Description of Taulidesmella tabatinga n.sp. (Diplopoda, Polydesmida, Pyrgodesmidae) from Amazon River floodplains, with notes on its distribution and ecology

A new pyrgodesmid, Taulidesmella tabatinga n.sp., is described from near lquitos, Peru, from near Tabatinga (an area at the border between Brazil, Peru and Colombia), from the environs of Manaus and from Rio Madeira, Brazil, all these localities lying along the Solimões/Amazon River. T. tabatinga is only a second congener distinct from the type-species T. chanchamayo KRAUS, 1959, from Peru, chiefly by the much larger body size, 12-lobed collum, somewhat differently lobulated paraterga and simpler gonopods. This species, apparently widespread in Amazonian floodplains, represents a "terricolous migrant" which passes the aquatic phase on tree trunks above the water-level and has a low flood tolerance (1 < 16 hs)

Review of the Neotropical millipede genus Pycnotropis CARL, 1914 (Diplopoda, Polydesmida, Aphelidesmidae)

A review of Pycnotropis is presented, with the description of 14 new species: P. goeldii n.sp., P. madeira n.sp., P. sigma n.sp. and P. urucu n.sp., all from Brazil, P. carli n.sp. from Ecuador, P. curvata n.sp., P. falcata n.sp., P. jeekeli n.sp., P. pallidicornis n.sp., P. similis n.sp., P. subfalcata n. sp., P. unapi n.sp., P. torresi n.sp. and P. zumbii n.sp., all from Peru. P. acuticollis (ATTEMS, 1899), is redescribed upon the holotype from Brazil. Based on abundant strictly topotypic material, P. tida (CHAMBERLIN, l94l), is considered as a subjective senior synonym of P. epiclysmus HOFFMAN, 1995 (syn.n.). A key has been compiled to all 26 species of this diverse genus, with notes on its distribution

A new species of Chondrodesmus Silvestri, 1897 from near Tefé, Central Amazonia, Brazil, with first ecological observations (Diplopoda, Polydesmida, Chelodesmidae)

Chondrodesmus mamirauaensis n.sp. is described from Mamirauá Sustainable Development Reserve, environs of Tefé, Amazonia, Brazil, with first ecological data given. The new species comes closest, both structurally and geographically, to Ch. mimus CHAMBERLIN, 1941, known from a single female (holotype) from Iquitos, Peru, but differs clearly at least by the much smaller body size (width up to 7.5 versus 13 mm) and the pallid versus brown epiproct. This is not only the first formal record of both the genus Chondrodesmus SILVESTRI, 1897 and the tribe Chondrodesmini in Brazil, but also the first representative of the entire family Chelodesmidae showing Vertical migrations in response to annual inundation in the Central Amazonian várzea forests

Temperature and photoperiod: what affects the nymphal development of Cornops aquaticum (Orthoptera: Acrididae)?

Development of the semi-aquatic acridid Cornops aquaticum on Eichhornia crassipes (Pontederiaceae) was investigated in the laboratory. Influence of constant (12 and 27 °C) and variable (36/3 °C and 36/4.5 °C) temperatures as well as constant (24 h day) and variable (14 h day/ 10 h night) photoperiods were analysed. The highest survival of nymphs (69 %) was obtained under an extreme photoperiod (24 h day) and constant temperature (27 °C). Both temperature and photoperiod were important for the development and number of nymphal stages, indicating a synergic effect

Publication bias in situ

BACKGROUND: Publication bias, as typically defined, refers to the decreased likelihood of studies' results being published when they are near the null, not statistically significant, or otherwise "less interesting." But choices about how to analyze the data and which results to report create a publication bias within the published results, a bias I label "publication bias in situ" (PBIS). DISCUSSION: PBIS may create much greater bias in the literature than traditionally defined publication bias (the failure to publish any result from a study). The causes of PBIS are well known, consisting of various decisions about reporting that are influenced by the data. But its impact is not generally appreciated, and very little attention is devoted to it. What attention there is consists largely of rules for statistical analysis that are impractical and do not actually reduce the bias in reported estimates. PBIS cannot be reduced by statistical tools because it is not fundamentally a problem of statistics, but rather of non-statistical choices and plain language interpretations. PBIS should be recognized as a phenomenon worthy of study – it is extremely common and probably has a huge impact on results reported in the literature – and there should be greater systematic efforts to identify and reduce it. The paper presents examples, including results of a recent HIV vaccine trial, that show how easily PBIS can have a large impact on reported results, as well as how there can be no simple answer to it. SUMMARY: PBIS is a major problem, worthy of substantially more attention than it receives. There are ways to reduce the bias, but they are very seldom employed because they are largely unrecognized

