Efecto de las arañas (Arachnida: Araneae como depredadoras de insectos plaga en cultivos de alfalfa (Medicago sativa (Fabaceae en Argentina

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andrea Armendano

2011-12-01

Full Text Available Effect of spiders (Arachnida: Araneae as predators of insect pest in alfalfa crops (Medicago sativa (Fabaceae in Argentina. Spiders are predators that reduce insect pest populations in agroecosystems. Trials were conducted to measure the selectivity against different insect preys, the daily consumption, effect of predators alone and together with a known number of preys, and the indirect effect of predators on vegetation. For this, experimental units (1x1m were used covered with a fine plastic mesh. Misumenops pallidus, Oxyopes salticus and Araneus sp. were used as generalist predators, and aphids, weevils, locusts, chrysomelids and Lepidoptera larvae as their potential preys. Among the preys offered, the spiders preferred Lepidoptera larvae compared to the other two pests groups (weevils and aphids. The maximum consumption rate was of 93.33% for Lepidoptera larvae, 25.33% for aphids and 11.67% for weevils. The Q Index values for the three species of spiders showed a positive selectivity only for defoliating larvae. O. salticus showed the highest values of consumption rates while Rachiplusia nu was the most consumed. The maximum value of consumption in 24 hours was showed by O. salticus on R. nu (C=2.8. The association of several species of predatory spiders increased the total number of insects captured, and also showed that the addition of spiders caused a decrease in the number of leaves damaged by the effect of lepidopterous larvae. Rev. Biol. Trop. 59 (4: 1651-1662. Epub 2011 December 01Las arañas son depredadoras capaces de reducir las poblaciones de insectos plaga en agroecosistemas. Para medir la selectividad frente a distintas presas, se realizaron ensayos de consumo diario, efecto de los depredadores aisladamente y en conjunto sobre el número de presas y efecto indirecto de los depredadores sobre la vegetación; se utilizaron jaulas experimentales de 1x1m cubiertas con una fina malla plástica. Misumenops pallidus, Oxyopes salticus y

Stonlach content analyses of Gilchristella aestuarius and Hepsetia ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Apseudes digitalis. 80 2,2. 6. 5. Decapoda. Zoea larvae. 6 1,0. 3. 2. Unidentified larvae. 0,3. 2. 0. Insecta. Chironomidae larvae. 810 8,1. 67. 0. 13,5. 65. 13. Terrestrial insects. 2 0,4. 4. 0. Pupae. 22 1,1. 4. 2. Arachnida. Araneida. <0,05. 2. 0. Mollusca. Lamellibranch veligers. 9 <0,05. 8. 0 2240 7,5. 69. 6. Gastropod veligers.

A molecular palaeobiological exploration of arthropod terrestrialization

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lozano-Fernandez, Jesus; Carton, Robert; Tanner, Alastair R.

2016-01-01

to the colonization of land is the most likely scenario.Molecular clock analyses confirmed an origin for the three terrestrial lineages bracketed between the Cambrian and the Silurian. While molecular divergence times for Arachnida are consistent with the fossil record,Myriapoda are inferred to have colonized land......, consistent with morphological arguments for convergence in tracheal systems. This article is part of the themed issue ‘Dating species divergences using rocks and clocks’....

The diversity and evolution of chelicerate hemocyanins

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rehm Peter

2012-02-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Oxygen transport in the hemolymph of many arthropod species is facilitated by large copper-proteins referred to as hemocyanins. Arthropod hemocyanins are hexamers or oligomers of hexamers, which are characterized by a high O2 transport capacity and a high cooperativity, thereby enhancing O2 supply. Hemocyanin subunit sequences had been available from horseshoe crabs (Xiphosura and various spiders (Araneae, but not from any other chelicerate taxon. To trace the evolution of hemocyanins and the emergence of the large hemocyanin oligomers, hemocyanin cDNA sequences were obtained from representatives of selected chelicerate classes. Results Hemocyanin subunits from a sea spider, a scorpion, a whip scorpion and a whip spider were sequenced. Hemocyanin has been lost in Opiliones, Pseudoscorpiones, Solifugae and Acari, which may be explained by the evolution of trachea (i.e., taxon Apulmonata. Bayesian phylogenetic analysis was used to reconstruct the evolution of hemocyanin subunits and a relaxed molecular clock approach was applied to date the major events. While the sea spider has a simple hexameric hemocyanin, four distinct subunit types evolved before Xiphosura and Arachnida diverged around 470 Ma ago, suggesting the existence of a 4 × 6mer at that time. Subsequently, independent gene duplication events gave rise to the other distinct subunits in each of the 8 × 6mer hemocyanin of Xiphosura and the 4 × 6mer of Arachnida. The hemocyanin sequences were used to infer the evolutionary history of chelicerates. The phylogenetic trees support a basal position of Pycnogonida, a sister group relationship of Xiphosura and Arachnida, and a sister group relationship of the whip scorpions and the whip spiders. Conclusion Formation of a complex hemocyanin oligomer commenced early in the evolution of euchelicerates. A 4 × 6mer hemocyanin consisting of seven subunit types is conserved in most arachnids since more than 400 Ma, although some

Under the lash: Demodex mites in human diseases

OpenAIRE

Lacey, Noreen; Kavanagh, Kevin; Tseng, Scheffer C.G.

2009-01-01

Demodex mites, class Arachnida and subclass Acarina, are elongated mites with clear cephalothorax and abdomens, the former with four pairs of legs. There are more than 100 species of Demodex mite, many of which are obligatory commensals of the pilosebaceous unit of mammals including cats, dogs, sheep, cattle, pigs, goats, deer, bats, hamsters, rats and mice. Among them, Demodex canis, which is found ubiquitously in dogs, is the most documented and investigated. In excessive numbers D. canis c...

Aspectos ecológicos da comunidade de Araneae (Arthropoda, Arachnida em copas da palmeira Attalea phalerata Mart. (Arecaceae no Pantanal de Poconé, Mato Grosso, Brasil

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Leandro Dênis Battirola

2004-01-01

Full Text Available Seis palmeiras de Attalea phalerata foram amostradas durante a fase aquática (cheia no Pantanal de Mato Grosso (fevereiro/2001, utilizando-se a metodologia de nebulização de copas "canopy fogging". Este estudo objetivou avaliar a composição, distribuição espacial, guildas comportamentais, biomassa e sazonalidade da comunidade de Araneae em copas dessa palmeira que forma adensamentos monodominantes, típicos nessa região. Um total de 1326 aranhas foram coletadas em 99 m² de área amostral (13,4 + 8,2 indivíduos/m², representando 20 famílias, sendo Salticidae e Araneidae as mais abundantes. A biomassa total de 704 aranhas em três palmeiras correspondeu a 0.6172 mg de peso seco (0,0123+ 0,04 mg/m². Dez guildas comportamentais demonstraram a coexistência de diferentes espécies em um mesmo habitat. Representantes de Salticidae, Oonopidae e Ctenidae dominaram entre as caçadoras, e Araneidae e Dictynidae, dentre as tecelãs. A análise de distribuição espacial demonstrou que a maior abundância de aranhas ocorreu na região central da copa, provavelmente devido à quantidade de recursos disponíveis nesse local. A comparação desses resultados com aqueles obtidos durante o período de seca, demonstra diferenças sazonais influenciadas pelo pulso de inundação, principalmente com relação à composição das famílias amostradas entre os períodos de seca e cheia.Ecological aspects of a community of Araneae (Arthropoda, Arachnida at the canopy of the palm Attalea phalerata Mart. (Arecaceae in the Pantanal of Poconé, Mato Grosso, Brazil. Six palm trees of Attalea phalerata were sampled during the aquatic phase (high water in the Pantanal of Mato Grosso (February 2001 using canopy fogging. The objective was to evaluate the composition, spatial distribution, behavioural guilds, biomass and seasonality of the community of Araneae at the crowns of these palm trees, which form monospecific stands that are typical of this region. A total

The sejugal furrow in camel spiders and acariform mites

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dunlop, Jason A.

2012-07-01

Full Text Available Camel spiders (Arachnida: Solifugae are one of the arachnid groups characterised by a prosomal dorsal shield composed of three distinct elements: the pro-, meso- and metapeltidium. These are associated respectively with prosomal appendages one to four, five, and six. What is less well known, although noted in the historical literature, is that the coxae of the 4th and 5th prosomal segments (i.e. walking legs 2 and 3 of camel spiders are also separated ventrally by a distinct membranous region, which is absent between the coxae of the other legs. We suggest that this essentially ventral division of the prosoma specifically between coxae 2 and 3 is homologous with the so-called sejugal furrow (the sejugal interval sensu van der Hammen. This division constitutes a fundamental part of the body plan in acariform mites (Arachnida: Acariformes. If homologous, this sejugal furrow could represent a further potential synapomorphy for (Solifugae + Acariformes; a relationship with increasing morphological and molecular support. Alternatively, outgroup comparison with sea spiders (Pycnogonida and certain early Palaeozoic fossils could imply that the sejugal furrow defines an older tagma, derived from a more basal grade of organisation. In this scenario the (still divided prosoma of acariform mites and camel spiders would be plesiomorphic. This interpretation challenges the textbook arachnid character of a peltidium (or ‘carapace’ covering an undivided prosoma.

On the predation of fly, Chrysomya rufifacies (Macquart) by a spider, Oxyopes sp. Latreille (Oxyopidae).

Science.gov (United States)

Heo, C C; Mohamad, A M; John, J; Baharudin, O

2008-04-01

During a forensic entomological study conducted in a palm oil plantation in Tg.Sepat, Selangor in September 2007, a spider (Arachnida), Oxyopes sp. (Oxyopidae) was found to predate on a calliphorid fly (Chrysomya rufifacies). The female spider laid a silk thread, or "drag line", behind it as it moved. This spider bites its prey by using a pairs of chelicerae, and injecting venom into the fly. The fly was moving its wing trying to escape, however, it succumbed to the deadly bite.

Interessante Weberknechtfunde aus Polen (Arachnida: Opiliones

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Staręga, Wojciech

2004-11-01

Full Text Available Many new localities for Polish harvestmen are recorded, specifically for species whose ranges do not encompass the whole country. Opilio canestrinii is recorded for the first time in Poland.

Ecology of Arachnida alien to Europe

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Nedvěd, Oldřich; Pekár, S.; Bezděčka, P.; Líznarová, E.; Řezáč, M.; Schmitt, M.; Sentenská, L.

2011-01-01

Roč. 56, č. 4 (2011), s. 539-550 ISSN 1386-6141 Grant - others:Czech Science Foundation(CZ) 206/09P521; Ministry of Agriculture of the Czech Republic(CZ) MZE 0002700603 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z50070508 Keywords : invasive species * neobiota * non-indigenous species Subject RIV: EH - Ecology, Behaviour Impact factor: 1.927, year: 2011

The fossil history of pseudoscorpions (Arachnida: Pseudoscorpiones

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

D. Harms

2017-08-01

Full Text Available Pseudoscorpions, given their resemblance to scorpions, have attracted human attention since the time of Aristotle, although they are much smaller and lack the sting and elongated tail. These arachnids have a long evolutionary history but their origins and phylogenetic affinities are still being debated. Here, we summarise their fossil record based on a comprehensive review of the literature and data contained in other sources. Pseudoscorpions are one of the oldest colonisers of the land, with fossils known since the Middle Devonian (ca. 390 Ma. The only arachnid orders with an older fossil record are scorpions, harvestmen and acariform mites, plus two extinct groups. Pseudoscorpions do not fossilise easily, and records from the Mesozoic and Cenozoic consist almost exclusively of amber inclusions. Most Mesozoic fossils come from Archingeay and Burmese ambers (Late Cretaceous and those from the Cenozoic are primarily from Eocene Baltic amber, although additional fossils from, for example, Miocene Dominican and Mexican ambers, are known. Overall, 16 of the 26 families of living pseudoscorpions have been documented from fossils and 49 currently valid species are recognised in the literature. Pseudoscorpions represent a case of morphological stasis and even the Devonian fossils look rather modern. Indeed, most amber fossils are comparable to Recent groups despite a major gap in the fossil record of almost 250 Myr. Baltic amber inclusions indicate palaeofauna inhabiting much warmer climates than today and point to climatic shifts in central Europe since the Eocene. They also indicate that some groups (e.g. Feaellidae and Pseudogarypidae had much wider Eocene distributions. Their present-day occurrence is relictual and highlights past extinction events. Faunas from younger tropical amber deposits (e.g. Dominican and Mexican amber are comparable to Recent ones. Generally, there is a strong bias in the amber record towards groups that live under tree bark, whereas those from litter habitats are underrepresented. We also discuss challenges in interpreting fossils: their cryptic morphology warranting novel techniques of morphological reconstruction, the massive gap in the fossil record between the Palaeozoic and Mesozoic, and problems with the classification of (historically old amber material. Finally, we discuss aspects of the palaeoecology and biology of the fossils compared with the Recent fauna, such as phoresy.

Influência da aplicação de calcário na população da meso e macrofauna do solo sob sistema plantio direto Influence of lime application on meso and macrofauna of the soil under no-tillage system

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ecila Maria Nunes Giracca

2008-12-01

Full Text Available No presente estudo avaliou-se o efeito de diferentes doses e modos de aplicação de calcário em plantio direto em campo nativo sobre a fauna edáfica, após cinco anos da aplicação. Organismos da fauna epiedáfica foram coletados com armadilhas tipo Provid e macrorganismos euedáficos utilizando monolitos de solos em duas épocas de amostragem: inverno e verão. Os organismos foram identificados ao nível de classe e ordem. Foram identificados 17 grupos taxonômicos, com ocorrência de cinco classes: Arachnida, Diplopoda, Crustacea, Oligochaeta e Insecta. A abundância de organismos apresentou maior variação em função das diferentes épocas de coleta e não sofreu influência das diferentes doses e modos de aplicação de calcário avaliados.In the present study one evaluated the effect of different methods and levels of lime application on soil under no-tillage system on edaphic fauna, after five years of the application. Organisms of epiedaphic fauna were sampled with "Provid" traps and euedaphics macrorganisms using soil monoliths in two sampling time: winter and summer. The organisms under study were identified in laboratory at class and order levels. One identified 17 taxonomics groups, with five classes: Arachnida, Diplopoda, Crustacea, Oligochaeta and Insecta. The abundance of organisms showed higher variation in function of different sampling time than the levels and methods of lime application.

Venomous and poisonous arthropods: identification, clinical manifestations of envenomation, and treatments used in human injuries

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vidal Haddad Junior

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Abstract This review presents the main species of venomous and poisonous arthropods, with commentary on the clinical manifestations provoked by the toxins and therapeutic measures used to treat human envenomations. The groups of arthopods discussed include the class Arachnida (spiders and scorpions, which are responsible for many injuries reported worldwide, including Brazil; the subphylum Myriapoda, with the classes Chilopoda and Diplopoda (centipedes and millipedes; and the subphylum Hexapoda, with the class Insecta and the orders Coleoptera (beetles, Hemiptera (stink bugs, giant water bugs, and cicadas, Hymenoptera (ants, wasps, and bees, and Lepidoptera (butterflies and moths.

Contribution to the knowledge of Gnaphosidae (Arachnida: Araneae ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

In this study, some additions were made on arachnofauna in Turkey. We recorded Drassodex Murphy, 2007 genus and six gnaphosid species: Drassodex hypocrita (Simon, 1878), Drassodes cupreus (Blackwall, 1834), Echemus angustifrons (Westring, 1861), Setaphis gomerae (Schmidt, 1981), Trachyzelotes fuscipes (L.

