Spatial distribution of nests of Cornitermes cumulans (Isoptera: Termitidae) in a pasture in the municipality of Rio Claro (SP), Brazil / Distribuição espacial dos ninhos de Cornitermes cumulans (Isoptera: Termitidae) em uma área de pastagem no município de Rio Claro (SP), Brasil

The nests of Cornitermes cumulans were detected as randomly distributed in a pasture in the municipality of Rio Claro, São Paulo, Brazil. The mean distance between each nest and its closest neighboring nest influenced their mean volume at the level (mean volume = 27.002 + 4.508 nearest neighbor distance; r= 0.155**, n = 61). Although the distribution pattern of the nests of Cornitermes cumulans was random, competition may be one of the limiting factors for the growth of the colonies which could support the hypothesis that this pattern is tending toward an aggregation, or is, at a larger scale, an aggregating pattern

SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION OF NESTS OF CORNITERMES CUMULANS (ISOPTERA: TERMITIDAE) IN A PASTURE IN THE MUNICIPALITY OF RIO CLARO (SP) , BRAZIL

The nests of Cornitermes cumulans were detected as randomly distributed in a pasture in the municipality of Rio Claro, São Paulo, Brazil. The mean distance between each nest and its closest neighboring nest influenced their mean volume at the level (mean volume = 27.002 + 4.508 nearest neighbor distance; r= 0.155**, n = 61). Although the distribution pattern of the nests of Cornitermes cumulans was random, competition may be one of the limiting factors for the growth of the colonies which could support the hypothesis that this pattern is tending toward an aggregation, or is, at a larger scale, an aggregating pattern

Diversity of flower visiting bees of Eugenia uniflora L. (Myrtaceae) in fragments of Atlantic Forest in South Brazil

Eugenia uniflora L. (Myrtaceae) is pollinated mostly by bees and there are no restrictions for pollen collection in their flowers. This stimulated us to study the bee diversity on its flowers in two forest fragments in southern Brazil, in August and September, 2012. A total of 826 bees belonging to 39 species and four subfamilies were captured with entomological nets. Halictinae presented the greatest richness, followed by Apinae, Colletinae and Andreninae. Apis mellifera was the only common species and the most abundant, followed by Scaptotrigona bipunctata and Melipona obscurior. Seven species were classified as intermediate and 31 as rare. Highest numbers of bees were collected from 10h to 11:30, and The species richness of flower visiting bees was much higher than that of previous studies with first records of Plebeia remota and Anthrenoides paolae. Eugenia uniflora is a food source for exotic and native bees and possibly contributes to the conservation of these bees in forest fragments. In return, the bees probably act in maintaining this plant native of the Atlantic Forest

Euglossina (Hymenoptera: Apidae) from an Araucaria Forest fragment in Southern Brazil Euglossina (Hymenoptera: Apidae) em um fragmento de Floresta com Araucária no Sul do Brasil

Bees of the subtribe Euglossina (Hym. Apidae) are Neotropical and are characterized by interaction with species of Orchidaceae. The objective of this study was to investigate the occurrence of Euglossina’s species in a fragment of Araucaria Forest in Southern Brazil. Were determined eight sampling points in the Parque Municipal das Araucárias, which installed a set of traps containing odoriferous substances used as attractive (eugenol, eucalyptol, and vanillin). We collected 35 male specimens belonging to two species: Eulaema nigrita (n = 34) and Euglossa fimbriata (n = 1). Our findings add important information about the activity of Euglossina in the Araucaria Forest, since the occurrence of these bees is unprecedented for the region of Guarapuava.Resumo As abelhas da subtribo Euglossina (Hymenoptera: Apidae) são neotropicais e se destacam pela interação com espécies de Orchidaceae. O objetivo deste estudo foi investigar a ocorrência das espécies de Euglossina em um fragmento de Floresta Ombrófila Mista no Sul do Brasil. Foram coletados oito (8) pontos de amostragem no Parque Municipal das Araucárias nos quais foi instalado um conjunto de armadilhas contendo substâncias odoríferas utilizadas como atrativo (eugenol, eucaliptol e vanilina). Nós coletamos 35 exemplares machos pertencentes a duas espécies: Eulaema nigrita (n = 34) e Euglossa fimbriata (n = 1). Nossos resultados agregam informações importantes sobre a atividade de Euglossina na Floresta com Araucária, visto que a ocorrência destas abelhas é inédita para a região de Guarapuava

Collection of Pollen Grains by Centris (Hemisiella) tarsata Smith (Apidae: Centridini): Is C. tarsata an Oligolectic or Polylectic Species?

Lia Goncalves, Claudia Ines da Silva, and Maria Luisa Tunes Buschini (2012) Collection of pollen grains by Centris (Hemisiella) tarsata Smith (Apidae: Centridini): Is C. tarsata an oligolectic or polylectic species? Zoological Studies 51(2): 195-203. Among pollinator species, bees play a prominent role in maintaining biodiversity because they are responsible, on average, for 80% of angiosperm pollination in tropical regions. The species richness of the bee genus Centris is high in South America. In Brazil, these bees occur in many types of ecosystems. Centris tarsata is an endemic species occurring only in Brazil. No previous studies considered interactions between plants and this bee species in southern Brazil, where it is the most abundant trap-nesting bee. Accordingly, the goals of this study were to investigate plants used by this species for its larval food supply and determine if this bee is polylectic or oligolectic in this region. This work was conducted in the Parque Municipal das Araucarias, Guarapuava (PR), southern Brazil, from Mar. 2002 to Dec. 2003. Samples of pollen were collected from nests of these bees and from flowering plants in grassland and swamp areas where the nests were built. All of the samples were treated with acetolysis to obtain permanent slides. The family Solanaceae was visited most often (71%). Solanum americanum Mill. (28.6%) and Sol. variabile Mart. (42.4%) were the primary pollen sources for C. tarsata in the study area. We found that although C. tarsata visited 20 species of plants, it preferred Solanum species with poricidal anthers and pollen grains with high protein levels. This selective behavior by females of C. tarsata indicates that these bees are oligolectic in their larval provisioning in this region of southern Brazil. http://zoolstud.sinica.edu.tw/Journals/51.2/195.pd

