Sampling Scarab Beetles in Tropical Forests: The Effect of Light Source and Night Sampling Periods

Light traps have been used widely to sample insect abundance and diversity, but their performance for sampling scarab beetles in tropical forests based on light source type and sampling hours throughout the night has not been evaluated. The efficiency of mercury-vapour lamps, cool white light and ultraviolet light sources in attracting Dynastinae, Melolonthinae and Rutelinae scarab beetles, and the most adequate period of the night to carry out the sampling was tested in different forest areas of Costa Rica. Our results showed that light source wavelengths and hours of sampling influenced scarab beetle catches. No significant differences were observed in trap performance between the ultraviolet light and mercury-vapour traps, whereas these two methods caught significantly more species richness and abundance than cool white light traps. Species composition also varied between methods. Large differences appear between catches in the sampling period, with the first five hours of the night being more effective than the last five hours. Because of their high efficiency and logistic advantages, we recommend ultraviolet light traps deployed during the first hours of the night as the best sampling method for biodiversity studies of those scarab beetles in tropical forests

The Relationship between Dioxin-Like Polychlorobiphenyls and IGF-I Serum Levels in Healthy Adults: Evidence from a Cross-Sectional Study

OBJECTIVE: Insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) and dioxin-like polychlorobiphenyls (DL-PCBs) have been associated with the pathogenesis of several diseases like cancer, diabetes and growth disorders. Because it has been suggested that organohalogenated contaminants could influence IGF-I levels in adults, the potential relationship between DL-PCBs and IGF-I serum levels was studied in 456 healthy adults from a representative sample of the general population of the Canary Islands (Spain). DESIGN: Free circulating serum levels of IGF-I and IGFBP-3 were measured through an ELISA methodology, while the serum levels of the 12 DL-PCBs congeners (IUPAC numbers # 77, 81, 105, 114, 118, 123, 126, 156, 157, 167, 169, and 189) were measured by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC-MS). RESULTS: DL-PCBs 156 and 167, Total DL-PCBs body burden (∑PCBs: sum over the 12 measured DL-PCBs), and Total toxic burden (in terms of toxic equivalence to dioxins: ∑TEQs) showed a trend of inverse association with IGF-I serum levels in the whole studied population. After adjusting for potential confounders, including gender, body mass index (BMI), age, and IGF-binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3), younger (18-45 years) women with lower BMI (<27 kg/m(2)) and detectable levels of DL-PCB-156 showed significantly lower IGF-I levels than those in the same age and BMI subgroup with non-detectable levels of DL-PCB-156 (p<0.001). Similarly, ∑PCBs and ∑TEQs showed a tendency to an inverse association with IGF-I levels in the same group of women (p=0.017 and p=0.019 respectively). CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that DL-PCBs could be involved in the regulation of the IGF-system in a way possibly influenced by gender, age and BMI. Although these results should be interpreted with caution, such circumstances could contribute to explain the development of diseases associated to the IGF system

Remarkable fly (Diptera) diversity in a patch of Costa Rican cloud forest : Why inventory is a vital science