A large parasitengonid mite (Acari, Erythraeoidea from the Early Cretaceous Crato Formation of Brazil

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J. A. Dunlop

2007-08-01

Full Text Available A new large, fossil mite (Arachnida: Acari, Pararainbowia martilli n. gen. n. sp., is described from the Early Cretaceous (Aptian Crato Formation from Ceará State, Brazil. It is assigned to the Cohort Parasitengona and the superfamily Erythraeoidea, some extant members of which can reach up to seven millimetres in body length. Given that doubts have been raised about the identity of putative Crato feather mite eggs, this new fossil represents the first unequivocal record of Acari from the Crato Formation, the first non-amber record of an erythraeoid mite and the oldest named example of this superfamily. Fossil erythraeoids from Mesozoic and Tertiary ambers are briefly reviewed – including a widely overlooked Late Cretaceous species – with comments on Mesozoic mites in general. Thirteen Baltic amber erythraeoids have been formally described, but much unstudied material from various amber sources remains. Ein neues großes Milbenfossil (Arachnida: Acari, Pararainbowia martilli n. gen. n. sp., wird aus der Crato Formation (Unterkreide, Aptium des Ceará Gebietes in Brasilien beschrieben. Es wird der Kohorte Parasitengona und der Überfamilie Erythraeoidea zugeordnet; die modernen Vertreter erreichen eine Körperlänge bis zu sieben mm. Weil die Identität von Federmilbeneiern aus der Crato Formation in Frage gestellt wurde, ist dieser Neufund der erste klare Hinweis von Acari aus der Crato Formation. Es ist die erste erythraeoide Milbe, die nicht aus dem Bernstein stammt sowie das älteste genannte Beispiel dieser Überfamilie. Fossile erythraeoide Milben aus dem Bernstein des Mesozoikum und des Tertiärs werden kurz zusammengefasst – u. a. eine weitgehend übersehene Art aus der Oberkreide – mit allgemeinen Anmerkungen zu den mesozoischen Milben. Dreizehn erythraeoide Milbenarten sind aus dem baltischen Bernstein genannt und beschrieben worden, aber weiteres unbearbeitetes Material von verschiedenen Bernstein-Fundpunkten liegt noch vor

Diversidad de arañas (Arachnida: Araneae en hábitats antropogénicos Diversity of spiders (Arachnida: Araneae in anthropogenic habitats

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marco Antonio Desales-Lara

2013-03-01

Full Text Available La construcción de ciudades constituye la transformación más drástica, fundamental e irreversible de los sistemas naturales, reemplazando todo componente biótico y abiótico original del lugar. Entre los artrópodos que han podido adaptarse a los ambientes urbanos se encuentran las arañas. Se encontraron 41 especies en el interior de 12 casas de 2 niveles de la ciudad de Toluca, ubicadas en 4 ambientes con diferente grado de urbanización, durante el periodo de septiembre del 2009 a agosto del 2010. Por primera vez se empleó un método sistematizado para recolecta de arañas en el interior de las viviendas. La diversidad de arañas fue diferente en cada uno de los ambientes muestreados; el índice de Shannon (H' mostró que la diversidad de arañas es mayor en las casas que presentan jardín en el ambiente urbano, por lo que no se apoya la hipótesis del disturbio intermedio. El número de arañas encontradas fue mayor en el primer nivel de las viviendas que en el segundo, por lo que se proponen 3 hipótesis para explicar esta diferencia. Se propone la prueba de Olmstead-Tukey para determinar los 4 niveles de sinantropismo (N. S., ya que la prueba engloba valores utilizados en los índices de densidad e infestación (ocupación.City-building is the most drastic, fundamental and irreversible transformation of natural environments, replacing all original biotic and abiotic components of the site. Spiders are among the arthropods that have become adapted to urban environments. We found 41 species within 12 two-story houses of the city of Toluca, located in 4 environments with different degrees of urbanization, during the period September 2009-August 2010. For the first time a systematic method was used to collect spiders inside houses with even collecting efforts. The diversity of spiders is different in each of the sampled environments, the Shannon index (H ' indicated that the diversity of spiders was higher in houses with gardens in the urban environment, so it does not support the hypothesis of intermediate disturbance. The number of spiders found is higher on the first level of houses than on the second, and 3 hypotheses are proposed to explain this difference. The Olmstead-Tukey test is proposed to determine the 4 levels of synanthropism (N. S., since the test includes values used in the density and infestation rates (occupation.

A new species of Diplocentrus (Arachnida: Scorpiones from Michoacan, Mexico Especie nueva de Diplocentrus (Arachnida: Scorpiones de Michoacán, México

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Oscar F. Francke B.

2005-06-01

Full Text Available Diplocentrus churumuco sp. nov., from the Balsas River Basin in Michoacan, Mexico is described and clearly differentiated from its nearest relatives. The tarsomere II spine formula is 4/4:4/4:5/5:5/5. Pectinal tooth counts are 9- 10 in males, and 7- 8 in females.Se describe Diplocentrus churumuco sp. nov., de la Depresión del Balsas en Michoacán, y se dan las diferencias diagnósticas con especies afines del género. La fórmula de espinas tarsales es 4/4:4/4:5/5:5/5; los machos tienen 9-10 dientes pectíneos y las hembras 7-8.

Seasonal activity patterns and habitats in Solifugae (Arachnida) in ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

1992-03-09

Mar 9, 1992 ... Zeria vena tor. is a nocturnal species apparently active only during midsummer. Once again, without infonnation on the biology of solifuges, it is not possible to detennine the factors that decide why certain species are active at particular times. Surface-foraging tennites (Microhodoter- mes viator) in the ...

Micro-scale heterogeneity of spiders (Arachnida: Araneae) in the ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Coarse-scale studies that focus on species distributions and richness neglect heterogeneity that may be present at finer scales. Studies of arthropod assemblage structure at fine (1 × 1 km) scales are rare, but important, because these are the spatial levels at which real world applications are viable. Here we investigate ...

Zur Kenntnis der Pseudoskorpion-Fauna von Ostdeutschland (Arachnida, Pseudoscorpiones

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Drogla, Reiner

2004-11-01

Full Text Available Based on the examination of over 23,000 specimens, distribution, frequency/dominance, morphometric data and ecology of the East German false scorpions are presented. Most samples were collected by the authors, the rest are from Museums and other persons. 38 species were recorded. The preferred habitats and strata of the most species are described. Phoresy was observed for Allochernes peregrinus, Lamprochernes chyzeri, L. nodosus and Pselaphochernes scorpioides. Nine species live in ant nests. Zoogeographic aspects of the species assemblage are discussed in the world wide context. Distribution limits of four species run across the area of investigation.

Endemic harvestmen and spiders of Austria (Arachnida: Opiliones, Araneae

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Komposch, Christian

2011-01-01

Full Text Available A comprehensive overview of plant, fungus and animal species of Austria revealed a total of 748 endemic and subendemic species, including, 11 harvestman and 46 spider species. Altogether two endemic harvestmen (Nemastoma bidentatum relictum, Nemastoma schuelleri and 8 endemic spiders (Abacoproeces molestus, Collinsia (caliginosa nemenziana, Mughiphantes severus, Mughiphantes styriacus, Pelecopsis alpica, Scotophaeus nanus, Troglohyphantes novicordis, Troglohyphantes tauriscus, beside 9 subendemic harvestman and 38 subendemic spider species have been recorded from Austria. Hot-spots of endemism in the Eastern Alps are the north-eastern (Ennstaler Alps and southern Calcareous Alps (Karawanken, Karnische Alps and the Central Alps (Hohe Tauern, Gurktaler Alps, Ötztaler and Stubaier Alps. Most of the endemic arachnid species occur from the nival down to the montane zone. Important habitats are rocky areas, caves and woodlands. High absolute numbers and percentages of endemics can be found within the harvestman families Cladonychiidae, Ischyropsalididae and Nemastomatidae and in the spider genera Lepthyphantes s. l. and Troglohyphantes. The conservation status of these highly endangered taxa – 85 % of the spider species and 100 % of the harvestman taxa are endangered in Austria – is poor.

Comunidades de escorpiones (Arachnida: Scorpiones del desierto costero transicional de Chile Communities of scorpions (Arachnida: Scorpiones of the transitional coastal desert of Chile

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

PABLO AGUSTO

2006-12-01

Full Text Available En Chile, el orden Scorpiones está representado por 35 especies, distribuidas en las familias Bothriuridae, Iuridae y Buthidae. La mayoría de ellas son elementos endémicos, adaptados a condiciones xéricas. Nosotros estudiamos la estructura taxonómica de la escorpiofauna asociada a las formaciones vegetacionales presentes en el desierto costero transicional de Chile (25-32º S. Las capturas se realizaron con trampas de intercepción y luz UV. La información de terreno se complementó con antecedentes señalados en la literatura y material de referencia. Identificamos la presencia de nueve especies en un total de 226 especímenes capturados, pertenecientes a las familias Bothriuridae y Iuridae. Los géneros más abundantes de Bothriuridae, representada por ocho especies, fueron Brachistosternus y Bothriurus, con el 55,4 % y el 11 % del total de especímenes capturados, respectivamente. En relación a Brachistosternus, Br. (Leptosternus roigalsinai fue la especie más abundante, con el 38,9 % del total de los especímenes capturados. Caraboctonus keyserlingi (Iuridae constituyó el 33,2 % del total. La mayor riqueza de especies de escorpiones, con seis y siete especies, fueron respectivamente, las formaciones vegetacionales del desierto costero de Huasco (27°52' S, 71°05' O; 29°24' S, 71°18' O y del matorral estepario costero (29°24' S, 71°18' O; 30°34' S, 71°42' O. Los desiertos costero de Tal-Tal (23°52' S, 70°30' O; 27°51' S, 71°05' O y costero de Huasco presentaron especies exclusivas. El análisis de correspondencia mostró que, para la escorpiofauna estudiada, el matorral estepario costero representaría una zona de transición distribucional. Finalmente, discutimos en función de preferencias de sustrato mostradas por algunas de las especies presentes, algunos aspectos relacionados a la ocupación del hábitatIn Chile, the order Scorpiones has 35 species, included in the families Bothriuridae, Iuridae, and Buthidae. Most of them are endemic species, well adapted to xeric environments. We studied the taxonomic structure of the scorpiofauna with regards to the plant formations present in the transitional coastal desert of Chile (25-32º S. Captures of scorpions were conducted with pitfall traps and UV light. Data from de field were complemented from literature and reference material. We identified the presence of 9 species in a total of 226 specimens captured, in the families Bothriuridae and Iuridae. The most abundant genera of Bothriuridae, represented by eight species, were Brachistosternus and Bothriurus, with 55.4 % and 11 % respectively of total captured specimens. Regarding Brachistosternus, Br. (Leptosternus roigalsinai was the most abundant species, with 38.9 % of total captured specimens. Caraboctonus keyserlingi (Iuridae made the 33.2 % of total captured specimens. The highest species richness of scorpions, with six and seven species were respectively, the plant formations of the coastal desert of Huasco (27°52' S, 71°05' W; 29°24' S, 71°18' W and those of the coastal shrubby steppe (29°24' S, 71°18' W; 30°34' S, 71°42' W. The coastal deserts of Tal-Tal (23°52' S, 70°30' W; 27°51' S, 71°05' W and Huasco presented exclusive species. The analysis of correspondence showed that, to the scorpiofauna studied, the coastal shrubby steppe would represent a transitional zone of geographic distribution. Finally, we discussed in function of substrate preference, some aspects related to habitat occupation showed by some of the recorded species

Proteomic-based insight into Malpighian tubules of silkworm Bombyx mori.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xiao-wu Zhong

Full Text Available Malpighian tubules (MTs are highly specific organs of arthropods (Insecta, Myriapoda and Arachnida for excretion and osmoregulation. In order to highlight the important genes and pathways involved in multi-functions of MTs, we performed a systematic proteomic analysis of silkworm MTs in the present work. Totally, 1,367 proteins were identified by one-dimensional gel electrophoresis coupled with liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry, and as well as by Trans Proteomic Pipeline (TPP and Absolute protein expression (APEX analyses. Forty-one proteins were further identified by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis. Some proteins were revealed to be significantly associated with various metabolic processes, organic solute transport, detoxification and innate immunity. Our results might lay a good foundation for future functional studies of MTs in silkworm and other lepidoptera.

A divergent Cardinium found in daddy long-legs (Arachnida: Opiliones).

Science.gov (United States)

Chang, Jin; Masters, Amber; Avery, Amanda; Werren, John H

2010-11-01

Recent studies indicate that a newly described bacterial endosymbiont, Cardinium, is widespread in arthropods and induces different reproductive manipulations in hosts. In this study, we used a portion of the 16S rRNA gene of the Cardinium to screen 16 Opilionid species from the suborder Palptores. We found the incidence of Cardinium in these Opiliones was significantly higher than in other pooled arthropods (31.2% versus 7.2%, P=0.007). Phylogenetic analyses using maximum parsimony (MP) and Bayesian analysis revealed two distinct clades in Opiliones. One is a divergent monophyletic clade with strong support that has so far not been found in other arthropods, and a second one contains Cardinium both from Opiliones and other arthropods. There is not complete concordance of the Cardinium strains with host phylogeny, suggesting some horizontal movement of the bacteria among Opiliones. Although the divergence in the sequenced 16S rRNA region between the Cardinium infecting Opiliones and Cardinium from other arthropods is greater than among Cardinium found in other arthropods, all are monophyletic with respect to the outgroup bacteria (endosymbionts of Acanthamoeba). Based on high pairwise genetic distances, deep branch, and a distinct phylogenetic grouping, we conclude that some Opiliones harbor a newly discovered Cardinium clade. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Spatial distribution of Madeira Island Laurisilva endemic spiders (Arachnida: Araneae)

Science.gov (United States)

2014-01-01

Abstract Madeira island presents a unique spider diversity with a high number of endemic species, many of which are still poorly known. A recent biodiversity survey on the terrestrial arthropods of the native forest, Laurisilva, provided a large set of standardized samples from various patches throughout the island. Out of the fifty two species recorded, approximately 33.3% are Madeiran endemics, many of which had not been collected since their original description. Two new species to science are reported – Ceratinopsis n. sp. and Theridion n. sp. – and the first records of Poeciloneta variegata (Blackwall, 1841) and Tetragnatha intermedia Kulczynski, 1891 are reported for the first time for Madeira island. Considerations on species richness and abundance from different Laurisilva locations are presented, together with distribution maps for endemic species. These results contribute to a better understanding of spider diversity patterns and endemic species distribution in the native forest of Madeira island. PMID:24855443

Mitochondrial DNA phylogeny of camel spiders (Arachnida: Solifugae) from Iran.

Science.gov (United States)

Maddahi, Hassan; Khazanehdari, Mahsa; Aliabadian, Mansour; Kami, Haji Gholi; Mirshamsi, Amin; Mirshamsi, Omid

2017-11-01

In the present study, the mitochondrial DNA phylogeny of five solifuge families of Iran is presented using phylogenetic analysis of mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase, subunit 1 (COI) sequence data. Moreover, we included available representatives from seven families from GenBank to examine the genetic distance between Old and New World taxa and test the phylogenetic relationships among more solifuge families. Phylogenetic relationships were reconstructed based on the two most probabilistic methods, Maximum Likelihood (ML) and Bayesian inference (BI) approaches. Resulting topologies demonstrated the monophyly of the families Daesiidae, Eremobatidae, Galeodidae, Karschiidae and Rhagodidae, whereas the monophyly of the families Ammotrechidae and Gylippidae was not supported. Also, within the family Eremobatidae, the subfamilies Eremobatinae and Therobatinae and the genus Hemerotrecha were paraphyletic or polyphyletic. According to the resulted topologies, the taxonomic placements of Trichotoma michaelseni (Gylippidae) and Nothopuga sp. 1 (Ammotrechidae) are still remain under question and their revision might be appropriate. According to the results of this study, within the family Galeodidae, the validity of the genus Galeodopsis is supported, while the validity of the genus Paragaleodes still remains uncertain. Moreover, our results revealed that the species Galeodes bacillatus, and Rhagodes melanochaetus are junior synonyms of G. caspius, and R. eylandti, respectively.

