First instar larva of Atractocerus brasiliensis (Lepeletier & Audinet-Serville, 1825) (Lymexylidae, Atractocerinae)

A larva de primeiro instar de Atractocerus brasiliensis (Lepetelier & Audinet-Serville, 1825) do estado de Goiás, Brasil, e criada em laboratório, é descrita e ilustrada. Esta é a segunda espécie com larva de primeiro instar conhecida para o gênero e a terceira para a família. Comparações com a larva madura dessa espécie e com as demais larvas de primeiro instar conhecidas são apresentadas. Ilustrações das larvas de primeiro instar e madura também são incluídas.The first instar larva of Atractocerus brasiliensis (Lepetelier & Audinet-Serville, 1825) from state of Goiás, Brazil, and reared in laboratory, is described and illustrated. This is the second species with known first instar larva for the genus and the third for the family. Comparisons with mature larva of this species and with the other known first instar larvae are presented. Illustrations of first instar and mature larvae are also included

A green method to prepare nanosilica modified graphene oxide to inhibit nanoparticles re-aggregation during melt processing

A graphene oxide-silica nanohybrid (GOS), self-assembled into a lasagna-like structure, was prepared in water and used as a filler for the melt preparation of polyamide 6 (PA6)-based nanocomposites. For sake of comparison, PA6-based materials were prepared under the same processing conditions by adding GO only or a physical mixture of GO and silica (GO+S). All the materials were characterized from a morphological, spectroscopic, thermal, dynamic-mechanical (DMA) and mechanical point of view. For all the nanocomposites, the interphase was studied either by analyzing loss factor plots coming from DMA measurements and by implementing a novel approach, i.e. combining solvent extraction, SEM and EDX measurements. While GO and GO+S showed an almost negligible effect on the macroscopic features of PA6, due to lack of dispersion, PA6-GOS ternary nanocomposites displayed an outstanding enhancement of mechanical and thermo-mechanical performance. This feature is likely due to the formation of an extended and strong interphase. In fact, the silica layers intercalated between GO lamellae played as an exfoliating agent, thus proving to be particularly efficient in avoiding self-aggregation of GO sheets, while those covalently attached to basal planes of GO acted as a rivet, capable to interlock the surrounding polymer chains. Finally, with respect to other techniques commonly adopted for the fabrication of polymer-graphene nanocomposites, the green route herein proposed does not involve any toxic solvent nor time-consuming protocols, and allows achieving remarkable improvements in stiffening (up to +180%), strengthening (up to +210%) and toughening (up to +210%) at extremely low filler contents (0.25% or 0.5%)

FIGURES 1–8. Calliaspis umbonata Hincks, 1956 in Morphology and natural history of two species of bromeliad leaf beetles in the genus Calliaspis Dejean, 1836 from Southern Brazil, with a summary of the current knowledge of Imatidiini immatures (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Cassidinae)

FIGURES 1–8. Calliaspis umbonata Hincks, 1956, mature larva, pupa and adult. (1–2, 7) Mature larva, dorsal and ventral habitus, and detail of anterior ventral size of thorax, abdomen and head; (3–4) pupa, dorsal and ventral habitus; (5–6, 8) adult, dorsal, ventral and lateral habitus

First instar larva of Atractocerus brasiliensis (Lepeletier & Audinet-Serville, 1825) (Lymexylidae, Atractocerinae)

The first instar larva of Atractocerus brasiliensis (Lepetelier & Audinet-Serville, 1825) from state of Goiás, Brazil, and reared in laboratory, is described and illustrated. This is the second species with known first instar larva for the genus and the third for the family. Comparisons with mature larva of this species and with the other known first instar larvae are presented. Illustrations of first instar and mature larvae are also included

Lagochile emarginata (Gyllenhal): morphology of immature and imago, and biological records (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae, Rutelinae)

Lagochile emarginata (Gyllenhal): morphology of immature and imago, and biological records (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae, Rutelinae). The last larval instar and pupa of Lagochile emarginata are described. Pupa of the genus Lagochile Hoffmannsegg, 1817 is described for the first time. Redescription of the imago, clarifications on the morphology of immature Scarabaeoidea and biological notes are presented

Description of the immature stages of Platycrepidius dewynteri Chassain (Coleoptera, Elateridae, Agrypninae, Platycrepidiini) from Brazil with a synopsis of the larval characters of Agrypninae tribes

Rosa, Simone Policena, Albertoni, Fabiano F., Bená, Daniela De Cassia (2015): Description of the immature stages of Platycrepidius dewynteri Chassain (Coleoptera, Elateridae, Agrypninae, Platycrepidiini) from Brazil with a synopsis of the larval characters of Agrypninae tribes. Zootaxa 3914 (3): 318-330, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3914.3.

Description of the Pupa and Redescription of the Imagines of Geyeria decussata and their Association with Bromeliads in Southern Brazil (Lepidoptera: Castniidae)

ALBERTONI F F [Fed Univ, Florianopolis, Brazil], MORAES S S [Mus Zool USP, Sao Paulo, Brazil], STEINER J [Fed Univ. Florianopolis, Brazil] & ZILLIKENS A [Univ Tubingen, Germany]: Description of the Pupa and Redescription of the Imagines of Geyeria decussata and their Association with Bromeliads in Southern Brazil (Lepidoptera: Castniidae). - Entomol Gener 34 (1-2): 061-074: Stuttgart 2012-09. - [Article] Bromeliads can serve as a resource for numerous arthropods, especially insects. Caterpillars of the moth Geyeria decussata (Godart 1824) were recorded in the leaf rosettes of the bromeliads Wittrockia superba, Vriesea philippocoburgii and Aechmea nudicaulis. The larvae were feeding on the leaf bases, eventually killing the plants. In addition to life history data a description of the pupa and a re-description of the imagines are provided here. These findings constitute new records of larval hosts for this species and confirm a close association of castniid moths and bromeliads.BMBF [01LB0205A1]BMBFCNPq [690143/01-0]CNPqFapesp [2006/05365-3]FAPES