First titanosaur (Saurischia,Sauropoda) axial remains from the Uberaba Formation,Upper Cretaceous,Bauru Group,Brazil

The Adamantina and Marília formations are considered to be the richest vertebrate-bearing units in the Bauru Group, Upper Cretaceous, Brazil. In contrast, the fossil content from the Uberaba Formation, which only outcrops in Minas Gerais State, is scarce and poorly understood. In this essay the first taxonomically informative titanosaur remains unearthed from this unit are reported. They comprise anterior caudal vertebrae from two different individuals corresponding to a probably basal titanosaur (CPP-360) and a derived titanosaur (CPP-217). Although these remains can be clearly distinguished from other titanosaurs on the basis of their unique association of characteristics like the presence of mildly procoelous centra, lateral pits in the anterior caudal vertebrae, and prezygapophyses with a dorsal protuberance in anterior caudals in CPP-360 and the presence of strongly developed prespinal, spinopostzygapophyseal and centropostzygapophyseal laminae in CPP-217, more complete materials are needed to propose them new names.     

Zapalasaurus bonapartei, un nuevo dinosaurio saurópodo de La Formación La Amarga (Cretácico Inferior), noroeste de Patagonia, Provincia de Neuquén, Argentina

An incomplete skeleton from Puesto Morales (Neuquén Province, Argentina) is described as a new species of sauropod, Zapalasaurus bonapartei. The unit that yielded the holotype of this dinosaur is the Piedra Parada Member of the La Amarga Formation, whose age is regarded as Barremian-lower Aptian. Several characters are interpreted as autapomorphies of Zapalasaurus bonapartei: cervical vertebrae with a lamina uniting the prezygapophysis and the zygapophyseal portion of the postzygodiapophyseal lamina, cervical vertebrae with the diapophyseal portion of the postzygodiapophyseal lamina reduced, cervical vertebrae with poorly developed spinoprezygapophyseal laminae, mid and posterior caudal vertebrae with anteroposteriorly elongated neural spines, whose anterodorsal corners are higher than their posterodorsal ones, and caudal centrum length doubles over first 20 vertebrae. Zapalasaurus bonapartei is considered as the sister group of the other diplodocoids (excluding Haplocanthosaurus). Diplodocoids were abundant in the Early Cretaceous, becoming extinct by the early Late Cretaceous. The record of Zapalasaurus bonapartei shows that, at least in the Neuquina Basin, basal diplodocoids were more diverse than previously thought.     

Fused mid‐caudal vertebrae in the titanosaur Uberabatitan ribeiroi from the Late Cretaceous of Brazil and other bone lesions

Bone pathology in the titanosaur dinosaur Uberabatitan ribeiroi from the Marília Formation (Bauru Group, Late Cretaceous) of Uberaba city (Minas Gerais State, Brazil) is analysed here. They include two fused procoelous mid‐caudal vertebrae (CPPLIP‐1020) and a haemal arch (CPPLIP‐1006) of the middle section of the tail with a healing fracture callus. The analyses of the caudal vertebrae CPPLIP‐1020 of Uberabatitan permit us to recognize the following signs, based on CT scan and external macroscopic observations: (1) ossified longitudinal tendons; (2) likely ossified intervertebral disc, producing fused vertebral bodies; (3) fused right zygapophyseal process with a laterally developed osteophyte affecting this joint; (4) osteophytes and exostoses at different portions of the vertebrae; (5) cloacae, bone erosion and likely internal infection. According to all the processes observed in these caudals, we could not discard at least two possibilities for the diagnosis of the fused vertebrae. It could be the result of a spondyloarthropathy process (considering most of the observed signs) or possibly have been associated with an infection (e.g. discospondylitis/infections spondylitis or septic arthritis). The bone lesion record in Uberabatitan ribeiroi from the Late Cretaceous of Brazil increases the range of study of titanosaur dinosaurs, which although have a large fossil record, have few pathological studies.     

