Descriptive ecology of bat flies (Diptera: Hippoboscoidea) associated with vampire bats (Chiroptera: Phyllostomidae) in the cerrado of central Brazil

We studied the ectoparasitic bat flies of three phyllostomid vampire bat species. Bats were collected monthly from April 2004-March 2005 in caves within the Cafuringa Environmental Protection Area in the Federal District of Brazil. A total of 1,259 specimens from six species in the Streblidae family were collected from 332 bats. High host affinity from the sampled bat fly species and high prevalence of bat flies confirms the primary fly-host associations (Strebla wiedemanni, Trichobius parasiticus and Trichobius furmani with Desmodus, Trichobius diaemi and Strebla diaemi with Diaemus and T. furmani with Diphylla). Male flies outnumbered females in several associations. Some of the observed associations (e.g., Strebla mirabilis with Desmodus and S. mirabilis, Trichobius uniformis and S. wiedemanni with Diphylla) were inconclusive and the causes of the associations were unclear. There are several explanations for these associations, including (i) accidental contamination during sampling, (ii) simultaneous capture of several host species in the same net or (iii) genuine, but rare, ecological associations. Although various species of vampire bats share roosts, have similar feeding habits and are close phylogenetic relatives, they generally do not share ectoparasitic streblid bat flies. T. diaemi and S. diaemi associations with Diaemus youngi have not been previously reported in this region

OWL ASSEMBLAGES IN FRAGMENTS OF ATLANTIC FOREST IN BRAZIL

Abstract · Habitat loss and fragmentation is recognized as one of the main causes of global biodiversity declines. Birds of prey are considered good environmental bioindicators because they are sensitive to changes in the environment and can suffer local extinctions due to habitat fragmentation. In this study, we aimed to determine whether forest fragment area is correlated with the richness and abundance of owl species, and whether owl species recorded exhibit preferences for fragment edge or interior. The study was undertaken in six remnants of southeastern Atlantic Forest located in Minas Gerais State, Brazil. Six species of owls were recorded: Buff-fronted Owl (Aegolius harrisii), Tropical Screech-Owl (Megascops choliba), Tawny-browed Owl (Pulsatrix koeniswaldiana), Striped Owl (Asio clamator), Mottled Owl (Strix virgata), and Rusty-barred Owl (Strix hylophila). Megascops choliba was the most abundant species. The richness and abundance of species were higher at the edge when compared to the interior of the fragments. The owl species recorded did not seem to prefer the forest interior, while M. choliba had a preference for forest edges. This study adds new empirical knowledge on the effects of fragmentation on Neotropical owl communities.Resumen · Comunidades de lechuzas y búhos en fragmentos de bosque Atlántico en Brasil El proceso de pérdida y fragmentación del hábitat se identifica como una de las principales causas del declive de la biodiversidad mundial. Las aves de presa se consideran un buen bioindicador ambiental porque son sensibles a los cambios en el medio ambiente y pueden extinguirse localmente con la fragmentación del bosque. El objetivo del estudio fue responder a las siguientes preguntas: ¿La fragmentación de los bosques influyen en la riqueza y abundancia de las especies de búhos? ¿Las especies de búho tienen preferencia por el borde o el interior de los fragmentos del bosque? El estudio se llevó a cabo de octubre de 2011 a septiembre de 2012 en seis localidades de la Mata Atlántica suroriental, ubicadas en el estado de Minas Gerais, Brasil. Seis especies de búhos fueron registradas: Lechucita Acanelada (Aegolius harrisii), Currucutú Común (Megascops choliba), Lechuzón Mocho Chico (Pulsatrix koeniswaldiana), Búho Gritón (Asio clamator), Mocho Carijó (Strix virgata) y Rusty-barred Owl (Strix hylophila). M. choliba fue la especie más abundante. La riqueza y abundancia de especies fue mayor en el borde comparado con el interior de los fragmentos. La comunidad de búhos en nuestra área de estudio no parece tener preferencia por el interior del bosque, sin embargo, M. choliba es más abundante en los bordes del bosque. Este estudio aporta nuevos conocimientos sobre la riqueza y abundancia de los búhos Neotropicales y su respuesta a la fragmentación de la Mata Atlántica

Dieta de duas esp?cies simp?tricas de morcegos inset?voros no Cerrado do Brasil Central.

