Two new interesting genera of Gastrotricha (Macrodasyida and Chaetonotida) from the Brazilian freshwater psammon

Two new genera and species of Gastrotricha are described from the psammon of a freshwater body in Brazil: Redudasys fornerise and Arenotus strixinoi. The former is the first undoubted member of the order Macrodasyida recorded from a freshwater environment. It is characterized by the reduction in number of adhesive tubes, the absence of male sexual organs and the presence of a well-developed protonephridial system. The latter belongs to the order Chaetonotida (family Chaetonotidae) and is characterized by the uniform body covering with a thick layer of soft homogeneous cuticle. A possible mode of colonization of fresh waters by marine Macrodasyida, involving colonization of freshwater areas underlying marine beaches, is discussed.     

Three new species of Peristicta Hagen in Selys (Odonata: Zygoptera: Protoneuridae) from Brazil

Three new species of Peristicta Hagen in Selys from Brazil are described and illustrated: P. janiceae from Minas Gerais State (Diamantina, Gouvêa, Lagoa Santa, Serra do Cara?a, Serra do Cipó, Urobotanga), P. jalmosi from Goiás State (Chapada dos Veadeiros, Reserva da Universidade de Brasília) and Minas Gerais State (Urobotanga, Lagoa Santa, Ponte Nova, S?o Jo?o del Rey,) and P. muzoni from Mato Grosso State (Serra da Bodoquena). An identification key for males of Peristicta is presented.     

Geographical distribution of Biomphalaria snails in the State of Minas Gerais, Brazil

Published and unpublished observations on geographical distribution of Biomphalaria snails in the State of Minas Gerais, Brazil, were compiled. This work is aimed at knowing the present occurrence of Biomphalaria species in this region, and at contributing to the elaboration of the planorbid chart of Minas Gerais. In malacological surveys, performed by several researchers, the presence of seven species of this genus was recorded. Those planorbids were found in 12 mesoregions, in 283 (33.1%) municipalities out of 853 with the following distribution: B. glabrata (185 municipalities), B. straminea (125), B. tenagophila (58), B. peregrina (57), B. schrammi (26), B. intermedia (20) and B. occidentalis (2). B. glabrata and B. tenagophila are found naturally infected by Schistosoma mansoni in Minas Gerais. In 24 municipalities the three snail hosts of S. mansoni in Brazil, B. glabrata, B. tenagophila and B. straminea, are present.     

Two new species of Vellozia (Velloziaceae) from Minas Gerais, Brazil

Two new species of Vellozia from the Espinhaco range in the State of Minas Gerais, Brazil, are described and their taxonomic relationships are considered. A discussion of their geographical distribution and an account of their leaf anatomy is provided.     

Three new species of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Eupatorieae</Emphasis> (Compositae) from Brazil

Three new species of Eupatorieae (Asteraceae) were collected in the “campos rupestres” of the Cadeia do Espinha?o, Minas Gerais state, Brazil, in the Itacolomi State Park, located between the cities of Ouro Preto and Mariana, Minas Gerais, Brazil, during a floristic survey focusing on Compositae in this area. Eupatorium semiamplexifolium, Mikania badiniana, and Stevia alexii are described and illustrated.     

First report of Calyptospora sp. (Apicomplexa,Calyptosporidae) in forage characid fish from the Três Marias Reservoir,São Francisco Basin,Brazil

Coccidians are parasitic protozoans, and Calyptospora is an important genus of coccidia found in freshwater and marine fish of the Americas. This paper describes Calyptospora sp. that were found parasitizing the liver and intestine of Triportheus guentheri and the intestine of Tetragonopterus chalceus, two forage fish species from the Três Marias Reservoir, Upper São Francisco River, State of Minas Gerais, Brazil. Apicomplexa found in the São Francisco Basin are reported here for the first time.     

A New Species of Antarctoecia Ulmer, 1907 (Trichoptera: Limnephilidae) from Southeastern Brazil

A new species of Antarctoecia Ulmer, 1907 (Trichoptera: Limnephilidae) from south-eastern Brazil, Antarctoecia brasiliensis sp. nov., is described and figured based on adult male and female specimens from Mantiqueira mountain range, Minas Gerais State. This is the first record of the family Limnephilidae from Brazil.     

