O Gênero Pheidole (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Myrmicinae) no Paraná : levantamento e delimitação de espécies

Orientador : Prof. Dr. Rodrigo Machado FeitosaDissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Federal do Paraná, Setor de Ciências Biológicas, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Biológicas (Entomologia). Defesa: Curitiba, 26/02/2016Inclui referências : f. 345-350Área de concentração : EntomologiaResumo: O gênero de formigas Pheidole Westwood 1839 é o maior gênero de Myrmicinae contando atualmente com 1003 espécies descritas. Cerca de 630 destas espécies estão presentes no Novo Mundo, com aproximadamente 611 espécies nos Neotrópicos e cerca de 150 no Brasil. Considerado um gênero hiperdiverso, informações sobre a distribuição espacial de Pheidole contribuem para estudos envolvendo diferentes áreas do conhecimento, no entanto, sua diversidade real e os limites taxonômicos são difíceis de serem acessados em grande escala. A revisão proposta por Wilson em 2003 para Pheidole no Novo Mundo pode ser considerada o maior estudo para o gênero em abrangência geográfica, porém, como esperado para gêneros diversos, essa publicação não abrange toda a riqueza do gênero, especialmente levando-se em consideração as espécies presentes na metade sul da região Neotropical. Devido a este déficit de conhecimento, é esperado que diferentes biomas brasileiros apresentem um elevado número de espécies desconhecidas deste gênero, levando em conta as diferentes fitofisionomias do país. Entre as diferentes formações fitogeográficas do Brasil, podemos encontrar no estado do Paraná uma diversidade única de habitats. A presente proposta teve como objetivo realizar um estudo taxonômico das espécies de Pheidole no Paraná, redescrevendo espécies já conhecidas e descrevendo as novas espécies, além de atualizar a sua distribuição para o estado. No total, 1.366 espécimes foram examinados representando 53 espécies, das quais 12 são novas para a ciência e Pheidole paranana representa um novo status, além de três novos sinônimos. Esta pesquisa cobriu 16 cidades no Paraná, abrangendo as principais fitofisionomias do estado, com 27 novos registros para o Paraná, dos quais sete passam a representar a área de ocorrência mais ao sul na região Neotropical e o primeiro registro de Pheidole scapulata para o Brasil. Revisamos o status de Pheidole saviozae e a reconhecemos como espécie válida. Diagnoses foram elaboradas para todas as espécies. Adicionalmente, descrevemos pela primeira vez castas antes não conhecidas, incluindo as rainhas de Pheidole sospes e Pheidole sarcina, o macho de P. sospes e operárias menores de Pheidole lucretii e Pheidole paranana. Finalmente, no presente estudo foi possível avaliar a diversidade de Pheidole, sua distribuição e a delimitação de suas espécies no Paraná, contribuindo para uma melhor compreensão sobre este grande gênero de formigas em perspectivas taxonômicas e ecológicas. Palavras-chave: Brasil, distribuição, formiga, hiperdiversidade, morfologia, subtropical, taxonomia.Abstract: The ant genus Pheidole Westwood 1839 is the largest Myrmicinae genus with 1003 currently described species. About 630 of these species are present in the New World, with nearly 611 species in Neotropics and 150 in Brazil. Considered a hyperdiverse genus, information about the spatial distribution of Pheidole contributes for studies involving different areas of knowledge; however, its real diversity and taxonomic limits are difficult to be accessed in a large scale. The 2003 Wilson's revision on Pheidole in the New World can be considered the most important study for the genus in geographic coverage; however, as expected for such diverse genus, this publication does not cover all the richness of the genus, especially regarding the species occurring in the southern half of the Neotropics. Due to this knowledge deficit, it is expected that the different Brazilian biomes present a high number of undescribed species for this genus, in view of the different phytophysiognomies of the country. Among the different phytogeographic formations in Brazil, we can found in the state of Paraná a unique habitat diversity. The present proposal aims to access the Pheidole species distribution and delimitation in the state of Paraná, Brazil. In total, 1.366 specimens were examined representing 53 species, and of these 12 new species and Pheidole paranana as the new status, and three new combinations. The research covered 16 cities in Paraná, encompassing the main phytophysiognomies in state, with 27 new records for Paraná, seven of which will represent the occurrence of the southern area in the Neotropics, and Pheidole scapulata as a new record for Brazil. We review the status of Pheidole saviozae and recognized it as a valid species. Diagnoses were provided for all species. In addition, we describe for the first time the queens of Pheidole sospes and Pheidole sarcina, the male of P. sospes and the minors of Pheidole lucretii and Pheidole paranana. Finally, in this paper it was possible to characterize the genus diversity, distribution and species delimitation in Paraná, contributing to a better understanding about this large ant genus in taxonomic and ecological perspectives. Key words: Ant, Brazil, distribution, hyperdiversity, morphology, subtropical, taxonomy

