E. beckeri sp. nov. is documented for the first time. Epiperipatus titanicus sp. nov. has the largest number of pairs of oncopods (38 for males and 39 for females) among the Brazilian Onychophora. We also provide an identification key for Brazilian species of Epiperipatus.

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DOI: 10.3897/zoologia.35.e23176

Authors: Rodrigo Silvestre Martins, Marcelo Juanicó

Abstract: The biology and ecology of southwestern Atlantic loliginid squids have been intensively researched in the last few decades, mostly off the Brazilian southern coast. However, information gathered by scientific research cruisers, either past or recent, is limited. Three species of loliginid squids – the warm-tempered Doryteuthis sanpaulensis (Brakoniecki, 1984), plus the tropical D. pleii (Blainville, 1823) and Lolliguncula brevis (Blainville, 1823) – were sampled along 16 degrees of latitude on the southwestern Atlantic (22–38°S). The samples were obtained mostly from oceanographic surveys, but also included squids caught by commercial fisheries, and a few specimens from museum collections. Squid response to abiotic variables, morphological variation and circadian behaviour were surveyed in detail. Doryteuthis sanpaulensis can be divided into at least six distinguishable geographical groups, which do not form a cline. In contrast, D. pleii can be divided into only two morphological groups that are very similar. Doryteuthis spp. were heterogeneously distributed on the shelf, whereas L. brevis was confined nearshore. Our data extended the southernmost distribution range of D. pleii by at least nine degrees of latitude, owing to specimens obtained at ~38°S (Mar del Plata, Argentina). Small, immature D. sanpaulensis were sampled inside the Patos Lagoon estuary (~32°S). The morphologically similar Doryteuthis spp. apparently avoid direct competition by concentrating at different depths, displaying different thermal preferences, and inverse circadian levels of activity. The information reported herein may be regarded as a “snapshot” of the ecology of sympatric squids in a marine environment that has not been deeply affected by climate change.

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DOI: 10.3897/zoologia.35.e21978

Authors: Tomás E. Isola, Martin A. Varisco, Néstor J. Cazzaniga

Abstract: This communication describes the first records of byssal hairs on the postlarvae shells of Mytilus edulis platensis d’Orbigny, 1842. The postlarvae used in this study were sampled on artificial collectors used for mussel culture in San Jorge Gulf, Sudoccidental Atlantic Ocean. A general description of the hairs is made as well as an exploratory analysis of their spatial distribution on the shell surface. The presence of these byssal hairs is suggested as a criterion to differentiate M. edulis platensis from other mytilids.

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DOI: 10.3897/zoologia.35.e17786

Authors: Julia Pizá, Néstor J. Cazzaniga, Natalia S. Ghezzi

Abstract: Although the presence of apertural folds and lamellae is the most recognizable character of the Odontostomidae, some species lack them, mostly in Anctus Martens, 1860, Bahiensis Jousseaume, 1877 and Moricandia Pilsbry & Vanatta, 1898. Eudioptus avellanedae Doering, 1881 – a slender odontostomid species that lacks even the slightest trace of folds or lamellae in its shell aperture – was however transferred to Odontostomus by Pilsbry in 1902 on the basis of its building forward of the aperture-margins. It is currently placed in its own monotypic subgenus, Cyclodontina (Ventania) Parodiz, 1940, on the basis of about the same argument. In this paper we redescribe its shell morphology and, for the first time, describe the internal anatomy of the pallial complex and the reproductive and digestive systems. The presence of a spongy gland in the pallial complex; of a short penis sheath with no retractor muscle; of a bursa copulatrix duct longer than spermoviduct, and of an epiphallic gland strongly support the inclusion of this unusual species in Odontostomidae. The species is diagnosable by the sculpture of the protoconch, which is not smooth as previously described, but has waved axial ribs crossed by spiral lines in young specimens; the distinctive external and internal shape of the bursa copulatrix duct; the internal penis wall divided in three regions of different sculpture; the smooth inner wall of the vagina; the long and cylindrical epiphallus with a distal widening indicating the presence of an epiphallic gland, and the penis retractor muscle inserted in the distal end of a short flagellum. These characters support the validity of Ventania Parodiz, 1940, different from Cyclodontina Beck, 1837.

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DOI: 10.3897/zoologia.35.e21933

Authors: Zimei Dong, Changying Shi, Gengbo Chu, Yanping Dong, Guangwen Chen, Dezeng Liu

Abstract: Planarians, the representatives of an ancient bilaterian group with complex reproductive system and high regenerative capabilities, are model system suitable for studying the basic molecular requirements for the development of the reproductive system. To further explore the morphological changes of the gonads during desexualization and the molecular events of the genes controlling the reproductive system development in planarians, we have investigated the histological changes of ovary and testis by paraffin section and the expression patterns of reproductive-related genes by the quantitative real-time PCR in Dugesia japonica Ichikawa & Kawakatsu, 1964, upon starvation. The four genes, Djprps, DjvlgA, DjvlgB and Djnos, have been selected. The research results show that the degradation of ovary changes from outside layer to inside, and the testis changes are opposite; the reproductive capacity of the planarians starts to be damaged from the 17th to 25th days and to disappear completely from the 26th to 37th days during starvation. The expression patterns of the four genes exhibit the obvious dynamic variations during their desexualization, which indicates that these genes might be involved in gonad development.

