First standardized inventory of ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in the natural grasslands of Paraná: New records for Southern Brazil

Abstract Despite the large number of studies investigating ant diversity in Brazilian biomes, no ant-related studies have been carried out in Campos Gerais, a grassland physiognomy in Paraná state. The present study is the first inventory of the ant fauna in one of the few conservation units protecting the Campos Gerais landscape, the Guartelá State Park (PEG). Sixty samples were collected from different habitats within PEG using pitfall traps. Qualitative samples of leaf litter were collected from forest fragments and submitted to Winkler extractors. In addition, manual qualitative sampling was carried out in the various physiognomies within the PEG. A total of 163 species was collected and sorted into 43 genera and nine subfamilies. Five genera and 28 species were recorded for the first time in the state of Paraná. Out of these, 17 species were also recorded for the first time in the Southern Region of Brazil and two were recorded for the first time to the country. The significant species richness in the PEG and the high number of new records is a strong sign of this ecosystem’s potential to reveal taxonomic novelties. These results suggest that PEG, and the Campos Gerais as a whole, should be the target of greater conservation efforts to preserve native remnants

Discovery of the termite specialist ant genus Centromyrmex, Mayr 1866 (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Ponerinae) for the Guiana Shield

The ponerine ant genus Centromyrmex is recorded for the first time in French Guiana. The specimens reported here were collected by the SEAG (Société Entomologique Antilles-Guyane) team in the commune of Saül, French Guiana. The ants were collected in a region of Amazon Forest with flight interception traps. Two out of the three species currently recognized for the genus in South America were here recorded in French Guiana, Centromyrmex alfaroi and Centromyrmex gigas. In total, 24 specimens were collected, all represented by alate queens. This record expands the knowledge about the distribution of this rarely collected genus and reinforces the importance of alternative sampling techniques for collecting cryptobiotic ants and unknown alate forms.

First standardized inventory of ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in the natural grasslands of Paraná: New records for Southern Brazil

Despite the large number of studies investigating ant diversity in Brazilian biomes, no ant-related studies have been carried out in Campos Gerais, a grassland physiognomy in Paraná state. The present study is the first inventory of the ant fauna in one of the few conservation units protecting the Campos Gerais landscape, the Guartelá State Park (PEG). Sixty samples were collected from different habitats within PEG using pitfall traps. Qualitative samples of leaf litter were collected from forest fragments and submitted to Winkler extractors. In addition, manual qualitative sampling was carried out in the various physiognomies within the PEG. A total of 163 species was collected and sorted into 43 genera and nine subfamilies. Five genera and 28 species were recorded for the first time in the state of Paraná. Out of these, 17 species were also recorded for the first time in the Southern Region of Brazil and two were recorded for the first time to the country. The significant species richness in the PEG and the high number of new records is a strong sign of this ecosystem’s potential to reveal taxonomic novelties. These results suggest that PEG, and the Campos Gerais as a whole, should be the target of greater conservation efforts to preserve native remnants

First survey of the ants (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) of Piauí: filling a major knowledge gap about ant diversity in Brazil

Piauí, a Brazilian Northeast state, has been considered one of the most important regions for the presence of new taxa in ants globally, especially considering the ecosystems’ diversity formed by the transition of the three biomes in the state, the Cerrado, Caatinga and the Atlantic Forest. Despite the recent increase in studies of ant diversity in the Neotropical region, Piauí still represents a major knowledge gap regarding its ant fauna. Therefore, this study aimed to increase the knowledge about the ant fauna of the state by generating a list of species with data obtained from the literature, online repositories and collection expeditions to the Serra da Capivara and Serra das Confusões National Parks. A total of 152 species in 52 genera and nine subfamilies were registered from 24 localities in Piauí. Fifty-eight out the 152 species recorded represent new records for the state, eight are new records for the Brazilian Northeast Region, and one consists of a new record for the country. Eleven species are here recognized as new for science. Considering the field expeditions carried out here, this work represents the first standardized study for the ant fauna of Piauí. The species list presented considerably exceeds the current number of species registered for the state so far. From the present 48 records, the number of species for Piauí raises to more than 150 with a tendency to increase with the accomplishment of future field endeavors and advances in the study of the local ants