Additions to the taxonomy of Pheidole (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from the southern grasslands of Brazil

The ant genus Pheidole is the most species-rich lineage of ants in the world and one of the dominant organisms in tropical regions. However, the knowledge of Pheidole diversity in the southern half of the Neotropical Region is fragmentary. Here, we offer contributions to the Pheidole taxonomy considering the species that occur in the grassland formations of South Brazil. The following species are revived from synonymy: P. idiota Santschi rev. stat., P. obscurior Forel rev. stat., P. paranana Santschi stat. rev. et n. stat. and P. strobeli Emery rev. stat. The following synonyms are proposed: P. idiota (= P. laticornis Wilson n. syn.), P. obscurior (= P. partita Mayr n. syn., = P. incisa evoluta Borgmeier n. syn.) and P. strobeli (= P. rufipilis divexa Forel n. syn., = P. nitidula daguerrei Santschi n. syn., = P. perversa Forel n. syn., = P. perversa richteri Forel n. syn., = P. strobeli misera Santschi n. syn.). Finally, six new species are described: P. abakytan n. sp., P. abaticanga n. sp., P. cangussu n. sp., P. curupira n. sp., P. mapinguari n. sp., and P. obapara n. sp

Ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from an Amazonian fragmented landscape, Juara, Mato Grosso, Brazil, with new records of ant species

The state of Mato Grosso is the 3rd largest Brazilian state, is covered with three major Brazilian biomes, including the Pantanal, Cerrado, and Amazonia. To date, 449 ant species are recorded in literature for the state. In the present work, we documented the ants sampled along a fragmented landscape, in the municipality of Juara, in the Cerrado-Amazon transition zone in the state of Mato Grosso, Brazil. The ant species were captured with Pitfall traps installed in 20 trails with 10 traps in each (totaling 200). Our results show 151 species, belonging to 43 genera and eight subfamilies, of which 28 species were recorded for the first time in the state and five species recorded for the first time in Brazil. Most genera collected were Pheidole Westwood, 1839 (45 species) followed by Crematogaster Lund, 1831 (11 species). By highlighting species recorded for the first time in state of Mato Grosso and Brazil, we hope to encourage new discoveries and increase the general knowledge of the ant fauna of different biomes in the region

An overview of the ant fauna (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of the state of Maranhão, Brazil

The state of Maranhão, located in northeastern Brazil, comprises three biomes: Amazonian, Caatinga, and the Cerrado. To date, 99 ant species have been recorded in the literature from the state. In the present work, we provide for the first time a profile of the ant fauna in the state based on data from the historical literature and Brazilian institutional collections. The updated records on ant diversity for the state of Maranhão revealed a total of 279 species, belonging to 71 genera and 10 subfamilies. In total, 180 species are recorded for the first time in the state, of which four species recorded for the first time in Brazil. In summary, apart from documenting the ant fauna of the region, these results provide a basis for further studies and may contribute to future conservation efforts for the biomes present in this complex landscape

Amazonian earthworm biodiversity is heavily impacted by ancient and recent human disturbance

