Defining Habitat Use by the Parabiotic Ants Camponotus femoratus (Fabricius, 1804) and Crematogaster levior Longino, 2003

Ant-garden ants have a strong relationship with epiphytes that need light to grow, for these reason, it has been previously documented in forest gaps. Moreover, larger gaps have more available area for nesting and habitats for use as forage. Thus we hypothesize that 1) canopy openness influence the presence of ant´s gardens in gaps, and 2) greater gaps will have more nests, and 3) both openness canopy and area determine the colony size in forest gaps. Furthermore, it is known that parabiotic ants foraging on the ground and in vegetation, the nests are arboreal. So, we also hypothesize that 4) parabiotic ants are more often sampled in arboreal strata and 5) increasing vegetation connectivity and the volume of accumulated litter in the soil increase the foraging of the ants in vegetation and ground, respectively, with the increase in canopy openness increasing the activity of the two species in both strata. Presence, number of Ant-gardens, as colony size, was affected by area and locality, but not by canopy openness. Nevertheless, there was not overall difference in the use of strata by Camponotus femoratus, neither by Crematogaster levior. On the other hand, frequency of C. femoratus on the ground decreases with canopy openness but is not affected by the vegetation connectivity.  Also, C. levior frequency on the ground also decreases with the increase of complexity of vegetation and canopy openness. In addition, neither vegetation connectivity, or canopy openness influence the frequency of foraging of these ants in understory

Light Steel Framing construction in the southern European context: indoor thermal environment challenges

No abstract available

Amazon deforestation restrictions likely to be circumvented

Brazil’s state of Mato Grosso is part of the “Legal Amazon” region where deforestation is limited by a requirement in the country’s Forest Code, which specifies that 80% of each property must be maintained in native vegetation in areas that were originally Amazon Forest and 35% in areas that were originally Cerrado (central Brazilian savanna). A new bill (PL 377/2022) that is rapidly advancing in the National Congress would remove Mato Grosso from the Legal Amazon, reducing this requirement to 20% in both cases

NOVOS REGISTROS DE ESPÉCIES DE FORMIGAS NEOTROPICAIS NA AMAZÔNIA MERIDIONAL

Although they occupy the most varied soil habitats in the forest canopy and are involved in several ecological processes, little is known about the biology and distribution of many species of neotropical ants. In this paper, we communicate the distribution of two rarely sampled ants species and ecological about them. The distribution of Neoponera luteola is extended to another 500 km more in straight line and the distribution of Gnamptogenys caelata is extended to another 1.500 km in straight line from its closest available records from Brazilian Amazon.Keywords: Ants; Mato grosso; Gnamptogenys caelata; Neoponera luteola.Embora ocupem os mais variados habitats do solo e dossel da floresta e estejam envolvidos em vários processos ecológicos, pouco se conhece sobre a biologia e distribuição de muitas espécies de formigas neotropicais. Neste artigo, comunicamos a distribuição de duas espécies de formigas raramente amostradas e informações ecológicas sobre elas. A distribuição de Neoponera luteola é expandida em mais de 500 km em linha reta e a distribuição de Gnamptogenys caelata é ampliada por cerca de 1,500 km em linha reta de seus registros mais próximos, em uma região da Amazônia Brasileira.Palavras-chave: Formigas, Mato grosso, Gnamptogenys caelata, Neoponera luteola

Amazon Rainforest Ant-Fauna of Parque Estadual do Cristalino: Understory and Ground-Dwelling Ants

Ants are ecologically dominant and have been used as valuable bio-indicators of environmental change or disturbance being used in monitoring inventories.  However, the majority of inventories has concentrated in ground-dwelling ant fauna disregarding the arboreal fauna. This paper aimed to list the ant species collected both on the ground and in the vegetation of the Parque Estadual do Cristalino, an important protected site in the center of the southern Amazon. Moreover, we compared the composition of the ground dwelling and vegetation foraging ants. Was sampled 203 species distributed among 23 genera and eight subfamilies, wherein 35 species had not yet been reported in the literature for Mato Grosso State. As expected, the abundance and richness of ants was higher on the ground than in the understory. Also, the ant assemblages composition was different between these habitats (with only 20% occurring in both). It indicate that complementary methods which include arboreal and terrestrial ants are indicated for efficient inventory. This study provides an inventory of the arboreal and ground ant fauna contributing to the knowledge and conservation of ant fauna of the Amazonian