Foi examinado o h?bito alimentar das esp?cies de Vespertilionidae Myotis nigricans (Schinz, 1821) e Eptesicus furinalis (d?Orbigny, 1847) por meio de an?lise de amostras fecais coletadas em animais capturados em ?rea de cerrado sensu stricto e matas de galeria, na APA ? Gama-Cabe?a-de-Veado, Bras?lia, Distrito Federal, Brasil. Um total de 20 amostras fecais foi analisado, sendo sete de E. furinalis e 13 de M. nigricans. A dieta de E. furinalis incluiu seis ordens de insetos: Coleoptera (5/7) (presen?a na amostra total), Lepidoptera e Hymenoptera (3/7), Diptera, Hemiptera e Homoptera (1/7). A dieta de M. nigricans incluiu todas as ordens consumidas por E. furinalis (6/13, 4/13, 4/13, 3/13, 1/13, and 4/13 respectively) e uma ordem a mais: Orthoptera (1/13). Homoptera, Diptera e Orthoptera s? foram amostrados para morcegos capturados em mata de galeria. H? 80% de sobreposi??o na dieta destas duas esp?cies. A preda??o sobre esp?cies das fam?lias Scarabeidae, Hesperiidae, Sphingidae e Saturniidae confirma o potencial dos morcegos como agentes de controle biol?gicos de pragas em ecossistemas agr?colas.We examined food habits of Vespertilionidae bats Myotis nigricans (Schinz, 1821) and Eptesicus furinalis (d?Orbigny, 1847) by fecal analysis in cerrado sensu stricto and gallery forests, within APA ? Gama-Cabe?a-de-Veado, Bras?lia, Distrito Federal, Brazil. Out of 20 fecal samples collected, seven were of Eptesicus furinalis and 13 of Myotis nigricans. The diet of E. furinalis included six orders of insects: Coleoptera (5/7 by items presence), Lepidoptera and Hymenoptera (3/7), Diptera, Hemiptera and Homoptera (1/7). The diet of M. nigricans included all the main orders consumed by E. furinalis (6/13, 4/13, 4/13, 3/13, 1/13, and 4/13 respectively) and one other order: Orthoptera (1/13). Homoptera, Diptera and Orthoptera were collected only in bats captured in gallery forest. There is 80% of overlap in the diet of these two species. Predation on species of Scarabeidae, Hesperiidae, Sphingidae and Saturniidae families confirms bats potential as biological control agents of pests in agricultural ecosystems

Structural Changes in the Male Reproductive Tract of the Stingless Bee Scaptotrigona xanthotricha Moure 1950 (Meliponini, Apidae) During Sexual Maturation

Stingless bees are social insects widely distributed in the Neotropical region but the loss of habitats and the increased use of pesticides in agriculture have threatened the bee populations. Thus, the knowledge of the biology of these insects, including reproductive biology is important for their conservation and management. This study describes the morphological changes in the male reproductive tract during the sexual maturation in the stingless bee Scaptotrigona xanthotricha (Moure 1950). The reproductive tract was investigated under light microscopy from young pupae to 22 days old adults. The male reproductive organs in S. xanthotricha are a pair of testes, each with four follicles, pair of vasa deferentia with enlarged region forming the seminal vesicle that open in an ejaculatory duct. In the male reproductive system of these bees there is no structure that can be recognized as accessory glands as seen in insects in general. From brown-eyed pupae to newly-emerged adults, the epithelia of the seminal vesicles and post-vesicular vasa deferentia have prismatic cells that release secretion to the organs lumen. In 5-days old adults the testes undergo degeneration, the seminal vesicles filled with secretion and spermatozoa, and the epithelium has cubic cells rich in inclusions in the basal region suggesting that this is the age in which males reach the sexual maturation. Structural modifications in the reproductive tract during sexual maturation are discussed concerning the reproductive biology of Meliponini

Comunidades de lechuzas y b?hos en fragmentos de bosque Atl?ntico en Brasil.