Nova especie do genero Coelomomyces parasito de ovos de Phlebotomus

Summary A new species of fungus of the genusCoelomomyces, C. ciferrii has been found as endoparasites ofPhlebotomus eggs at Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, State in Brazil. It is the first time that the genusCoelomomyces is found in Brasil.The morphological characters of the new species are distinct from other species described.     

A new family of Gonyleptoidea from South America (Opiliones,Laniatores)

A new family of Laniatores, Gerdesiidae fam. nov., is proposed based on molecular and morphological evidence. Data also indicate that this new family is the sister family of Tricommatidae. Gerdesiidae fam. nov. has a disjunct distribution, occurring in northern South America (Peru, Brazilian Amazon) and at a spot in south‐eastern Brazil (Minas Gerais State). The new family is composed of two genera: Gerdesius Roewer, 1952 (type genus) and G onycranaus gen. nov. (type species G onycranaus androgynus sp. nov. ). We propose the synonymy of Huralvioides H. Soares, 1970 with Gerdesius Roewer, 1952 based on molecular and morphological evidence. Three new species are described: G erdesius mapinguari sp. nov. (type locality: Brazil, Amazonas, Manaus, Reserva Km 41); G onycranaus androgynus sp. nov. (type locality: Brazil, Minas Gerais, Conceição do Mato Dentro); and an obligate cave‐dwelling species, G onycranaus pluto sp. nov. (type locality: Brazil, Minas Gerais, Morro do Pilar). © 2015 The Linnean Society of London     

Paracrias pluteus (Hymenoptera, Eulophidae) in Brazil: new distribution and host records, and with a new host group for Paracrias

Bruchines damage agricultural crops and trees, reducing the quantity and quality of the seeds. The aim of this study is to record, for the first time, Paracrias pluteus as a parasitoid on the immature stages of Sennius spodiogaster and Sennius cupreatus on seeds of Melanoxylon brauna in Teixeiras, Minas Gerais State, Brazil. Paracrias pluteus is a parasitoid without previous host records and known only from Costa Rica. Specimens obtained in this study add to knowledge of the biology of Paracrias species with a new host group (Chrysomelidae: Bruchinae), and the first host record and a new distribution for Paracrias pluteus.     

Hymenopteran parasitoids associated with frugivorous larvae in a Brazilian caatinga-cerrado ecotone

The purpose of this study was to investigate native species of parasitoids of frugivorous larvae and their associations with host plants in commercial guava orchards and in typical native dry forests of a caatinga-cerrado ecotone in the State of Minas Gerais, Brazil. Nine species of parasitoids were associated with larvae of Anastrepha (Tephritidae) and Neosilba (Lonchaeidae) in fruit of Psidium guajava L. (Myrtaceae), Ziziphus joazeiro Mart. (Rhamnaceae), Spondias tuberosa Arruda (Anacardiaceae), Spondias dulcis Forst. (Anacardiaceae), Syzygium cumini (L.) Skeels (Myrtaceae), and Randia armata (Sw.) DC. (Rubiaceae). Doryctobracon areolatus was the most abundant species, obtained from puparia of Anastrepha zenildae, An. sororcula, An. fraterculus, An. obliqua, and An. turpiniae. This is the first report of Asobara obliqua in Brazil and of As. anastrephae and Tropideucoila weldi in dry forests of Minas Gerais State. The number of species of parasitoids was higher in areas with greater diversity of cultivated species and lower pesticide use. The forest fragments adjacent to the orchards served as shelter for parasitoids of frugivorous larvae.     

First report on the presence of Biomphalaria straminea in the municipality of Jaboticatubas,State of Minas Gerais,Brazil

This is the first report on occurrence of Biomphalaria straminea in the district of S?o José de Almeida (municipality of Jaboticatubas) State of Minas Gerais, Brazil. The presence of B. glabrata and B. tenagophila had already been reported in this area. Such municipality is part of the metropolitan region of Belo Horizonte and comprises 60% of the Tourist Complex of Serra do Cipó. Since the 1950s throughout the 1990s, a schistosomiasis prevalence ranging from 15 to 40% has been observed. Although no B. straminea specimen has been found naturally infected in the region, descendants of these snails collected in the area, showed to be experimentally susceptible to Schistosoma mansoni infection reaching rates from 14.6 to 28.6%. Even not being found naturally infected, in the State of Minas Gerais, the possibility that the species B. straminea may keep endemicity foci of schistosomiasis should be regarded, as in the Northeastern region of Brazil where the high density of this planorbid and the social-economic and sanitary conditions enable to the transmission.     

