Foreword

From its beginnings, humanity has lived intensely with the insects, which are prevailing forms of life in the terrestrial environment, comprising fourfifths of all of the animals on the earth, with more than one million species. Relations of good and evil, established over millennia with these small or even minute animals, are duly enshrined in stereotyped symbols in the imaginary of the Christian West in the centuries preceding the Industrial Revolution. Representations of beetles, butterflies, dragonflies, bees and flies, although very frequent in the artistic expressions of all time and civilizations, have been sparingly recorded and considered in studies of the image. When properly evaluated, such small iconographic details bring to the surface much of the knowledge and imagery of the humanity of yesterday and even today. The proposed interdisciplinary dossier “Insects, Art and Science in the Modern and Contemporary Ages”, in which Zoology joins the History of Art, intends to highlight the importance of these small animals in the western iconography and demonstrate the potential of their proper consideration. The omnipresence of these “miraculous reductions of the mystery and magic of grand divine design” 3 will be treated here conceptually in analogy with the notions of micro- and macrocosm, in which the detail holds a key to the understanding of the whole. This dossier consists of six articles that clearly exemplify the different views on the representation of these animals, from the simple record to the formalized treatment of deep iconographic issues, where their presence, usually ignored, can makes us reconsider well-established academic concepts. The sequential disposition of the articles follows the chronological order of the production to which it refers, covering works produced between the 15th and 20th centuries

Borboletas entre o paraíso e o inverno: arte, ciência e religião nas naturezas-mortas do século de ouro dos Países Baixos

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Recomendações para a Coleta, Criação e Colecionamento de Larvas de Odonata

The taxonomy of the dragonfly larvae of Neotropical Region is still very poor. Manuals or guides about this subject are not available yet. So, it is necessary to breeding unknown larvae for their correct identification, based on the related emerged adults, and posterior description. Methods for all the steps of the work related to the manipulation of these forms in the field and in the laboratory, specially the rearing, are presented in detail. Each procedure is discussed and associated with biological data. Alternative materials, cheap and easy to find, are preferentially indicated.A taxonomia das larvas de libélulas da Região Neotropical ainda é muito deficiente. Manuais ou guias de identificação ainda não são disponíveis. Assim, torna-se necessária a criação das larvas desconhecidas para a sua precisa identificação, a partir da obtenção dos adultos emergidos, e posterior descrição. Métodos para todas as etapas do trabalho envolvendo a manipulação dessas formas em campo e laboratório, especialmente a criação, são apresentados com detalhe. Cada procedimento é discutido e associado a informações biológicas. Materiais alternativos, baratos e de fácil encontro, são indicados preferencialmente

Aspectos da biologia, morfologia e ontogenia da larva de Coryphaeschna perrensi (McLachlan, 1887) (Insecta, Odonata, Aeshnidae), com algumas considerações filogenéticas

Aspects of the biology, morphology and ontogeny of the larva of Coryphaeschna perrensi (McLachlan, 1887) (Odonata, Aeshnidae), with some phylogenetic considerations. The larval cycle of the dragonfly Coryphaeschna perrensi was studied based mainly on material collected monthly during two years (1987-1988) in a sand dune swamp located in Maricá, Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil (22º56'S, 42° 50'W). The regular larval development averaged approximately 10 months in the laboratory, having 15 instars (except the prolarva). The last two instars may vary in duration and be enlarged probably to fit the emergence. The flight period is concentrated in seven months, with the peak in February. The morphology of the ultimate instar larva is described and illustrated as well as the morphological changes occurred during the ontogeny since the first instar. Many of the characters described have dif fei·ent states represented. in separate groups of Aeshnidae or correlatives, enabling their polarization based on the ontogeny criterion, contribüting to the establishment of monophyletic groups and their phylogenetic relationship. So, the unique terminyl- latval characters of some species of the genus (premental syines long with the anterior border between the mediyn cleft and the spines armed with piliform setae; prementum long, with the sides of the basal half parallel; posterior border of the head angulate) were taken as synapomorphies which designated Coryphae-schna stricto sensu (C. ingen-s, C. perrensi and C. virititas). Coryphaeschna adnexa is postulated as the the sister groi.tp of ConJPhay-schna stricto sensu with basis on one synapomorphy (two black spots included in the third dark ring ot' the femora). Dyrived states of other characters (movable hooks armed dorsally with a longitudinal row of more than 5 setae; with the molar crest without or with only one tooth m between the teeth a and b), suggest thecondition of the family Aeshnidae.CAPESO ciclo larval do odonato Coryphaeschna perrensi (McLachlan, 1887) foi estudado principalmente a partir de material coletado por dois anos consecutivos, mensalmente, em um brejo de dunas situado em Maricá, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil (22º56'S, 42º50'W). O período larval total, regular, mantido em laboratório, é de cerca de 10 meses, possuindo 15 estádios (excluindo a prolarva). Os dois últimos estádios podem variar em duração, e ser ampliados em alguns casos, regulando possivelmente a época de emergência. O período de voo está concentrado em 7 meses, sendo fevereiro o mês central e o de maior abundância. A morfologia do último estágio larval foi descrita e figurada, assim como as modificações ocorrentes na ontogenia desde o primeiro estágio. Muitos dos caracteres descritos na ontogenia apresentam diferentes estados correspondentes em grupos distintos de Aeshnidae ou correlatos, viabilizando a sua polarização, baseada no “critério ontogenético”, contribuindo ao estabelecimento de grupos monofiléticos e de seu relacionamento filogenético. Assim sendo, considerou-se as características exclusivas das larvas maduras de algumas espécies do gênero como sinapomorfias (par de espinhos do premente desenvolvidos, com o bordo anterior, entre eles e a fenda mediana provido de setas piliformes; premente alongado, com a metade basal de mesma largura; bordo posterior da cabeça anguloso, alongado posteriormente), designando Coryphae-schna stricto sensu (C. ingens, C. perrensi e C. viriditas). Coryphaeschna adnexa evidencia-se como o “grupo irmão” deste, pela partilha de um caráter (presença de duas manchas negras inclusas no terceiro anel escuro dos fêmures). Os estados tardios de outros caracteres (garras móveis armadas com fileira de mais de 5 setas, dorsalmente; mandíbula esquerda com quilha molar lisa, com no máximo um dente m entre os dentes a e b) sugerem a condição monofilética da família Aeshnidae