A NEW TITANOSAUR FROM WESTERN SÃO PAULO STATE, UPPER CRETACEOUS BAURU GROUP, SOUTH-EAST BRAZIL

Abstract: Material from a new titanosaur from the Bauru Basin (Bauru Group), Brazil is described and compared with well‐known titanosaurs. Adamantisaurus mezzalirai gen. et sp. nov. is based on six articulated anterior caudal vertebrae and two haemapophyses collected from the Adamantina Formation, which is considered to be Campanian–Maastrichtian? in age. Adamantisaurus mezzalirai is characterized by the following combination of characteristics: anterior caudal vertebrae with straight or slightly backwardly‐projecting neural spines with strongly expanded distal ends, stout prespinal lamina, very wide pre‐ and postzygapophyseal articular facets, and concave postzygapophyseal articular facets on anterior caudal vertebrae. Although our cladistic analysis has produced equivocal results, Adamantisaurus mezzalirai shares with DGM ‘Series B’ (Peirópolis titanosaur) and Aeolosaurus the presence of postzygapophyses with concave articular facets, and shares with DGM ‘Series B’ the presence of laterally expanded neural spines and stout prespinal lamina. Additionally, A. mezzalirai shares with DGM ‘Series’ C (other titanosaur from Peirópolis) the presence of short neural spines.     

The largest Cretaceous podocnemidoid turtle (Pleurodira) revealed by an isolated plate from the Bauru Basin,south-central Brazil

The Bauru Basin (south-central Brazil) fossils have largely contributed to understand the faunal composition of South American Cretaceous. Among those, several turtle specimens were retrieved from those deposits, all belonging to Podocnemidoidae, the single group known from the Basin. On the other hand, only incomplete shell elements indicate large turtles such as ‘Peirópolis A’. Another shell fragment, a large peripheral plate from the Marília Formation, is described here. Its lack of surface ornamentation, and deep sulci are generally typical for podocnemidoids. The plate exhibits a narrow knob slightly projected onto the pleuro-marginal sulcus, absent in any other Bauru Basin turtle. According to extant and fossil podocnemidoids measures, we estimated this individual reached 1 m of carapace length, exceeding in size all other taxa known from the Basin. This new report reveals a broader size variation among podocnemidoids from the Late Cretaceous of Bauru Basin and a morphological diversity previously unknown for the period, comparable to those of the Amazon Basin today, in which inhabits the largest extant podocnemidoid Podocnemis expansa. Furthermore, the occurrence of such large turtles implies the presence of perennial streams on the northeastern portion of the Bauru Basin during the Maastrichtian and a richer environment than previously thought.     

Osteology of Rauisuchus tiradentes from the Late Triassic (Carnian) Santa Maria Formation of Brazil,and its implications for rauisuchid anatomy and phylogeny

As the eponymous type species for rauisuchians, Rauisuchus tiradentes von Huene, 1938 represents an important but inadequately known specimen. The revision of the type material from the Upper Triassic (Carnian) Santa Maria Formation of Brazil reveals new anatomical data and previously unrecognised characters, including three new possible autapomorphies: a knob‐like thickening on the base of the posterior process of the premaxilla; short and ventrally keeled cervicals lacking postzygodiapophyseal laminae; and mid‐caudal vertebrae with an accessory neural spine and a postspinal lamina. Several elements are re‐identified, including a postorbital (originally identified as postfrontal) and a pterygoid (originally identified as a prefrontal), and additional material from a secondary fossil site, originally assigned to R. tiradentes, including a left ilium, is excluded. Based on the recovered information and new morphological data, the systematic position of R. tiradentes is tested in a comparison of two phylogenetic reanalyses. Both analyses differ in respect to the phylogenetic position of R. tiradentes, and recover ‘rauisuchians’ as a paraphyletic assemblage of non‐crocodylomoprh archosaurs. © 2014 The Linnean Society of London     

Medial, intralaminar, and lateral terminations of lumbar spinothalamic tract neurons: a fluorescent double-label study

A dorsolateral spinothalamic tract (DSTT), consisting primarily of lamina I neurons, was confirmed in the cat lumbar spinal cord by the use of thalamic injections of fluorescent dyes combined with selective thoracic spinal cord lesions. In addition, collateralization of spinothalamic tract (STT) terminations to medial, lateral, and intralaminar thalamic regions was investigated by injections of two different fluorescent dyes into pairs of these regions. The results of this study indicate that less than 15% of cat lumbar STT neurons collateralize to more than one of the thalamic regions evaluated. Lumbar lamina I cells project to the lateral and to the medial thalamus (13% collateralize to these two regions) and have only a scant projection to the intralaminar thalamus. Lumbar laminae IV-VI STT cells are very few in cat and demonstrate almost no collateralization to multiple thalamic areas. Neurons of laminae VII-X project equally to the three thalamic regions evaluated, and approximately 10-14% of cells from this laminar group collateralize to any two of the thalamic sites evaluated.     

Middle–Late Permian tetrapods from the Rio do Rasto Formation,Southern Brazil: a biostratigraphic reassessment

Dias‐da‐Silva, S. 2011: Middle–Late Permian tetrapods from the Rio do Rasto Formation, Southern Brazil: a biostratigraphic reassessment. Lethaia, Vol. 45, pp. 109–120. The Rio do Rasto Formation (Permian of Southern Brazil) was previously regarded as Guadalupian–early Lopingian age. Three tetrapod‐based localities are known: the Serra do Cadeado area, Aceguá and Posto Queimado. The latest tetrapod‐based biostratigraphic contribution considers that the Posto Queimado and Aceguá faunas are coeval and Wordian (middle Guadalupian) in age, correlated to the Isheevo faunas from Eastern Europe and to the Tapinocephalus Assemblage Zone of South Africa; whereas the Serra do Cadeado fauna is Capitanian (late Guadalupian), correlated to the Kotelnich fauna of Eastern Europe and, from bottom to top, to upper Pristerognathus, Tropidostoma and lower Cistecephalus assemblage zones of South Africa. A re‐evaluation of the tetrapods from the Rio do Rasto Formation and new fossil discoveries in the localities of Posto Queimado and Serra do Cadeado area (melosaurine and platyoposaurine temnospondyls, a basal anomodont, a dinocephalian and a basal dicynodont) supports a new tetrapod‐based biostratigraphic scheme for the Rio do Rasto Formation. Accordingly, the age of the fauna at Aceguá is late Roadian‐early Wordian, whereas the locality of Posto Queimado is late Wordian‐Capitanian. The Serra do Cadeado Area is correlated with both southernmost ones (Guadalupian) but also Wuchiapinghian (early Lopingian). □Paraná Basin, Passa Dois Group, tetrapod biostratigraphy, Western Gondwana.     

Immunohistochemical localization of neurokinin-l receptor in the lumbar spinal cord of young rats: morphology and distribution

The type and distribution of neurokinin-1 (NK-1) receptor-expressing neurones were studied in young (14-day-old) rats' lumbar spinal cord using pre-embedding immunohistochemistry. The heaviest immunoreactivity was observed in the middle part and lateral fourth of lamina I where the great majority of immunoreactive perikarya represented fusiform and multipolar cells. In lamina II the middle and medial part showed moderate immunoreactivity, most of the cells resembled stalked cells. In lamina III the labelled perikarya were evenly distributed, while those in lamina IV accumulated mainly in the lateral part. In both laminae most of the labelled neurones represented central cells, the rest of them belonged to the antenna-type cells with long dorsally directed dendrites penetrating the superficial laminae. The immunoreactivity in laminae V-VII was uniform and relatively weak. In lamina VIII the immunopositive perikarya were encountered only rarely while in lamina IX virtually all motoneurones showed weak immunoreactivity. Lamina X contained small, multipolar and fusiform labelled perikarya. In conclusion, we found that the general appearance of the NK-1 receptor immunostaining and the major type of NK-I receptor-expressing neurones were similar to that found previously in adult spinal cord. Using the same method as Brown and colleagues the number of labelled NK- 1 receptor immunoreactive cells was similar in young and adult animals except lamina I where the number of immunoreactive neurones was twice that in adults.     