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DOI: 10.3897/zoologia.35.e23481

Authors: Xuan Huang, Xiaoyu Quan, Xia Wang, Yueli Yun, Yu Peng

Abstract: Spiders, as predators of insects and other invertebrates, are an important part of the natural enemies, and they are recognized as an important biological control agent. Plutella xylostella (Linnaeus, 1758), the diamondback moth (DBM), is a well-known and destructive insect pest of brassicaceous crops worldwide. Here, we analyzed the functional responses of four spiders (Araneae) – Ebrechtella tricuspidata (Fabricius, 1775) (Thomisidae), Pardosa laura (Karsch, 1879) (Lycosidae), Pardosa astrigera (Koch, 1878) (Lycosidae), and Pardosa pseudoannulata (Bösenberg & Strand, 1906) (Lycosidae) – on P. xylostella larvae. We also analyzed intraspecific disturbances in the predation reaction and the intensity of scrambling competition of the spiders to P. xylostella larvae. Our results demonstrated that the functional responses of four spiders of different genera were in line with the Holling II model. Two Lycosidae spiders (P. astrigera and P. pseudoannulata) had the potential to control P. xylostella, and female and male spiders that belonged to the same species had different functional responses to P. xylostella. The functional responses of female predation of P. astrigena, P. laura, and P. pseudoannulata was stronger than the males, but male E. tricuspidatus had stronger functional responses to predation than females. We used the Hassell model to describe the intraspecific disturbance experiments of four spiders. There were intraspecific disturbances in the predation reactions of spiders, indicating that the predation ratio of spiders decreased in relation to the increase of its density, and with the increase of spider density, the intensity of scrambling competition of the spider increased.

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DOI: 10.3897/zoologia.35.e21351

Authors: Ângelo Parise Pinto, Tom Kompier

Abstract: Two new Brazilian Protoneurinae damselflies, Forcepsioneura regua sp. nov. (holotype male deposited in DZRJ: Brazil, Rio de Janeiro State, Cachoeiras de Macacu municipality, RPPN Reserva Ecológica de Guapiaçu) and Forcepsioneura serrabonita sp. nov. (holotype male deposited in DZRJ: Brazil, Bahia State, Camacan municipality, RPPNs Serra Bonita) , are described, illustrated and diagnosed based on males and females. The bluish and smaller F. regua sp. nov. has been confused with at least three previously described species, being very similar to the type species of Forcepsioneura, F. garrisoni Lencioni, 1999, but lacking a defined tubercle-like process on the posterolateral margin of the median lobe of the prothorax in both sexes, which allows it to be distinguished from all other known species. The shape of the cercus of the male of F. serrabonita sp. nov. is similar to that of F. grossiorum Machado, 2001 and F. lucia Machado, 2000, two species with very short ventrobasal process. However, it differs from them mainly by the mediobasal process of the cercus, which is rounded in dorsal view and almost not visible in lateral view. The taxonomic status of Forcepsioneura is discussed and a comparison with the other species of the genus is provided. Based on size, habitat and coloration, Forcepsioneura can be informally divided into two groups: (1) large, orange-black and montane species, including F. grossiorum, F. itatiaiae (Santos, 1970), F. lucia and F. serrabonita sp. nov.; (2) small, bluish and lowland species, including F. garrisoni, F. haerteli Machado, 2001, F. regua sp. nov. and F. sancta (Hagen in Selys, 1860). Our findings highlight the urgency in directing collecting efforts to unexplored areas, as well as the importance of private preserves that harbor the type localities as guardians of the threatened and diverse Atlantic Forest diversity. Together these two localities surveyed account for more than 210 species of odonates, representing almost 24% of the number of Brazilian species. Brazil has the greatest number of known species of odonates in the world. This study shows that further research is required in order to fully understand the diversity of Forcepsioneura.

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DOI: 10.3897/zoologia.35.e23917

Authors: Geusivam Barbosa Soares, JoãoJoão Flor dos Santos Neto, Marcus Vinicius Domingues

Abstract: Four species of Cosmetocleithrum (three new) and one new species of Vancleaveus are described or reported parasitizing the gills of doradid catfishes (Siluriformes) from Xingu River and related tributaries: Cosmetocleithrum phryctophallus sp. nov. and Cosmetocleithrum bifurcum Mendoza-Franco, Mendoza-Palmero & Scholz, 2016 from Hassar orestis; Cosmetocleithrum leandroi sp. nov. from Hassar gabiru; Cosmetocleithrum akuanduba sp. nov. and Vancleaveus klasseni sp. nov. from Hassar orestis and H. gabiru. Cosmetocleithrum phryctophallus sp. nov. differs from its congeners by possessing a male copulatory organ (MCO) with 2 ½ counterclockwise rings, and an accessory piece with an elongate torch-shaped blade. Cosmetocleithrum leandroi sp. nov. has a MCO comprising a coil of about 3 ½ rings, a sigmoid accessory piece with a cup-shaped distal portion, a single type of hooks, and anchors with poorly differentiated roots. Cosmetocleithrum akuanduba sp. nov. is characterized mainly by having a J-shaped MCO, an elongate accessory piece with sharp distal region, distal portion with a small gutter, and a heavily sclerotized vagina with short “S”-shaped vaginal canal. Vancleaveus klasseni sp. nov. differs from the other species of the genus occurring in doradids by possessing anchors with triangular to subtriangular superficial root, developed deep root, and a coiled MCO with 2 ½ counterclockwise rings. Cosmetocleithrum bifurcum was reported for the first time parasitizing doradids from Brazilian Amazon.

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DOI: 10.3897/zoologia.35.e13882

Authors: Alexandre Cruz Domahovski, Rodney Ramiro Cavichioli

Abstract: Two new species of Polana (Hobemanella) Mckamey, 2006 are described and illustrated from Brazil: Polana (H.) alvarengai sp. nov., from the states of Mato Grosso, Rondônia and Pará, which can be recognized by the aedeagal shaft with subapical group of eight spine-like processes on each side of shaft, on ventral surface; and Polana (H.) arcana sp. nov., from the state of Paraná, which can be recognized by the aedeagus with pair of elongated processes arising at base, almost as long as shaft length and parallel to shaft. A key to the 19 known species of Polana (Hobemanella) is presented.

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DOI: 10.3897/zoologia.35.e13653

Authors: Aila Soares Ferreira, Isabel Medeiros dos Santos Rocha, Bruno Cavalcante Bellini, Alexandre Vasconcellos

Abstract: The spatial distribution of abiotic resources and environmental conditions can vary at small scales within terrestrial ecosystems, influencing the composition of soil fauna. Epiedaphic springtails (Collembola) of a semiarid Caatinga ecosystem were studied to determine if factors related to vegetation structure, such as species richness, aerial biomass, litterfall, and soil characteristics (pH, granulometry and soil organic matter), influence species richness and abundance of this group. A total of 5,513 individuals were collected of 15 species distributed in 13 genera and 9 families. The most abundant species were Temeritas sp., with 2,086 (38% of the total abundance) individuals, and Neotropiella meridionalis (Arlé, 1939), with 1,911 (35% of the total abundance) individuals. None of the variables in the regression model were significantly related to Collembola species richness, but abundance was significantly related to plant species richness, aerial biomass and soil pH. Thus, even at a small spatial scale, habitat heterogeneity influences the epiedaphic Collembola in the Caatinga ecosystem, especially their abundance.

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DOI: 10.3897/zoologia.35.e14764

Authors: Lorhaine Santos Silva, Tamaris Gimenez Pinheiro, Marinêz Isaac Marques, Leandro Dênis Battirola

Abstract: Studies that address biodiversity and its supporting mechanisms in different ecosystems are fundamental to understanding the relationships between species and the prevailing environmental conditions within each habitat type. This study presents information on the phenology of Promestosoma boggianii (Silvestri, 1898) and its association with seasonal flood and dry events in a floodplain of Mato Grosso’s northern Pantanal region, Brazil. Sampling was carried out in three areas located between the Bento Gomes and Cuiabá rivers, on the Porto Cercado Road, Poconé-MT. Each sample area was composed of two treatments: (I) floodable habitats and (NI) non-floodable habitats. Three quadrats (10 x 10 m) were established within each treatment, with sampling carried out using pitfall traps and mini-Winkler extractors during the dry season, rising water, high water and receding water phases for the duration of two hydrological cycles within the Pantanal (2010/2011 and 2011/2012). A total of 295 P. boggianii individuals were sampled at different stages of development (except stages I and II), distributed between the rising water (209 ind., 70.8%), dry (76 ind., 25.8%) and receding water (10 ind., 3.4%) seasons. No specimens were sampled during the high water season. The higher abundances recorded between the dry and rising water seasons, primarily at early stages of development, indicate that P. boggianii is characterized as a univoltine species in these habitats. The data demonstrate that individuals of P. boggianii were more abundant in floodable habitats. In addition, the results show that the life cycle of this diplopod is sinchronized to the seasonal nature of this floodable environment, as a strategy to survive the extreme conditions of terrestrial and aquatic phases Brazil’s northern Pantanal region.

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DOI: 10.3897/zoologia.35.e13255

Authors: Tailan Moretti Mattos, Dandhara Rossi Carvalho, Mateus Santos de Brito, Francisco Gerson Araújo

Abstract: Phoretic relationships often bring large advantages to epibionts. By attaching themselves to mobile hosts, epibionts are able to: expand their ranges without spending energy, reduce their risk of being predated, and increase their probability of finding food. We assessed the phoretic relationship between the siluriform fish Ancistrus multispinis (Regan, 1912) and the chironomid larva Ichthyocladius sp. in three streams of the Atlantic forest in southeastern Brazil. We evaluated changes in epibiont distribution throughout the body regions of the host and among three different aquatic systems. We had predicted that certain body regions are more prone to support epibiont attachment, and that epibiont prevalence increases with increased host size and quality of the aquatic system. Three streams (Santana, São Pedro and D’Ouro), tributaries of the Guandu River, were sampled during 2010 and 2011. A total of 102 specimens of A. multispinis were collected and analyzed. Epibionts were found in fourteen of fifteen body regions of the host. Observation from scanning electron microscopy revealed that Chironomidae larvae fix themselves to the spicules through the anal prolegs, not at the skin, as previously reported. The amount of epibionts (degree of infestation) was significantly correlated with fish size in the Santana Stream (r = 0.6, p < 0.01), and São Pedro Stream (r = 0.56, p < 0.01), but not in the D’Ouro Stream, the most altered of the three. The presence of epibionts on the body of the fish is directly correlated with the availability of spicules on the fish’s body, the largest numbers of infestations being found in structures associated with swimming (caudal and pectoral fins), since the swimming movement can create favorable conditions (e.g., suspension of organic particles, increasing oxygenation) for the epibiont.