Biology of a trap-nesting wasp of one species the ground-nesting Liris (Hymenoptera: Crabronidae) from the Atlantic Forest of southern Brazil

ABSTRACT Studies on the nesting biology of Liris are restricted to a few notes and observations on ground-nesting species. There are no studies of this kind about Brazilian species. We investigated and described the nesting biology of Liris sp. obtained by trap-nests that were installed at an area of Atlantic Forest vegetation (25°10'S, 48°18'W) in southern Brazil. The nests of Liris sp. are built with a variety of plant debris. They usually have one cell, but may have up to two. Nests do not show vestibular or intercalary cells. Immatures have a hard cocoon made with the silk they produce, mixed with the fine sand and sawdust left by the adult female at the bottom of the cell. No nest parasites were observed. The wasps did not go through diapause at the prepupal stage, and emerged within 36 to 46 days after nests were collected from the field. There was no emergence of male wasps. Even though Liris sp. nest in preexisting cavities, they resemble ground-nesting species of the same genus in their habits, nest architecture, and development characteristics. The absence of males in our samples might be related to nest diameter. The eggs from which males hatch can be laid in smaller burrows than those available at the present study. We believe that the hardiness of the cocoon is the species' main strategy against parasites, although it is complemented by the camouflage provided by the nest closure. We suggest that a broader comparison of the nesting biology of Liris Fabricius, 1804 should be carried out, leading to a better understanding of the evolution of nests in the genus

Abordagem Fuzzy na Taxa de Sobrevivência de Trypoxylon (Trypargilum) lactitarse (Hymenoptera: Crabronidae)Fuzzy Approach in the Survival Rate of Trypoxylon (Trypargilum) lactitarse (Hymenoptera: Crabronidae)

Este trabalho apresenta um sistema baseado em regras fuzzy (SBRF) abordando a interação entre fertilidade, tamanho do ninho e sobrevivência de machos e fêmeas de Trypoxylon lactitarse Saussure. A partir de informações sobre fertilidade e tamanho do ninho, o sistema retorna a taxa de sobrevivência de machos e fêmeas permitindo abordar as implicações de uma razão sexual enviesada a favor de machos, uma razão sexual enviesada a favor de fêmeas, ou uma razão sexual de 1:1.Abstract This paper presents a fuzzy rule-based system (FRBS) addressing the interaction among fertility, size of the nest and survival of Trypoxylon lactitarse Saussure males and females. From information on fertility and nest size, the system returns the survival rate of male and female allowing us to address the implications of a skewed sex ratio in favor of males, a skewed sex ratio in favor of females, or a sex ratio of 1:1

Enteroparasitas presentes no Arroio do Engenho no município de Guarapuava, ParanáEnteroparasites detected at Arroio do Engenho in the city of Guarapuava, Parana

O presente trabalho teve como objetivo avaliar a contaminação por enteroparasitos do Arroio do Engenho – mais especificamente, no Parque do Lago e no Arroio do Engenho na Vila Concórdia – e, a partir desse levantamento, caracterizar a qualidade de vida da população residente na região. Em três diferentes períodos foram colhidas 67 amostras de água no local denominado Parque do Lago e no Arroio do Engenho na Vila Concórdia, Guarapuava, Paraná. O levantamento dos enteroparasitos foi realizado através do método de sedimentação de Hoffman nos meses de fevereiro a julho de 2006. Os dados mostraram que os ovos de ancilostomideos foram às formas parasitarias mais freqüentemente encontradas (51,9%), seguidas de larvas rabditóide (25,9%) e filarióide (12,0%), respectivamente, sendo que as coletas realizadas no Parque do Lago, apresentaram maior numero de parasitas quando comparadas as do Arroio do Engenho na Vila Concórdia. Os resultados demonstraram que o ambiente estudado era adequado para o embrionamento, desenvolvimento e sobrevivência das larvas, o que indica a existência de condições favoráveis a infecção humana e a precariedade dos serviços de saneamento básico comprometendo, assim, a salubridade do meio.AbstractThe aim of this study has been to evaluate the enteroparasite contamination level in the stream “Arroio do Engenho” and its relation to the quality of life of the population that lives in its vicinity. 67 samples were collected at the “Parque do Lago” and at Concordia Village, in Guarapuava, Parana, in three different times. The parasitological analysis applied Hoffman’s sedimentation technique from February to July, 2006. The data showed that the Ancylostom eggs were the most frequent parasitic forms (51,9%), followed by rabditoid (25,9%) and by filariform larvae (12,0%), respectively. Moreover, the “Parque do Lago” samples presented a greater amount of parasites than the Concordia Village samples. These results demonstrated that the environmental features of the studied places were adequate for the embryogeny, development and survival of larvae, which indicates the existence of favorable conditions for human infection and the precariousness of environmental sanitation services, thus compromising the environmental salubrity