Candidate genes for milk production traits in Portuguese dairy sheep

In this study, the influence of the β-lactoglobulin, prolactin and α_S1-casein variants on milk production traits of three Portuguese sheep breeds, including Serra da Estrela, White Merino and Black Merino, was analyzed. The genetic variants of each marker were identified using PCR-RFLP. β-Lactoglobulin genotype AA was associated with lower milk yield in Serra da Estrela and Merino ewes. This marker also affected milk fat content in Serra da Estrela and protein content in Merino. First results regarding the influence of the sheep prolactin gene on milk production traits are reported. In the Serra da Estrela breed, ewes carrying prolactin genotype AA were significantly associated with lower milk yield, but this influence of prolactin genotypes on milk yield was not detected in Merino. Prolactin genotypes were also significantly associated with milk fat and protein contents in the Serra da Estrela breed. A suggestive effect of the α_S1-casein locus on milk yield was detected in Serra da Estrela, but no associations were found between the variants of this marker with milk fat and protein content.     

Amino Acid Levels in the Guinea Pig Spinal Gray Matter After Axotomy of Primary Sensory and Descending Tracts

This study attempts to determine if the axonal endings of dorsal root sensory fibers and of descending axons to the spinal gray matter in the guinea pig store glutamate and/or aspartate. Bilateral dorsal rhizotomy (spinal segments C5-T1) and partial cordotomy (segment C5, right side) were used to interrupt primary sensory and descending tracts, respectively. At 1 and 2 days after surgery, amino acid levels were determined in regions microdissected from areas of the gray matter of spinal segment C7 that receive heavy projections from the primary sensory and the descending tracts. These regions were identified by visualizing the degeneration of axons and their terminal fields in silver-impregnated light microscopic preparations of the spinal cord. After dorsal rhizotomy, the heaviest degeneration in the spinal gray appeared centrally in laminae II-IV and medially in laminae IV-VI. The levels of aspartate, glutamate, and gamma-aminobutyrate were reduced by 34, 21, and 26% in laminae II-IV and 28, 33, and 23% in medial laminae IV-VI. The levels of glycine, alanine, and threonine-serine-glutamine (unseparated) were increased. After partial cordotomy, the heaviest degeneration in the spinal gray appeared laterally in laminae IV-VI, dorsolaterally in lamina VII, and in lamina IX. The levels of aspartate and glutamate were reduced by 22 and 28% in lateral laminae IV-VI and by 26 and 28% in dorsolateral laminae VII and IX. Glycine levels were reduced by 9% in dorsolateral laminae VII and IX. The levels of gamma-aminobutyrate, alanine, and threonine-serine-glutamine were either unchanged or raised. These findings suggest that the axonal endings of the primary sensory and of one or more of the descending tracts probably contain relatively high levels of glutamate and aspartate, and that they may use these amino acids as transmitters. The partial deafferentation of spinal interneurons and the destruction of some propriospinal fibers probably caused the losses of gamma-aminobutyrate and glycine, and contributed modestly to those of aspartate.     