Habitat loss and fragmentation is recognized as one of the main causes of global biodiversity declines. Birds of prey are considered good environmental bioindicators because they are sensitive to changes in the environment and can suffer local extinctions due to habitat fragmentation. In this study, we aimed to determine whether forest fragment area is correlated with the richness and abundance of owl species, and whether owl species recorded exhibit preferences for fragment edge or interior. The study was undertaken in six remnants of southeastern Atlantic Forest located in Minas Gerais State, Brazil. Six species of owls were recorded: Buff-fronted Owl (Aegolius harrisii), Tropical Screech-Owl (Megascops choliba), Tawny-browed Owl (Pulsatrix koeniswaldiana), Striped Owl (Asio clamator), Mottled Owl (Strix virgata), and Rusty-barred Owl (Strix hylophila). Megascops choliba was the most abundant species. The richness and abundance of species were higher at the edge when compared to the interior of the fragments. The owl species recorded did not seem to prefer the forest interior, while M. choliba had a preference for forest edges. This study adds new empirical knowledge on the effects of fragmentation on Neotropical owl communities.El proceso de p?rdida y fragmentaci?n del h?bitat se identifica como una de las principales causas del declive de la biodiversidad mundial. Las aves de presa se consideran un buen bioindicador ambiental porque son sensibles a los cambios en el medio ambiente y pueden extinguirse localmente con la fragmentaci?n del bosque. El objetivo del estudio fue responder a las siguientes preguntas: ?La fragmentaci?n de los bosques influyen en la riqueza y abundancia de las especies de b?hos? ?Las especies de b?ho tienen preferencia por el borde o el interior de los fragmentos del bosque? El estudio se llev? a cabo de octubre de 2011 a septiembre de 2012 en seis localidades de la Mata Atl?ntica suroriental, ubicadas en el estado de Minas Gerais, Brasil. Seis especies de b?hos fueron registradas: Lechucita Acanelada (Aegolius harrisii), Currucut? Com?n (Megascops choliba), Lechuz?n Mocho Chico (Pulsatrix koeniswaldiana), B?ho Grit?n (Asio clamator), Mocho Carij? (Strix virgata) y Rusty-barred Owl (Strix hylophila). M. choliba fue la especie m?s abundante. La riqueza y abundancia de especies fue mayor en el borde comparado con el interior de los fragmentos. La comunidad de b?hos en nuestra ?rea de estudio no parece tener preferencia por el interior del bosque, sin embargo, M. choliba es m?s abundante en los bordes del bosque. Este estudio aporta nuevos conocimientos sobre la riqueza y abundancia de los b?hos neotropicales y su respuesta a la fragmentaci?n de la Mata Atl?ntica

Distribution of the assemblage of phlebotomine sandflies (Diptera: Psychodidae) along an environmental gradient.

The geographical distribution of leishmaniasis has undoubtedly expanded, and is now being reported to be in areas that were previously non-endemic. This study therefore aimed to investigate whether there is any variation in the structure and in the composition of phlebotomine communities along an environmental gradient - from a mesic to a xeric environment, across different climatic periods (rainy and dry seasons). Furthermore, we test whether there were differences in sex ratio of sand flies between wet and dry environments. A total of 535 specimens of sand flies belonging to 18 species were recorded. Richness, abundance, and composition of species were significatively higher in the xeric environment (semidecidual Forest) compared to the mesic environment (Riparina Forest). We unveiled site specific differences in sand fly collections since the community composition changes with the geographic distance among the sampling points. These results led to the conclusion that for sand flies species, the environmental conditions available for each species could be different within the habitat taking into account the degree of humidity in the forest as well as the climatic season (dry or wet). The present study gives a valuable contribution to the knowledge of sand flies, as a group of insects, from the Atlantic Forest biome

Impact of resource availability on bee diversity.