Myriapoda at "Reserva Ducke", Central Amazonia/Brazil

Myriapoda contains the four recent classes Chilopoda, Diplopoda, Pauropoda and Symphyla. In total, 159 families, 2166 genera and >15162 species are known world-wide. Twenty-nine families, >93 genera and >401 described species occur in Amazonia. One-fifth of the families presently known in the myriapods are represented in Amazonia. About 3% of all described species live, and at least 9% of the species estimated to exist world-wide in Myriapoda are assumed to live in Amazonia. From the forest reserve 'Reserva Ducke' near Manaus, 22 families, 38 genera and 73 described species are known at present. The Chilopoda represent 5 families, 9 genera, 23 species and one undescribed morphospecies, the Diplopoda 13 families, 18 described genera, 14 species and 19 undescribed morphospecies, the Pauropoda 2 families, 7 genera, 31 species, and the Sympyla 2 families, 4 genera and 5 species. All names are liste

Practical keys to the orders and families of millipedes of the Neotropical region (Myriapoda: Diplopoda)

lllustrated keys are given to the 13 orders and 46 families of the Class Diplopoda known to occur in the Neotropical Region, viz., Middle America south of central Mexico, the Caribbean, and all of South America. Brief annotated summaries of each taxon, as represented in the region, are also provided

On the identity of further two millipede species (Diplopoda) from the environs of Manaus, Central Amazonia

The millipede genus Pycnotropis CARL, 1914 is shown to be represented in the floodplains near Manaus by a single, highly variable and obviously eurytopic species which occurs also in secondary upland forest: P. epiclysmus HOFFMAN, 1996 (Polydesmida: Platyrhacidae). To facilitate recognition, especially so vis-a-vis a number of its nominal and by far more poorly known congeners, some of which are possibly its senior synonyms, the variation range of this species is briefly outlined. In addition, a direct, side-by- side re-examination of topotypes of Epinannolene arborea HOFFMAN, 1984 (Spirostreptida: Pseudonannolenidae) and the holotype of Pseudonannolene exilio BRÖLEMANN, 1904, all from Manaus, results in a new formal synonymy and combination: Epinannolene exilio (BRÖLEMANN. 1904), syn. n., comb. n

Morphometry of the nymphal stages in Cornops aquaticum (Acrididae: Leptysminae) from Argentina

Cornops aquaticum is a widely distributed species in Latin America and has a life cycle associated with Eichhornia crassipes (MART.) SOLMS and E. azurea (SW.) KUNTH (Pontederiaceae). The correct determination of the nymphal stages in C. aquaticum is important to study the population structure in a specific region. The purpose of this study is to evaluate if morphometric characters can be used to determine the different nymphal stages in C. aquaticum. For this reason, first-stage nymphs were reared at two localities (Corrientes: N = 29, 28, 24; Santa Fe: N = 26, 16) under different conditions of temperature and insolation. After hatching and after each moult, fresh weight ("Peso") of nymphs was determined and measurements of the following morphometrical characters were taken: distance from fastigium to end of pterothecas or pronotum (A), distance from fastigium to end of abdomen (B), length of hind femur (H), length of antenna (L), and number of antennal segments (N Ant.). Length of the hind femur (H) was the most constant and precise character in each nymphal stage, subjected to little measuring bias and easy to measure when working with a high population density. Morphometrical and morphological data are expected to contribute to the ecological knowledge of this species

The impact of the ABO/Rh blood group on susceptibility and severity among COVID-19 patients in Luanda, Angola

SARS-CoV-2 is a public health concern worldwide. Identification of biological factors that could influence transmission and worsen the disease has been the subject of extensive investigation. Herein, we investigate the impact of the ABO/Rh blood group on susceptibility and severity among COVID-19 patients in Luanda, Angola. This was a multicentric cohort study conducted with 101 COVID-19 patients. Chi-square and logistic regression were calculated to check factors related to the worsening of the disease and deemed significant when p<0.05. Blood type O (51.5%) and Rh-positive (93.1%) were the most frequent. Patients from blood type O had a high risk to severe disease [OR: 1.33 (95% CI: 0.42 - 4.18), p=0.630] and hospitalization [OR: 2.59 (95% CI: 0.84 - 8.00), p=0.099]. Also, Rh-positive blood type presented a high risk for severe disease (OR: 10.6, p=0.007) and hospitalization (OR: 6.04, p=0.026). We find a high susceptibility, severity, hospitalization, and mortality, respectively, among blood group O and Rh-positive patients, while blood group AB presented a low susceptibility, severity, hospitalization, and mortality, respectively. Our findings add to the body of evidence suggesting that ABO/Rh blood groups play an important role in the course of SARS-CoV-2 infection.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio