A description of the first zoeal stage of Pilumnus vinaceus A. Milne-Edwards, 1880 (Decapoda, Pilumnidae), with a revision of the first zoea morphology of Pilumnus Leach, 1815

The morphology of the first zoeal stage of Pilumnus vinaceus is described and compared with the zoea I of Pilumnus all species in the literature. Two ovigerous females of P. vinaceus were maintained in the aquarium facilities until the larvae hatch. The larvae of each ovigerous female were dissected using a stereoscopic microscope. The zoea I of P. vinaceus has common characteristics among the Pilumnidae as: [1] antenna of type 2; [2] maxilliped 1 with 2+2+3+3 setae on the basis and with 3,2,1,2,5 setae in the endopod; [3] maxilliped 2 with 1+1+1+1 setae on the basis and 1,1,6 setae on the endopod; [4] telson with furcal rami armed with dorsal and lateral spines. Considering the species of Pilumnus that occur in the western Atlantic, it becomes possible to identify P. vinaceus zoea I by means of the verification of the following characteristics: [1] pleonites with mediolateral processes; [2] number of setae on the antennule. It is however, important to consider that there is still a great deficit in the knowledge about the morphology of the larval forms of the species assigned to Pilumnus and we argue in favor of new descriptions to build a more robust dataset on zoeal morphology characters and use it in a phylogenetic context on the genus

Range extensions along western Atlantic for Epialtidae crabs (Brachyura, Majoidea) genera Acanthonyx Latreille, 1828 and Epialtus H. Milne Edwards, 1834

The present study provided information extending the known geographical distribution of three species of majoid crabs, the epialtids Acanthonyx dissimulatus Coelho, 1993, Epialtus bituberculatus H. Milne Edwards, 1834, and E. brasiliensis Dana, 1852. Specimens of both genera from different carcinological collections were studied by comparing morphological characters. We provide new data that extends the geographical distributions of E. bituberculatus to the coast of the states of Paraná and Santa Catarina (Brazil), and offer new records from Belize and Costa Rica. Epialtus brasiliensis is recorded for the first time in the state of Rio Grande do Sul (Brazil), and A. dissimulatus is reported from Quintana Roo, Mexico. The distribution of A. dissimulatus, previously known as endemic to Brazil, has a gap between the states of Espírito Santo and Rio de Janeiro. However, this restricted southern distribution is herein amplified by the Mexican specimens

Comparative analysis of shell occupation by two southern populations of the hermit crab Loxopagurus loxochelis (Decapoda, Diogenidae)

The present study aimed to comparatively verify the relation between the hermit crabs and the shells they use in two populations of Loxopagurus loxochelis. Samples were collected monthly from July 2002 to June 2003, at Caraguatatuba and Ubatuba Bay, Sao Paulo, Brazil. The animals sampled had their sex identified, were weighed and measured; their shells were identified, measured and weighed, and their internal volume determined. To relate the hermit crab's characteristics and the shells' variables, principal component analysis (PCA) and a regression tree were used. According to the PCA analysis, the three gastropod shells most frequently used by L. loxochelis varied in size. The regression tree successfully explained the relationship between the hermit crab's characteristics and the internal volume of the inhabited shell. It can be inferred that the relationship between the morphometry of an individual hermit crab and its shell is not straightforward and it is impossible to explain only on the basis of direct correlations between the body's and the shell's attributes. Several factors (such as the morphometry and the availability of the shell, environmental conditions and inter- and intraspecific competition) interact and seem to be taken into consideration by the hermit crabs when they choose a shell, resulting in the diversified pattern of shell occupancy shown here and elsewhere.CAPESCAPESFAPESP Programa BiotaFAPESP - Programa Biota [Proc. 98/07090-3]CNPq [471794/2006-6, 473050/2007-2, 301350/2007-5]CNP

Distribution of calico crab Hepatus Pudibunds (Herbst, 1785) (Crustacea, Decapoda, Brachyura) in Fortaleza Bay, Ubatuba (SP), Brazil

The goal of this work is to characterize the distribution of the calico crab Hepatiis pudibundus (HERBST, 1785) in Fortaleza Bay, Ubatuba (SP), analised as a function of several environmental factors. Total of 405 specimens were collected in seven radiais in the bay. Hepatus pudibundus occurred in all radiais with heterogeneous abundance and its distribution was associated to several factors, mainly the texture and organic of sediment.Estudos acurados sobre a fauna macrobêntica e sua relação com o ambiente são importantes para a análise da função e estrutura de áreas litorâneas. A ñnalidade deste trabalho é caracterizar uma população do caranguejo Hepatus pudibundus na Enseada de Fortaleza, Ubatuba (SP), enfocando sua distribuição espacial, relacionado-a aos fatores físico-químicos (profundidade, temperatura, oxigênio dissolvido, salinidade, textura e teor de matéria orgânica do sedimento). Com um barco de pesca, equipado com duas redes de arrasto para camarão (tipo "otter- trawl"), procedeu-se a coleta dos caranguejos, efetuada mensalmente, no período de novembro/1988 a outubro/1989, em sete radiais de 1 Km cada. Foram obtidos 405 espécimes, mostrando uma abundância heterogênea. A radial IV apresentou o menor número de indivíduos, o que pode ser explicado pelas condições físicas do sedimento (bastante compactado devido a porcentagem de silte + argila) e da água (baixa salinidade). Em função dos resultados obtidos, ha fortes indícios para concluir que a Enseada da Fortaleza reúne condições favoráveis à procriação e desenvolvimento de H. pudibundus. Tais condições levam a crer que pequenas variações nos fatores bióticos e abióticos não são suficientes para alterar o padrão de distribuição desta espécie, intimamente relacionada à textura e teor de matéria orgânica do sedimento