The calcium binding proteins calbindin,parvalbumin, and calretinin have specific patterns of expression in the gray matter of cat spinal cord

Calcium binding proteins (CBPs) regulate intracellular levels of calcium (Ca²⁺) ions. CBPs are particularly interesting from a morphological standpoint, because they are differentially expressed in certain sub-populations of cells in the nervous system of various species of vertebrate animals. However, knowledge on the cellular regulation governing such cell-specific CBP expression is still incomplete. In this work on the L7 segment of the cat spinal cord, we analyzed the localization and morphology of neurons expressing the CBPs calbindin-28 KD (CB), parvalbumin (PV), and calretinin (CR), and co-expressing CB and PV, CB and CR, and PV and CR. Single CBP-positive (⁺) neurons showed specific distributions: (1) CB was present in small neurons localized in laminae I, II, III and X, in small to medium size neurons in laminae III–VI, and in medium to large neurons in laminae VI–VIII; (2) PV was present in small size neurons in laminae III and IV and in medial portions of laminae V and VI, medium neurons and in lamina X at the border with lamina VII, in medium to large neurons in laminae VII and VIII; (3) CR labeling was detected in small size neurons in laminae I, II, III and VIII, in medium to large size neurons in laminae I and III–VII, and in small to medium size neurons in lamina X. Double labeled neurons were a small minority of the CBP⁺ cells. Co-expression of CB and PV was seen in 1 to 2% of the CBP⁺ cells, and they were detected in the ventral and intermediate portions of lamina VII and in lamina X. Co-localization of CB and CR was present in 0.3% of the cells and these cells were localized in lamina II. Double labeling for PV and CR occurred in 6% of the cells, and the cells were localized in ventral part of lamina VII and in lamina VIII. Overall, these results revealed distinct and reproducible patterns of localization of the neurons expressing single CBPs and co-expressing two of them. Distinct differences of CBP expression between cat and other species are discussed. Possible relations between the cat L7 neurons expressing different CBPs with the neurons previously analyzed in cat and other animals are suggested.     

Biostratigraphy of Lower Cretaceous microfossils from the Araripe basin, northeastern Brazil

A biostratigraphic study was carried out in the Lower Cretaceous Araripe basin, northeastern Brazil, allowing the recognition of several chronostratigraphic units: the Dom João (Jurassic?-Lower Cretaceous?), the Rio da Serra (Neocomian) and the Alagoas (Aptian/Albian) local stages. For the first time a large hiatus between the Rio da Serra and Alagoas local stages is carefully documented. The palynomorphs and the ostracode associations throughout the Jurassic?-Aptian/Albian sequence allow the interpretation of the paleoenvironmental evolution of the Araripe basin which otherwise confirms that a polycyclical sedimentation occurred in the basin, being one of the controlling factors on the distribution of ostracodes and palynomorphes.     

Distribution of trigeminothalamic and spinothalamic lamina I terminations in the cat

The distribution in the thalamus of terminal projections from lamina I neurons of the trigeminal, cervical, and lumbosacral dorsal horn was investigated with the anterograde tracer Phaseolus vulgaris leucoagglutinin (PHA-L) in the cat. Iontophoretic injections were guided by single- and multi-unit physiological recordings. The injections in particular cases were essentially restricted to lamina I, whereas in others they spread across laminae I–III or laminae I–V. The trigemino- and spinothalamic (TSTT) terminations were identified immunohistochemically. In all cases, regardless of the level of the injections, terminal fibers were consistently distributed in three main locations: the submedial nucleus; the ventral aspect of the basal ventral medial nucleus and ventral posterior nuclei; and, the dorsomedial aspect of the ventral posterior medial nucleus. The terminal fields in the submedial nucleus and the ventral aspect of the ventral posterior group were topographically organized. Terminations along the ventral aspect of the ventral posterior group extended posterolaterally into the caudal part of the posterior nucleus and anteromedially into the ventromedial part of the ventral lateral nucleus. In several cases with trigeminal lamina I injections, a terminal labeling patch was observed within the core of the ventral posterior medial nucleus. In cases with spinal lamina I injections, terminations were also consistently found in the lateral habenula, the parafascicular nucleus, and the nucleus reuniens. Isolated terminal fibers were occasionally seen in the zona incerta, the dorsomedial hypothalamus, and other locations. These anatomical observations extend prior studies of TSTT projections and identify lamina I projection targets that are important for nociceptive, thermoreceptive, and homeostatic processing in the cat. The findings are consistent with evidence from physiological (single-unit and antidromic mapping) and behavioral studies. The novel identification of spinal lamina I input to the lateral habenula could be significant for homeostatic behaviors.     