Expanding the Distribution of the Remarkable Ant Gnamptogenys vriesi Brandão & Lattke (Formicidae, Ectatomminae): First Record From Brazil

Gnamptogenys vriesi Brandão & Lattke is a rare ant originally described based on a worker and on a gyne collected in Morona Santiago province, in Ecuador. After the original description, few specimens of this species were collected in Ecuadorian territory. In this paper we reported the first record for Brazil, which resulted in a significant extension on the knowledge of the distribution of this species, which was currently considered to be restricted to Ecuador. In addition, we also provided images and a distribution map for this species

How the Choice of Habitat and Sampling Technique Affects Biodiversity Knowledge: The Case of Cylindromyrmex (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) in the Atlantic Forest

The Atlantic Forest is a biodiversity hotspot, and myrmecologists broadly study its numerous habitats. Even so, much of its biodiversity remains to be discovered, and the choice of collection methods and habitats to be explored directly affect the results obtained, especially in the case of species with cryptic habits, such as Cylindromyrmex ants. The ant subfamily Dorylinae has 11 genera registered in the Neotropics, with Cylindromyrmex Mayr, 1870 being a lineage to the region. The present study reports new records of three Cylindromyrmex species in 13 municipalities located in the Atlantic Forest in southeastern Brazil. It also describes the effect of sampling techniques and habitats on species records. The 78 examined herein specimens belong to the species C. brasiliensis Emery, 1901, C. brevitarsus Santschi, 1925, and C. longiceps André, 1892, and were collected manually or with Malaise traps. Records are distributed along the Espírito Santo state, with a tendency towards higher records in municipalities with mountainous habitats. All records in this region of the Atlantic Forest are associated with the hottest months and with the highest rainfall, suggesting a possible preference for nuptial flights in the summer. Most records of the three Cylindromyrmex species occurred in forested areas (93%), whereas few records belong to urban areas (7%). Although manual collections and Malaise traps are not widely used in research or surveys of ant diversity, these techniques could potentially reveal essential findings for ant ecology

The Capixaba ant species inventory is far from complete: A local scale assessment of the ants (Formicidae) reveals the importance of diversity studies and entomological collections

The Atlantic Forest is the third largest biome in Brazil, the most sampled, and has the second highest diversity of ant species described. However, these data are spatially very heterogeneous, with the central region of the Atlantic Forest being better sampled. There is a visible gap from the south of Bahia to the north of Rio de Janeiro, comprising the entire state of Espírito Santo. Knowing this biodiversity gap, in this work, we list the ant fauna (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) deposited in the Coleção Entomológica of the Reserva Natural Vale (CERNV), located in the municipality of Linhares, Espírito Santo. The CERNV has 143 ants collected from August 1984, belonging to 63 species, 29 genera, and eight subfamilies. Of the 143 records, 94 are ant workers (66%), 27 queens (19%), and 22 males (15%). Seventy three percent of the ant workers are identified, 52% of queens and 36% of males. The species with the most individuals deposited are Camponotus sp. (15 records), Eciton burchellii (8), Atta sexdens (7), Neoponera villosa (7), and Solenopsis sp. (6). Among the identified ants, 12 species were recorded for the first time in the state of Espírito Santo, Brazil. The collection still holds workers (and probably unidentified males) of a species considered endangered, Dinoponera lucida. We can observe the importance of biological collections for the knowledge of biodiversity, local and regional since species are recorded for the first time in a state whose biome is widely studied, helping to fill in Linnean and Wallacean shortfalls

O Modelo “Grupo Prático de Deslocamentos” em Psicologia e Epistemologia Genéticas e sua Formalização

Neste artigo, temos como objetivo descrever e explicar o que é o modelo Grupo Prático de Deslocamentos, introduzido por Piaget em 1937 na obra La construction du réel chez l’enfant (Neuchâtel, Paris: Delachaux et Niestlé), essencial à compreensão da cons-trução da noção de espaço. Para tanto, introduzimos a notação matemática para des-crevê-lo, damos o significado dessa notação em termos dos comportamentos da criança e explicitamos a estrutura matemática de grupo subjacente ao modelo

Estrutura da comunidade de escaravelhos (Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae) na Mata Atlântica da reserva natural Vale (Linhares, Espírito Santo, Brasil)