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DOI: 10.3897/zoologia.35.e13040

Authors: Barbara Proença, Valéria Cid Maia

Abstract: Bruggmannia >chapadensis sp. nov. is described and illustrated based on characters of the larva, pupa and adults of both sexes, from specimens collected in Cerrado areas of Parque Nacional da Chapada dos Guimarães, state of Mato Grosso, Brazil. The new species is characterized by tarsal claws bent at distal 1/3; well-developed empodia, not reaching the bend in claws; cerci rounded; hipoproct shorter than cerci; aedeagus with globose apex; gonostylus semicircular; ovipositor protrusible about 1.4 times longer than sternite 7; pupal antennal bases enlarged, conical, upper facial horns semicircular; prothoracic spiracle short, abdominal segments 2–8 with one row of dorsal spines; larval terminal segment elongate, with four setose terminal papillae. This new species was collected from lenticular leaf galls of Guapira pernambucensis (Casar.) Lundell (Nyctaginaceae). This is the first record of Bruggmannia galls on this plant species. In Brazil, 13 species of Bruggmannia were previously known, none recorded from Mato Grosso.

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DOI: 10.3897/zoologia.35.e12874

Authors: Júlio M. G. Segovia, Lúcia C. Neco, Rodrigo H. Willemart

Abstract: The non-random occupation of habitats is termed habitat selection. Some species of whip spiders select trees with burrows at their base, while others use substrates such as rocks. Here, we investigated the habitat use by Charinus asturius Pinto-da-Rocha, Machado & Weygoldt, 2002, an endemic species of Ilhabela Island in Brazil. We found that C. asturius is more likely to be found under rocks that cover larger areas of substrate. Our results also suggest the existence of territorialism in C. asturius and show that C. asturius adults may be found again on the same rock a week later. Additionally, our data show that C. asturius is present in a greater area of Ilhabela than previously documented.

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DOI: 10.3897/zoologia.35.e12483

Authors: Leonardo de Oliveira Cardoso da Silva, Sonia Maria Lopes

Abstract: In this contribution six new species of Poeciloderrhis Stål, 1874 are described: P. aureolatus sp. nov. (Holotype male in MNRJ: Brazil, Rio de Janeiro State), P. mediansclerostylatus sp. nov. (Holotype male in MNRJ: Brazil, Rio de Janeiro State), P. diamantinensis sp. nov. (Holotype male in MNRJ: Brazil, Mato Grosso State), P. itatiaiensis sp. nov. (Holotype male in MNRJ: Brazil, Rio de Janeiro State), P. vanzolinii sp. nov. (Holotype male in MNRJ: Brazil, Rio de Janeiro State), and P. penduloides sp. nov. (Holotype male in MNRJ: Brazil, Rio de Janeiro State). The genus is recorded for the first time from the state of Rondônia, Brazil based on P. diamantinensis sp. nov. A new combination is proposed for Poeciloderrhis bicolorata Rocha e Silva & Lopes, 1977 that is transferred to Epilampra Burmeister, 1838. For specific delimation, the tergal modification in the abdomen, the genital plates and their respective structures were analyzed. A key for males including all species of Poeciloderrhis is also given.

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DOI: 10.3897/zoologia.35.e14641

Authors: Adriana P. Rebolledo, Rachel Collin

Abstract: Although larval stages are often considered particularly vulnerable to stressors, for many marine invertebrates studies of thermal tolerance have focused on adults. Here we determined the upper thermal limit (LT50) of the zoea I of four Caribbean crab species (Macrocoeloma trispinosum, Aratus pisonii, Armases ricordi, and Minuca rapax) and compared their thermal tolerance over time and among species. The zoea from the subtidal species M. trispinosum and tree climbing mangrove species A. pisonii had a lower thermal tolerance, 35 and 38.5 °C respectively, than did the semiterrestrial A. ricordi and M. rapax. In all four species tested, the estimates of thermal tolerance depend on the duration of exposure to elevated temperatures. Longer exposures to thermal stress produce lower estimates of LT50, which decreased by ~1 °C from a two- to a six-hour exposure. Crab embryos develop on the abdomen of the mother until the larvae are ready to hatch. Therefore, the thermal tolerances of the embryos which need to coincide with the environmental conditions experienced by the adult stage, may carry over into the early zoea stage. Our results suggest that semiterrestrial species, in which embryos may need to withstand higher temperatures than embryos of subtidal species also produce larvae with higher thermal tolerances. Over the short term, the larvae of these tropical crab species can withstand significantly higher temperatures than those experienced in their marine habitat. Longer term rearing studies are necessary to determine the temperature at which chronic exposure has a negative impact on embryonic and larval survival.

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DOI: 10.3897/zoologia.35.e21577

Authors: Taísa Mendes Marques, Walter A. Boeger

Abstract: Ergasilus von Nordmann, 1832 is the type and the most speciose genus of Ergasilidae, with more than 150 valid species. The first species of this genus, Ergasilus iheringi Tidd, 1942, was described from the Neotropical Region, from the gills of Hoplias malabaricus (Bloch, 1794). Since then, 35 new species of Ergasilidae have been described from the Neotropics. However, a reanalysis of the available type specimens of E. iheringi revealed features that suggest that it represents a lineage independent from Ergasilus. Consequently, we propose Tiddergasilus gen. nov. (Ergasilidae: Cyclopoida) to accommodate T. iheringi (Tidd, 1942) comb. nov. The species was re-examined and redescribed based on available type specimens. Tiddergasilus gen. nov. is characterized by species with exopod of leg 4 2-segmented; antenna small and robust, with a short second segment (approximately three times shorter than the first segment), and claw with a unique morphology (short, recurved with a sub-proximal indentation in the inner margin). A phylogenetic analysis, based on a matrix of 15 taxa and 16 morphological characters in PAUP* software 4.0a152, resulted in 15 equally parsimonious trees. Based on this analysis, Tiddergasilus is closely related to a group composed of Neotropical species of Ergasilus – sharing with them antennule with 6-segments. When the highly homoplastic character “number of segments in the antennule” is removed from the analysis, Tiddergasilus forms a polytomy with the clade of genera of the former Vaigamidae, Ergasilus, and the clade Rhinergasilus+Brasergasilus+Pindapixara.

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DOI: 10.3897/zoologia.35.e24573

Authors: Luciana Martins, Marcos Tavares

Abstract: Ypsilothuria bitentaculata bitentaculata (Ludwig, 1893), previously known from several localities in the Pacific Ocean, is recorded herein for the first time from the southwestern Atlantic Ocean based on eight specimens caught off the coast of southeastern Brazil, between 505–511 m deep. Several morphological details are added to the description of Y. b. bitentaculata, including photographs of specimens and calcareous ring plates, as well as scanning electron microscope images of the ossicles from the body wall, oral and anal siphons and introvert. Additionally, Y. b. bitentaculata is compared to its congeners.

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DOI: 10.3897/zoologia.35.e24571

Authors: Ana C.S. Almeida, Facelúcia B.C. Souza, Leandro M. Vieira

Abstract: A new species of the erect cheilostome bryozoan Cellaria Ellis & Solander, 1786 is described from Bahia, NE Brazil. Cellaria oraneae sp. nov. is the first formally characterized species of the genus reported from Northeastern coast of Brazil, distinguished from all congeners by the combination of hexagonal autozooids and rhomboid fertile zooids, hexagonal interzooidal avicularium with sagittate foramen, completely immersed ovicell with oval aperture and proximal rectangular lip. A brief discussion of the diversity of Cellaria from the Atlantic Ocean and a tabular identification key to these species are also provided.

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DOI: 10.3897/zoologia.35.e13047

Authors: Alessandra Rung

Abstract: A new species of Aulacigaster Macquart, 1835 A. zurqui sp. nov., is described from Costa Rica. The new species, which is classified in the plesiomorphica species group following a cladistics analysis, can be separated from all congeners by having a triangular 1st flagellomere and stout body that is uniformly dark-brown to black. An expanded diagnosis of the plesiomorphica group and a modified key to the Neotropical Aulacigaster are provided to accommodate the new species.

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DOI: 10.3897/zoologia.34.e22181

Authors: Yamila Reshaid, Luciana Cao, Francisco Brea, María Ortiz Blanche, Santiago Torres, Gustavo Darrigran

Abstract: In 1981, Corbicula fluminea (Müller, 1774) and C. largillierti (Philippi, 1844) were recorded at the Río de la Plata River. During the 1980’s, C. largillierti was found on a continuous fringe in the shore of that river, while C. fluminea was only found North of Buenos Aires’ harbor. Ten years later, C. fluminea spread to Punta Indio, while C. largillierti remained restricted to tributary streams. The density and size frequency distribution of both species were compared with previous data from samples performed in the same area in 1985–1989. The aim of this research was to determine whether the densities of both species decreased; whether C. fluminea is still more abundant than C. largillierti; and whether the size frequency distributions indicate different population structures from those observed in the end of the 1980’s. Nine localities from the river shore were sampled, and each individual was identified and measured. The size of C. fluminea varied between 2 and 39 mm, showing the highest frequency of individuals between 20 and 25 mm; furthermore the density decreased 90% in 2015/2016. No specimens of C. largillierti were found. In conclusion, the populations of Corbicula inhabiting the Río de la Plata River are retracting.

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DOI: 10.3897/zoologia.34.e20784

Authors: Sheila Lima, Rodrigo Vieira, Alexssandro Camargo, Cínthia Chagas

Abstract: Ommatius erythropus Schiner, 1867 is redescribed and a lectotype is established. The female of Ommatius trifidus Vieira, Bravo & Rafael, 2010 is described and a new record is provided. Ommatius ruficaudus Curran, 1928 is established as a new synonym of Ommatius pulcher (Engel, 1885). An identification key is presented to the Ommatius costatus species group. A map with the geographic records is provided.

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DOI: 10.3897/zoologia.34.e20476

Authors: Raphael Aquino Heleodoro, Ricardo Andreazze, José Albertino Rafael

Abstract: Olcyphides cancellatus Redtenbacher, 1906 was described from Canton, China, in error. The species was transferred to Pseudolcyphides Karny, 1923, a genus that later on was synonymized with Malacomorpha Rehn, 1906. However, the name P. cancellatus was forgotten and was not mentioned in the publication where Pseudolcyphides was synonymized with Malacomorpha and thus was not transferred. Here the original geographical record is corrected and the species is transferred to Malacomorpha. The resulting new combination, M. cancellata comb. nov., resulted from examination of specimens from state of Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil. In addition, species diagnosis, redescription of the female and the first description of male specimens, with comparative comments on other Malacomorpha species, are provided.

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DOI: 10.3897/zoologia.34.e20173

Authors: Carolina Arruda Freire, Leonardo de P. Rios, Eloísa P. Giareta, Giovanna C. Castellano

Abstract: Palaemonid shrimps occur in the tropical and temperate regions of South America and the Indo-Pacific, in brackish/freshwater habitats, and marine coastal areas. They form a clade that recently (i.e., ~30 mya) invaded freshwater, and one included genus, Macrobrachium Bate, 1868, is especially successful in limnic habitats. Adult Macrobrachium acanthurus (Wiegmann, 1836) dwell in coastal freshwaters, have diadromous habit, and need brackish water to develop. Thus, they are widely recognized as euryhaline. Here we test how this species responds to a short-term exposure to increased salinity. We hypothesized that abrupt exposure to high salinity would result in reduced gill ventilation/perfusion and decreased oxygen consumption. Shrimps were subjected to control (0 psu) and experimental salinities (10, 20, 30 psu), for four and eight hours (n = 8 in each group). The water in the experimental containers was saturated with oxygen before the beginning of the experiment; aeration was interrupted before placing the shrimp in the experimental container. Dissolved oxygen (DO), ammonia concentration, and pH were measured from the aquaria water, at the start and end of each experiment. After exposure, the shrimp’s hemolymph was sampled for lactate and osmolality assays. Muscle tissue was sampled for hydration content (Muscle Water Content, MWC). Oxygen consumption was not reduced and hemolymph lactate did not increase with increased salinity. The pH of the water decreased with time, under all conditions. Ammonia excretion decreased with increased salinity. Hemolymph osmolality and MWC remained stable at 10 and 20 psu, but osmolality increased (~50%) and MWC decreased (~4%) at 30 psu. The expected reduction in oxygen consumption was not observed. This shrimp is able to tolerate significant changes in water salt concentrations for a few hours by keeping its metabolism in aerobic mode, and putatively shutting down branchial salt uptake to avoid massive salt load, thus remaining strongly hyposmotic. Aerobic metabolism may be involved in the maintainance of cell volume, concomitant with reduced protein/aminoacid catabolism upon increase in salinity. More studies should be conducted to broaden our knowledge on palaemonid hyporegulation.

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DOI: 10.3897/zoologia.34.e19866

Authors: Julissa M. Churata-Salcedo, Lúcia Massutti de Almeida

Abstract: Coeliaria Mulsant, 1850 is revised based on the external morphology and genitalia of the adults and is distinguished from the other Chnoodini by the following characters: dorsal surface pubescent; antenna 11-segmented; hypomera with rounded fovea; tibia flat and angulated; abdominal postcoxal line incomplete, recurved and with oblique line. A new species, Coeliaria castanea sp. nov., from Brazil, and two new combinations, are proposed: Coeliaria bernardinensis comb. nov. and C. luteicornis comb. nov., expanding the distribution of the genus to Bolivia and Paraguay.

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DOI: 10.3897/zoologia.34.e19987

Authors: Carina Argañaraz, Raquel M. Gleiser

Abstract: Urbanization has a great impact on the diversity of living organisms. Spiders, for example, have been shown to respond negatively (some orb weaving species) and positively (ground dwelling species) to urbanization. The effects of urbanization on crab spiders (Thomisidae) (sit-and-wait predators that generally ambush their prey on flowers and leaves) are not sufficiently known. This paper describes the Thomisidae community that inhabits green patches in a temperate Neotropical city, Cordoba, Argentina, and its surroundings, and ascertains whether there are differences in species richness, abundance and composition between urban and exurban sites. Samples were collected from 30 sites during the summer and spring of 2013 and 2014, using the garden-vacuum method. We compared the abundance, richness and composition of Thomisidae among three habitat categories (urban, suburban and external). Seven species in three genera, Misumenops, Wechselia and Tmarus, were detected. Misumenops was the most abundant genus in Córdoba, and Tmarus elongates Mello-Leitão, 1929 was collected in Argentina for the first time. The abundance, richness and composition of thomisid spiders did not differ between habitat categories, indicating that urbanization does not have a negative effect on the communities of these spiders in open green spaces. Site variability, on the other hand, does, suggesting that local factors may be more relevant than broad-scale factors to explain community patterns in this family.

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DOI: 10.3897/zoologia.34.e19986

Authors: Rodrigo S. Bouzan, João Paulo P. Pena-Barbosa, Antonio Domingos Brescovit

Abstract: Two new species of Chelodesmidae from the Brazilian northeast are described, Iguazus robustus sp. nov., from the state of Paraíba, and Tessarithys exacuminatus sp. nov., from the states of Pernambuco and Sergipe. Iguazus robustus sp. nov. differs from other species of the genus by having a constriction in the zone of the gonopodal acropodite tip and an extra branch at the tip of the acropodite. Tessarithys exacuminatus sp. nov. differs from the other species of the genus by the large and ascending subterminal dorsal branch of the prefemoral process of the gonopod. Brief reviews of the taxonomy, geographic distribution and a key for males of the respective genera are provided.

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DOI: 10.3897/zoologia.34.e19990

Authors: Sergio Aloquio, Cristiano Lopes-Andrade

Abstract: Lelegeis Champion, 1886 occurs only in the Neotropical region and comprises four species: L. aeneipennis Champion, 1886 from Mexico; L. apicalis Laporte & Brullé, 1831 from Cuba; L. hispaniolae Triplehorn, 1962 from Haiti and the Dominican Republic; and L. nigrifrons (Chevrolat, 1878) occurring in Brazil, Mexico, Panama, Peru and Venezuela. Here, Lelegeis pytanga sp. nov. is described based on specimens collected in the Atlantic Forest of Brazil, and the first detailed description of the sclerites of the male and female terminalia of Lelegeis is produced. The new species can be easily distinguished from the other Lelegeis by its dull reddish brown to reddish orange elytral coloration, while the remaining body surface is dull black. The morphology of Lelegeis and its generic boundaries within Diaperinae are discussed.

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DOI: 10.3897/zoologia.34.e19988

Authors: Guilherme Liberato da Silva, Maicon H. Metzelthin, Tairis Da-Costa, Matheus Rocha, Darliane E. Silva, Noeli J. Ferla, Onilda S. da Silva

Abstract: Many studies have revealed that water mite communities can be affected by the physical and chemical parameters of the water. The similarity between the water ‘mite assemblages in local water bodies and in irrigated rice areas can be a way to measure the water conditions, enabling an assessment of the anthropic impact in the environment. The aim of this study was to evaluate the distribution of water mites in lakes and irrigated rice fields in south Brazil. To accomplish that we characterized the distinctive environments using physical and chemical variables such as pH, turbidity (NTU), water temperature (°C) and dissolved oxygen (mg/L), in order to verify the influence of these abiotic factors on the species composition of water mite communities; and to compare water mite abundance, richness and composition among different habitats. We assessed three native lakes and four sites with irrigated rice cultivation. Our results showed, for the first time in Brazil, strong correlations between the water mite fauna and turbidity. In addition, native lakes were richer and had greater mite abundance when compared with the irrigated rice areas.

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DOI: 10.3897/zoologia.34.e13731

Authors: Renata C. Lima-Gomes, Jô de Farias Lima, Célio Magalhães

Abstract: The morphology of stomach ossicles of decapod crustaceans provides valuable information on their phylogeny and biology. We herein described ten new ossicles in the foreguts of two trichodactylid crabs, Sylviocarcinus pictus (H. Milne-Edwards, 1853) and Valdivia serrata White, 1847, in addition to previously described 38 ossicles, which are also recognized and listed. Five specimens each of S. pictus and V. serrata were selected for morphological analysis of gastric ossicles. The stomachs were obtained after removing the carapace, and they were fixed in 10% formalin for 24 hours. After this procedure, the stomachs were immersed in a solution of 10% Potassium Hydroxide (KOH) and heated to 100 °C during 60 minutes for tissue maceration. At this point, the clean skeletons were colored by adding 1% Alizarin Red to the KOH solution in order to facilitate visualization of the internal structures such as the setae and ossicles. The ten new ossicles are: dorsomedial cardiac plate; dorsolateral cardiac plate; suprapectineal lateral ossicle; inferior cardiac valve; lateral mesopyloric ossicle; ampullary roof-medium portion ossicle; process of the ampullary roof-upper portion; lateral-inferior post-ampullary plate; pleuro-pyloric valve’s ossicle; and lateral pleuro-pyloric plate. Some ossicles are thin plates that together with the main ossicles assist in the structure and support of the stomach, which are similar in the two species studied herein. The current knowledge on gastric ossicles will be useful in establishing taxonomic characters, which can evaluate phylogenetic relationships among brachyuran crabs.

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DOI: 10.3897/zoologia.34.e13732

Authors: Camila G. Torquetti, Marcos Xavier Silva, Sônia A. Talamoni

Abstract: Since bats shelter in roosts during their period of diurnal inactivity, the quality and availability of roosts are important aspects of their ecology. Karst areas have great potential for the availability of day roosts, since they form caves, which serve as bat shelters. Here we characterize the caves used by bats in a preserved karst area of Southeastern Brazil. Using logistic regression analysis we identified the cave characteristics that influence bat occupation. Sixty-six caves were characterized based on measurements of internal height and width, height and width of the entrance(s) of the cave, number of entrances, maximum horizontal development of cave, and internal temperature and humidity. In nineteen months we found 14 species in 32 caves. Most species were eventually recorded in multiple caves, with the exception of D. rotundus, G. soricina and A. planirostris, which were always found in the same caves. Desmodus rotundus showed maternity roost fidelity. We found no differences in microclimate between the caves that are occupied and those that are not. In other words, the microclimate of the caves studied herein can be characterized as stable over the years. The only predictor affecting the presence of bats in the study area was the cave’s maximum horizontal development: the caves that are occupied have greater horizontal development. Based on our results, we conclude that bats occupy many of the caves and that some species are more frequent in certain caves than in others, including some roosts that are used as maternity roosts. These findings indicate that these caves are important resources for the bats in the karst environment studied, and should be preserved.