Study of all flies (Diptera) collected for one year from a four-hectare (150 x 266 meter) patch of cloud forest at 1,600 meters above sea level at Zurqui de Moravia, San Jose Province, Costa Rica (hereafter referred to as Zurqui), revealed an astounding 4,332 species. This amounts to more than half the number of named species of flies for all of Central America. Specimens were collected with two Malaise traps running continuously and with a wide array of supplementary collecting methods for three days of each month. All morphospecies from all 73 families recorded were fully curated by technicians before submission to an international team of 59 taxonomic experts for identification. Overall, a Malaise trap on the forest edge captured 1,988 species or 51% of all collected dipteran taxa (other than of Phoridae, subsampled only from this and one other Malaise trap). A Malaise trap in the forest sampled 906 species. Of other sampling methods, the combination of four other Malaise traps and an intercept trap, aerial/hand collecting, 10 emergence traps, and four CDC light traps added the greatest number of species to our inventory. This complement of sampling methods was an effective combination for retrieving substantial numbers of species of Diptera. Comparison of select sampling methods (considering 3,487 species of non-phorid Diptera) provided further details regarding how many species were sampled by various methods. Comparison of species numbers from each of two permanent Malaise traps from Zurqui with those of single Malaise traps at each of Tapanti and Las Alturas, 40 and 180 km distant from Zurqui respectively, suggested significant species turnover. Comparison of the greater number of species collected in all traps from Zurqui did not markedly change the degree of similarity between the three sites, although the actual number of species shared did increase. Comparisons of the total number of named and unnamed species of Diptera from four hectares at Zurqui is equivalent to 51% of all flies named from Central America, greater than all the named fly fauna of Colombia, equivalent to 14% of named Neotropical species and equal to about 2.7% of all named Diptera worldwide. Clearly the number of species of Diptera in tropical regions has been severely underestimated and the actual number may surpass the number of species of Coleoptera. Various published extrapolations from limited data to estimate total numbers of species of larger taxonomic categories (e.g., Hexapoda, Arthropoda, Eukaryota, etc.) are highly questionable, and certainly will remain uncertain until we have more exhaustive surveys of all and diverse taxa (like Diptera) from multiple tropical sites. Morphological characterization of species in inventories provides identifications placed in the context of taxonomy, phylogeny, form, and ecology. DNA barcoding species is a valuable tool to estimate species numbers but used alone fails to provide a broader context for the species identified.Peer reviewe

Comprehensive inventory of true flies (Diptera) at a tropical site

Peer reviewe

Comprehensive inventory of true flies (Diptera) at a tropical site

Estimations of tropical insect diversity generally suffer from lack of known groups or faunas against which extrapolations can be made, and have seriously underestimated the diversity of some taxa. Here we report the intensive inventory of a four-hectare tropical cloud forest in Costa Rica for one year, which yielded 4332 species of Diptera, providing the first verifiable basis for diversity of a major group of insects at a single site in the tropics. In total 73 families were present, all of which were studied to the species level, providing potentially complete coverage of all families of the order likely to be present at the site. Even so, extrapolations based on our data indicate that with further sampling, the actual total for the site could be closer to 8000 species. Efforts to completely sample a site, although resource-intensive and time-consuming, are needed to better ground estimations of world biodiversity based on limited sampling

Flower flies of the subgenus Ocyptamus (Mimocalla Hull) (Diptera: Syrphidae)

Volume: 102Start Page: 773End Page: 79

Description of Scatella savegre, a new species from Costa Rica in the Triseta group (Diptera: Ephydridae)