A implementação do voto distrital no poder legislativo: formas e consequências

O presente artigo tem como objetivo o estudo de uma solução alternativa à crise política e de representatividade no Poder Legislativo brasileiro, através da implementação do voto distrital, visto o esgotamento do sistema eleitoral vigente. A partir de pesquisa bibliográfica e documental, partiu-se da análise dos conceitos e formas do sistema eleitoral brasileiro até o estudo do contexto internacional, ao examinar os sistemas eleitorais britânico e alemão. Após, analisou-se o cenário nacional e as possíveis consequências da implementação do voto distrital em sua forma pura ou mista no Brasil. Conclui-se que a implementação do sistema de voto distrital puro é uma alternativa plausível e efetiva, uma vez que aproxima o eleitor do eleito e diminui a onerosidade das campanhas políticas, simplificando a governabilidade da nação

Crise, uma condição intrínseca à modernidade:: realidades e horizontes da sociedade contemporânea

Este texto é uma resenha da obra "Estado de Crise" escrita por Carlo Bordoni e Zygmunt Baumna, publicada no Brasil no corrente ano. Neste sentido, apresenta-se a obra em questão com a criticidade pertinente ao bom exercício do comentário, buscando destacar as principais ideias trabalhadas pelos autores apreendendo-as dentro do cenário geral que a obra sucita acerca da condição permanete da crise na sociedade contemporânea. São debatidos os entendimentos convergentes bem como os pontos de distinção guardados pelos autores e que se apresentam no decorrer do livro, possibilitando uma acessível percepção tanto das incursões gerais realizadas como os enfoques dados sobre aspectos singulares. O objetivo, neste caso, não foi o de esgotar nenhum aspecto particular da obra mas apresentá-los de modo a institigar os leitores a se aaprorpiarem desse rico debate trazido à tona pela dupla de sociólogos que assinam a autoria dessa obra

The role of Senescent Stem-Galls over Arboreal Ant Communities Structure in Eremanthus erythropappus (DC.) MacLeish (Asteraceae) Trees

The extensive occupation of canopy trees by ants can be attributed to many factors, such as the presence of structures that provide food and shelter. Structures induced by other insects in host plants, like senescent galls, can provide shelter and a nesting place for many species of ants. The main objectives of this work were: (1) to describe the ant communities found in canopies of candeia trees (Eremanthus erythropappus), including the species which use galls as nesting sites; (2) verify the role of galls in determining the structure and composition of the ant communities and (3) to evaluate whether the size and shape of galls are important to the choice of nesting sites by ants. Specifically, the following questions were investigated: 1 – Are larger galls more frequently occupied by ants than smaller galls? 2 – Does gall shape (globular and fusiform) influence occupation? 3 – Which species of ants are present in the canopies of candeias and which are occupying galls? Senescent galls were collected in locations in the southern portion of the Espinhaço Mountain Range, state of Minas Gerais, southeastern Brazil. In total, 3,195 galls were collected and 19 ant species were recorded. Only 176 galls (5.5%) had been occupied by ants, and these were represented by 11 species. The most frequent species found occupying galls were Myrmelachista nodigera, with 48 colonies; Nesomyrmex spininodis, with 37 colonies; and Crematogaster complex crinosa sp. 1, with 29 colonies. The ants occupied galls with greater volume and diameter. Even considering the low occupation frequency, senescent galls in E. erythropappus are used by ants, either as outstations or satellite nests of polydomic colonies, and may be important in determining ant species composition in canopy trees

Formal Semantics for Java-like Languages and Research Opportunities

The objective of this paper is twofold: first, we discuss the state of art on Java-like semantics, focusing on those that provide formal specification using operational semantics (big-step or small-step), studying in detail the most cited projects and presenting some derivative works that extend the originals aggregating useful features. Also, we filter our research for those that provide some insights in type-safety proofs. Furthermore, we provide a comparison between the most used projects in order to show which functionalities are covered in such projects. Second, our effort is focused towards the research opportunities in this area, showing some important works that can be applied to the previously presented projects to study features of object-oriented languages, and pointing for some possibilities to explore in future researches