Conservation and trade of the endangered Hypancistrus zebra (Siluriformes, Loricariidae), one of the most trafficked Brazilian fish

Abstract Hypancistrus zebra, also known as the zebra pleco, is a small sucker-mouth catfish endemic to the Xingu River in Brazil where its survival in the wild is threatened by habitat modification and overfishing for the ornamental fish industry. It is a highly sought-after freshwater ornamental species and one of the most commonly trafficked from Brazil. To date, little is known about its global legal and illicit supply chains within the ornamental fish trade. Through a mixed methods approach (i.e., online survey, key informant interviews and web scraping), we examined the trade and trafficking of this species as well as the awareness of the international aquarist community and local and international stakeholders regarding its conservation. We also establish the historical timeline of zebra pleco keeping and breeding in captivity and assess whether commercial captive breeding can play an important role in the conservation of this species. The retail price of the zebra pleco increased worldwide after an export ban in 2004 but have since decreased to an average of $US 155 (+/-$US 23 based on geographical location) per fish. Fishermen have been consistently paid relatively little ($US 7–60) for each specimen compared to the average wholesale price of$US 100 (+/- $US 94 over time). We conservatively estimate ~100,000 specimens are trafficked out of Brazil annually, of which half or more die in transport, and only a small fraction is seized by law enforcement in Brazil or internationally. The fishes are primarily smuggled from Brazil to Peru and Colombia and then exported internationally with the majority sent to China. The majority of aquarists surveyed (representing 35 countries) were aware the zebra pleco is both endangered and highly endemic. There was less awareness that buying wild caught specimens shipped from Peru, Colombia or elsewhere implies supporting wildlife trafficking. Nevertheless, nearly three quarters of respondents preferred aquarium bred specimens, if available. The zebra pleco is being bred in captivity in high numbers in several countries, yet in Brazil it remains illegal to keep in private aquaria or to commercially breed them. Given the large success of hobby and commercial breeders around the world, H. zebra is well suited for indoor breeding facilities. We argue that implementing regulated local breeding facilities in Brazil to increase the already large numbers reproduced in captivity worldwide, could decrease the demand for trafficked specimens, one of the primary factors threatening its survival. Given its iconic status among freshwater fishes it should be recognized as a flagship species of the Xingu River's conservation

Radiocarbon geochronology of the sediments of the São Paulo Bight (southern Brazilian upper margin)

The aim of this work was to generate an inventory of the data on radiocarbon datings obtained from sediments of the São Paulo Bight (southern Brazilian upper margin) and to analyze the data in terms of Late Quaternary sedimentary processes and sedimentation rates. A total of 238 radiocarbon datings from materials collected using differents ampling procedures was considered for this work. The sedimentation rates varied from less than 2 to 68 cm.kyr-1. The highest sedimentation rate values were found in a low-energy (ría type) coastal system as well as in the upwelling zones of Santa Catarina and Cabo Frio. The lowest rates were found on the outer shelf and upper slopes. Our results confirm the strong dependency of the shelf currents, with an emphasis to the terrigenous input from the Río de La Plata outflow which is transported via the Brazilian Coastal Current, as well as of the coupled Brazil Current - Intermediate Western Boundary Current (BC-IWBC) dynamics on the sedimentary processes. At least three indicators ofthe paleo sea level were found at 12200 yr BP (conventional radiocarbon age) (103 meters below sea level - mbsl),8300-8800 cal yr BP (13 mbsl) and 7700-8100 cal yr BP (6 mbsl).O objetivo deste trabalho foi a geração de um inventário dos dados de datação de radiocarbono obtidos de sedimentos do Embaiamento de São Paulo (Margem Continental Superior do Sul do Brasil) e analisar os dados em termos de processos sedimentares quaternários e taxas de sedimentação. Um total de238 datações ao radiocarbono de materiais coletados com autilização de procedimentos amostrais diferentes foi considerado neste trabalho. As taxas de sedimentação variaram de menor que 2 a 68 cm.kyr-1. As taxas de sedimentação mais altas foram encontradas em um sistema costeiro de baixa energia (tipo ría), bem como nas zonas de ressurgência de Santa Catarina e Cabo Frio. As taxas mais baixas foram encontradas na plataforma externa e talude superior. Nossos resultados confirmam a forte dependência do sistema de correntes de plataforma, com ênfase no aporte terrígeno oriundo do Rio daPrata, transportado através da Corrente Costeira do Brasil, e da dinâmica da Corrente do Brasil - Corrente de Contorno Intermediária (CB-CCI) nos processos sedimentares. Pelo menostrês indicadores de paleo-níveis marinhos foram encontrados a 12200 anos AP (idade radiocarbônica convencional) (103 metros abaixo do nível do mar atual - manm), 8300-8800 cal anos AP (13 manm) e 7700-8100 cal anos BP (6 manm).Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisado Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq

Redescription and geographical distribution of the endangered fish ossubtus xinguense Jégu 1992 (Characiformes, Serrasalmidae) with comments on conservation of the rheophilic fauna of the Xingu River

The monotypic species Ossubtus xinguense was originally described based on scarce material putatively divided into juveniles and adults. Ossubtus xinguense has a restricted distribution and was previously known only from a few rapids downstream of the city of Altamira, in the Volta Grande stretch of the Middle Xingu River. Until recently, the species was rare in museums because its habitat (large rapids) is difficult to sample. Large-scale collecting efforts targeting rapids throughout the Xingu River basin have yielded an abundance of new material. Based on an analysis of the type series and freshly preserved specimens, we redescribe O. xinguense and provide detailed osteological descriptions along with comments about its relationships within Serrasalmidae. Furthermore, we expand the geographical distribution of the species and discuss its conservation status. © 2016 Andrade et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited

Cytogenetic analysis of baryancistrus xanthellus (Siluriformes: Loricariidae: Ancistrini), an ornamental fish endemic to the Xingu river, Brazil

Baryancistrus xanthellus is a species from the Ancistrini tribe known commonly as “amarelinho” or “golden nugget pleco”. It is one of the most popular and valued ornamental fishes due to its color pattern. Also, it is an endemic species from the Xingu River occurring from Volta Grande do Xingu, region where the Belo Monte Hydropower Dam is being built, to São Félix do Xingu. The current study aimed to cytogenetically characterize B. xanthellus. Results point to the maintenance of 2n=52, which is considered the most common condition for the tribe, and a single nucleolus organizer region (NOR). Mapping of the 18S rDNA confirmed the NOR sites, and the 5S rDNA was mapped in the interstitial position of a single chromosome pair. The 18S and 5S rDNA located in different pairs constitute an apomorphy in Loricariidae. Large blocks of heterochromatin are present in pairs 1 and 10 and in the regions equivalent to NOR and the 5S rDNA. Data obtained in this study corroborated with the currently accepted phylogenetic hypothesis for the Ancistrini and demonstrate evidence that the genus Baryancistrus occupies a basal position in the tribe. © 2016, Sociedade Brasileira de Ictiologia. All rights reserved

Salivary molecular spectroscopy : a sustainable, rapid and non-invasive monitoring tool for diabetes mellitus during insulin treatment

Monitoring of blood glucose is an invasive, painful and costly practice in diabetes. Consequently, the search for a more cost-effective (reagent-free), non-invasive and specific diabetes monitoring method is of great interest. Attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy has been used in diagnosis of several diseases, however, applications in the monitoring of diabetic treatment are just beginning to emerge. Here, we used ATR-FTIR spectroscopy to evaluate saliva of non-diabetic (ND), diabetic (D) and insulin-treated diabetic (D+I) rats to identify potential salivary biomarkers related to glucose monitoring. The spectrum of saliva of ND, D and D+I rats displayed several unique vibrational modes and from these, two vibrational modes were pre-validated as potential diagnostic biomarkers by ROC curve analysis with significant correlation with glycemia. Compared to the ND and D+I rats, classification of D rats was achieved with a sensitivity of 100%, and an average specificity of 93.33% and 100% using bands 1452 cm-1 and 836 cm-1, respectively. Moreover, 1452 cm-1 and 836 cm-1 spectral bands proved to be robust spectral biomarkers and highly correlated with glycemia (R2 of 0.801 and 0.788, P < 0.01, respectively). Both PCA-LDA and HCA classifications achieved an accuracy of 95.2%. Spectral salivary biomarkers discovered using univariate and multivariate analysis may provide a novel robust alternative for diabetes monitoring using a non-invasive and green technology