Resource availability is an important predictor of abundance and species richness. In this paper we veri!ed why there is local variation in bee diversity testing the hypothesis that bee species richness and abundance will increase with increasing resource availability. Resource availability was considered here as the number of "owering plants and the number of plant species. Sampling was carried out at two sites in Brazil, the quartzitic range (Ouro Branco) and metaliferous !elds (Ouro Preto). At these sites ecosystems are endangered by high anthropogenic impacts, particularly due to mining and urbanization. #e samples were collected for 10 months in each site, twice a month, from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm. #e bees belonged to 77 species and 5 subfamilies. Bee species and abundance increased with the increase in the number of plant species and plant abundance at both sites. Bee richness and abundance were higher in Ouro Branco than in Ouro Preto. Our results showed that bee diversity may be regulated by resource availability

Orchid bee fauna responds to habitat complexity on a savanna area (Cerrado) in Brazil

Here we investigated responses of orchid bee assemblages to habitat complexity, with the aim of assessing complexity as a useful surrogate for species diversity of this group. For the purposes of our study, we defined habitat complexity as the heterogeneity in the arrangement in physical structure of habitat (vegetation), although there is a large range of operational definitions in the literature. We test the following hypotheses: (i) There is a greater species richness and abundance of orchid bee in sites with high habitat complexity than lower habitat complexity; (ii) High habitat complexity sites have a different species composition of orchid bee than lower habitat complexity sites. In fact, orchid bee species richness was higher in high complexity areas while community composition was not affected by habitat complexity, due to the effect of dominant species. Habitat complexity, measured as a function of differences in multiple strata in forests, may be of great worth as a surrogate for the diversity of a range of arthropod groups including orchid bees

Work in Darkness: How Hawk Moth Produce Mangabas (Hancornia speciosa, Apocynaceae) in Brazilian Cerrado

Mangaba (Hancornia speciosa, Apocynaceae), native to Cerrado in Brazil, is a tropical fruit crop, consumed mainly as juice. Supply, however, does not satisfy the market because mangabas are still harvested mainly in natural populations. Thus, the species has a great potential as future fruit crop. Recently, first experimental mangaba orchards arose in agricultural research stations in northeastern Brazil. We analysed floral biology and breeding systems, determined effective pollinators and evaluated the pollination success of mangaba in natural environments and experimental orchards. Furthermore, we evaluated environmental demands of effective pollination. Hancornia speciosa is a self-incompatible tree with nocturnal flowers. Insects with long mouthparts of more than 30 species, especially nocturnal hawk moths (Sphingidae), visited the flowers. The flowers exhibit a precise pollination apparatus, which optimises pollen transfer between flower and pollinator. During a flower visit, almost half of exogenous pollen grains adhering to the proboscis are deposited on the stigma surface. While the pollination mechanism avoids self-pollination, mass-flowering promotes geitonogamy. A pollination experiment with nylon threads simulating consecutive flower visits within a crown revealed that there is no fruit set after the third consecutive flower visit. Nevertheless, all groups of flower visitors with long mouthparts were effective pollinators and, mangaba plants, in general, benefit by a high pollinator abundance and diversity. Fruit set in the studied populations were strongly pollinator limited, and the mangaba berries showed a high variation in size and weight. Seed number was directly correlated to fruit weight. An optimised pollinator mediated flow of cross pollen, thus, is responsible for large fruits. Our data suggest that fruit set could be increased two to three times with better pollination service. The study indicates that pollinator management implies management of the surrounding vegetation of the mangaba orchards guaranteeing a diversified environment. Strong pollinator populations require sphingophilous plants in the surroundings of the plantation that provide nectar when mangaba does not flower. Moreover, their oligotrophic caterpillars need specific species of host plants to survive. Orchards with clonal mangaba plants will result in low fruit set