Representações de vespas nas naturezas-mortas dos Países Baixos entre 1600 e 1715

The still-lifes painted after the Protestant Reformation in the Low Countries recorded many insects, including wasps and hornets. This work sought to understand how the images of these insects were represented in such paintings, between 1600 and 1715, identifying the taxa and biological traits represented, and defining their iconological roles. In the 41 paintings selected, 47 representations of wasps and hornets were recorded and 30 taxa were identified. Wasps and hornets were painted mostly over the flowers and food. These insects appear in some paintings, mainly the forest still-lifes of Abraham Mignon, as possible representations of demons in a context similar to the Last Judgements, a style of Christian painting very common in the Western Europe. In the selected still-lifes of Georg Flegel and Balthasar van der Ast the presence of these insects act as an alarm against some addictions, such as the excessive consumption of sugary foods, the collectionism of futilities and the excessive wealth in everyday life, the wasps and hornets also have the function of remember of and represent the punishment suffered by those who allow themselves to be led by such vices

Moth of Venus, caterpillar of Christ

This paper identifies and contextualizes all the insects depicted by the Florentine master Piero di Cosimo (1462-1522). These are present in six of his paintings: Madonna and Child with Saints Lazarus and Sebastian, Chiesa dei Santi Michele Arcangelo e Lorenzo Martire, Montevettolini (Flesh fly); Vulcan and Aeolus, National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa (Migratory locust and Scarce swallowtail butterfly); Adoration of the Child, Toledo Museum of Art, Toledo, OH (Water scorpion); Venus, Mars and Cupid, Gemäldegalerie, Berlin (Jersey tiger moth and Housefly); The discovery of honey, Worcester Art Museum, Worcester, MA (Swarm of wasps); Virgin and Child with Saint John the Baptist and an Angel, Museu de Arte de São Paulo Assis Chateaubriand, São Paulo (Death’s head hawkmoth caterpillar). In an attempt to interpret the presence of each insect depicted within its specific iconographic context, we propose that Piero used them for different purposes: as references to events described in the New Testament (Toledo and São Paulo), as reminders of plagues that attacked the Tuscany of his time (Montevettolini and Berlin), as realized abstractions of natural elements (Ottawa), and even as a joke in a joyous bacchanalian scene (Worcester)

Descrição da Larva de Orthemis Cultriformis Calvert, 1899 (Insecta, Odonata, Libellulidae)

The ultimate instar larva of Orthemis cultriformis Calvert, 1899 is described and figured based on reared specimens from Magé, RJ, Brazil. This larva is compared in a table with those other six known of the genus, using features of the external morphology. A preliminary key to the known larvae of the genus is appended.A larva de último ínstar de Orthemis cultriformis Calvert, 1899 é descrita e ilustrada através de material criado, proveniente de Magé, RJ, Brasil. Essa larva é comparada em uma tabela com as outras seis conhecidas do gênero, utilizando-se de caracteres da morfologia externa. Uma chave preliminar para a identificação dessas larvas é apresentada

O entomólogo brasileiro Messias Carrera (1907–1994): Perfil biobibliográfico

O entomólogo brasileiro Messias Carrera (1907‑1994): Perfil Biobibliográfico. O presente artigo tem como foco a trajetória de vida e a produção bibliográfica do entomólogo e divulgador da ciência Messias Carrera (1907‑1994), sendo apresentados aspectos de seu perfil pessoal, de sua formação acadêmica e de seu desenvolvimento profissional. O seu papel como pesquisador do Departamento de Zoologia da Secretaria de Agricultura, Indústria e Comércio do Estado de São Paulo, atual Museu de Zoologia da Universidade de São Paulo, é enfatizado, tendo atuado principalmente na taxonomia dos insetos da ordem Diptera e na divulgação científica entre as décadas de 1930 e 1990. Carrera foi um pesquisador e divulgador de ciência a frente do seu tempo. Sua produção intelectual, circunscrita às esferas científica, tecnológica e “humanística”, acrescenta avanços importantes para as relativas áreas do conhecimento.The present article focuses on the life trajectory and the bibliographic production of the entomologist and science communicator Messias Carrera (1907-1994), presenting aspects of his personal profile, academic training and professional development. His role as a researcher in the Zoology Department of Secretaria de Agricultura, Indústria e Comércio do Estado de São Paulo, currently Museu de Zoologia of the Universidade de São Paulo, is emphasized, having worked mainly in the taxonomy of insects of the order Diptera and in science communication between the 1930s and 1990s. Carrera was a science researcher and communicator ahead of his time. His intellectual production, limited to the scientific, technological and “humanistic” spheres, adds important advances to the relative areas of knowledge