Verzeichnis der Spinnentiere (excl. Acarida Deutschlands (Arachnida: Araneida, Opilionida, Pseudoscorpionida

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Platen, Ralph

1995-07-01

Full Text Available A checklist of german arachnids (spiders, harvestmen, pseudoscorpions is presented here for the first time. 956 species of spiders, 45 species of harvestmen and 45 species of pseudoscorpions are listed. Important junior synonyms are given. References are cited for the species established in Germany.

Trogulus martensi Chemini, 1983 im Raum Basel (Arachnida, Opiliones, Trogulidae

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Weiss, Ingmar

1998-12-01

Full Text Available Trogulus martensi Chemini, 1983, formerly thought to be endemic in northern Italy, is recorded from several places near Basle (first records in Switzerland and France. The species is close to T. galasensis Avram, 1971. Important differences to the syntopic T. closanicus Avram, 1971 (first published record in Fance and the sympatric T. nepaeformis (Scopoli, 1763 are shown and discussed. Additional biometric, autecological and phenological data of Trogulus martensi are presented.

Boden- und baumstammbewohnende Linyphiidae des Hienheimer Forstes (Bayern (Arachnida: Araneae

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Schulz, Ulrich

1998-12-01

Full Text Available This paper presents some results of a forest ecology research project by the University of Munich’s faculty of Forestry, involving the comparison of forests designed to reflect varying degrees of naturalness. Spiders on the ground and on trunks in four different forests in the Hienheimer Forst were caught with 24 ground photo eclectors, 8 arboreal eclectors and with 40 pitfall traps. Habitat requirements were measured and analysed with particular attention to forest soil. Abiotic parameters and the structure of the litter layer were recorded. The most frequent spiders were the Linyphiidae, Agelenidae and Amaurobidae.63 species of the family Linyphiidae were caught. One half of the Linyphiidae-species could be found on trunks of oak and spruce (eclector fauna. In terms of the number of spider species and in the portion of rare and endangered species there were almost no differences between commercial forest areas and conservation areas. The differences are not as great as the original classification according to closeness to the natural state had led us to expect.

Radial arrangement of Janus-like setae permits friction control in spiders.

Science.gov (United States)

Wolff, Jonas O; Gorb, Stanislav N

2013-01-01

Dynamic attachment is the key to move on steep surfaces, with mechanisms being still not well understood. The hunting spider Cupiennius salei (Arachnida, Ctenidae) possesses hairy attachment pads (claw tufts) at its distal legs, consisting of directional branched setae. The morphological investigation revealed that adhesive setae are arranged in a radial manner within the distal tarsus. Friction of claw tufts on smooth glass was measured to reveal the functional effect of seta arrangement within the pad. Measurements revealed frictional anisotropy in both longitudinal and transversal directions. Contact behaviour of adhesive setae was investigated in a reflection interference contrast microscope (RICM). Observations on living spiders showed, that only a small part of the hairy pads is in contact at the same time. Thus the direction of frictional forces is depending on leg placement and rotation. This may aid controlling the attachment to the substrate.

The Robin, Erithacus Rubecula (Passeriformes, Turdidae, As a Component of Autotrophic Consortia of Forest Cenoses, Northeast Ukraine

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chaplygina A. B.

2016-08-01

Full Text Available The role of the robin, Erithacus rubecula Linnaeus, 1758 as a consort of autotrophic consortia is considered. It has been found that representatives of 9 higher taxa of animals (Mammalia, Aves, Gastropoda, Insecta, Arachnida, Acarina, Malacostraca, Diplopoda, Clitellata have trophic and topical links with the robin. At the same time, the robin is a consort of determinants of autotrophic consortia, which core is represented mostly by dominating species of deciduous trees (Quercus robur Linnaeus, 1753 (24.6 %, Tilia cordata Miller, 1768 (17.5 %, Acer platanoides Linnaeus, 1753 (22.8 %, Acer campestre Linnaeus, 1753, and also by sedges (Carex sp. and grasses (Poaceae. The robin also belongs to the concentre of the second and higher orders as a component of forest biogeocenoses and forms a complex trophic system. In the diet of its nestlings, there have been found 717 objects from 32 invertebrate taxa, belonging to the phylums Arthropoda (99.2 %, 31 species and Annelida (0.8 %, 1 species. The phylum Arthropoda was represented by the most numerous class Insecta (76.9 %, in which 10 orders (Lepidoptera (46.8 % dominates and 20 families were recorded, and also by the classes Arachnida (15.0 %, Malacostraca (5.3 % and Diplopoda (1.9 %. The invertebrate species composition was dominated by representatives of a trophic group of zoophages (14 species; 43.8 %; the portion of phytophages (7 species; 21.9 %, saprophages (18.7 %, and necrophages (15.6 % was the less. The highest number of food items was represented by phytophages (N = 717; 51 %, followed by zoophages (34 %, saprophages (12 %, and necrophages (3 %. The difference among study areas according to the number of food items and the number of species in the robin nestling diet is shown. In NNP “HF”, the highest number of food items was represented by phytophages - 47 % (N = 443, whereas zoophages were the most species-rich group (43.3 %, 13 species. In NNP “H”, phytophages also prevailed in

Phylogeny and biogeography of Charinidae Quintero, 1986 based on morphological and molecular data

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Silva de Miranda, Gustavo

The work presented in this thesis seeks to understand the diversity and evolution of a major group within the order Amblypygi (whip spiders), the family Charinidae (Chelicerata, Arachnida, Amblypygi). Members of the family Charinidae have a circumtropical distribution and comprises three genera, ...... off together with the Caribbean species of Charinus. Using Bayesian divergence dating, ages were estimated for the various Charinidae lineages, revealing a very ancient origin of the family, around 313.9 Ma, during the Carboniferous. The split between the clades of...... Weygoldtia and Charinus+Sarax happened by the end of the Permian (approx. 235.7 Ma) and this branching event is suggested to have been a consequence of the series of climatic catastrophes that happened during the great Permian extinctions. Remarkably, strong support was found for a Gondwanan relict of the New Caledonian fauna of the family...

SPIDERS (ARACHNIDA: ARANEI OF SEASIDE AND ISLAND TERRITORIES OF NORTHERN DAGESTAN

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. V. Ponomarev

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Annotated list of spiders species from the seaside and island territories of Northern Dagestan, based on the original material. At the present time 132 species from 20 families are recordet in this region. There are illustrated descriptions of new species Gnaphosa deserta Ponomarev et Dvadnenko, sp. n., similar with G. rufula (L. Koch, 1866 and Ozyptila dagestana Ponomarev et Dvadnenko, sp. n., similar with O. simplex (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1862 and males Berlandina apscheronica Dunin, 1984, Pardosa jaikensis Ponomarev, 2007 and Tibellus utotchkini Ponomarev, 2008.

Redescription of Platygyndes Roewer 1943, a false Gonyleptidae, (Arachnida, Opiliones, Cosmetidae).

Science.gov (United States)

Pinto-Da-Rocha, Ricardo; Hara, Marcos Ryotaro

2011-01-01

Praelibitia Roewer, 1956 and its type species, Praelibitia titicaca Roewer, 1956, are respectively synonymized with Platygyndes Roewer, 1943 and its type species Platygyndes titicaca Roewer, 1943, and furthermore the genus is transferred from the Gonyleptidae to the Cosmetidae. On the basis of domed and unarmed ocularium, increased number of granules on scutal areas, unarmed dorsal scutum and general body shape, Platygyndes seems to be closely related to Moselabius Roewer, 1956 and Caracarana Roewer, 1956. External morphological characters that are useful to revealing relationships among cosmetid genera are discussed.

Redescription of Platygyndes Roewer 1943, a false Gonyleptidae, (Arachnida, Opiliones, Cosmetidae

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ricardo Pinto-da-Rocha

2011-11-01

Full Text Available Praelibitia Roewer, 1956 and its type species, Praelibitia titicaca Roewer, 1956, are respectively synonymized with Platygyndes Roewer, 1943 and its type species Platygyndes titicaca Roewer, 1943, and furthermore the genus is transferred from the Gonyleptidae to the Cosmetidae. On the basis of domed and unarmed ocularium, increased number of granules on scutal areas, unarmed dorsal scutum and general body shape, Platygyndes seems to be closely related to Moselabius Roewer, 1956 and Caracarana Roewer, 1956. External morphological characters that are useful to revealing relationships among cosmetid genera are discussed.

Spiders from the Island of Fernando de Noronha, Brazil: Part III: Gnaphosidae (Araneae: Arachnida Aranhas da Ilha de Fernando de Noronha, Brasil: Parte III: Gnaphosidae (Araneae: Arachnida

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Antonio D. Brescovit

2008-06-01

Full Text Available The female of Zimiromus hortenciae Buckup & Brescovit, 1993 is described for the first time and Trachyzelotes kulczynskii (Bösemberg, 1902, a species introduced from Europe, is recorded for the first time on the island of Fernando de Noronha, state of Pernambuco. The latter, along with T. lyonneti (Audouim, 1826 recorded from the state of Rio Grande do Sul, is the second species of this genus to be reported from Brazil. The spiders were collected with pitfall traps in five points of the island. Ecological data showed that Gnaphosidae was the fifth best sampled spider family, with 179 specimens, belonging to two species, T. kulczynskii and Z. hortenciae. Trachyzelotes kulczynskii was the most abundant with 118 adults while Z. hortenciae was represented by only 21 adults. Both species were collected during the dry and wet seasons but T. kulczynskii was more abundant during the wet season while Z. hortenciae was more abundant during the dry season. The male:female ratio for the dry season was similar for both species but in the wet season it was three times higher for T. kulczynskii.A fêmea de Zimiromus hortenciae Buckup & Brescovit, 1993 é descrita pela primeira vez. Trachyzelotes kulczynskii (Bösemberg, 1902, uma espécie de origem européia, é registrada pela primeira vez na Ilha de Fernando de Noronha, no estado de Pernambuco. Junto com T. lyonneti (Audouin, 1826, já registrado para o estado do Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil, é a segunda espécie do gênero introduzida no Brasil. As aranhas foram coletadas com armadilhas de solo em cinco pontos da ilha e os dados ecológicos detectados para Gnaphosidae foram de que esta foi a quinta família melhor amostrada dentre Araneae, com 179 espécimes de duas espécies, T. kulczynskii e Z. hortenciae. Trachyzelotes kulczynskii foi mais abundante com 118 adultos enquanto Z. hortenciae teve 21 adultos coletados. Ambas foram coletadas nas estações seca e chuvosa, sendo que T. kulczynskii foi mais abundante na estação chuvosa enquanto Z. hortenciae o foi na estação seca. A proporção de machos e fêmeas foi similar na estação seca, mas na estação chuvosa a proporção de T. kulczynskii foi três vezes maior.

First Laboulbeniales from harvestmen

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Santamaria, Sergei; Enghoff, Henrik; Gruber, Jürgen

2017-01-01

Laboulbeniales are well known ectoparasites of insects. Among arachnids they were only known parasitizing mites. A new genus of Laboulbeniales, with one species, Opilionomyces dicranolasmatis, is described for fungi parasitizing Dicranolasma harvestmen (Opiliones) collected in Turkey and Greece. ...... and Opiliones belong to the Arachnida subphylum within arthropods, the Laboulbeniales parasitizing the two orders show no morphological evidence of being closely related.......Laboulbeniales are well known ectoparasites of insects. Among arachnids they were only known parasitizing mites. A new genus of Laboulbeniales, with one species, Opilionomyces dicranolasmatis, is described for fungi parasitizing Dicranolasma harvestmen (Opiliones) collected in Turkey and Greece....... The new genus is characterized by the uniseriate receptacle divided into two parts, below the perithecium as a pedicel and above as a row of cells adnate and following the dorsal side of perithecium. The three upper tiers of wall cells are equal in height but shorter than the lower tier. The new genus...

Invertebrate biomechanics.

Science.gov (United States)

Patek, S N; Summers, A P

2017-05-22

Invertebrate biomechanics focuses on mechanical analyses of non-vertebrate animals, which at root is no different in aim and technique from vertebrate biomechanics, or for that matter the biomechanics of plants and fungi. But invertebrates are special - they are fabulously diverse in form, habitat, and ecology and manage this without the use of hard, internal skeletons. They are also numerous and, in many cases, tractable in an experimental and field setting. In this Primer, we will probe three axes of invertebrate diversity: worms (Phylum Annelida), spiders (Class Arachnida) and insects (Class Insecta); three habitats: subterranean, terrestrial and airborne; and three integrations with other fields: ecology, engineering and evolution. Our goal is to capture the field of invertebrate biomechanics, which has blossomed from having a primary focus on discoveries at the interface of physics and biology to being inextricably linked with integrative challenges that span biology, physics, mathematics and engineering. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Abundant and rare spiders on tree trunks in German forests (Arachnida, Araneae

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Blick, Theo

2011-01-01

Full Text Available The spider fauna active on the bark of trees in forests on eight sites in different regions in Germany was investigated. Trunk eclectors at about 2-4 meters height on living trees were used in different regions of Germany (SW Bavaria, Hesse, Brandenburg between 1990 and 2003. In Hesse eclectors were also used on dead beech trees (standing and lying. In this study data, mainly from beech (Fagus sylvatica and spruce (Picea abies, from May to October are compared – whole year samples (including winter are only available from Hesse. A total of 334 spider species were recorded with these bark traps, i.e. about one third of the spider species known from Germany. On average, each of the eight regions yielded 140.5 (± 26.2 species, each single tree 40.5 (± 12.2 species and 502 (± 452 adult spiders per season (i.e. May to Oct.. The 20 most abundant species are listed and characterised in detail. Six of the 20 species were not known to be abundant on bark, three prefer conifers and three beech/broadleaf. Even in winter (December-March there was a remarkably high activity on the trunks. However, only a few species occur exclusively or mainly in winter. Finally, the rarity of some bark spider species is discussed and details (all known records in Germany, phenology of four of them are presented (Clubiona leucaspis, Gongylidiellum edentatum, Kratochviliella bicapitata, Oreonetides quadridentatus. The diversity and importance of the spider fauna on bark in Central Europe is still underestimated.

The spider fauna of Scragh Bog in Co Westmeath, Ireland (Arachnida: Araneae)

OpenAIRE

Helsdingen, van, P.J.

1998-01-01

The spider fauna of Scragh Bog, a quacking bog in Co Westmeath, Ireland, was investigated for the first time. The presence of 53 species could be established, two of which are new to Ireland (Carorita limnaea (Crosby & Bishop), Porrhomma oblitum (O.P.-Cambridge)), while 30 represent new county records [Philodromus aureolus (Clerck), Tibellus maritimus (Meigen), Misumena vatia (Clerck), Oxyptila trux (Blackwall), Neon reticulatus (Blackwall), Sitticus caricis (Westring), Pirata hygrophilus Tho...

The spider fauna of Scragh Bog in Co Westmeath, Ireland (Arachnida: Araneae)

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Helsdingen, van P.J.

1998-01-01

The spider fauna of Scragh Bog, a quacking bog in Co Westmeath, Ireland, was investigated for the first time. The presence of 53 species could be established, two of which are new to Ireland (Carorita limnaea (Crosby & Bishop), Porrhomma oblitum (O.P.-Cambridge)), while 30 represent new county

Bats (Mammalia, Chiroptera in the Ponta Grossa region, Campos Gerais, Paraná, Brazil Morcegos (Mammalia, Chiroptera na região de Ponta Grossa, Campos Gerais, Paraná, Brasil

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cibele M. V. Zanon

2007-06-01

Full Text Available The diet, reproduction and activity time of bat species found in Ponta Grossa county, Campos Gerais region, were studied. Collections were conducted in four forest fragments, during 272 hours, on 48 m² of nets and roosting sites; the total capture effort was 1.52.10³ h.m². Eight species (247 individuals were registered: Artibeuslituratus (Olfers, 1818, Sturniralilium (E. Geoffroy, 1810, Desmodusrotundus (E. Geoffroy, 1810 (Phyllostomidae; Tadaridabrasiliensis (Desmarest, 1819, Eumopsauripendulus (Shaw, 1800 (Molossidae; Eptesicusbrasiliensis (Shaw, 1800, Myotisnigricans (Schinz, 1821, and Histiotusvelatus (I. Geoffroy, 1824 (Vespertilionidae. The Phyllostomidae family was the most frequently captured. Solanaceae, Moraceae, Piperaceae, and Rosaceae were found in the diet of frugivores; six orders of insects and the class Arachnida were found in the diets of insectivores. Pregnant females were found in September and October and lactating ones in November and December. The collection peak was reached in the second hour-and-a-half. Preservation of the regional forested and altered areas is required for survival of the local chiropterofauna.Estudou-se as espécies de morcegos presentes em Ponta Grossa, na região dos Campos Gerais, Paraná, com o objetivo de conhecer seus aspectos ecológicos básicos (dieta, reprodução e horário de atividade. Realizou-se coletas em quatro fragmentos florestais, onde foram empregadas 272 horas de esforço com 48 m² de redes, e em locais de repouso, totalizando um esforço de captura de 1,52.10³ h.m². Registrou-se 247 indivíduos, de oito espécies: Artibeuslituratus (Olfers, 1818, Sturniralilium (E. Geoffroy, 1810, Desmodusrotundus (E. Geoffroy, 1810 (Phyllostomidae; Tadaridabrasiliensis (Desmarest, 1819, Eumopsauripendulus (Shaw, 1800 (Molossidae; Eptesicusbrasiliensis(Shaw, 1800, Myotisnigricans (Schinz, 1821, Histiotusvelatus (I. Geoffroy, 1824 (Vespertilionidae. Phyllostomidae foi a família mais

Morfometría geométrica en cinco especies de Buthidae y Scorpionidae (Arachnida: Scorpiones de Venezuela Geometric morphometrics in five species of Buthidae and Scorpionidae (Arachnida: Scorpiones from Venezuela

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Walter Y. Bechara

2012-06-01

Full Text Available En Venezuela, la escorpiofauna consta de 17 géneros y 202 especies. En algunos grupos la taxonomía no ha sido aclarada; por lo tanto, son necesarias investigaciones adicionales que contribuyan a mejorar el conocimiento sobre la identidad taxonómica y relaciones entre sus componentes. La morfometría geométrica es una herramienta que ha sido utilizada como apoyo a la sistemática en distintos organismos. El objetivo del presente trabajo fue analizar la conformación y tamaño isométrico en 5 especies de escorpiones. Se fotografiaron 266 individuos de 4 especies de Buthidae: Centruroides testaceus, Rhopalurus laticauda, Tityus clathratus y T. discrepans, y una de Scorpionidae: Tarsoporosus yustizi. Se registraron configuraciones de coordenadas (x,y en 5 estructuras a partir de puntos anatómicos de referencia (PAR y PAR deslizantes. Los resultados mostraron separación completa de las especies de Buthidae por medio de tricobotrias dorsales en la patela del pedipalpo, y una consistente separación en el nivel familiar en las estructuras restantes. Las placas delgadas permitieron la visualización de compresión horizontal del esternón en las especies de Buthidae y compresión vertical en la de Scorpionidae. Se determinó la similitud de coxas, quela y caparazón entre R. laticauda y C. testaceus. La disposición de tricobotrias y la conformación del esternón permitió la diferenciación entre T. discrepans y T. clathratus.The Venezuelan scorpionfauna comprises 17 genera and 202 species. In some taxa the taxonomy is unclear, and additional studies that contribute to the knowledge about taxonomic identity and relationships are necessary. Geometric morphometrics is a tool that has been used as support to the systematics in different organisms. The goal was to analize the isometric size and conformation in five scorpions species. We photographed 266 individuals of four speceis of Buthidae: Centruroides testaceus, Rhopalurus laticauda, Tityus clathratus and T. discrepans, and one species of Scorpionidae: Tarsoporosus yustizi. Coordinate (x,y configurations from landmarks and semilandmarks were registered in five structures. The results showed the complete separation in Buthidae species through dorsal trichobotria on patella pedipalp; and a consistent separation at family level in the remaining structures. The thin plate spline showed the sternum horizontal compression in the Buthidae species and the vertical compression in Scorpionidae. Similarity in coxae, chelae and caparace between R. laticauda and C. testaceus was determined. The trichobotria disposition and the sternum conformation allows to discriminate T. discrepans and T. clathratus.

Age-related environmental gradients influence invertebrate distribution in the Prince Charles Mountains, East Antarctica.

Science.gov (United States)

Czechowski, Paul; White, Duanne; Clarke, Laurence; McKay, Alan; Cooper, Alan; Stevens, Mark I

2016-12-01

The potential impact of environmental change on terrestrial Antarctic ecosystems can be explored by inspecting biodiversity patterns across large-scale gradients. Unfortunately, morphology-based surveys of Antarctic invertebrates are time-consuming and limited by the cryptic nature of many taxa. We used biodiversity information derived from high-throughput sequencing (HTS) to elucidate the relationship between soil properties and invertebrate biodiversity in the Prince Charles Mountains, East Antarctica. Across 136 analysed soil samples collected from Mount Menzies, Mawson Escarpment and Lake Terrasovoje, we found invertebrate distribution in the Prince Charles Mountains significantly influenced by soil salinity and/or sulfur content. Phyla Tardigrada and Arachnida occurred predominantly in low-salinity substrates with abundant nutrients, whereas Bdelloidea (Rotifera) and Chromadorea (Nematoda) were more common in highly saline substrates. A significant correlation between invertebrate occurrence, soil salinity and time since deglaciation indicates that terrain age indirectly influences Antarctic terrestrial biodiversity, with more recently deglaciated areas supporting greater diversity. Our study demonstrates the value of HTS metabarcoding to investigate environmental constraints on inconspicuous soil biodiversity across large spatial scales.

New records and detailed distribution and abundance of selected arthropod species collected between 1999 and 2011 in Azorean native forests

Science.gov (United States)

Gaspar, Clara; Crespo, Luís Carlos Fonseca; Rigal, François; Cardoso, Pedro; Pereira, Fernando; Rego, Carla; Amorim, Isabel R.; Melo, Catarina; Aguiar, Carlos; André, Genage; Mendonça, Enésima P.; Ribeiro, Sérvio; Hortal, Joaquín; Santos, Ana M.C.; Barcelos, Luís; Enghoff, Henrik; Mahnert, Volker; Pita, Margarida T.; Ribes, Jordi; Baz, Arturo; Sousa, António B.; Vieira, Virgílio; Wunderlich, Jörg; Parmakelis, Aristeidis; Whittaker, Robert J.; Quartau, José Alberto; Serrano, Artur R.M.; Triantis, Kostas A.

2016-01-01

Abstract Background In this contribution we present detailed distribution and abundance data for arthropod species identified during the BALA – Biodiversity of Arthropods from the Laurisilva of the Azores (1999-2004) and BALA2 projects (2010-2011) from 18 native forest fragments in seven of the nine Azorean islands (all excluding Graciosa and Corvo islands, which have no native forest left). New information Of the total 286 species identified, 81% were captured between 1999 and 2000, a period during which only 39% of all the samples were collected. On average, arthropod richness for each island increased by 10% during the time frame of these projects. The classes Arachnida, Chilopoda and Diplopoda represent the most remarkable cases of new island records, with more than 30% of the records being novelties. This study stresses the need to expand the approaches applied in these projects to other habitats in the Azores, and more importantly to other less surveyed taxonomic groups (e.g. Diptera and Hymenoptera). These steps are fundamental for getting a more accurate assessment of biodiversity in the archipelago. PMID:28174509

Feeding pattern and use of reproductive habitat of the Striped toad Rhinella crucifer (Anura: Bufonidae from Southeastern Brazil

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rodrigo B. Ferreira

2009-12-01

Full Text Available Diet composition, foraging mode, and using of reproductive habitat of Rhinella crucifer was studied in an artificial pond in Espírito Santo, Brazil. The favored substrate was leaf litter, followed by Cyperaceae/Poaceae. Calling sites, preferred for 23.3 % (n = 7 of the observed toads, were within the water, with only the head not submerged. We analyzed a total of 61 specimens, mainly males (98.5% male and 1.5% female. Seven categories of prey were found in the stomach contents: Coleoptera, Hymenoptera (Formicidae, Isoptera, Lepidoptera, Orthoptera, Gastropoda (Mollusca, Opilionida (Arachnida. Our studies indicate that the diet of Rhinella crucifer consists mainly of terrestrial colonial arthropods. Formicidae was the predominant food item in frequency of occurrence, number of prey and weight. Isoptera and Coleoptera were also relevant in terms of weight. Neither large ontogenetic dietary nor seasonal shifts were observed in the population studied. Our results suggest that no intraspecific food resource partitioning occurs in adult or juveniles. Rhinella crucifer adults avoid competition inhabiting different home range habitats and seem to be ant-specialist with a wide foraging mode.

Effects of Androctonus crassicauda (Olivier, 1807 (Scorpiones: Buthidae venom on rat metabolism

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

O. Ozkan

2008-01-01

Full Text Available Scorpions are venomous arthropods of the Arachnida class and are considered relatives of spiders, ticks and mites. There is not any study about the biochemical effects of Androctonus crassicauda (Olivier, 1807 venom. Therefore, in the present study, we aimed at evaluating the toxicity of the venom from A. crassicauda, which is responsible for a number of deaths of infants, children and adults in tropical and subtropical countries. For this purpose, rats (n=35 were divided into seven groups of five animals each; venom solutions (250µg/kg were subcutaneously injected into rats; blood samples were taken from each animal at various times; and serum biochemical parameters were measured (levels of total proteins, total bilirubin, albumin, globulin, urea, creatinine, uric acid, glucose, cholesterol, triglycerides, sodium, chlorine, potassium and calcium, and the activity of the enzymes alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase, gamma-glutamyl transferase, lactate dehydrogenase. Serum levels of glucose, cholesterol, aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase and uric acid increased in envenomed animals, compared to controls. There was a statistically positive correlation between Na+ and Cl- ions.

On the diversity of some soil and cave spiders (Aranea: Arachnida from Serbia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ćurčić Božidar P.

2004-01-01

Full Text Available A total of 46 species from 14 families: Pholcidae (2, Dysderidae (3 Eresidae (1, Linyphiidae (11, Tetragnathidae (3, Araneidae (4, Lycosidae (5, Agelenidae (4, Amaurobiidae (2, Liocranidae (1, Gnaphosidae (2 Philodromidae (1, Thomisidae (2 and Salticidae (5 were established from 29 localities in Serbia. Five species: Dysderocrates silvestris Deeleman-Reinhold (Dysderidae, Centromerus obenbergeri (Kulczyński, 1897 (Linyphiidae, Trochosa hispanica Simon, 1870, Trochosa spinipalpis (O. P.-Cambridge (Lycosidae and Philodromus praedatus O. P.-Cambridge are new to the Serbian spider fauna; the most diverse is the family Linyphiidae which is represented by 11 species. At the time, the spiders of Serbia are represented by 633 species, belonging to 224 genera and 36 families.

Bodenbesiedelnde Spinnen (Arachnida, Araneae eines Kiefernforstes bei Stücken in Brandenburg, Deutschland

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nicolai, Volker

2003-10-01

Full Text Available Ground inhabiting spiders were investigated during the vegetation periods of , 1998 and 2000 in four pine forests of Brandenburg, Germany. 1995 three of them were managed in different ways and one area served as a control. In total 105 different species were found and the lowest number of species was found on the control area. Due to the management the pine forests got opened and xerophilous species could settle the areas. In total a heterogeneous species community was found on each area. From year to year high rates of species turnover were measured even for the dominant species (> 5 % of all collected individuals per area and year. Some endangered species in Brandenburg were collected as well.

First record of Galeodes indicus Pocock, 1900 (Arachnida: Solifugae: Galeodidae from Rajasthan, India

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ruquaeya Bano

2016-03-01

Full Text Available During a regular survey to collect soil arthropods in Lasiurus sindicus Henrard grassland by pitfall methods at Chandan Village near Jaisalmer City, Rajasthan, we found a dead specimen of Galeodes indicus in a sample.  Galeodes indicus (Pocock, 1900 has been reported from Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana but so far was unknown to Rajasthan, India.  In this communication, we report Galeodes indicus from Jaisalmer District, Rajasthan, India. 

Diversidad de arañas (Arachnida: Araneae asociadas con viviendas de la ciudad de México (Zona Metropolitana Spider diversity (Arachnida: Araneae associated with houses in México city (Metropolitan area

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

César Gabriel Durán-Barrón

2009-04-01

Full Text Available La ecología urbana es un área de investigación relativamente reciente. Los ecosistemas urbanos son aquellos definidos como ambientes dominados por el hombre. Con el proceso de urbanización, insectos y arácnidos silvestres aprovechan los nuevos microhábitats que las viviendas humanas ofrecen. Se revisaron arañas recolectadas dentro de 109 viviendas durante los años de 1985 a 1986, 1996 a 2001 y 2002 a 2003. Se cuantificaron 1 196 organismos , los cuales se determinaron hasta especie. Se obtuvo una lista de 25 familias, 52 géneros y 63 especies de arañas sinantrópicas. Se utilizaron 3 índices (ocupación, densidad y estacionalidad y un análisis de intervalos para sustentar la siguiente clasificación: accidentales (índice de densidad de 0-0.9, ocasionales (1-2.9, frecuentes (3.0-9.9 y comunes (10 en adelante. Se comparan las faunas de arañas sinantrópicas de 5 países del Nuevo Mundo.Urban ecology is a relatively new area of research, with urban ecosystems being defined as environments dominated by humans. Insects and arachnids are 2 groups that successfully exploit the habitats offered by human habitations. We analyzed the occurrence and densities of spiders found in houses in México City. We used material collected between 1985 and 2003. We recorded 1 196 spiders from 109 houses. The list includes 25 families, 52 genera and 63 species of synanthropic spiders. Indices of ocupation, density and seasonality, as well as rank analyses were used to make the following classification of synanthropism: accidental (density index 0-0.9, occasional (1-2.9, frequent (3.0-9.9 and common (10 or more. The synanthropic spider faunas of 5 New World countries are compared.

Alimentação e fator de condição de peixes characidiíneos no sistema do Ribeirão Grande, Sudeste do Brasil - DOI: 10.4025/actascibiolsci.v27i3.1336 Feeding and condition factor of characidiin fish in Ribeirão Grande system, Southeastern Brazil - DOI: 10.4025/actascibiolsci.v27i3.1336

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Francisco Manoel de Souza Braga

2005-03-01

Full Text Available Os peixes foram amostrados quatro vezes em cada local, de julho de 2001 a abril de 2002: inverno (julho de 2001, primavera (outubro de 2001, verão (fevereiro de 2002 e outono (abril de 2002. Foram amostrados segmentos de cinco riachos no sistema do Ribeirão Grande (22o 47’ 08’’ S, 45o 28’ 17’’W. Coletas quantitativas foram feitas com um aparelho de pesca-elétrica ligado a um gerador com capacidade máxima de 1.500 V e 8,7 A de 600 Hz de corrente alternada. Alimentação, mudanças na gordura visceral e fator de condição foram comparados em duas espécies de characidiíneos, Characidium lauroi e C. Alipioi do sistema do Ribeirão Grande, sudeste do Brasil. Nas dietas das duas espécies ninfas de Ephemeroptera, foram registradas larvas de Diptera (Chironomidae, Simuliidae, ninfas de Plecoptera, larvas de Trichoptera (Hydroptilidae, Psychoyiidae, insetos terrestres (Coleoptera, Isoptera, Hemiptera [Heteroptera, Homoptera], larvas de Megaloptera (Corydalidae, Arachnida, Ostracoda e restos vegetais. A gordura visceral decresceu em fevereiro, coincidindo com o declínio do fator de condição em ambas as espécies. O aumento da atividade alimentar durante o verão proporciona o acúmulo de gordura. Durante as estações seguintes, esses peixes devem utilizar as reservas de gordura visceral para manutenção e reproduçãoFeeding, seasonal changes in visceral fat and condition factor were compared in two species of characidiin fishes, Characidium lauroi and C. alipioi from Ribeirão Grande system, southeastern Brazil. Five streams of Ribeirão Grande system were sampled (22o 47’ 08’’ S, 45o 28’ 17’’W. The samples were taken four times per site, from July, 2001 to April, 2002: winter (July 2001, spring (October 2001, summer (February 2002 and autumn (April 2002. Quantitative collections were made with an electro-fishing device powered by a generator with maximum capacity of 1,500 V and 8.7 A of 60 Hz alternating current

New records of ectoparasitic Acari (Arachnida) and Streblidae (Diptera) from bats in Jalisco, Mexico.

Science.gov (United States)

Martínez, Maria M Ramírez; Lopez, M Pilar Ibarra; Iñiguez-Dávalos, Luis Ignacio; Yuill, Thomas; Orlova, Maria V; Reeves, Will K

2016-12-01

Ectoparasites of bats in the Neotropics are diverse and play numerous ecological roles as vectors of microbial pathogens and endoparasites and as food sources for other cave fauna living both on their hosts and in bat roosts. The ectoparasites of bats in Jalisco State of western Mexico have not been as well described as those of other states with recent checklists that have focused primarily on the Yucatan Peninsula. We captured bats from 2011-2015 on the south coast and Sierra de Amula, Jalisco using mist nets, and we removed ectoparasites by hand. We identified 24 species of streblid bat flies and six ectoparasitic mites from bats caught in mist nets. There were an additional eight possibly undescribed species of Streblidae. Our collections extend the known range of species into Jalisco. © 2016 The Society for Vector Ecology.

The whip spider collection (Arachnida, Amblypygi held in the Natural History Museum Vienna, Austria

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Seiter, Michael

2013-11-01

Full Text Available We present data and remarks on the history and contents of the whip spider collection housed in the Natural History Museum of Vienna, Austria. The collection comprises a total of 167 specimens from 4 families, 10 genera and 27 species. It includes types of four species: Charinus ioanniticus (Kritscher, 1959, Damon brachialis Weygoldt, 1999, Phrynus parvulus (Pocock, 1902 and Paraphrynus mexicanus (Bilimek, 1867. Short notes on interesting objects and former curators are provided as well as an appendix with a list of species kept alive by Michael Seiter.

Genus-specificity of araneophagy of linyphiid spiders and spiders of other families (Arachnida, Araneae)

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Heuts, B.; Brunt, T.

2009-01-01

We found genus specificity of predation by spiders on other spiders in captivity which surpass them in body size (araneophagy). Adult specimens of three species of the linyphiid genus Walckenaeria which were successively tested for araneophagy (in the laboratory) in the order of first species

Stammbewohnende Weberknechte (Arachnida: Opiliones in einem Fichten- einem Misch- und einem Buchenbestand im Solling

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sührig, Alexander

2006-12-01

Full Text Available In the Solling mountains (Southern Lower Saxony, Germany the fauna was sampled for one year with stem eclectors in adjacent spruce, mixed (spruce/beech, and beech stands. The tree age was more than 90 years. Four sampling treatments were established: eclectors on spruce stems in the spruce stand (1, on beech stems in the beech stand (2, and on spruce (3 and beech stems in the mixed stand (4. The following harvestmen species, with 1601 individuals in total, were found: Mitopus morio, Oligolophus tridens, Platybunus bucephalus, Leiobunum blackwalli, and Leiobunum rotundum. The number of individuals was highest on spruce stems in the more open spruce stand, mainly due to Mitopus morio, whereas number of species was highest on beech stems in the mixed stand. Both the number of individuals and species were lowest on beech stems in the beech stand. Here, additional information about the phenology of the harvestmen species is given.

Microwhip scorpions (Palpigradi) feed on heterotrophic cyanobacteria in Slovak caves - a curiosity among Arachnida

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Smrž, J.; Kováč, L.; Mikeš, J.; Lukešová, Alena

2013-01-01

Roč. 8, č. 10 (2013), e75989 E-ISSN 1932-6203 Institutional support: RVO:60077344 Keywords : microwhip scorpions * heterotrophic cyanobacteria * Slovak caves Subject RIV: EG - Zoology Impact factor: 3.534, year: 2013

Alarm communication: a new function for the scent-gland secretion in harvestmen (Arachnida: Opiliones)

Science.gov (United States)

Machado, Glauco; Bonato, Vinícius; Oliveira, Paulo

2002-05-01

Most harvestmen are nocturnal, nonacoustical, and nonvisual arthropods. They have a pair of exocrine glands on the cephalothorax that produce defensive volatile secretions. We investigated in the field the possible alarm effect of these secretions in the gregarious harvestman Goniosoma aff. proximum. A cotton swab soaked with the species' own exudate (treatment), or with water (control), was held 1-2 cm from the center of harvestmen aggregations. The results showed that the gland secretion elicits an alarm response in Goniosoma: whereas 73.3% of the aggregations dispersed after being stimulated with the gland exudate, only 3.3% responded to the water control. Respondent groups are larger than non-respondent groups, and the time of reaction to the secretion was inversely related to group size. This is the first demonstration of a chemically-mediated alarm effect in harvestmen. The alarm response in gregarious harvestmen has possibly evolved as a by-product of a primarily defensive reaction in the context of predator avoidance. The discovery of this novel function of scent-gland secretion is meaningful in view of the widespread occurrence of gregarious habit among species of the order Opiliones.

Characteristics of the first recorded spider (Arthropoda: Arachnida fauna from Sheringal, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Farzana Khan Perveen

2015-12-01

Full Text Available The spiders (order: Aranae are an important environmental indicator and play a significant role as predators in biological control of the most of the key insect pests. The present study was conducted to establish the characteristics of the first recorded spider fauna from Sheringal, Dir Upper (DU, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP, Pakistan during June 2013-July 2014. Their 10 species belong to 7 families, and 10 genera (nt=123: total; ni=77: identified; nui=46: unidentified were recorded in the 6 quadrates, i.e., Daramdala, Doki, Guryaal, Samang, Shahoor and Sia-Sheringal of Sheringal. The largest family was Lycosidae (wolf spiders with respect to size and numbers of specimens collected (n=20, which contained Arctosa littorali Simon, 1897; Hippasa partita Takidar, 1970; Pardosa distincta Backwall, 1867, while the smallest family was Gnphosidae (ground spiders (n=3 with Gnaphosa eucalyptus Ghafoor and Beg, 2002; while other families Sparassidae (huntsman spiders (n=19 Halconia insignis Thorell, 1836, and Isopeda tuhogniga Barrion and Litsinger, 1995, Opilionidae (harvestmen spiders (n=12 Hadrobunus grandis Sundevall, 1833; Pholcidae (cellar spider (n=10 have Crossopriza lyoni Blackwall, 1867; Hersiliidae (two-tailed spiders (n=6 is having Harsilia savignyi Lucas, 1836; (n=5 with Araneus diadematus Clerck, 1757 were recorded. It was concluded that 50% of the spiders collected from the study area were venomous. A detail study is required for further exploration of spider fauna of Sheringal, KP, Pakistan with special reference to their taxonomical, physiological and ecological characteristics.

Global associations between birds and vane-dwelling feather mites.

Science.gov (United States)

Doña, Jorge; Proctor, Heather; Mironov, Sergey; Serrano, David; Jovani, Roger

2016-11-01

Understanding host-symbiont networks is a major question in evolutionary ecology. Birds host a great diversity of endo- and ectosymbiotic organisms, with feather mites (Arachnida: Acariformes: Analgoidea, Pterolichoidea) being among the most diverse of avian symbionts. A global approach to the ecology and evolution of bird-feather-mite associations has been hampered because of the absence of a centralized data repository. Here we present the most extensive data set of associations between feather mites and birds. Data include 12 036 records of 1887 feather mite species located on the flight feathers of 2234 bird species from 147 countries. Feather mites typically located inside quills, on the skin, or on downy body feathers are not included. Data were extracted from 493 published sources dating from 1882 to 2015. Data exploration shows that although most continents and bird families are represented, most bird species remain unexplored for feather mites. Nevertheless, this is the most comprehensive data set available for enabling global macroecological analyses of feather mites and their hosts, such as ecological network analyses. This metadata file outlines the structure of these data and provides primary references for all records used. © 2016 by the Ecological Society of America.

Trap and soil monolith sampled edaphic spiders (arachnida: araneae in Araucaria angustifolia forest Aranhas (arachnida: araneae edáficas amostradas por armadilhas e monólitos de solo em florestas com Araucaria angustifolia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dilmar Baretta

2007-08-01

Full Text Available Forests with Araucaria angustifolia (Bert. O. Kuntze trees are endangered in Brazil, and information on the diversity of soil spider families associated to these environments is practically inexistent. The present study was set up to evaluate the abundance and diversity of soil spider families in natural and reforested Araucaria forests, impacted or not by fire, and to identify the most efficient method to collect these organisms. The study was conducted in four areas: native forest with predominance of Araucaria (NF; Araucaria reforestation (R; Araucaria reforestation submitted to an accidental fire (RF; and native grass pasture with native Araucaria and submitted to an intense accidental fire (NPF. Considering both sampling methods (Monolith and Pitfall traps, 20 spider families were identified. The pitfall trap method was more effective as it captured 19 out of the 20 recorded families, while the Monolith method extracted only ten spider families. Spider family abundance and Shannon's diversity index (H were affected by the employed collection method; the values for these attributes were always higher for the NF and lower for the NPF. Correspondence analysis (CA showed a spatial separation among spider familiy assemblages from the different studied areas. It is suggested that changes in the abundance of soil spider families in Araucaria forests are mainly caused by recurrent human intervention over the last few years.As florestas com Araucaria angustifolia (Bert. O. Kuntze estão ameaçadas de extinção no Brasil, e são praticamente inexistentes as informações sobre a diversidade de famílias de aranhas de solo associadas nestes ambientes. O estudo teve o objetivo de avaliar, em florestas com araucária naturais e reflorestadas, impactadas ou não pela queima acidental, a abundância e diversidade de famílias de aranhas, além de identificar o método mais eficiente para coletar estes organismos. O estudo foi conduzido em quatro áreas: floresta nativa com predominância de araucária (NF; reflorestamento de araucária (R; reflorestamento de araucária submetido a incêndio acidental (RF; e pastagem natural com araucárias nativas e ocorrência de incêndio acidental (NPF. Considerando os dois métodos de amostragem (Monólito e armadilhas de solo, foram identificadas 20 famílias de aranhas associadas às áreas. O método das armadilhas de solo foi mais eficiente, capturando 19 das 20 famílias registradas, enquanto o do Monólito extraiu apenas dez destas famílias de aranhas. A abundância de famílias de aranhas e o índice de diversidade de Shannon (H foram afetados pelo método de coleta utilizado, sendo os valores destes atributos sempre superiores na NF e inferiores na NPF. A análise de correspondência (AC demonstrou que existe separação espacial entre as áreas estudadas. Sugere-se que as modificações na abundância de famílias de aranhas de solo sejam provocadas principalmente pelas intervenções antrópicas que as florestas de araucária vêm sofrendo nos últimos anos.

Phytophagous Arthropod Species Associated with Oil Bearing Rose, Rosa damascena Miller, in Isparta Province with Distributional Remarks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ozan Demirözer

2011-05-01

Full Text Available Abstract: The study is based on field researches made in 2006–2007 in order to determine the phytophagous arthropod species and the deployment of those species that are economically important in the oil-bearing rose production fields in the province of Isparta. As a result, 62 species were determined, 60 of which belongs to 24 families of 6 orders in Insecta and 2 of which belongs to 2 families of 1 order in Arachnida. In the study, 57 species were identified up to species level and 5 species were identified up to genus level. It is seen that 20 species of them are previously identified as pests in Rosa damascena Miller in production fields in the literature. Ten of the species determined in the study are recorded as new for the oil-bearing rose pest fauna in the province of Isparta. Key words: Oil Bearing Rose, Rosa damascena, pest, phytophagous, Isparta Özet: Bu çalışma, Isparta ili yağ gülü üretim alanlarında bulunan fitofag türlerin belirlenmesi ve ekonomik açıdan önemlilerinin yayılışlarının ortaya çıkarılması amacıyla 2006-2007 yılları arasında yürütülmüştür. Çalışma sonucunda, Insecta sınıfının 6 takımına ait 24 familyadan toplam 60, Arachnida sınıfına ait 1 takıma bağlı 2 familyadan 2 olmak üzere toplamda 62 türün varlığı belirlenmiştir. Çalışmada 57 adet örneğin tür düzeyinde teşhisleri tamamlanırken, 5 türün cins düzeyine kadar teşhisleri yapılmıştır. Yapılan literatür çalışmalarında bu araştırmada belirlenen türlerden 20'sinin daha önceden Rosa damascena Miller üretim alanlarında zararlı olarak bildirildiği saptanmıştır. Çalışmada belirlenen türlerden 10'u ise Isparta ili yağ gülü zararlı faunası için yeni kayıt niteliği taşımaktadır. Anahtar kelimeler: Yağ gülü, Rosa damascena, zararlı, fitofag, Isparta

Two newly recorded species of the spider families Theridiidae and Clubionidae (Arachnida: Araneae from Korea

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sue-Yeon Lee

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Yaginumena maculosa (Yoshida and Ono 2000 of Theridiidae and Clubiona corrugata (Bösenberg and Strand 1906 of Clubionidae are reported for the first time from Korea with taxonomic illustrations.

The spider family Micropholcommatidae (Arachnida: Araneae: Araneoidea: a relimitation and revision at the generic level

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Michael Rix

2010-02-01

Full Text Available The araneoid spider family Micropholcommatidae Hickman, previously containing 34 southern-temperate species in eight genera, is relimited and revised at the generic level to include 18 genera from Australia, Lord Howe Island, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and Chile. Three subfamilies are proposed, and a new phylogenetic hypothesis for the family is presented as a result of two morphological cladistic analyses, used to test the phylogenetic position and phylogeny of the known micropholcommatid taxa. These cladistic analyses inferred a monophyletic Micropholcommatidae, belonging to the diverse araneoid symphytognathidan lineage, with the families Anapidae, Symphytognathidae and Micropholcommatidae further united by the newly proposed 'EbCY' clade. The genus Teutoniella Brignoli, previously included in the Micropholcommatidae, was found to be most closely related to an undescribed genus from South Africa, together forming a distinctive ‘teutoniellid’ lineage within the EbCY clade. The subfamily Micropholcommatinae Hickman, new rank contains the bulk of micropholcommatid diversity, with three tribes, 15 genera and 45 described species. The micropholcommatine tribe Micropholcommatini Hickman, new rank includes the nominate genus Micropholcomma Crosby & Bishop, along with three additional genera from Australasia and Chile: Micropholcomma has eight species, including the type, M. caeligenum Crosby & Bishop, and M. junee sp. n.; Pua Forster is monotypic, with P. novaezealandiae Forster; Tricellina Forster & Platnick is also monotypic, with T. gertschi (Forster & Platnick; and Austropholcomma gen. n. has two species, including the type A. florentine sp. n., and A. walpole sp. n. The micropholcommatine tribe Textricellini Hickman, new rank is a diverse and distinctive lineage, including all species previously described in the genus Textricella Hickman, which is hereby recognised as a junior generic synonym of Eterosonycha Butler syn. n.; the 20 previously described species of Textricella are thus transferred into Eterosonycha or other newly described genera. The Textricellini includes 10 genera from Australasia and Chile: Eterosonycha has four species, including the type E. alpina Butler (=Textricella parva Hickman syn. n., E. complexa (Forster, E. aquilina sp. n. and E. ocellata sp. n.; Epigastrina gen. n. has three species, including the type E. fulva (Hickman, E. loongana sp. n. and E. typhlops sp. n.; Guiniella gen. n. is monotypic, with G. tropica (Forster; Raveniella gen. n. has three species, including the type R. luteola (Hickman, R. hickmani (Forster and R. peckorum sp. n.; Rayforstia gen. n. has 12 species, including the type R. vulgaris (Forster, the two new species R. lordhowensis sp. n. and R. raveni sp. n., and the nine additional species R. antipoda (Forster, R. insula (Forster, R. mcfarlanei (Forster, R. plebeia (Forster, R. propinqua (Forster, R. salmoni (Forster, R. scuta (Forster, R. signata (Forster and R. wisei (Forster; Normplatnicka gen. n. has three species, including the type N. lamingtonensis (Forster, N. chilensis sp. n. and N. barrettae sp. n.; Eperiella gen. n. has two species, including the type E. alsophila sp. n., and E. hastings sp. n.; Algidiella gen. n. is monotypic, with A. aucklandica (Forster; Taliniella gen. n. has two species, including the type T. nigra (Forster, and T. vinki sp. n.; and Tinytrella gen. n. is monotypic, with T. pusilla (Forster. The micropholcommatine tribe Patelliellini trib. n. includes only one monotypic genus, Patelliella gen. n., represented by the enigmatic species Patelliella adusta sp. n. from Lord Howe Island. The subfamily Taphiassinae subfam. n. includes two genera of distinctive, heavily punctate Micropholcommatidae from Australasia: Taphiassa Simon has six species, including the type T. impressa Simon, T. punctata (Forster, T. castanea sp. n., T. globosa sp. n., T. magna sp. n. and T. robertsi sp. n.; the genus Parapua Forster, erected by Forster (1959 for P. punctata, is hereby recognised as a junior generic synonym of Taphiassa (syn. n.. The endemic Tasmanian genus Olgania Hickman has five species, including the type O. excavata Hickman, O. cracroft sp. n., O. eberhardi sp. n., O. troglodytes sp. n. and O. weld sp. n. The subfamily Gigiellinae subfam. n. includes only one genus from south-eastern Australia and Chile, Gigiella gen. n., described for the two species G. milledgei sp. n. and G. platnicki sp. n. The distribution, diversity and Gondwanan biogeography of the Micropholcommatidae are discussed, and natural history information is provided where known; webs and egg sacs of Taphiassinae are described for the first time. Species level monographic coverage is provided for those faunas of conservation or biogeographic significance, including the largely undescribed Western Australian fauna, the Lord Howe Island fauna, the Tasmanian cave fauna and the southern Chilean fauna, with other species of conservation or biogeographic importance also described. In total, 26 new species, 12 new genera, one new tribe and two new subfamilies are described, taking the total documented micropholcommatid fauna to 58 species.  

Evolution of melanism: the study of a recurring necessity

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kettlewell, B

1973-01-01

The phenomenon of Industrial Melanism has occurred as an indirect effect of a recent environmental change: the pollution of the air from the combustion of coal, coke, and oil. Probably no other previous cataclysm in the history of the World has produced such immediate and widespread effects upon natural history. In the past, the eruptions of volcanoes must have altered environments but usually these were of limited extent. By contrast, air pollution by smoke has a multitude of diverse origins which have continually poured out effluvia into the atmosphere, both by day and by night, for more than 200 years. The phenomenon of Industrial Melanism has frequently in the past been considered an exceptional event. This is entirely incorrect. It reflects but one of a number of situations which, in the Lepidoptera, demand black coloration for survival. What is so striking is the speed with which black forms have replaced the previous light-colored populations. Moreover, in Britain alone, there are over one hundred species of moths in widely diverse genera which manifest Industrial Melanism. Similar situations are now being recorded around all industrial areas in the Northern Hemisphere; wherever, in fact, they have been looked for. Industrial Melanism occurs also, but rarely, amongst the Arachnida and the Coleoptera. 4 figures, 7 tables.

Insects associated with the composting process of solid urban waste separated at the source

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gladis Estela Morales

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Sarcosaprophagous macroinvertebrates (earthworms, termites and a number of Diptera larvae enhance changes in the physical and chemical properties of organic matter during degradation and stabilization processes in composting, causing a decrease in the molecular weights of compounds. This activity makes these organisms excellent recyclers of organic matter. This article evaluates the succession of insects associated with the decomposition of solid urban waste separated at the source. The study was carried out in the city of Medellin, Colombia. A total of 11,732 individuals were determined, belonging to the classes Insecta and Arachnida. Species of three orders of Insecta were identified, Diptera, Coleoptera and Hymenoptera. Diptera corresponding to 98.5% of the total, was the most abundant and diverse group, with 16 families (Calliphoridae, Drosophilidae, Psychodidae, Fanniidae, Muscidae, Milichiidae, Ulidiidae, Scatopsidae, Sepsidae, Sphaeroceridae, Heleomyzidae, Stratiomyidae, Syrphidae, Phoridae, Tephritidae and Curtonotidae followed by Coleoptera with five families (Carabidae, Staphylinidae, Ptiliidae, Hydrophilidae and Phalacaridae. Three stages were observed during the composting process, allowing species associated with each stage to be identified. Other species were also present throughout the whole process. In terms of number of species, Diptera was the most important group observed, particularly Ornidia obesa, considered a highly invasive species, and Hermetia illuscens, both reported as beneficial for decomposition of organic matter.

Soil macrofauna under integrated crop-livestock systems in a Brazilian Cerrado Ferralsol Macrofauna edáfica em sistemas de integração lavoura-pecuária num Latossolo Vermelho do Cerrado

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Robélio Leandro Marchão

2009-08-01

Full Text Available The objective of this work was to assess the effects of integrated crop-livestock systems, associated with two tillage and two fertilization regimes, on the abundance and diversity of the soil macrofauna. Four different management systems were studied: continuous pasture (mixed grass; continuous crop; two crop-livestock rotations (crop/pasture and pasture/crop; and native Cerrado as a control. Macrofauna was sampled using a modified Tropical Soil Biology and Fertility method, and all individuals were counted and identified at the morphospecies level for each plot. A total of 194 morphospecies were found, distributed among 30 groups, and the most representative in decreasing order of density were: Isoptera, Coleoptera larvae, Formicidae, Oligochaeta, Coleoptera adult, Diplopoda, Hemiptera, Diptera larvae, Arachnida, Chilopoda, Lepidoptera, Gasteropoda, Blattodea and Orthoptera. Soil management systems and tillage regimes affected the structure of soil macrofauna, and integrated crop-livestock systems, associated with no-tillage, especially with grass/legume species associations, had more favorable conditions for the development of "soil engineers" compared with continuous pasture or arable crops. Soil macrofauna density and diversity, assessed at morphospecies level, are effective data to measure the impact of land use in Cerrado soils.O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar os efeitos de sistemas de integração lavoura-pecuária, associados a dois tipos de preparo e de fertilização do solo, sobre a abundância e a diversidade da macrofauna edáfica. Quatro sistemas de manejo foram estudados: pastagem contínua de gramíneas; lavoura contínua de culturas anuais; dois sistemas integrados lavoura-pecuária (lavoura/pastagem e pastagem/lavoura; e Cerrado nativo (controle. A macrofauna foi avaliada pelo método "Tropical Soil Biology and Fertility" modificado e todos os indivíduos coletados nas parcelas foram contados e identificados ao nível de

Diet seasonality and food overlap in fishes of the upper Orituco stream, northern Venezuela

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mario Ortaz

2001-03-01

Full Text Available The diets of four diurnal fish species (Creagrutus bolivari, Knodus deuterodonoides, Knodus sp. and Poecilia reticulata were examined during a year in the Orituco stream at northern Venezuela. The fishes were sampled monthly from February 1991 to March 1992 (except October 1991 and February 1992 in the stream main channel with a beach seine and a cast net. Diet is reported as frequency of ocurrence and numeric proportion because variation in prey sizes was small. Non-parametric statistical tests were applied. A total of 18 distinct prey items were found in stomachs. The diet of these fishes consisted of aquatic insects (Coleoptera, Diptera, Hemiptera, Odonata, Plecoptera and Trichoptera, allochthonous plant matter (fragments of leaves and seeds, microalgae (Chlorophyta and Bacillariophyceae and terrestrial arthropods (Coleoptera, Diptera, Hymenoptera and Arachnida. The low percentage of empty guts and the high fullness percentage of guts suggest that food was always abundant. Aquatic insects were more important in the dry season (November - April while plant matter and terrestrial arthropods increased in the wet season (May - October. The Proportional Similarity Measure (PS was high between characid species and low between characids and P. reticulata in the dry season. PS decreased during the wet season because of a reduction in aquatic insect consumption. The seasonal diet shift indicated the greater importance of allochthonous food only in the wet season.Se analizó la dieta de cuatro especies de peces (Creagrutus bolivari, Knodus deuterodonoides, Knodus sp. y Poecilia reticulata que habitan el río Orituco al norte de Venezuela. Los muestreos se realizaron mensualmente entre febrero de 1991 y marzo de 1992 (excepto octubre/91 y febrero/92. Los peces se recolectaron con chinchorro y atarraya en el canal principal del río. La dieta se expresó como frecuencia numérica y de ocurrencia y se analizó con pruebas estadísticas no param

Skin mites in mice (Mus musculus): high prevalence of Myobia sp. (Acari, Arachnida) in Robertsonian mice.

Science.gov (United States)

Sastre, Natalia; Calvete, Oriol; Martínez-Vargas, Jessica; Medarde, Nuria; Casellas, Joaquim; Altet, Laura; Sánchez, Armand; Francino, Olga; Ventura, Jacint

2018-05-04

Myobia sp. and Demodex sp. are two skin mites that infest mice, particularly immunodeficient or transgenic lab mice. In the present study, wild house mice from five localities from the Barcelona Roberstonian system were analysed in order to detect skin mites and compare their prevalence between standard (2n = 40) and Robertsonian mice (2n > 40). We found and identified skin mites through real-time qPCR by comparing sequences from the mitochondrial 16S rRNA and the nuclear 18S rRNA genes since no sequences are available so far using the mitochondrial gene. Fourteen positive samples were identified as Myobia musculi except for a deletion of 296 bp out to 465 bp sequenced, and one sample was identified as Demodex canis. Sampling one body site, the mite prevalence in standard and Robertsonian mice was 0 and 26%, respectively. The malfunction of the immune system elicits an overgrowth of skin mites and consequently leads to diseases such as canine demodicosis in dogs or rosacea in humans. In immunosuppressed mice, the probability of developing demodicosis is higher than in healthy mice. Since six murine toll-like receptors (TLRs) are located in four chromosomes affected by Robertsonian fusions, we cannot dismiss that differences in mite prevalence could be the consequence of the interruption of TLR function. Although ecological and/or morphological factors cannot be disregarded to explain differences in mite prevalence, the detection of translocation breakpoints in TLR genes or the analysis of TLR gene expression are needed to elucidate how Robertsonian fusions affect the immune system in mice.

Parasitization of a huntsman spider (Arachnida: Araneae: Sparassidae: Heteropoda venatoria by a mermithid nematode (Nematoda: Mermithidae

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sachin P. Ranade

2016-11-01

Full Text Available The emergence of a mermithid worm from a huntsman spider Heteropoda venatoria was witnessed at Buxa Tiger Reserve, West Bengal.  It appears to be a first record of the spider family Sparassidae serving as a host for a member of the family Mermithidae. 

Species composition and abundance of solpugids (Arachnida: Solifugae in ecotopes of the transitional coastal desert of Chile Composición de especies y abundancia de solífugos (Arachnida: Solifugae en ecotopos del desierto costero transicional de Chile

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Daniel Eugenio Valdivia

2011-12-01

Full Text Available Using pitfall traps, the species composition and abundance of solpugids were studied in several ecotopes of Chile's transitional coastal desert. The study was conducted in the area around Punta de Choros (29°15'S, 71°26'W and in Los Choros Archipelago (29°32'S, 67°61'W, in 2005 and 2006. Five species were recorded: Procleobis sp.; Sedna pirata Muma, 1971 (Ammotrechidae; Mummucia sp.; Mummucia variegata (Gervais, 1849 (Mummuciidae; and Ammotrechelis goetschi Roewer, 1934 (Daesiidae. Solpugid abundance was higher on the continent (65% than on the islands (35%. The ANOSIM used to evaluate any difference in species richness between ecotopes revealed no significant differences (R= 0.097, p= 0.13. The similarity dendrogram obtained from the Bray-Curtis matrix indicates that there are 3 groups of ecotopes: steppe, dune, and a miscellaneous group. From the data it is inferred that the diversity and abundance of solpugids in the ecotopes studied may be related to plant structure and to the pedological conditions of the habitat.Mediante trampas de intercepción se estudió la composición específica y la abundancia de solífugos en diversos ecotopos del desierto costero transicional de Chile. El trabajo se llevó a cabo tanto en el sector de Punta de Choros (29°15'S, 71°26'O como en el archipiélago de Los Choros (29°32'S, 67°61'O, durante los años 2005 y 2006. Se registró la presencia de 5 especies: Procleobis sp.; Sedna pirata Muma, 1971 (Ammotrechidae, Mummucia sp.; Mummucia variegata (Gervais, 1849 (Mummuciidae y Ammotrechelis goetschi Roewer, 1934 (Daesiidae. En el sector continental se observó mayor abundancia que en el sector insular (65% y 35%, respectivamente. El ANOSIM aplicado para evaluar la diferencia en la riqueza especifica entre ecotopos, no mostró diferencias significativas (R= 0.097; p= 0.13. El dendrograma de similitud generado a partir de la matriz Bray-Curtis mostró 3 agrupaciones de ecotopos: estepario, dunario y asociación mixta de ecotopos. De los datos se infiere que la diversidad y abundancia de solpúgidos en los ecotopos estudiados puede estar relacionada con la estructura de la vegetación y con las condiciones pedológicas del hábitat.

Entomologic perception by teachers and students in the municipality of Santa Cruz do Xingu, Mato Grosso, Brazil

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Emanuel Maia

2009-06-01

Full Text Available The objective of this work was to identify and interpret the entomologic perception of students and teachers living in the Santa Cruz do Xingu, Médio Araguaia region. Semistructured interviews were carried out in December 2006 with students and teachers of the basic and intermediate levels, as well as in Youth and Adult Education, in the municipality of Santa Cruz do Xingu, Mato Grosso. Of the living beings perceived as “insects” by all the interviewees, 82.75% belonged to the Insecta Class, but the rest belonged either to the Fungi Kingdom or to Classes of Animalia (Amphibia, Arachnida, Chilopoda, Diplopoda, Gastropoda, Mammalia and Reptilia. The “insects” were defined by the interviewees as small bugs, which were disgusting and dangerous. When in contact with the “insects”, 76% of the interviewees admitted that they killed them, and the greatest reason given for this was the psychological damage caused by the presence of these animals (65%. To 78% of those interviewed, the “insects” were beings without positive importance. Due to the scarce knowledge about their positive aspects, the perception of the “insects” by the students and teachers living in the Santa Cruz do Xingu region is mainly related to their belief in the negative qualities of these animals, causing aggressive reactions against them as soon as they are perceived in the environment.