REMOÇÃO DE CÁLCIO DE EFLUENTE DE MÁQUINA DE PAPEL POR PRECIPITAÇÃO/COPRECIPITAÇÃO

In integrates pulp and paper mills, the effluent generated by the paper machine can be considered as a sector effluent, called white water, due to the high concentration of calcium. In this work, experiments were conducted to understand the behavior of the effluent in different pH values and to develop removal methods of calcium from the white water, aiming the reuse of water and the calcium recovery. Potentiometric titrations were carried out with HCl 0.022 mol L-1 and NaOH 0.025 mol L-1 standards, after adjusting the effluent pH at 12.0 and 2.0; respectively, which indicated inflection points for the carbonate, bicarbonate and kaolin, components capable of interaction with the soluble calcium. The methods for calcium removal consisted of coprecipitation/adsorption with iron (III) and aluminum hydroxides, and precipitation in the presence of sodium oxalate. The results indicated that at low concentrations of ferric sulfate and aluminum sulfate, the removal of calcium is low. In the adsorption assays in the presence of Fe(OH)3 and Al(OH)3, the increased of the ferric sulfate concentration enabled a slight increase in the calcium removal (16.5 to 31.0 %), reaching 65.0% in the adsorption more precipitation process in pH 10.0. In case of aluminum sulfate, the removal percentages were indifferent (close to 10.0%). In the precipitation of Ca2+ in the oxalate presence, the possibility of satisfactory percentages of removal was observed (75 to 87%), keeping the effluent with the conductivity and pH unchanged, it’s very important, because the increase of effluent conductivity to reuse cause break of paper made. The calcium oxalate recuperated can be heated excessively and changed and calcium carbonate and to be reused. Tests in the highest scale have to be realized to approve the reuse of water and calcium of paper machine.Nas fábricas integradas de celulose e papel, o efluente gerado pela máquina de papel pode ser considerado um efluente setorial, denominado de água branca, devido à concentração elevada de cálcio. Neste trabalho foram realizados experimentos com objetivos de compreender o comportamento do efluente em função do pH e desenvolver metodologias de remoção de cálcio da água branca, de modo a proporcionar o reuso da água e a recuperação de cálcio. Titulações potenciométricas foram realizadas com HCl 0,022 mol L-1 e com NaOH 0,025 mol L-1 padronizados, após ajuste de pH do efluente em 12,0 e 2,0 respectivamente, às quais indicaram pontos de inflexão referentes à carbonato, bicarbonato e caulim, componentes com capacidade de interação com o cálcio solúvel. Os métodos de remoção de cálcio consistiram de coprecipitação/adsorção com hidróxidos de ferro (III) e de alumínio e precipitação na presença de oxalato de sódio. Os resultados apontaram que em baixas concentrações de sulfato férrico e sulfato de alumínio, a coprecipitação de cálcio é baixa. Nos ensaios de adsorção na presença de Fe(OH)3 e Al(OH)3, notou-se que o aumento da concentração de sulfato férrico possibilitou um ligeiro aumento da remoção de cálcio (16,5 a 31,0%), chegando a 65,0% na soma dos processos de adsorção/precipitação em pH 10,0. No caso do sulfato de alumínio as porcentagens de remoção foram indiferentes (~ 10,0%). Em relação à precipitação de Ca2+ na presença de oxalato, observou-se remoção de porcentagens satisfatórias na forma de oxalato de cálcio (75% a 87%), mantendo-se o efluente com condutividade e pH praticamente inalterados, o que é muito desejável, já que o aumento da condutividade do efluente tratado na reutilização provoca efeito de quebra das folhas de papel. O oxalato de cálcio recuperado pode ser calcinado, sendo convertido a carbonato de cálcio, para posterior reuso. Testes em escala piloto devem ser realizados com o objetivo de validar o reuso da água e do cálcio provenientes da máquina de papel

Abstracts

Tradução, para a língua inglesa, dos artigos publicados nesta edição