Sandflies (Diptera: Psychodidae) collected with malaise trap in the Center-West of Minas Gerais State, Brazil

The aim of this paper was to verify the sand fly species collected with Malaise trap in the cities of Divinópolis and Pedra do Indaiá, both located in Minas Gerais state. Collections were carried out between November 2003 and October 2004. Thirty two specimens were captured belonging to seven species: Pintomyia monticola (Costa Lima), Nyssomyia whitmani (Antunes & Coutinho), Pintomyia christenseni (Young & Duncan), Evandromyia cortelezzii (Brèthes), Sciopemyia sordellii (Shannon & Del Ponte), Pintomyia pessoai (Coutinho & Barretto) and Psathyromyia aragaoi (Costa Lima).     

Streblidae (Diptera) of phyllostomid bats from Minas Gerais,Brazil

Eight streblid species were collected from eight phyllostomid bat species, from April to November 1997, at or near the Reserve "Parque Estadual do Rio Doce", Minas Gerais, Southeastern Brazil. In total, 48 specimens of streblid were removed from 57 phyllostomid bats. Most of batflies species were associated with a single species of the host, and only Paratrichobius longicrus (Miranda Ribeiro) and Trichobius joblingi Wenzel were recorded on three bat species. Trichobius lonchophyllae Wenzel represents a new record for the Brazilian Southeastern region.     

Study on phlebotomine sand fly (Diptera: Psychodidae) fauna in Belo Horizonte, state of Minas Gerais, Brazil

A study on the phlebotomine sand fly fauna in Belo Horizonte city, state of Minas Gerais, Brazil, was carried out. From April 2001 to March 2003, monthly systematic collections were performed in three houses from each of the nine regions of the city, using CDC light traps for four consecutive days. The traps were set into the houses and in peridomestic areas totaling 54 traps. A number of 3871 sand fly specimens of the genera Lutzomyia and Brumptomyia were collected. Sixty eight percent of the specimens were L. longipalpis and 16% L. whitmani, insect vectors of visceral and American cutaneous leishmaniasis, respectively. Environmental factors such as temperature, humidity, and frequency of precipitation suggest that the number of insects increases after rainy periods. During the same period mentioned above, seasonal captures were carried out in parks and green areas of Belo Horizonte, using Shannon trap. A total of 579 phlebotomine sand flies were collected from which 398 (68.7%) were females with the predominance of L. whitmani and L. monticola. Those specimens were used for natural infection examination, by polymerase chain reaction. No Leishmania DNA was present in any of the specimens tested.     

Occurrence of Ceratitis capitata Wied. (Diptera: Tephritidae) on papaya fruits in Minas Gerais State, Brazil

The objective of this work was to register the infestation of C. capitata on papaya fruits in Minas Gerais State. Papaya fruits were collected, in a commercial orchard, in Jaíba, north of the State of Minas Gerais. C. capitata was the only specie collected (794 individuals). Doryctobracon areolatus (Szépligeti) was collected parasitizing C. capitata larvae/pupae. The level of infestation was of 7,7 pupae/kg of fruit or 1,4 pupae/fruit, in average. C. capitata is registered for the first time on papaya fruits in the State of Minas Gerais.     

Phlebotomine fauna (Diptera: Psychodidae) and species abundance in an endemic area of American cutaneous leishmaniasis in southeastern Minas Gerais, Brazil

This study was undertaken to identify the phlebotomine fauna and species abundance in domiciliary and peridomiciliary (hen-house and guava-tree) environments, on a lake shore, a cultivated area of coffee and banana, and a forested area of Concei??o da Aparecida municipality, southeastern the state of Minas Gerais, to provide information for the control and epidemiological surveillance of leishmaniasis in this area. The captures were carried out monthly between May 2001 and November 2002, with automatic light and Shannon traps. A total of 1444 sand flies were captured, 951 (76.5%) with automatic light traps and 493 (23.5%) with the Shannon trap. Thirteen species were captured, the most frequent being Nyssomyia whitmani (62.7%), Migonemyia migonei (21.4%), Pintomyia fischeri (6.9%), and Evandromyia lenti (3.6%). Species abundance was determined using the automatic light traps installed in the six environments. The most abundant species according to the standardized index of species abundance were Ny. whitmani (1.0) and Mg. migonei (0.82). In view of the dominance of these two species, known vectors of cutaneous leishmaniasis in other Brazilian areas, their participation in the transmission of the disease in this county is suggested. The diversity and evenness indexes in the domicile were the lowest due to the high frequency (83%) of Ny. whitmani. The capture of Lutzomyia longipalpis, rarely recorded in the south-eastern and southern regions of Minas Gerais, is also noteworthy.     

Congenital neosporosis in goats from the State of Minas Gerais, Brazil

Congenital Neospora caninum infection was diagnosed in two Saanen goat kids from two distinct herds with a history of abortion and weak newborn goat kids in the Southern region of the State of Minas Gerais, Brazil. The first kid was weak at birth, had difficulty to rise and was unable to nurse. Gross lesions of porencephaly and hydrocephalus ex vacuo were seen. Multifocal necrosis, gliosis and non-supurative encephalitis were observed in the brain. Several parasitic cysts with a thick wall that reacted strongly only with polyclonal antiserum to Neospora caninum were seen in the cerebral cortex, brain stem and cerebellum. The second kid was born from a Neospora caninum seropositive mother that aborted in the last pregnancy. It was born without clinical signs. The diagnosis of neosporosis was based on antibody titer of 1:800 to N. caninum by indirect fluorescence antibody test obtained from blood collected before the goat kid ingested the colostrum and Neospora caninum DNA was detected by polymerase chain reaction and sequenced from placenta. This is the first report of neosporosis in goats in the southeast region of Brazil.     