Despite the importance of earthworms for soil formation, more is needed to know about how Pre-Columbian modifications to soils and the landscape. Gaining a deeper understanding is essential for comprehending the historical drivers of earthworm communities and the development of effective conservation strategies in the Amazon rainforest. Human disturbance can significantly impact earthworm diversity, especially in rainforest soils, and in the particular case of the Amazonian rainforest, both recent and ancient anthropic practices may be important. Amazonian Dark Earths (ADEs) are fertile soils found throughout the Amazon Basin, created by sedentary habits and intensification patterns of pre-Colombian societies primarily developed in the second part of the Holocene period. We have sampled earthworm communities in three Brazilian Amazonian (ADEs) and adjacent reference soils (REF) under old and young forests and monocultures. To better assess taxonomic richness, we used morphology and the barcode region of the COI gene to identify juveniles and cocoons and delimit Molecular Operational Taxonomic Units (MOTUs). Here we suggest using Integrated Operational Taxonomical units (IOTUs) which combine both morphological and molecular data and provide a more comprehensive assessment of diversity, while MOTUs only rely on molecular data. A total of 970 individuals were collected, resulting in 51 taxonomic units (IOTUs, MOTUs, and morphospecies combined). From this total, 24 taxonomic units were unique to REF soils, 17 to ADEs, and ten were shared between both soils. The highest richness was found in old forest sites for ADEs (12 taxonomic units) and REFs (21 taxonomic units). The beta-diversity calculations reveal a high species turnover between ADEs and REF soils, providing evidence that ADEs and REFs possess distinct soil biota. Furthermore, results suggest that ADE sites, formed by Pre-Columbian human activities, conserve a high number of native species in the landscape and maintain a high abundance, despite their long-term nature

Search for direct production of charginos and neutralinos in events with three leptons and missing transverse momentum in √s = 7 TeV pp collisions with the ATLAS detector

A search for the direct production of charginos and neutralinos in final states with three electrons or muons and missing transverse momentum is presented. The analysis is based on 4.7 fb−1 of proton–proton collision data delivered by the Large Hadron Collider and recorded with the ATLAS detector. Observations are consistent with Standard Model expectations in three signal regions that are either depleted or enriched in Z-boson decays. Upper limits at 95% confidence level are set in R-parity conserving phenomenological minimal supersymmetric models and in simplified models, significantly extending previous results

Observation of associated near-side and away-side long-range correlations in √sNN=5.02 TeV proton-lead collisions with the ATLAS detector

Two-particle correlations in relative azimuthal angle (Δϕ) and pseudorapidity (Δη) are measured in √sNN=5.02  TeV p+Pb collisions using the ATLAS detector at the LHC. The measurements are performed using approximately 1  μb-1 of data as a function of transverse momentum (pT) and the transverse energy (ΣETPb) summed over 3.1<η<4.9 in the direction of the Pb beam. The correlation function, constructed from charged particles, exhibits a long-range (2<|Δη|<5) “near-side” (Δϕ∼0) correlation that grows rapidly with increasing ΣETPb. A long-range “away-side” (Δϕ∼π) correlation, obtained by subtracting the expected contributions from recoiling dijets and other sources estimated using events with small ΣETPb, is found to match the near-side correlation in magnitude, shape (in Δη and Δϕ) and ΣETPb dependence. The resultant Δϕ correlation is approximately symmetric about π/2, and is consistent with a dominant cos⁡2Δϕ modulation for all ΣETPb ranges and particle pT

Jet size dependence of single jet suppression in lead-lead collisions at sqrt(s(NN)) = 2.76 TeV with the ATLAS detector at the LHC

Measurements of inclusive jet suppression in heavy ion collisions at the LHC provide direct sensitivity to the physics of jet quenching. In a sample of lead-lead collisions at sqrt(s) = 2.76 TeV corresponding to an integrated luminosity of approximately 7 inverse microbarns, ATLAS has measured jets with a calorimeter over the pseudorapidity interval |eta| < 2.1 and over the transverse momentum range 38 < pT < 210 GeV. Jets were reconstructed using the anti-kt algorithm with values for the distance parameter that determines the nominal jet radius of R = 0.2, 0.3, 0.4 and 0.5. The centrality dependence of the jet yield is characterized by the jet "central-to-peripheral ratio," Rcp. Jet production is found to be suppressed by approximately a factor of two in the 10% most central collisions relative to peripheral collisions. Rcp varies smoothly with centrality as characterized by the number of participating nucleons. The observed suppression is only weakly dependent on jet radius and transverse momentum. These results provide the first direct measurement of inclusive jet suppression in heavy ion collisions and complement previous measurements of dijet transverse energy imbalance at the LHC.Comment: 15 pages plus author list (30 pages total), 8 figures, 2 tables, submitted to Physics Letters B. All figures including auxiliary figures are available at http://atlas.web.cern.ch/Atlas/GROUPS/PHYSICS/PAPERS/HION-2011-02