Volume: 107Start Page: 386End Page: 39

Neuzina diminuta Marinoni & Zumbado, new species

&lt;i&gt;Neuzina diminuta&lt;/i&gt; Marinoni &amp; Zumbado, new species (Figs. 1&ndash;9) &lt;p&gt; &lt;b&gt;Description. Adult&lt;/b&gt; (Fig. 1). General coloration: body dark brown, covered with gray pruinosity. Bases of most hairs and setae with rounded brown spots, including those on the head. Body length: 2&ndash;4.2 mm. Wing length: 1&ndash;2 mm.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;b&gt;Head&lt;/b&gt; (Figs. 2, 3). Frons golden yellow, ocellar triangle and parafrontalia covered by gray pruinosity. Frons with anterior half black pilose; 1 strong upper orbital seta; ocellars and postocellars strong; postocellars slightly divergent; inner and outer vertical setae well developed. Scape and pedicel equal in length; postpedicel about three limes longer than pedicel; arista sub&shy;basal, bearing long white hairs. Face slightly concave in profile, yellowish pollinose, with median black spot; parafacialia with black spot at side of antenna; gena black pilose.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;b&gt;Thorax&lt;/b&gt; (Fig. 4). Mesonotum completely maculate, with brown spots at bases of hairs; sometimes the spots forming one poorly distinguished pair of median stripes anteriorly. Mesonotal suture incomplete. Setae: 1 proepisternal seta, short and fine, only slightly larger than proepisternal hairs; 2 notopleurals; 1 presutural; 1 postpronotal, 1 postsutural supra&shy;alar; 2 postalars, 2 prescutellars dorsocentrals, 2 pairs of scutellars. No setae on pleura, except 1 anepisternal. Wing (Fig. 4) infumate, with pale spots in cells m, r4+5, r2+3 and dm; r1 darker; margin of wing with pale stripe extending from cell m to cell r2+3. Veins R4+5 and M1+2 not converging apically; crossvein dm&shy;Cu straight; A1+CuA2 complete to margin. Fore coxa completely gray pruinose, bearing some black setae anteriorly; fore femur brownish with medium broad yellow ring; fore trochanter yellow; fore tibia brown; fore tarsi 1 and 5 white. Mid coxa partly gray pruinose with strong black anterior setae. Hind coxa with strong lateroventral seta. Mid and hind femora brown, with irregular yellow maculae; mid and hind tibia mainly light yellow, brown apically; mid and hind tarsi mainly white.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;b&gt;Female&lt;/b&gt; (Fig. 5). Sternite 8 reduced, posterior margin sinuate.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;b&gt;Male abdomen&lt;/b&gt; (Figs. 6&ndash;9). Paramere well developed and elongate; no hairs observed. Gonopod well developed, shell shaped, concave, covering the aedeagus. Aedeagus flattened and largely membranous.