Diversidad de especies y distribución de cangrejos de agua dulce (decapoda: Pseudothelphusidae) de la cuenca del río grande de térraba, vertiente pacífica de Costa Rica

During the last decades, knowledge on biodiversity of freshwater decapods has increased considerably; however, information about ecology of these crustaceans is scarce. Currently, the freshwater decapod fauna of Costa Rica is comprised by representatives of three families (Caridea: Palaemonidae and Atyidae; Brachyura: Pseudothelphusidae). The present study aims to describe the species diversity and distribution of freshwater crabs inhabiting the basin of the Rio Grande de Térraba, Pacific slope of Costa Rica, where the Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad (ICE) plans to implement one of the largest damming projects in the region. Samples were collected in 39 locations at an altitude ranging from 20 to 1,225 m. Sampling was carried out during several months in 2007, 2009 and 2010. We collected a total of 661 crabs, comprising eight species of Pseudothelphusidae of three genera, representing 53% of the 15 pseudothelphusid crab species currently recorded from Costa Rica. The most common species was Ptychophallus paraxanthusi followed by P. tristani. Freshwater crabs were more frequently encountered in the middle-low region of the basin (between 311 and 600 m) and less frequently in the medium-high basin (between 601 and 1,225 m). Ptychophallus paraxanthusi showed the widest distribution and was collected in altitudes ranging from 20 to 700 m. The Rio Grande de Térraba region can be considered as a relatively small, but highly diverse system. Therefore, any alteration of the basin of Rio Grande de Térraba, and especially the possible construction of a hydroelectric power plant, needs to be carefully analyzed to mitigate the damaging effects of this project on the freshwater crabs. More ecological information about freshwater crabs from Costa Rica and the Central American region are needed to reach a first reasonable overview on the ecological role of these decapods in freshwater systems

Comparative analysis of shell occupation by two southern populations of the hermit crab Loxopagurus loxochelis (Decapoda, Diogenidae)

The present study aimed to comparatively verify the relation between the hermit crabs and the shells they use in two populations of Loxopagurus loxochelis. Samples were collected monthly from July 2002 to June 2003, at Caraguatatuba and Ubatuba Bay, São Paulo, Brazil. The animals sampled had their sex identified, were weighed and measured; their shells were identified, measured and weighed, and their internal volume determined. To relate the hermit crab's characteristics and the shells' variables, principal component analysis (PCA) and a regression tree were used. According to the PCA analysis, the three gastropod shells most frequently used by L. loxochelis varied in size. The regression tree successfully explained the relationship between the hermit crab's characteristics and the internal volume of the inhabited shell. It can be inferred that the relationship between the morphometry of an individual hermit crab and its shell is not straightforward and it is impossible to explain only on the basis of direct correlations between the body's and the shell's attributes. Several factors (such as the morphometry and the availability of the shell, environmental conditions and inter- and intraspecific competition) interact and seem to be taken into consideration by the hermit crabs when they choose a shell, resulting in the diversified pattern of shell occupancy shown here and elsewhere

Figuras da criança na sociologia da infância em Portugal

The sociology of childhood is a discipline that was born in Portugal two decades ago, since the publication of the first work that claimed to belong to this scientific area. As a discipline of the social sciences, it reflects the specificities of the social formation where it resides, as well as that of the language in which it is mostly expressed. Despite its strong articulation with the sociology of childhood developed in other linguistic universes, the theoretical work of these two decades is still defined by thematic, theoretical and methodological specificities. Rather than to present the work that has been carried out in this field of research, or to survey its productions, this article is concerned with pointing out the "child figures", that is, the constructs through which children are thought. These “figures” are the result of the theoretical work and are articulated with the normative production about children, and have an impact on policy making and on social and professional practices.La sociología de la infancia es una disciplina que tiene dos décadas de existencia en Portugal, desde la aparición del primer trabajo que se reivindica como parte de este campo científico. En tanto que disciplina de las ciencias sociales, refleja las especificidades de la formación social en la que está enraizada, así como las de la lengua en la que se expresa mayoritariamente. A pesar de su estrecho vínculo con la sociología de la infancia de otros universos lingüísticos, el trabajo teórico de estas dos décadas continúa marcado por especificidades temáticas, teóricas y metodológicas. Pero este artículo no se preocupa tanto por realizar un balance del trabajo en este campo o por presentar sus principales producciones, sino por señalar las “figuras de la infancia”. Es decir, los constructos a través de los cuales se piensan los niños y niñas, que se derivan de la producción teórica y se articulan con la producción normativa sobre ellos y ellas. Dichas figuras inciden en la elaboración de las políticas públicas y en las prácticas sociales y profesionales.A sociologia da infância é uma disciplina que em Portugal tem duas décadas de existência, desde o surgimento do primeiro trabalho que se reivindica desta área científica. Enquanto disciplina das ciências sociais não deixa de refletir as especificidades da formação social onde radica, bem como a da língua em que maioritariamente se expressa. Apesar da sua forte articulação com a sociologia da infância de outros universos linguísticos, o trabalho teórico de duas décadas não deixa de ser marcado por especificidades temáticas, teóricas e metodológicas. Mais do que fazer um balanço do trabalho no campo ou proceder ao levantamento das suas produções, este artigo preocupa-se em sinalizar as “figuras de criança”, isto é, os constructos através dos quais são pensadas as crianças, os quais emanam da produção teórica e se articulam com a produção normativa sobre as crianças, com incidência na construção das políticas públicas e nas práticas sociais e profissionais