Lopesia leandrae (Diptera,Cecidomyiidae), a new species of gall midge associated with Leandra ionopogon (Mart.) Cogn. (Melastomataceae), a native plant to Brazil

Lopesia leandrae (Diptera, Cecidomyiidae), a new galling species associated with Leandra ionopogon (Melastomataceae), a native plant species to Brazil, is described based on larva, pupal exuvia, male and female. L. leandrae galls were collected in an area of Atlantic Forest in Bertioga, state of São Paulo, Southeastern Brazil. The new species was compared to the other species of Lopesia.     

Myrciamyia pterandrae (Diptera,Cecidomyiidae, Lopesiini), a new species of gall midge associated with Pterandra pyroidea A. Juss. (Malpighiaceae), an endemic plant in Brazilian Cerrado

Myrciamyia pterandrae (Diptera, Cecidomyiidae), a new galling species associated with Pterandra pyroidea (Fabaceae), an endemic plant species in Brazilian Cerrado, is described based on larva, pupa, male and female. M. pterandrae galls were collected in the municipality of Quartel de São João, State of Minas Gerais, southeastern Brazil. Larvae were removed from the galls and pupae, and adults were obtained by rearing. The specimens were mounted on slides, and the diagnostic morphological characters were illustrated. M. pterandrae is compared to Myrciamyia maricaensis Maia, 1996 the unique, previously known species of the genus.     

Jumping plant lice (Homoptera: Psylloidea) of the temperate neotropical region. Part 1: Psyllidae (subfamilies Aphalarinae, Rhinocolinae and Aphalaroidinae)

The psyllid-fauna of temperate and subantarctic South America comprises members of three families: Calophyidae, Triozidae and Psyllidae. Three subfamilies of the Psyllidae are revised in this paper: the Aphalarinae are represented by two species in two genera, one of which develops on Aquifoliaceae; the Rhinocolinae are represented by two congeneric species on Anacardiaceae while the Aphalaroidinae contain 38 species in seven genera trophically linked to the Compositae, Euphorbiaceae, Leguminosae, Myzodendraceae, Rhamnaceae, Solanaceae and Zygophyllaceae. The family Psyllidae (= Aphalaridae syn. nov. , =Spondyliaspididae syn. nov. ) and the constituent subfamily Aphalaroidinae (= Arepuninae syn nov. , = Ciriacreminae auct. pp) are redefined. Three genera and 30 species are described as new and two new generic, two new specific synonyms, and five new combinations are proposed. Information on larvae and host plant relationships is also given. Lectotypes are designated for eight species and a type-species is fixed for one genus. Keys are provided for the identification to species.     

A new Batillipedidae (Tardigrada, Heterotardigrada) from the Orosei Gulf, Sardinia, Tyrrhenian Sea

A new species of Batillipedidae, Batillipes spinicauda, has been found in subtidal sand sediments collected in Orosei Gulf (Sardinia, Tyrrhenian Sea). The most important peculiarities of the new species are the shape of the primary clavae, lateral processes and caudal apparatus. In the same samples, B. littoralis Renaud-Debyser, 1959 and Orzeliscus belopus Du Bois-Reymond Marcus, 1952 were found.     

The unique interaction between the summer annual desert plant Salsola inermis Forssk and weevils residing on its roots: mutualism or parasitism?

1. Herbivores and parasites are likely to impose less damage on their host when their growth rate is slow and their dependency on the host is high. Accordingly, it was hypothesised that evolution would favour neutral or even beneficial interactions between a below-ground herbivore and a plant during the harsh season in a desert ecosystem. 2. This study characterised the relationship between the summer annual plant Salsola inermis Forssk (Chenopodiaceae) and weevils developing in a mud chamber attached to its roots in the Negev Desert of Israel. Plant seedlings were exposed to adult weevils (Conorhynchus palumbus Olivier or Menecleonus virgatus Schoenherr; Coleoptera: Curculionidae) in a controlled outside setting, to induce oviposition and larval establishment. The following were quantified: plant growth, above-ground biomass, fruit biomass, and fruit size, as well as relative C and N contents, and isotopic signatures (δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N) in plant tissues. 3. Exposure to weevils did not reduce plant survival but significantly and negatively affected plant growth and seed production. However, these effects were mainly due to above-ground herbivory by adults rather than root herbivory by larvae, and might have been overestimated. Interestingly, %N and δ¹⁵N were significantly higher, and the C:N ratio was significantly lower, in plants with larval establishment, suggesting that weevils affect the plant nitrogen budget. 4. The overall results do not support the notion of mutualistic interactions; yet, slow consumption, a low infestation level, and, possibly, N supplementation to the plant may enable the plant to tolerate herbivory under natural conditions.     

Do ant visitors to extrafloral nectaries of plants repel pollinators and cause an indirect cost of mutualism?