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DOI: 10.3897/zoologia.34.e13730

Authors: Igor Souza-Gonçalves, Cristiano Lopes-Andrade

Abstract: Xylographellini beetles occur mainly in lands of the Southern Hemisphere. However, the taxonomy of Australian and Oriental species is incipient. The tribe comprises four genera, of which Scolytocis Blair, 1928 and Xylographella Miyatake, 1985 were recently redescribed and reported from Australia but without descriptions of new species. Here, three new species of Xylographellini are described: Scolytocis australimontensis sp. n. from Australia, with smooth interspaces of pronotal punctures; Scolytocis insularis sp. n. from the Pohnpei Island (Caroline Islands, Micronesia), with microstriated interspaces of pronotal punctures; and Xylographella frithae sp. n. from Australia, with six raised keels in elytral declivity. Scolytocis samoensis Blair, 1928, type species of the genus, is recorded from Guam (Mariana Islands, Micronesia) and redescribed. Keys for the Scolytocis and Xylographella occurring in the Australian and Oriental regions are also provided.

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DOI: 10.3897/zoologia.34.e13230

Authors: Maria Gabriela Cuezzo, Meire Silva Pena

Abstract: We describe a new genus and a new species in the family Epiphragmophoridae, Minaselates paradoxa sp. n. The new species was found at the National Park Cavernas do Peruaçu, in northern portion of the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. Minaselates paradoxa sp. n. is classified in Epiphragmophoridae based on the fact that it shares the following diagnostic features of the family: a dart apparatus with a single dart sac, and two unequal mucous glands at the terminal genitalia. Minaselates gen. n. differs from Epiphragmophora Doering, 1874 by having a granulose protoconch, shell spire with blunt apex, complex microsculpture on the teleoconch and closed umbilicus fused with the shell wall. Also, significant differences between the two genera are the presence of a long and thin kidney that extends more than half the length of the pulmonary cavity, the presence of a flagellar caecum, and a smooth jaw in Minaselates gen. n. The finding of this new species and genus is particularly significant to refine the definition of the family, since Epiphragmophoridae has been traditionally diagnosed using the same characters of Epiphragmophora. Dinotropis Pilsbry & Cockerell, 1937, the other valid genus in the family, is monospecific and is only known by the morphology of the shell. In many ways it is similar to Epiphragmophora. A cladistics analysis was made in the present study which supports Minaselates gen. n. as a different entity and as sister group of the Epiphragmophora within Epiphragmophoridae.

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DOI: 10.3897/zoologia.34.e11996

Authors: Diego de S. Souza, Marcela L. Monné, Luciane Marinoni

Abstract: Ateralphus Restello, Iannuzzi & Marinoni, 2001 is a Neotropical genus of longhorn beetles composed of nine species. This genus was proposed from splitting Alphus White, 1855 into other two genera: Ateralphus and Exalphus Restello, Iannuzzi & Marinoni, 2001. Even though Ateralphus (nine species), Alphus (four) and Exalphus (18) were recently revised, their validity has not been tested using phylogenetic methods. In this study, we carried out a cladistic analysis of Ateralphus and its related genera, Alphus and Exalphus, based on 44 morphological characters of the adults, to test their monophyly and infer the relationships between their species. Our results support the monophyly of the three genera and recovered two clades that corroborate the species-groups previously recognized in Ateralphus. A new genus, Grandateralphus gen. n., is proposed for one of these clades, which is supported by three synapomorphies: width of upper ocular lobes less than width between the lobe and the coronal suture (character state 6: 0), genae parallel in frontal view (8: 1) and scape gradually expanded toward apex, reaching widest diameter just near apex (9: 2). Grandateralphus gen. n. includes three new combinations: G. lacteus (Galileo & Martins, 2006), comb. n.; G. tumidus (Souza & Monné, 2013), comb. n.; and G. variegatus (Mendes, 1938), comb. n. Notes on the distribution of G. variegatus comb. n. and a new record of E. cicatricornis Schmid, 2014 for Bolivia (Santa Cruz) are provided.

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DOI: 10.3897/zoologia.34.e12622

Authors: Amanda Cseh, Fernando Carbayo, Eudóxia Maria Froehlich

Abstract: The food preference of Obama anthropophila Amaral, Leal-Zanchet & Carbayo, 2015, a species that seems to be spreading across Brazil’s human-modified environments, was investigated. Extensive experiments led to the conclusion that the generalized diet of this species may have facilitated its dispersal. The analysis of 132 feeding records of 44 geoplaninid species revealed a tendency for closely related species to feed on individuals from similar taxonomic groups, suggesting that in this group behavioral evolution is more conserved than phylogenetic diversification.

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DOI: 10.3897/zoologia.34.e12623

Authors: Luiz Silva, Paulo Lana

Abstract: We re-assess the taxonomic status of Owenia Delle Chiaje, 1841 from Southern Brazil based on estuarine specimens from Paranaguá Bay (Paraná) and Babitonga Bay (Santa Catarina), and literature records. Owenia caissara sp. n. is diagnosed by a branchial crown with five pairs of tentacles, branched close to the base of the crown, rectilinear collar with a pronounced lateral slit, two ventrolateral ocelli partially covered by the collar, up to 23 hooks on a single row in the first abdominal segment, regularly curved nuchal shape, regularly moderate teeth curvature, and long and thin scales with oval transition. The description of Owenia caissara sp. n. reinforces the idea that Owenia fusiformis sensu lato is a complex of closely related species that can be distinguished on the basis of both macro- and micro- morphological traits.

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