Predação em girinos por uma vespa e outras associações de insetos com ninhos de duas espécies de rãs da Amazônia

Adult females of the vespid Angiopolybia pallens (lepeltier) were observed feeding upon nest material, eggs, and tadpoles of the foam nest building frog, Leptodactylus pentadactylus (Laurenti) near Manaus, Brasil. Larvae and adults of the ephydrid fly, Gastrops willistoni Cresson were found at every foam nest of L. pentadactylus that was encountered between July 15 and Dec. 21, 1978. The larvae probably feed on the undeveloped eggs, nest material and on the bodies of insects that have become stuck in the viscous nests. An eucoilid parasite of the ephydrid larvae was observed in situ and was reared in the laboratory from field collected larvae of G. willistoni. Additional sporadic associates are also listed. Adult females of Angiopolybia obidensis (Ducke) were observed on one occasion eating the gelatin from around the eggs of the hylid frog, Osteocephalus taurinus Steindachner.Fêmeas adultas do vespídeo Angiopolybia pallens (Lepeltier) foram observadas alimentando-se do material do ninho, ovos e girinos do ninho de espuma construído pela rã Leptodactylus pentadactylus (Laurenti) próximo de Manaus, Brasil. Larvas e adultos de moscas de efidrídeos, Gastrops willistoni Cresson, foram encontrados em todos os ninhos de espuma de L. pentadactylus encontrados entre 15 de julho a 21 de dezembro de 1978. As larvas provavelmente alimentam-se de ovos não desenvolvidos, material do ninho e dos corpos de insetos que tinham ficado presos no material viscoso. Um eucoilídeo parasito de larvas de efidrídeo foi observado "in situ" e criado em laboratório das coletas de campo de larvas de G. willistoni. Associações esporádicas adicionais são também assinaladas. Fêmeas adultas de Angiopolybia obidensis (Ducke) foram observadas em uma ocasião comendo a gelatina ao redor dos ovos de rã (hylídeo), Osteocephalus taurinus Sleindachner

Comparative Activity of the Codling Moth Granulovirus Against Grapholita molesta and Cydia pomonella (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae)

The granulovirus of codling moth, Cydia pomonella L., CpGV, is now commercialized for codling moth control in pome fruit in the USA and Canada. It is highly specific for codling moth and related species. Comparative assays of CpGV against neonate larvae of another introduced tortricid pest, the oriental fruit moth, Grapholita molesta Busck, revealed a 557 and 589 fold lower susceptibility of neonate larvae compared with the LC50 and LC95 values derived for C. pomonella

Algumas considerações ecológicas sobre morcegos vampiros na epidemiologia da raiva humana na Bacia Amazônica ()

Bats in the urban and peri-urban communities of Manaus, Tefé, Benjamin Constant, Belém and Macapá were studied to evaluate the possible role of vampires in human rabies infection. We were unable to incriminate the vampire bats as playing any significant role in the studied areas. The ecological characteristics of the collection sites with vampire bats are examined and their implications in the epidemiology of human rabies discussed.Foi realizado um estudo sobre morcegos em locais urbanos e periurbanos em Manaus, Tefé, Benjamin Constant, Belém e Macapá, a fim de avaliar o possível papel dos vampiros na infecção da raiva humana. Não foi possível incriminar os vampiros como tendo algum papel significativo nas áreas estudadas. As características ecológicas dos locais de coletas dos morcegos vampiros foram examinadas e suas implicações na epidemiologia da raiva humana, discutidas

Male-Produced Aggregation Pheromones of the Cerambycid Beetles Xylotrechus colonus and Sarosesthes fulminans

Adults of both sexes of the cerambycid beetles Xylotrechus colonus (F.) and Sarosesthes fulminans (F.) were attracted to odors produced by male conspecifics in olfactometer bioassays. Analyses of headspace volatiles from adults revealed that male X. colonus produced a blend of (R)- and (S)-3-hydroxyhexan-2-one and (2 S,3 S)- and (2R,3R)-2,3-hexanediol, whereas male S. fulminans produced (R)-3-hydroxyhexan-2-one and (2 S,3R)-2,3-hexanediol. All of these compounds were absent in the headspace of females. Two field bioassays were conducted to confirm the biological activity of the synthesized pheromones: (1) enantiomerically enriched pheromone components were tested singly and in species-specific blends and (2) four-component mixture of racemic 3-hydroxyhexan-2-one plus racemic 2-hydroxyhexan-3-one and the four-component blend of the stereoisomers of 2,3-hexanediols were tested separately and as a combined eight-component blend. In these experiments, adult male and female X. colonus were captured in greatest numbers in traps baited with the reconstructed blend of components produced by males, although significant numbers were also captured in traps baited with (R)-3-hydroxyhexan-2-one alone or in blends with other compounds. Too few adult S. fulminans were captured for a statistical comparison among treatments, but all were caught in traps baited with lures containing (R)-3-hydroxyhexan-2-one. In addition to these two species, adults of two other species of cerambycid beetles, for which pheromones had previously been identified, were caught: Neoclytus a. acuminatus (F.) and its congener Neoclytus m. mucronatus (F.). Cross-attraction of beetles to pheromone blends of other species, and to individual pheromone components that are shared by two or more sympatric species, may facilitate location of larval hosts by species that compete for the same host species