Characterization of Colletotrichum lindemuthianum Isolates from the State of Minas Gerais, Brazil

Anthracnose disease of common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris), caused by Colletotrichum lindemuthianum, is responsible for extensive yield losses worldwide. This pathogen is known to vary greatly in its pathogenicity. Control strategies include chemical control and, mainly, the development of resistant cultivars, taking into account the population structure of C. lindemuthianum. The objective of this study was to investigate the pathogenic and genetic diversity and population structure among C. lindemuthianum isolates collected in Minas Gerais state, Brazil. When these isolates were inoculated on 12 differential cultivars, a total of 10 races were identified within a series of 48 isolates collected in Minas Gerais, Brazil. Races 65, 81 and 73 were the most frequent races and occurred in most of the regions. This study also detected race 337, which had not been reported previously in the literature. Random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis performed on the same 48 isolates revealed great genetic diversity, clustering the series into five groups at a maximum similarity value of 89.6%. There was no clear relationship between the loci sampled by RAPD markers and the pathogenic characterization. Analysis of molecular variance showed that 96.06% of the variability was contained within regions and 3.94% among regions, indicating a high exchange of genetic material among the regions of the State. Most of the variability was detected within races (75.24%). The pathogenicity and RAPD assays corroborated the broad genetic diversity of the pathogen and the results have been useful in breeding for resistance to anthracnose.     

Histoplasma capsulatum isolated from Didelphis albiventris (Marsupialia: Didelphidae) in the State of Minas Gerais, Brazil

We report the isolation of Histoplasma capsulatum from a culture of the viscera of Didelphis albiventris, one of the marsupial species found in Brazil. To our knowledge, this is the first report of the isolation of this fungus from this mammalian species. This finding confirms the ubiquitous presence of H. capsulatum in nature.     

A new species ofPseudolaelia (Orchidaceae) from Minas Gerais,Brazil

A species ofPseudolaelia (Orchidaceae) from Minas Gerais, Brazil, is described as new to science.     

Observations on the sandfly (Diptera: Psychodidae) fauna of Além Paraíba, State of Minas Gerais, Brazil, and the isolation of a parasite of the Leishmania braziliensis complex from Psychodopygus hirsuta hirsuta

Dissection of 765 sandflies captured in Além Paraíba (the type locality of Leishmania braziliensis) resulted in the isolation, from Psychodopygus hirsuta hirsuta, of a parasite of the Le. braziliensis complex.     

A new species of Passiflora (Passifloraceae) from Minas Gerais, Brazil

Passiflora boticarioana, a new species of subgen.Passiflora, supersect.Stipulata, sect.Dysosmia, from the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil, is described, illustrated, and compared with morphologically similar species.     

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.     

A new species of Lessingianthus (Asteraceae: Vernonieae) from Minas Gerais, Brazil

Lessingianthus ibitipocensis, a new species from the Southeastern Brazilian highlands, is described and illustrated.

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Resumen  Se describe e ilustra una especie nueva, Lessingianthus ibitipocensis, del sudeste de Brasil.

     

Genetic variability in five populations of Partamona helleri (Hymenoptera, Apidae) from Minas Gerais State, Brazil

Partamona is a Neotropical genus of stingless bees that comprises 33 species distributed from Mexico to southern Brazil. These bees are well-adapted to anthropic environments and build their nests in several substrates. In this study, 66 colonies of Partamona helleri from five localities in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais (São Miguel do Anta, Teixeiras, Porto Firme, Viçosa and Rio Vermelho) were analyzed using nine microsatellite loci in order to assess their genetic variability. Low levels of observed (H_o = 0.099-0.137) and expected (H _e = 0.128-0.145) heterozygosity were encountered and revealed discrete genetic differentiation among the populations (F _ST = 0.025). AMOVA further showed that most of the total genetic variation (94.24%) in P. helleri was explained by the variability within local populations.     

Isoenzyme Variation in Melipona rufiventris (Hymenoptera: Apidae, Meliponina) in Minas Gerais State, Brazil

The stingless bee Melipona rufiventris is an important pollinator in several Brazilian ecosystems. Originally widely distributed in Minas Gerais (MG) state, this species is becoming very rare. Therefore this species was included in the endangered species list of MG. We used isoenzyme data for a better understanding of the genetic structure of several M. rufiventris colonies. Samples of 35 colonies were collected from 12 localities and evaluated by nine enzymatic systems, which yielded 17 loci. M. rufiventris genetic variation was found to be low, typical of an endangered species. The proportion of polymorphic loci was 5.88% in both ecosystems. Only Est-4 was polymorphic in colonies from the Forest and Mdh-1 in colonies from the Cerrado. The expected heterozygosity ranged from 0.0068 in the Cerrado to 0.0078 in the Forest. Despite this, enzyme electrophoretic analyses provided a good idea of the diversity between samples from Cerrado and Forest which reinforce the existence of two different forms of M. rufiventris in MG, one present in the Cerrado and the other in Forest. This information is of great importance for the conservation of, M. rufiventris in MG.     

Epidendrum caparaoense (Orchidaceae), a new species from Minas Gerais, Brazil

A new species of Orchidaceae, Epidendrum caparaoense W.Forst. & V.C.Souza, is described and illustrated. This species is known only from the type locality, Caparaó National Park, in Minas Gerais State, where it grows on low tree trunks in gallery forests, at approximately 1300 m. The taxon is distinct from the other species of the genus by its laterally compressed stems, a long tubular spathaceous bract at the base of the inflorescence, a labellum with the free portion three-lobed and the clinandrium with an entire margin. It is considered similar to E. geniculatum and E. hololeucum .  © 2007 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, 2007, 155 , 157–159.