Ontogeny of the partial secondary wall of the otoccipital region of the endocranium in prehatching Alligator mississippiensis (Archosauria, Crocodylia)

The ontogeny of the posterior otic and anterior occipital portions of the neural endocranium of prehatching Alligator mississippiensis was investigated by reconstruction from sectioned material. In Stage 6 of this species, in which the endochondral ossification of the otoccipital region of the neural endocranium is only in its very early stage, two bony outgrowths-laminae-are present at the external wall of the posterior portion of the neural endocranium. The anterior lamina arises from the external surface of the basal plate at the level of the posterior margin of the subcapsular process; the posterior lamina arises from the external surface of that portion of the pila occipitalis that forms the posteroventral wall of the metotic fissure. During ontogeny, both laminae lying in the anteroposterior sequence ossify in membrane, fuse together, grow laterodorsally, and fuse with the lateral wall of the lateral semicircular canal and the crista parotica. This lamina forms a new, secondary wall enclosing the posterior section of the otic capsule and contains the large external jugular foramen (or foramen vagi) in its basal portion. The laminae, designated lamina juxtaotica anterior and posterior (lamina juxtaotica when fused together), have not been recorded previously in crocodylians and are absent in all other Recent reptiles. From the functional point of view, the juxtaotic lamina 1) forms the margins of the external jugular foramen, and 2) forms the floor of the posterior section of the Eustachian tube. In birds, the structure called the metotic cartilage, which arises in ontogeny as an independent element, has a similar position as the juxtaotic lamina. However, the two structures differ in their developmental origins and their relation to the Eustachian tube and the ramus hyomandibularis of the facialis nerve. Moreover, there is no external jugular foramen in birds.     

The Portuguese naturalist Correia da Serra (1751–1823) and his impact on early nineteenth-century botany

This paper focuses on the contributions to natural history, particularly in methods of plant classification of the Portuguese botanist, man of letters, diplomat, and Freemason Abbé José Correia da Serra (1751–1823), placing them in their national and international political and social contexts. Correia da Serra adopted the natural method of classification championed by the Frenchman Antoine-Laurent de Jussieu, and introduced refinements of his own that owe much to parallel developments in zoology. He endorsed the view that the classification of plants should be based on the establishment of affinities rather than of differences. The emphasis on affinities went hand in hand with the development of the concept of symmetry. This idea was introduced by Correia da Serra in systematics and was adopted and further developed by his friend, Augustin-Pyramus de Candolle. Correia da Serra also argued that Cryptogamia reproduce sexually, advocated extension of methods of comparative anatomy from zoology to botany, and applied them to the study of fruits. Correia da Serra was one among many of the estrangeirados, Portuguese``Europeanized' intellectuals who traveled extensively abroad in most cases to escape political or religious persecution at home. The estrangeirados were important contributors to 18th and 19th century European thinking. Most of the estrangeirados were pivotal in the introduction, dissemination and propagation of the new sciences in Portugal, but unlike most of his fellow estrangeirados, Correia da Serra was also an innovative man of science in his own right. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Distribution of trigeminothalamic and spinothalamic lamina I terminations in the cat