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;b&gt;Type specimens&lt;/b&gt;. HOLOTYPE MALE: White rectangular label: &ldquo; COSTA RICA, Prov. Guanacaste, Bagaces, P.N. Palo Verde, Cerro Guayacan, 212 m, 9 May&ndash;9 Jun 1999. I Jim&eacute;nez &ndash; Malaise, L/N 259350/389600 #56554.&rdquo; Deposited at the Instituto Nacional de Biodiversidad de Costa Rica, INBio.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; PARATYPES: 6 males and 7 females. COSTA RICA: Prov. Guanacaste, Bagaces, P.N. Palo Verde, 0.250 km NE de Estaci&oacute;n, 60 m. 4 Jun&ndash;6 Jul 1999. I. Jim&eacute;nez &ndash; Malaise, L/N 259200/388750#54001, white rectangular label: &ldquo;INB0003462803, INBIOCRI COSTA RICA &rdquo; (1 male, INBio); &lt;i&gt;idem&lt;/i&gt;, white rectangular label: &ldquo;INB0003462789 INBIOCRI COSTA RICA &rdquo; (1 male, INBio); &lt;i&gt;idem&lt;/i&gt;, white rectangular label: &ldquo;INB0003462793 INBIOCRI COSTA RICA &rdquo; (1 male, DZUP); &lt;i&gt;idem&lt;/i&gt;, white rectangular label: &ldquo;INB0003462802 INBIOCRI COSTA RICA &rdquo; (1 female, INBio); &lt;i&gt;idem&lt;/i&gt;, white rectangular label: &ldquo;INB0003462807 INBIOCRI COSTA RICA &rdquo; (1 female, INBio); &lt;i&gt;idem&lt;/i&gt;, 195 m., 5&ndash; 19 May 1999, I. Jim&eacute;nez &shy; Malaise, L/N_ 259750_388500 #52749&rdquo;, white rectangular label: &ldquo;INB0003417956 INBIOCRI COSTA RICA &rdquo; (1 female, INBio); &lt;i&gt;idem&lt;/i&gt;, 9 May&ndash;9 Jun 1999, I. Jim&eacute;nez &ndash; Malaise, L/N 259350/389600 #56554, (1 female, DZUP); &lt;i&gt;idem&lt;/i&gt;, 17 Jun&ndash;4 Jul, I. Jim&eacute;nez &ndash; Malaise, L/N 260952 /385020 #52767, (1 male, 1 female, USNM); &lt;i&gt;idem&lt;/i&gt;, 19 May&ndash;15 Jun 1999, I. Jim&eacute;nez &ndash; Malaise, L/N 260952 /385020 #52762, (1 male, USNM); &lt;i&gt;idem&lt;/i&gt;, Murci&eacute;lago, 8 km SW Cuajiniquil, 100 m., Jun 1989, GNP Biodiversity Survey, 320300, 380200, white rectangular label: &ldquo; COSTA RICA, INBIOCRI001052050&rdquo; (1 female, DZUP). VENEZUELA: Guarico, Guarico Hato Masaguaral (44 km S. Calabozo), 20&ndash;28 May 1985, Menke &amp; Carpenter (1 female, USNM). BRAZIL: Par&aacute;, Concei&ccedil;&atilde;o do Araguaia, Jul 1959, M. Alvarenga (1 male, DZUP).&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;b&gt;Etymology&lt;/b&gt;. The specific epithet &lt;i&gt;diminuta&lt;/i&gt; is an Latin adjective referring to the small size of these flies.&lt;/p&gt;Published as part of &lt;i&gt;Marinoni, Luciane, Zumbado, Manuel A. &amp; Knutson, Lloyd, 2004, tropical Region, pp. 1-7 in Zootaxa 540&lt;/i&gt; on pages 5-6, DOI: &lt;a href="http://zenodo.org/record/157967"&gt;10.5281/zenodo.157967&lt;/a&gt