Penis morphology in a Burmese amber harvestman

Science.gov (United States)

Dunlop, Jason A.; Selden, Paul A.; Giribet, Gonzalo

2016-02-01

A unique specimen of the fossil harvestman Halitherses grimaldii Giribet and Dunlop, 2005 (Arachnida: Opiliones) from the Cretaceous (ca. 99 Ma) Burmese amber of Myanmar reveals a fully extended penis. This is the first record of a male copulatory organ of this nature preserved in amber and is of special importance due to the age of the deposit. The penis has a slender, distally flattened truncus, a spatulate heart-shaped glans and a short distal stylus, twisted at the tip. In living harvestmen, the penis yields crucial characters for their systematics. Male genital morphology in H. grimaldii appears to be unique among the wider Dyspnoi clade to which this fossil belongs. The large eyes in the fossil differ markedly from other members of the subfamily Ortholasmatinae to which H. grimaldii was originally referred. Based on recent data, it has been argued that large eyes may be plesiomorphic for Palpatores (i.e. the suborders Eupnoi and Dyspnoi), potentially rendering this character plesiomorphic for the fossil too. Thus, the unique structure of the penis seen here, and the probable lack of diaphanous teeth, present in all other extant non-acropsopilionid Dyspnoi, suggest that H. grimaldii represents a new, extinct family of large-eyed dyspnoid harvestmen, Halithersidae fam. nov.; a higher taxon in amber diagnosed here on both somatic and genital characters.

The occurrence of amphibians in bromeliads from a southeastern Brazilian restinga habitat, with special reference to Aparasphenodon brunoi (Anura, Hylidae).

Science.gov (United States)

Teixeira, R L; Schineider, J A P; Almeida, G I

2002-05-01

Five species of anuran amphibians, all belonging to the family Hylidae, were collected at Praia das Neves, municipality of President Kennedy, southeastern Brazil. The species were represented by four genera: Scinax, Hyla, Aparasphenodon, and Trachycephalus. Four species (A. brunoi, Hyla albomarginata, Scinax altera, and S. cuspidatus) were found during the dry season (August 1999), and two (A. brunoi and Trachycephalus nigromaculatus) in the rainy season (February 2000). Aparasphenodon brunoi was the most abundant species in Praia das Neves. Some reproductive aspects and feeding habits of this hylid were investigated. Aparasphenodon brunoi was found mainly inside the bromeliad Aechmea lingulata, the largest plant analyzed. Fifteen specimens were collected during the dry season (August 1999) (11 males and 4 females). During the rainy season (February 2000), we collected 14 specimens (3 males, 10 females, and 1 juvenile). Sex-ratio was 1:1. Frogs ranged in snout-vent length from 31.2 to 69.3 mm. Females were larger than males. One female had 1,451 fully developed oocytes in her ovaries. The major groups of prey found in the stomachs were: Insecta, Myriapoda, and Arachnida. Blattodea, Orthoptera, Lepidoptera, and Hymenoptera (only ants) were the main food types in frequency, number, and weight. Aparasphenodon brunoi is a threatened species in many habitats of southeastern Brazil. Only natural vegetation protection may guarantee its survival during the immediate future.

Marvel and DC Characters Inspired by Arachnids

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Elidiomar Ribeiro Da-Silva

2014-12-01

Full Text Available This article compares arachnid-based Marvel and DC comics characters. The composition of a comic book character often has interesting ‘real-life’ influences. Given the strong connection between arachnids (especially spiders, scorpions and mites, all belonging to the zoological class 'Arachnida' and human beings it is not surprising that they have inspired many fictional characters. We recorded 84 Marvel Comics characters and 40 DC Comics characters, detailed in the dataset that accompanies the article (Da-Silva 2014. Most characters have been created recently, since the 1990s. Marvel has significantly more arachnid characters than DC. As for taxonomic classification, the characters were based mostly on spiders (zoological order 'Araneae'. Of the total characters, the majority are human beings, but an overwhelming number have at least some typical arachnid features. Villains (60.91% of total are significantly more numerous, considering the sum of the two publishers. Arachnids have bad reputation for being dangerous (Thorp and Woodson 1976; Ruppert and Barnes 1996. Since the public usually considers spiders, scorpions and mites “harmful” in general, we expected a larger contingent of villains. However, there was no statistical difference between the amount of villains and heroes in Marvel characters. It did not happen probably due to the success of one character: the Amazing Spider-Man.

THE ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE OF THE BIODIVERSITY OF THE INVERTEBRATES FAUNA IN THE CORN CULTURE SOIL IN COPSA MICA (SIBIU COUNTY ROMANIA

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Iuliana ANTONIE

2014-10-01

Full Text Available The goal of our researches is in bringing the scientific arguments of the necessity of including the biologic parameters, mainly of the invertebrates in the soil, in the evaluation studies of the impact upon the environment and the national strategies of monitoring of the soils quality. If the chemical analysis measure the quantity of the polluters, the invertebrates in the soil, especially the insects, reflect intensively the anthropologic influences, emphasizing the intensifications or inhibitions of their activity under the stress conditions. The study upon the invertebrates’ fauna was carried on in Copsa Mica area (Sibiu County in the corn agricultural ecosystem. The properties of the soil in this area are strongly changed by the industrial activity as a result of an accumulation of great quantities of heavy metals (lead, cadmium. The researches in this area are a part of a greater study upon the invertebrates’ fauna in the corn culture soil of the Sibiu County, researches that took place during 2011-2013. The technology applied in this area is a semi intensive one. For collecting the invertebrates there were used two methods: drilling the soil and pitfall traps. There were identified invertebrates belonging to 4 classes (Annelida, Arachnida, Chilopoda, Insecta and 11 orders (Haplotaxida, Aranea, Acari, Lithobiomorpha, Geophilomorpha, Collembola, Orthoptera, Heteroptera, Hymenoptera, Coleoptera, Diptera.

The youngest trigonotarbid Permotarbus schuberti n. gen., n. sp. from the Permian Petrified Forest of Chemnitz in Germany

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J. A. Dunlop

2013-08-01

Full Text Available A new trigonotarbid (Arachnida: Trigonotarbida is described as Permotarbus schuberti n. gen., n. sp. from the Early Permian Petrified Forest (Rotliegend of Chemnitz in Saxony (Germany. At ca. 290 Ma it represents the youngest record of this extinct arachnid order discovered to date. Its familial affinities are uncertain, but may lie close to the Aphantomartidae. The distribution of the trigonotarbid genera through time is summarised, together with a list of their seventy-seven fossil-yielding localities. Together they offer a broad overview of the group's fossil record, which is heavily biased towards the Moscovian Stage (ca. 307–312 Ma of the Late Carboniferous in Europe and North America. This is due in no small part to numerous localities associated with coal mining districts, and trigonotarbids are found less frequently after this stage. While it is tempting to associate this with biological events – such as a putative "Carboniferous Rainforest Collapse" dating to ca. 305 Ma – it is difficult to differentiate the effects of genuine extinction patterns from artefacts caused by fewer appropriate localities in the economically less relevant latest Carboniferous and Early Permian strata. Nevertheless, trigonotarbids became extinct at some point after the Early Permian and loss of the Coal Measures forests remains one of the most likely possible causes. doi:10.1002/mmng.201300012

The occurrence of amphibians in bromeliads from a Southeastern Brazilian restinga habitat, with special reference to Aparasphenodon brunoi (Anura, Hylidae

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

TEIXEIRA R. L.

2002-01-01

Full Text Available Five species of anuran amphibians, all belonging to the family Hylidae, were collected at Praia das Neves, municipality of Presidente Kennedy, southeastern Brazil,. The species were represented by four genera: Scinax, Hyla, Aparasphenodon, and Trachycephalus. Four species (A. brunoi, Hyla albomarginata, Scinax altera, and S. cuspidatus were found during the dry season (August 1999, and two (A. brunoi and Trachycephalus nigromaculatus in the rainy season (February 2000. Aparasphenodon brunoi was the most abundant species in Praia das Neves. Some reproductive aspects and feeding habits of this hylid were investigated. Aparasphenodon brunoi was found mainly inside the bromeliad Aechmea lingulata, the largest plant analyzed. Fifteen specimens were collected during the dry season (August 1999 (11 males and 4 females. During the rainy season (February 2000, we collected 14 specimens (3 males, 10 females, and 1 juvenile. Sex-ratio was 1:1. Frogs ranged in snout-vent length from 31.2 to 69.3 mm. Females were larger than males. One female had 1,451 fully developed oocytes in her ovaries. The major groups of prey found in the stomachs were: Insecta, Myriapoda, and Arachnida. Blattodea, Orthoptera, Lepidoptera, and Hymenoptera (only ants were the main food types in frequency, number, and weight. Aparasphenodon brunoi is a threatened species in many habitats of southeastern Brazil. Only natural vegetation protection may guarantee its survival during the immediate future.

The biodiversity and species composition of the spider community of Marion Island, a recent survey (Arachnida: Araneae

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

T.T. Khoza

2005-12-01

Full Text Available Marion Island, the larger of the Prince Edward Islands, lies in the sub-Antarctic biogeographic region in the southern Indian Ocean. From previous surveys, four spider species are known from Marion. The last survey was undertaken in 1968. During this study a survey was undertaken over a period of four weeks on the island to determine the present spider diversity and to record information about the habitat preferences and general behaviour of the species present. Three collection methods (active search, Tullgren funnels and pitfall traps were used, and spiders were sampled from six habitat sites. A total of 430 spiders represented by four families were collected, Myro kerguelenesis crozetensis Enderlein, 1909 and M. paucispinosus Berland, 1947 (Desidae, Prinerigone vagans (Audouin, 1826 (Linyphiidae, Cheiracanthium furculatum Karsch, 1879 (Miturgidae and an immature Salticidae. The miturgid and salticid are first records. Neomaso antarticus (Hickman, 1939 (Linyphiidae was absent from samples, confirming that the species might have been an erroneous record.

Comunidad de arañas (Arachnida, Araneae del cultivo de alfalfa (Medicago sativa en Buenos Aires, Argentina

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andrea Armendano

2010-06-01

Full Text Available En las últimas décadas se ha dado un interés creciente en el uso de enemigos naturales para controlar plagas de insectos, como arañas. Se estudió una comunidad de arañas en Argentina mediante un muestreo cada dos semanas durante el periodo 2004-2006 en lotes de una hectárea. En el estrato del suelo las arañas fueron colectadas con redes de arrastre y trampas de caída. Se recolecto un total de 6 229 ejemplares (15 familias y 50 especies. Siete familias se encuentran en el estrato herbáceo, las más abundantes fueron: Thomisidae (n=2 012, 32.30%, Araneidae (n=1 516, 24.33% y Oxyopidae (n=604, 9.70%. El suelo habían 14 familias, principalmente: Lycosidae (n=629, 10.10% y Linyphiidae (n=427, 6.85%. Predominaron las arañas cazadoras: por emboscadas (32.99%, al acecho (11.77%, corredoras de suelo (10.84% y tejedoras orbiculares (27.56%. Los índices de diversidad fueron: H´=2.97, Dsp=0.11 y J=0.79, evidenciando una comunidad de arañas moderadamente diversa, con predominio de Misumenops pallidus, Oxyopes salticus, Lycosa poliostoma and L. erythrognatha. Las arañas estuvieron presentes durante el desarrollo fenológico del cultivo con picos de abundancia en primavera y verano.

Studies on Opilioacarida (Arachnida) I. Description of Opilioacarus texanus (Chamberlin & Mulaik) and revised classification of the genera

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hammen, van der L.

1966-01-01

In a comparative morphological investigation of all groups of mites, a detailed study of the interesting Opilioacarida must be of primary importance. Regarded as partly primitive and isolated, they present on the one hand an important series of characters in common with Anactinotrichida, on the

Spiders (Arachnida: Araneae of Gujarat University Campus, Ahmedabad, India with additional description of Eilica tikaderi (Platnick, 1976

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dhruv A. Prajapati

2016-09-01

Full Text Available We report a checklist of spiders based on a survey made from August 2013 to July 2014 in Gujarat University Campus, an urban area located in the middle of Ahmadabad City, Gujarat State. A total of 77 species of spiders belonging to 53 genera and 20 families of spiders were recorded from the study area represented by 31.74% of the total 63 families reported from India. Salticidae was found to be the most dominant family with 18 species from 14 genera. Guild structure analysis revealed six feeding guilds, namely stalkers, orb-web builders, space-web builders, ambushers, foliage hunters and ground runners. Stalkers and orb-web builders were the most dominant feeding guilds representing 28.58% and 20.78% respectively among all studied guilds. Species Eilica tikaderi (Platnick, 1976 is reported for the first time from Gujarat with additional description and detailed genitalic illustrations.

First experimental evidence that a harvestman (Arachnida: Opiliones detects odors of non-rotten dead prey by olfaction

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Thaiany Miranda Costa

2013-06-01

Full Text Available Harvestmen feed on live, dead and fresh, or decomposing animals, fungi, and plant matter, being very dependent on chemoreception to find food. Herein we performed an experiment to test if individuals of Discocyrtus pectinifemur Mello-Leitão, 1937 (Gonyleptidae (n = 23 behave differently when in contact with olfactory cues from different sources (rotten prey, non-rotten prey and a control. Using dead crickets in a box covered with a mesh, and recording the time the harvestmen spent in the vicinities of the box, we show that D. pectinifemur detects non-rotten prey and stays longer on it than on the other two treatments. Our results contrast with a previous study on another species, showing that we should not generalize results obtained for one species. Our data also suggest that olfactory receptors occur on the legs of these harvestmen and that D. pectinifemur might choose dietary items based on olfaction.

Spider (Arachnida, Araneae) diversity in secondary and old-growth southern Atlantic forests of Paraná state, Brazil.

Science.gov (United States)

Raub, Florian; Höfer, Hubert; Scheuermann, Ludger

2017-07-01

The data presented here have been collected in the southern part of the Atlantic Forest (Mata Atlântica) in the state of Paraná, Brazil within a bilateral scientific project (SOLOBIOMA). The project aimed to assess the quality of secondary forests of different regeneration stages in comparison with old-growth forests with regard to diversity of soil animals and related functions. The Atlantic Forest is a hotspot of biological diversity with an exceptionally high degree of endemic species, extending over a range of 3,500 km along the coast of Brazil. The anthropogenic pressure in the region is very high with three of the biggest cities of Brazil (São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, and Curitiba) lying in its extension. An evaluation of the value of secondary forests for biodiversity conservation is becoming more and more important due to the complete disappearance of primary forests. In 2005, we sampled spiders in 12 sites of three successional stages (5-8, 10-15, 35-50 yr old, three replicates of each forest stage) and old-growth forests (> 100 yr untouched, also three replicates). All sites were inside a private nature reserve (Rio Cachoeira Nature Reserve). We repeated the sampling design and procedure in 2007 in a second private reserve (Itaqui Nature Reserve). The two nature reserves are within about 25 km of each other within a well preserved region of the Mata Atlântica, where the matrix of the landscape mosaic is still forest. A widely accepted standard protocol was used in a replicated sampling design to apply statistical analyses to the resulting data set and allow for comparison with other studies in Brazil. Spiders were sorted to family level and counted; the adult spiders further identified to species if possible or classified as morphospecies with the help of several spider specialists. © 2017 by the Ecological Society of America.