Plants and ants have widespread relationships that are commonly mediated by the offer of extrafloral nectar (EFN) to ants that protect plants against herbivores. However, these ant–plant interactions are highly facultative and vary in time and space, mainly depending on the characteristics of the ant species, such as density and aggressiveness. In general, the outcomes of these relationships are positive, but in some cases, the presence of ants is neutral or negative to plants. Some studies suggest that aggressive attacks or merely the presence of ants might reduce the visitation rate of insect pollinators, such as bees, to flowers. We used experimental manipulation in natural conditions to test the hypothesis that ants on flowers of EFN-bearing plants might be recognized as a danger by pollinators (bees) and reduce the plant fitness (fruit-set). Our results show that the avoidance that ant bodyguard species feeding on EFNs of the Malpighiaceae Heteropterys pteropetala cause in pollinators, is not enough to decrease plant fruit-set. However, ants were indeed identified as a danger to pollinators as hypothesized and as suggested for other plant–pollinator relationships: flowers with plastic ants placed on the petals produced significantly fewer fruits than other treatments (using instead a plastic circle) or the control (natural condition). Indirect costs of facultative mutualisms are the focus of few studies and have been performed only rarely in the Neotropics; our results show that mutualism must be considered in multitrophic interactions studies for a better understanding of the functioning of the system.     

Hisonotus acuen,a new and phenotypically variable cascudinho (Siluriformes,Loricariidae, Hypoptopomatinae) from the upper rio Xingu basin,Brazil

A new species of Hisonotus is described from the headwaters of the rio Xingu. The new species is distinguished from its congeners by having a functional V-shaped spinelet, odontodes not forming longitudinal aligned rows on the head and trunk, lower counts of the lateral and median series of abdominal figs, presence of a single rostral fig at the tip of the snout, absence of the unpaired figlets at typical adipose fin position, yellowish-tipped teeth, absence of conspicuous dark saddles and stripe on the body and higher number of teeth on the premaxillary and dentary. The new species, Hisonotusacuen, is restricted to headwaters of the rio Xingu basin, and is the first species of the genus Hisonotus described from the rio Xingu basin. Hisonotusacuen is highly variable in aspects of external body proportions, including body depth, snout length, and abdomen length. This variation is partly distributed within and among populations, and is not strongly correlated with body size. PCA of 83 adult specimens from six allopatric populations indicates the presence of continuous variation. Therefore, the available morphological data suggest that the individuals inhabiting the six localities of rio Xingu represent different populations of a single species. Low intraspecific variation in mitochondrial Cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) provides corroborative evidence.     

Pareiorhina hyptiorhachis,a new catfish species from Rio?Paraíba do Sul basin,southeastern Brazil?(Siluriformes,Loricariidae)

Pareiorhina hyptiorhachis is described from Ribeirão Fernandes and Rio Pomba, Rio Paraíba do Sul basin, Brazil. The new species is distinguished from its congeners (Pareiorhina brachyrhyncha, Pareiorhina carrancas, Pareiorhina cepta, and Pareiorhina rudolphi) by the presence of a conspicuous ridge on the trunk posterior to the dorsal fin (postdorsal ridge), simple teeth, a completely naked abdomen, a round dorsal profile of the head, greater suborbital depth and greater head width. We discuss the distributional pattern of the new species and its congeners and hypothesize that headwater capture is responsible for the distribution of Pareiorhina species across different watersheds in southeastern of Brazil.     

Description of the larva of Lopesia spinosa Maia (Diptera,Cecidomyiidae) and new occurrences of the species

The hitherto unknown larva of Lopesia spinosa Maia (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) is described and the geographical distribution of the species is extended in Brazil to Delfinópolis in Minas Gerais; Altinópolis and Jundiaí in São Paulo. Diagnostic characters of the species and illustration of the larva are presented.     

Redefinition and taxonomic revision of the “buqueti” species-group,Dichotomius Hope, 1838 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae)

On the basis of external morphology and genitalia of males, as well as a comparison between different species belonging to other groups of Dichotomius, we propose a redefinition of the “buqueti” species group separated by Luederwaldt (1929). Six species are excluded from this group and transferred to other groups: D. ribeiroi (Pereira, 1954) in the “cotopaxi” group; D. camposeabrai Martínez, 1974 in the “bitiensis” group; D. reclinatus (Felsche, 1901), D. horridus (Felsche, 1911), D. quadrinodosus (Felsche, 1901) and D. nimuendaju (Luederwaldt, 1925) (revalidated species) forming the newly defined “reclinatus” group. The other species kept in the “buqueti” group include D. buqueti (Lucas, 1857) from Brazil (lectotype here designated), D. haroldi (Waterhouse, 1891) from Argentina and D. nutans (Harold, 1867) from Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay. The taxonomic revision of the “buqueti” group are presented, including a history of the included species, a determination key, illustrations of the structures of external morphology, male genitalia and sclerites of the internal sac, and a distribution map.