Four New Species of Rhagovelia (Heteroptera: Veliidae) from Minas Gerais (Brazil), with a Key to the Regional Species of the angustipes Complex

Four new species of Rhagovelia, R. ochroischion, R. turmalis, R. sbolos, and R. trianguloides, are described from Minas Gerais, Brazil, along with the previously unknown female of R. triangula Drake. A key to the Rhagovelia species of the angustipes complex known from Minas Gerais and adjacent areas is provided.     

A new species of Polystomoides ward, 1917 (Monogenea: polystomatidae) from freshwater chelonians (Testudines: chelidae) in Brazil

This report describes the first occurrence of Polystomoides brasiliensis n. sp. (Monogenea: Polystomatidae), a new monogenean species in the buccal and pharyngeal cavities of the freshwater turtles in Brazil. Live monogeneans were collected from Hydromedusa maximiliani and Phrynops geoffroanus at the Mariano Procópio Museum's lake, in Juiz de Fora, Minas Gerais, Brazil. Polystomoides brasiliensis differs from all other species of this genus in having 8-9 genital spines, except for Polystomoides uruguayensis, which has 8-10 genital spines. However, the new species differs morphometrically from P. uruguayensis in the greater size of the outer and inner hamuli, as well as having a testis that is proportionally greater than the pharynx and oral sucker. The current study is the first report of monogeneans in chelonians of Brazil, and the first record of helminths in H. maximiliani.     

Nyssomyia intermedia (Lutz & Neiva, 1912) and Nyssomyia neivai (Pinto, 1926) (Diptera: Psychodidae: Phlebotominae) geographical distribution and epidemiological importance

Nyssomyia intermedia (Lutz & Neiva 1912) and N. neivai (Pinto 1926) are possible vectors of tegumentary leishmaniasis in some regions of Brazil. Further, the latter was until recently, considered a junior synonym of the former. This study has the purpose of updating our knowledge of the geographical distribution of these species, based on specimens deposited at the collection of the Centro de Pesquisas René Rachou-Fiocruz, Faculdade de Saúde Pública-Universidade de S?o Paulo, and on data presented by literature as also to associate this distribution with the cutaneous leishmaniasis cases reported. It has been reported that N. intermedia occurs in the states of the Northeastern Region, in Rio de Janeiro, Espírito Santo, on the northern coast of S?o Paulo, in eastern Minas Gerais, Mato Grosso do Sul, and Goiás, close to the border with Minas Gerais and Bahia. N. neivai occurs in the Southern Region, southern coast and in western S?o Paulo, southern and western Minas Gerais, southern Goiás, and southern Pará, beyond Argentina, Bolivia, and Paraguay. It is important to highlight that N. intermedia and N. neivai occur in sympatry in Minas Gerais and S?o Paulo. N. intermedia or N. neivai are predominant or are captured abundantly in several cutaneous leishmaniasis foci in the Southeastern and Southern regions of Brazil.     

Resistance of Biomphalaria peregrina of Santa Rita do Sapucaí, Minas Gerais, Brazil to infection with 3 strains of Schistosoma mansoni

The descendants of the planorbid snail Biomphalaria peregrina, collected in the region of Santa Rita do Sapucaí, Minas Gerais, Brazil, were exposed to miracidia of three strains of Schistosoma mansoni: "LE" strain from Belo Horizonte, State of Minas Gerais; "SJ", strain from S?o José dos Campos, State of S?o Paulo and "AL" strain from State of Alagoas. Of 300 snails exposed to miracidia of the three strains, none was infected. On the other hand, 300 Biomphalaria glabrata of the control groups showed infection rates of 61.1 to 95.3% with the three strains. The mortality rates of B. peregrina and B. glabrata were 20% and 28%, respectively.