There are 7000 species of Scarabaeinae beetles that can be divided into four functional guilds. The aim of this work was to describe the Scarabaeinae community, its functional guilds and fluctuation throughout the year at two sites in the Reserva Natural Vale, municipality of Linhares, Espírito Santo state, Brazil. The samples were carried out monthly, from June 2012 to January 2013, with pitfall traps exposed for 48 hours with human faeces and rotten pig baits. Comparisons between the areas were made through abundance analysis and species richness, besides relating the feeding guilds and nesting of the captured species. A total of 9039 specimens were collected, distributed in 16 genera and 34 species. The most abundant species were Dichotomius (Selenocopris) irinus (Harold, 1867) with 34.5%, Aphengium cupreum Shipp, 1897 with 24.5% and Canthon (Peltecanthon) staigi (Pereira, 1953) with 21.3%. Nine species were recorded in all samples, with 88% of the total species captured during the study. Two out of three most abundant species, D. irinus and A. cupreum were dominant in the dry season. C. staigi was the most abundant in rainy season. Human feces trap was the most effective. In relation to trophic guild, most species were considered specialist. Regarding nesting behavior, the majority are paracoprids, standard pattern of Neotropical regionHay 7000 especies de escarabajos Scarabaeinae que se pueden dividir en cuatro gremios funcionales. El objetivo de este trabajo fue describir la comunidad Scarabaeinae, sus gremios funcionales y su fluctuación a lo largo del año en dos sitios de la Reserva Natural Vale, municipio de Linhares, estado de Espírito Santo, Brasil. Los muestreos se realizaron mensualmente, de junio de 2012 a enero de 2013, con trampas pitfall expuestas durante 48 horas con heces humanas y cebos de cerdo podridos. Se realizaron comparaciones entre las áreas mediante análisis de abundancia y riqueza de especies, además de relacionar los gremios de alimentación y anidación de las especies capturadas. Se recolectaron un total de 9039 ejemplares, distribuidos en 16 géneros y 34 especies. Las especies más abundantes fueron Dichotomius (Selenocopris) irinus (Harold, 1867) con 34,5%, Aphengium cupreum Shipp, 1897 con 24,5% y Canthon (Peltecanthon) staigi (Pereira, 1953) con 21,3%. Se registraron nueve especies en todas las muestras, con un 88% del total de especies capturadas durante el estudio. Dos de las tres especies más abundantes, D. irinus y A. cupreum, fueron dominantes en la estación seca. C. staigi fue la más abundante en época de lluvias. La trampa de heces humanas fue la más efectiva. En relación al gremio trófico, la mayoría de las especies fueron consideradas especialistas. En cuanto al comportamiento de anidación, la mayoría son paracopridos, patrón estándar de la región Neotropical .Existem 7.000 espécies de besouros Scarabaeinae que podem ser divididos em quatro guildas funcionais. O objetivo deste trabalho foi descrever a comunidade Scarabaeinae, suas guildas funcionais e flutuação ao longo do ano, em duas áreas florestadas na Reserva Natural Vale, município de Linhares, estado do Espírito Santo, Brasil. As coletas foram realizadas mensalmente, de junho de 2012 a janeiro de 2013, com armadilhas de queda expostas por 48 horas com fezes humanas e iscas de carne de porco em decomposição. Comparações entre as áreas foram feitas por meio de análises de abundância e riqueza de espécies, além de relacionar as guildas alimentares e de nidificação das espécies capturadas. Foram coletados 9.039 espécimes, distribuídos em 16 gêneros e 34 espécies. As espécies mais abundantes foram Dichotomius (Selenocopris) irinus (Harold, 1867) com 34,5%, Aphengium cupreum Shipp, 1897 com 24,5% e Canthon (Peltecanthon) staigi (Pereira, 1953) com 21,3%. Nove espécies foram registradas em todas as amostras, com 88% do total de espécies capturadas durante o estudo. Duas das três espécies mais abundantes, D. irinus e A. cupreum foram dominantes na estação seca. C. staigi era o mais abundante na estação chuvosa. A armadilha de fezes humanas foi a mais eficaz. Em relação à guilda trófica, a maioria das espécies foi considerada especialista. Em relação ao comportamento de aninhamento, a maioria é de paracoprídeos, padrão para a região Neotropical