Lista atualizada de quirópteros da Amazônia Brasileira

We present an updated checklist on bats of the Amazon Basin in Brazil, based on our collection of 3.081 specimens in 12 areas in the Basin and a review of the existing literature. The list consists of 95 species belonging to 51 genera and 9 families: 3 species (Micronycteris hirsuta, Natalus stramineus and Rhogessa tumida) are being cited for the first time as present in the Amazon Basin; of the remaining 92 species reported by previous workers. 68 were registered and confirmed by the present authors.É apresentada uma lista atualizada de quirópteros da região amazônica brasileira, baseada em nossa coleção de 3.081 exemplares capturados em 12 áreas na Bacia Amazônica e com referência às literaturas anteriormente publicadas. A lista conta com 95 espécies de 51 gêneros e 9 famílias, sendo 3 espécies (Micronycteris hirsuta, Natalus stramineus e Rhogessa tumida) citadas pela primeira vez como ocorrendo na região; e das demais alistadas por pesquisadores anteriores, são registradas e confirmadas 68 espécies

"The Book of Negroes’ illustrated edition: circulating African-Canadian history through the Middlebrow"

This article examines the 2009 deluxe illustrated edition of Lawrence Hill’s Commonwealth Writers’ Prize– and Canada Reads–winning novel The Book of Negroes, originally published in 2007. It relates the story of Aminata, a West African girl kidnapped and sold into slavery, and her experiences on an indigo plantation in the American south, followed by further displacements to Charleston, Nova Scotia, Sierra Leone, and London. In New York, as the Revolutionary War comes to a close, Aminata becomes the scribe for the Book of Negroes, documenting the Black Loyalists, as well as the slaves and indentured servants of white Loyalists, granted passage by the British to Canada. Hill has commented that the Book of Negroes is an important document about which Canadians are largely ignorant. This desire to circulate knowledge about African-Canadian history through the novel is particularly manifest in the illustrated edition of 2009, where a photograph of the Book of Negroes features prominently, along with countless other images and captions which supplement and interrupt Hill’s narrative. This article considers the significance and implications of this “keepsake” or “souvenir” edition, particularly its circulation of knowledge about African-Canadian history through visual pleasure

Gender difference in symptomatic radiographic knee osteoarthritis in the Knee Clinical Assessment – CAS(K): A prospective study in the general population

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>A recent study of adults aged ≥50 years reporting knee pain found an excess of radiographic knee osteoarthritis (knee ROA) in symptomatic males compared to females. This was independent of age, BMI and other clinical signs and symptoms. Since this finding contradicts many previous studies, our objective was to explore four possible explanations for this gender difference: X-ray views, selection, occupation and non-articular conditions.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A community-based prospective study. 819 adults aged ≥50 years reporting knee pain in the previous 12 months were recruited by postal questionnaires to a research clinic involving plain radiography (weight-bearing posteroanterior semiflexed, supine skyline and lateral views), clinical interview and physical examination. Any knee ROA, ROA severity, tibiofemoral joint osteoarthritis (TJOA) and patellofemoral joint osteoarthritis (PJOA) were defined using all three radiographic views. Occupational class was derived from current or last job title. Proportions of each gender with symptomatic knee ROA were expressed as percentages, stratified by age; differences between genders were expressed as percentage differences with 95% confidence intervals.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>745 symptomatic participants were eligible and had complete X-ray data. Males had a higher occurrence (77%) of any knee ROA than females (61%). In 50–64 year olds, the excess in men was mild knee OA (particularly PJOA); in ≥65 year olds, the excess was both mild and moderate/severe knee OA (particularly combined TJOA/PJOA). This male excess persisted when using the posteroanterior view only (64% vs. 52%). The lowest level of participation in the clinic was symptomatic females aged 65+. Within each occupational class there were more males with symptomatic knee ROA than females. In those aged 50–64 years, non-articular conditions were equally common in both genders although, in those aged 65+, they occurred more frequently in symptomatic females (41%) than males (31%).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The excess of knee ROA among symptomatic males in this study seems unlikely to be attributable to the use of comprehensive X-ray views. Although prior occupational exposures and the presence of non-articular conditions cannot be fully excluded, selective non-participation bias seems the most likely explanation. This has implications for future study design.</p

The environment of radio galaxies: a signature of AGN feedback at high redshifts

We use the semi-analytical model of galaxy formation GALFORM to characterize an indirect signature of active galactic nucleus (AGN) feedback in the environment of radio galaxies at high redshifts. The predicted environment of radio galaxies is denser than that of radio-quiet galaxies with the same stellar mass. This is consistent with observational results from the CARLA survey. Our model shows that the differences in environment are due to radio galaxies being hosted by dark matter haloes that are ∼1.5 dex more massive than those hosting radio-quiet galaxies with the same stellar mass. By running a control simulation in which AGN feedback is switched off, we identify AGN feedback as the primary mechanism affecting the build up of the stellar component of radio galaxies, thus explaining the different environment in radio galaxies and their radio-quiet counterparts. The difference in host halo mass between radio-loud and radio-quiet galaxies translates into different galaxies populating each environment. We predict a higher fraction of passive galaxies around radio-loud galaxies compared to their radio-quiet counterparts. Furthermore, such a high fraction of passive galaxies shapes the predicted infrared luminosity function in the environment of radio galaxies in a way that is consistent with observational findings. Our results suggest that the impact of AGN feedback at high redshifts and environmental mechanisms affecting galaxies in high halo masses can be revealed by studying the environment of radio galaxies, thus providing new constraints on galaxy formation physics at high redshifts