Neuzina Marinoni & Knutson

&lt;i&gt;Neuzina&lt;/i&gt; Marinoni &amp; Knutson, new genus &lt;p&gt; &lt;b&gt;Type species&lt;/b&gt;. &lt;i&gt;Neuzina diminuta&lt;/i&gt; Marinoni &amp; Zumbado, new species.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;b&gt;Genus description. Adult&lt;/b&gt; (Fig. 1). General coloration: body dark brown, with gray pruinosity. Bases of most setulae and setae with rounded brown spots, including those on the head.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;b&gt;Head&lt;/b&gt; (Figs. 2, 3). Mid frontal vitta absent. Fronto&shy;orbital spot present. 1 upper orbital seta; 1 ocellar; 1 postocellar, slightly divergent; 1 inner and 1 outer vertical. Scape and pedicel equal in length; postpedicel about three times longer than pedicel; arista sub&shy;basal. Face slightly concave in profile, yellowish pollinose, with median black spot; parafacialia with black spot at side of antenna; gena narrow and black pilose.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;b&gt;Thorax&lt;/b&gt; (Fig. 4). Mesonotal suture incomplete. Setae: 1 proepisternal; 2 notopleurals; 1 presutural; 1 postpronotal; 1 postsutural supra&shy;alar; 2 postalars; 2 prescutellars dorsocentrals; 2 pairs of scutellars. No setae on pleura, except 1 anepisternal. Wing infumate. Veins R4+5 and M1+2 not converging apically; crossvein dm&shy;Cu straight; A1+CuA2 complete to margin. Hind coxa with a lateroventral seta. Mid and hind femur brown with irregular yellow maculae; mid and hind tibiae mainly light yellow apically brown; mid and hind tarsi mainly white.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;b&gt;Female&lt;/b&gt; (Fig. 5). 6th, 7th and 8th sternites separated. Two spermathecae.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;b&gt;Male Abdomen&lt;/b&gt; (Figs. 6&ndash;9). 6th sternite asymmetrical, normally extended from mid dorsum onto left side, where it is expanded and strongly sclerotized; 6th left spiracle mid laterally at beginning of expanded portion; 7th left spiracle in sternite; 6th and 7th right abdominal spiracles in membrane. Anterior and posterior surstyli visible and fused to epandrium. Aedeagus symmetric. Gonopod free from hypandrium.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;b&gt;Etymology&lt;/b&gt;. The generic name, &lt;i&gt;Neuzina&lt;/i&gt;, honors L. Marinoni&rsquo;s mother, Neuza Fonseca Marinoni, who along with her father, Renato Contin Marinoni, encouraged her career as a researcher. The name &lt;i&gt;Neuzina&lt;/i&gt; is feminine.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;b&gt;Taxonomic discussion&lt;/b&gt;. Marinoni &amp; Mathis (2000) in a cladistic analysis of the Sciomyzidae concluded that the family has two monophyletic subfamilies: Salticellinae and Sciomyzinae. Within the Sciomyzinae there are two monophyletic tribes, Sciomyzini and Tetanocerini.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; The new genus &lt;i&gt;Neuzina&lt;/i&gt; has the following synapomorphies of Sciomyzini:&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; 1. The aedeagus is symmetric (Fig. 9). The aedeagus is also symmetric in &lt;i&gt;Antichaeta&lt;/i&gt; and in the group of &lt;i&gt;Sepedoninus&lt;/i&gt; Verbeke, &lt;i&gt;Sepedonella&lt;/i&gt; Ver b ek e, &lt;i&gt;Sepedon&lt;/i&gt; Latreille, &lt;i&gt;Sepedomerus&lt;/i&gt; Steyskal + &lt;i&gt;Sepedonea&lt;/i&gt; Steyskal (Tetanocerini);&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; 2. The gonopod is free from hypandrium (Fig. 8). In &lt;i&gt;Tetanoceroides&lt;/i&gt; Malloch (Tetanocerini) a free gonopod is apparently homoplastic.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; Other characters indicative of the position of &lt;i&gt;Neuzina&lt;/i&gt; in the Sciomyzini are:&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; 3. In the antenna the length of the pedicel is approximately half of the length of the postpedicel. This character is plesiomorphic within the Sciomyzidae and in Tetanocerini it is present in the genera &lt;i&gt;Eutrichomelina&lt;/i&gt; Steyskal, &lt;i&gt;Ectinocera&lt;/i&gt; Zetterstedt, &lt;i&gt;Renocera&lt;/i&gt; Hendel, &lt;i&gt;Antichaeta&lt;/i&gt; Haliday, &lt;i&gt;Chasmacryptum&lt;/i&gt; Becker, &lt;i&gt;Shannonia&lt;/i&gt; Malloch and &lt;i&gt;Perilimnia&lt;/i&gt; Becker; 4. The proepisternal seta is present. This character was used by Steyskal (1965) to sepa&shy;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;rate the tribes Sciomyzini and Tetanocerini. All the genera placed in Sciomyzini by&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Marinoni &amp; Mathis (2000) have the proepisternal seta. Among the Tetanocerini there are&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; only two genera with the seta lacking (&lt;i&gt;Shannonia&lt;/i&gt; Malloch and &lt;i&gt;Perilimnia&lt;/i&gt; Becker);&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;5. The male has the 6th, 7th and 8th sternites separated, the 6th and 7th asymmetrical (Fig.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;6);&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;6. 6th and 7th right abdominal spiracles of male in membrane;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;7. Paramere elongate and well developed (Fig. 8);&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;8. The 6th, 7th and 8th sternites of the female abdomen are separated (Fig. 5). This is not a&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; character exclusive of Sciomyzini but all the Sciomyzini have the three sternites separated. A more definitive assessment on the relationships of &lt;i&gt;Neuzina&lt;/i&gt; with the other genera&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;within the Sciomyzini will require a cladistic evaluation of all known synapomorphies for&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;all genera in the tribe.&lt;/p&gt;Published as part of &lt;i&gt;Marinoni, Luciane, Zumbado, Manuel A. &amp; Knutson, Lloyd, 2004, tropical Region, pp. 1-7 in Zootaxa 540&lt;/i&gt; on pages 2-5, DOI: &lt;a href="http://zenodo.org/record/157967"&gt;10.5281/zenodo.157967&lt;/a&gt

tropical Region

Marinoni, Luciane, Zumbado, Manuel A., Knutson, Lloyd (2004): tropical Region. Zootaxa 540: 1-7, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.15796