The distribution in the thalamus of terminal projections from lamina I neurons of the trigeminal, cervical, and lumbosacral dorsal horn was investigated with the anterograde tracer Phaseolus vulgaris leucoagglutinin (PHA-L) in the cat. Iontophoretic injections were guided by single- and multi-unit physiological recordings. The injections in particular cases were essentially restricted to lamina I, whereas in others they spread across laminae I-III or laminae I-V. The trigemino- and spinothalamic (TSTT) terminations were identified immunohistochemically. In all cases, regardless of the level of the injections, terminal fibers were consistently distributed in three main locations: the submedial nucleus; the ventral aspect of the basal ventral medial nucleus and ventral posterior nuclei; and, the dorsomedial aspect of the ventral posterior medial nucleus. The terminal fields in the submedial nucleus and the ventral aspect of the ventral posterior group were topographically organized. Terminations along the ventral aspect of the ventral posterior group extended posterolaterally into the caudal part of the posterior nucleus and anteromedially into the ventromedial part of the ventral lateral nucleus. In several cases with trigeminal lamina I injections, a terminal labeling patch was observed within the core of the ventral posterior medial nucleus. In cases with spinal lamina I injections, terminations were also consistently found in the lateral habenula, the parafascicular nucleus, and the nucleus reuniens. Isolated terminal fibers were occasionally seen in the zona incerta, the dorsomedial hypothalamus, and other locations. These anatomical observations extend prior studies of TSTT projections and identify lamina I projection targets that are important for nociceptive, thermoreceptive, and homeostatic processing in the cat. The findings are consistent with evidence from physiological (single-unit and antidromic mapping) and behavioral studies. The novel identification of spinal lamina I input to the lateral habenula could be significant for homeostatic behaviors.     

Hemocytes contribute to both the formation and breakdown of the basal lamina in developing wings of Manduca sexta

Monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) raised against wing tissues of Manduca sexta recognize epitopes shared by both hemocytes and basal laminae. During the last larval stadium, the basal lamina of moth wing epithelium forms after hemocytes have migrated into the space adjacent to basal surfaces of epithelial cells. As adult development commences, hemocytes participate in phagocytosis of the same basal lamina; and as dissolution of the basal lamina proceeds (day 2-day 5 post-pupation), wing epithelial cells send forth long basal processes and rearrange within the plane of the epithelium. During this period of cell rearrangement, the immunoreactivity of the basal lamina decreases in concert with an increase in immunoreactive vesicles within hemocytes; and at the ultrastructural level, hemocytes have been observed to engulf fragments of basal lamina. The distribution of immunolabel in the developing moth wing suggests that hemocytes contribute not only to the formation of the wing's basal lamina but also to its breakdown. Since basal laminae are probably important determinants of epithelial form and pattern, hemocytes also contribute to the shaping of epithelial populations.     

The Serra da Mantiqueira, south-eastern Brazil, as a biogeographical barrier for fishes

Aim  To present a fish fauna survey from rivers draining the south-western region of the Serra da Mantiqueira, and to investigate the effectiveness of that mountain range as a biogeographical barrier isolating the fish faunas of the Paraíba do Sul basin and the upper Paraná river.
Location  Six drainages from the south-western portion of the Serra da Mantiqueira in the region of Campos do Jordão, Brazil, were studied. They included three drainages belonging to the Paraíba do Sul basin (Piracuama, Grande and Buenos), and three belonging to the Sapucaí basin, Rio Paraná system (Sapucaí-Mirim, upper Sapucaí and Santo Antônio).
Methods  The survey was conducted in two sampling trips supplemented by examination of specimens preserved in museum collections. Parsimony analysis of endemicity (PAE) was used to detect the hierarchy of relationships among the six drainages.
Results  A total of 47 species of fishes was recorded in the six drainages. The main watershed divide is an effective barrier between the two basins, with 28 species occurring exclusively in the Paraíba do Sul versant, and 15 occurring exclusively on the slope of the Sapucaí basin. The PAE of 18 species with cladistically informative distributions and unproblematic taxonomic diagnoses produced a single area cladogram, with complete congruence among 14 species.
Main conclusions  The main Mantiqueira watershed divide is an effective biogeographical barrier isolating the fish faunas of the Paraíba do Sul and the Sapucaí basin (upper Paraná system). Previous hypotheses of a past connection between the upper Paraná and the Paraíba do Sul are not supported by extant species distributions in the Serra da Mantiqueira region. Within-basin drainage differentiation, however, is relatively low.