High throughput techniques to reveal the molecular physiology and evolution of digestion in spiders.

Science.gov (United States)

Fuzita, Felipe J; Pinkse, Martijn W H; Patane, José S L; Verhaert, Peter D E M; Lopes, Adriana R

2016-09-07

Spiders are known for their predatory efficiency and for their high capacity of digesting relatively large prey. They do this by combining both extracorporeal and intracellular digestion. Whereas many high throughput ("-omics") techniques focus on biomolecules in spider venom, so far this approach has not yet been applied to investigate the protein composition of spider midgut diverticula (MD) and digestive fluid (DF). We here report on our investigations of both MD and DF of the spider Nephilingis (Nephilengys) cruentata through the use of next generation sequencing and shotgun proteomics. This shows that the DF is composed of a variety of hydrolases including peptidases, carbohydrases, lipases and nuclease, as well as of toxins and regulatory proteins. We detect 25 astacins in the DF. Phylogenetic analysis of the corresponding transcript(s) in Arachnida suggests that astacins have acquired an unprecedented role for extracorporeal digestion in Araneae, with different orthologs used by each family. The results of a comparative study of spiders in distinct physiological conditions allow us to propose some digestion mechanisms in this interesting animal taxon. All the high throughput data allowed the demonstration that DF is a secretion originating from the MD. We identified enzymes involved in the extracellular and intracellular phases of digestion. Besides that, data analyses show a large gene duplication event in Araneae digestive process evolution, mainly of astacin genes. We were also able to identify proteins expressed and translated in the digestive system, which until now had been exclusively associated to venom glands.

Characterization and synthesis of volatile compounds from the defensive secretions of some "daddy longlets" (Arachnida: Opiliones: Leiobunum spp.).

Science.gov (United States)

Jones, T H; Meinwald, J; Hicks, K; Eisner, T

1977-02-01

Analyses of the chief volatile constituents of the defensive secretions of three oplionids were carried out. Leiobunum nigripalpi produces three closely related C7 compounds: E-4-methyl-4-hexen-3-one(I), 4-methylhexan-3-one(II), and 4-methylhexan-3-ol(III), along with E-4-methyl-4-hepten-3-one(IV), E,E-2,4-dimethylhexa-2,4-dienal(IX), and a minor, unidentified component. L. leiopenis secretion contains E-4-methyl-4-hepten-3-one(IV), 4-methylheptan-3-one(V), E,E-2,4-dimethylhexa-2,4-dien-1-ol(VII), and E,E-2,4-dimethylhepta-2,4-dien-1-ol(VIII). L. calcar yields chiefly E-4,6-dimethyl-6-octen-3-one(VI) and E,E-2,4-dimethylhexa-2,4-dien-1-ol(VII). Six of these compounds are new natural products. The structures of these compounds, which can be regarded either as polyketide-derived or as modified isoprenoids, raise interesting biosynthetic questions.

The effects of clove oil on the enzyme activity of Varroa destructor Anderson and Trueman (Arachnida: Acari: Varroidae

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Li Li

2017-07-01

Full Text Available Varroa destructor, a key biotic threat to the Western honey bee, has played a major role in colony losses over the past few years worldwide. Overuse of traditional acaricides, such as tau-fluvalinate and flumethrin, on V. destructor has only increased its tolerance to them. Therefore, the application of essential oils in place of traditional pesticides is an attractive alternative, as demonstrated by its high efficiency, lack of residue and tolerance resistance. To study the acaricidal activity of essential oils, we used clove oil (Syzygium aromaticum L., a typical essential oil with a wide range of field applications, and examined its effects on the enzyme activities of Ca2+-Mg2+-ATPase, glutathione-S-transferase (GST and superoxide dismutase (SOD and its effects on the water-soluble protein content of V. destructor body extracts after exposure to 0.1 μl and 1.0 μl of clove oil for 30 min. Our results showed that the water-soluble protein content significantly decreased after the treatments, indicating that the metabolism of the mites was adversely affected. The bioactivity of GSTs increased significantly after a low dosage (0.1 μl exposure but decreased at a higher dosage (1.0 μl, while the activities of SOD and Ca2+-Mg2+-ATPase were significantly elevated after treatments. These results suggest that the protective enzyme SOD and detoxifying enzymes Ca2+-Mg2+-ATPase and GST contributed to the stress reaction of V. destructor to the essential oils and that the detoxification ability of V. destructor via GST was inhibited at higher dosages. Our findings are conducive to understanding the physiological reactions of V. destructor to treatment with essential oils and the underlying mechanisms behind the acaricidal activities of these natural products.

Relationship between radiocesium contamination and the contents of various elements in the web spider Nephila clavata (Nephilidae: Arachnida)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ayabe, Yoshiko; Kanasashi, Tsutomu; Hijii, Naoki; Takenaka, Chisato

2015-01-01

The accident at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant seriously contaminated a large area in northeast Japan with a large amount of radioactive material. Consequently, various organisms, including arthropods, in the ecosystem have been contaminated with radiocesium ("1"3"7Cs) through the food chain. We previously showed that the web spider Nephila clavata was contaminated with "1"3"7Cs and that the level of contamination, which varied among spider individuals, was independent of the amount of prey consumed. The present study aimed to clarify the mechanisms that could determine the level of "1"3"7Cs contamination in N. clavata. We first demonstrated the patterns of contents of over 30 elements in N. clavata that were collected at two forest sites (PS and ES) in Fukushima and then focused on the relationships between the contents of the alkali metals Li, Na, K, and Rb and the accumulation of "1"3"7Cs in the spiders; Cs is an alkali metal and is expected to act similarly to Li, Na, K, and Rb. We also focused on the content of the non-alkali element, Cu, which is an essential element for oxygen transport in spiders. We found that Na content correlated positively with "1"3"7Cs accumulation at both sites, which suggested that "1"3"7Cs accumulation in N. clavata was related with the dynamics of Na. The K–, Rb–, and Cu–"1"3"7Cs relationships were site specific; the relationships were significant at site PS, but not significant at site ES. Factors causing the site specific relationships and the probable pathway for "1"3"7Cs transfer from soil to plants and then to higher trophic levels are discussed in terms of the transfer processes of the alkali metals. - Highlights: • Accumulation of "1"3"7Cs and various elements in web spiders was investigated. • "1"3"7Cs accumulation positively correlated with that of K, Rb, Na, and Cu. • Accumulation of alkali metals determined the level of "1"3"7Cs contamination. • K–, Rb–, Cu–"1"3"7Cs relationships were, however, site specific.

Revision of the camel spider genus Eremocosta Roewer and a description of the female Eremocosta gigas Roewer (Arachnida, Solifugae).

Science.gov (United States)

Cushing, Paula E; Channiago, Felix; Brookhart, Jack O

2018-03-29

A recent phylogenetic analysis demonstrated that the solifuge genus Eremocosta (Eremobatidae), although not monophyletic, formed a strongly supported group, rendered paraphyletic by the exclusion of E. acuitlapanensis, which we herein determine is misplaced in this genus. We revise the taxonomy of the genus Eremocosta. Nine species of the 13 currently placed in the genus are retained, E. bajaensis (Muma 1986), E. calexicensis (Muma 1951), E. formidabilus (Simon 1879), E. gigas Roewer 1934, E. gigasella (Muma 1970), E. spinipalpis (Kraepelin 1899), E. striata (Putnam 1883), and E. titania (Muma 1951). Eremocosta fusca (Muma 1986) and E. montezuma (Roewer 1934) are returned to the genus Eremorhax along with E. arenarum. Eremocosta hystrix and Eremocosta acuitlapanensis (Vázquez Gaviño-Rojas 2000) are transferred to Eremobates. We re-evaluated E. nigrimana (Pocock 1895) and determined that, since the type shows the ventrodistal concavity (VDC) diagnostic for the genus Eremocosta, it should be retained in that genus; however, because the type locality is identified as Afghanistan, far outside the range of any Eremobatidae, its status and placement remain uncertain. Eremocosta robusta (Roewer 1934) was designated nomen dubium by Muma and we maintain this designation. We provide a key to the species of Eremocosta and provide a description of the female of E. gigas.

A new Tithaeus species from Hainan Island, China (Arachnida, Opiliones, Laniatores, Epedanidae, with a key to the Chinese species

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chao Zhang

2010-11-01

Full Text Available A new species of the harvestmen Tithaeus calyptratus sp. n. (Epedanidae, Opiliones from Hainan Island (China is diagnosed, described and illustrated. A key to the two Chinese species of Tithaeus is provided.

Investigations on the Effects of Five Different Plant Extracts on the Two-Spotted Mite Tetranychus urticae Koch (Arachnida: Tetranychidae

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pervin Erdogan

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Two-spotted mite, Tetranychus urticae Koch (Arac.: Tetranychidae, is an economic pest worldwide including Turkey, causing serious damage to vegetables, flowers, and fruit crops. In recent years, broad-spectrum insecticides/miticides have been used to control this pest in Turkey. Control is difficult mainly due to resistance to conventional pesticides. This study was conducted to determine efficacy of pesticides extracted from five different plants [i.e., Allium sativum L. (Amaryllidaceae, Rhododendron luteum S. (Ericaceae, Helichrysum arenarium L. (Asteraceae, Veratrum album L. (Liliaceae, and Tanacetum parthenium L. (Asteraceae] against this mite. Bioassays were tested by two different methods to determine the effects of varying concentrations. Experiments were performed using 3 cm diameter leaf disk from unsprayed bean plants (Phaseolus vulgaris L.. In addition, the effects of the extracts on reproduction and oviposition were investigated. The extract yielded high mortality. In the lowest-concentration bioassays, the adult mites laid lower numbers of eggs compared to the untreated control. No ovicidal effect was observed.

Under the lash: Demodex mites in human diseases.

Science.gov (United States)

Lacey, Noreen; Kavanagh, Kevin; Tseng, Scheffer C G

2009-08-01

Demodex mites, class Arachnida and subclass Acarina, are elongated mites with clear cephalothorax and abdomens, the former with four pairs of legs. There are more than 100 species of Demodex mite, many of which are obligatory commensals of the pilosebaceous unit of mammals including cats, dogs, sheep, cattle, pigs, goats, deer, bats, hamsters, rats and mice. Among them, Demodex canis, which is found ubiquitously in dogs, is the most documented and investigated. In excessive numbers D. canis causes the inflammatory disease termed demodicosis (demodectic mange, follicular mange or red mange), which is more common in purebred dogs and has a hereditary predisposition in breeding kennels1. Two distinct Demodex species have been confirmed as the most common ectoparasite in man. The larger Demodex folliculorum, about 0.3-0.4 mm long, is primarily found as a cluster in the hair follicle (Figure 1a), while the smaller Demodex brevis, about 0.2-0.3 mm long with a spindle shape and stubby legs, resides solitarily in the sebaceous gland (Figure 1b). These two species are also ubiquitously found in all human races without gender preference. The pathogenic role of Demodex mites in veterinary medicine is not as greatly disputed as in human diseases. In this article, we review the key literature and our joint research experience regarding the pathogenic potential of these two mites in causing inflammatory diseases of human skin and eye. We hope that the evidence summarized herein will invite readers to take a different look at the life of Demodex mites in several common human diseases.

Ecology of a stream from upper Paraná River basin inhabited by Aspidoras fuscoguttatus Nijssen & Isbrüker, 1976 (Siluriformes, Callichthyidae

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

R. B. de Araujo

Full Text Available ABSTRACT Most information on catfishes of the genus Aspidoras has focused species kept in aquaria, in non-natural conditions. Biotic and abiotic parameters of environment inhabited by Aspidoras fuscoguttatus, associated ichthyofauna, as well as strategies involved in the successful occupation of different microhabitats in a first order stream, located in São José do Rio Preto, São Paulo State, were investigated. Data collection was monthly performed at three segments (headwaters, middle course, and mouth from August 1999 to July 2000. The greatest values of water temperature, conductivity, turbidity, alkalinity, width, depth, and current velocity were obtained in the rainy season. Dissolved oxygen levels showed significant differences among three segments in all sampling months, except for September. Substrate composition was predominantly sandy, followed by silt and clay in middle course and mouth in rainy as much as in dry seasons. In headwaters a large increase of the sandy fraction occurred in the rainy season. In the marginal and aquatic vegetation 30 species of macrophytes and 5 of macroalgae were identified. The fauna included tadpoles of Anura and macroinvertebrates (Mollusca, Crustacea, Arachnida, and 8 orders of Insecta. A. fuscoguttatus was found throughout the entire stream in sympatry with 6 fish species. In middle course, cluster analysis revealed an association between A. fuscoguttatus immatures and low depth, suggesting a probable function of depth in that stage of ontogenetic development of catfishes. The results indicate that A. fuscoguttatus present plasticity in terms of microhabitat, including air breathing behavior in hypoxic conditions, previously unknown in genus Aspidoras.

Taxonomic and compositional differences of ground-dwelling arthropods in riparian habitats in Glen Canyon, Arizona, USA

Science.gov (United States)

Ralston, Barbara; Cobb, Neil S.; Brantley, Sandra L.; Higgins, Jacob; Yackulic, Charles B.

2017-01-01

The disturbance history, plant species composition, productivity, and structural complexity of a site can exert bottom-up controls on arthropod diversity, abundance, and trophic structure. Regulation alters the hydrology and disturbance regimes of rivers and affects riparian habitats by changing plant quality parameters. Fifty years of regulation along the Colorado River downstream of Glen Canyon Dam has created a no-analog, postdam “lower” riparian zone close to the water's edge that includes tamarisk (Tamarix sp.), a nonnative riparian shrub. At the same time, the predam “upper” facultative riparian zone has persisted several meters above the current flood stage. In summer 2009, we used pitfall traps within these 2 riparian zones that differ in plant composition, productivity, and disturbance frequency to test for differences in arthropod community (Hymenoptera, Arachnida, and Coleoptera) structure. Arthropod community structure differed substantially between the 2 zones. Arthropod abundance and species richness was highest in the predam upper riparian zone, even though there was a greater amount of standing plant biomass in the postdam lower riparian zone. Omnivore abundance was proportionately greater in the upper riparian zone and was associated with lower estimated productivity values. Predators and detritivores were proportionately greater in the postdam lower riparian zone. In this case, river regulation may create habitats that support species of spiders and carabid beetles, but few other species that are exclusive to this zone. The combined richness found in both zones suggests a small increase in total richness and functional diversity for the Glen Canyon reach of the Colorado River.

Percepção entomológica por docentes e discentes do município de Santa Cruz do Xingu, Mato Grosso, Brasil

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anna Frida Hatsue Modro

2009-08-01

Full Text Available http://dx.doi.org/10.5007/2175-7925.2009v22n2p153 Este trabalho objetivou identificar e interpretar a percepção entomológica de alunos e professores residentes em Santa Cruz do Xingu, região do Médio Araguaia. Entrevistas semi-estruturadas foram realizadas em dezembro de 2006 com alunos e professores dos ensinos fundamental, médio e Educação de Jovens e Adultos em dezembro de 2006, no Município de Santa Cruz do Xingu, Mato Grosso. Dos seres vivos percebidos como “insetos” por todos os entrevistados, 82,75% pertenceram à Classe Insecta, as demais citações foram pertencentes ao Reino Fungi e a outras Classes do Reino Animalia (Amphibia, Arachnida, Chilopoda, Diplopoda, Gastropoda, Mammalia e Reptilia. Os “insetos” foram definidos, como bichos pequenos, nojentos ou perigosos. Em contato com os “insetos”, 76% dos entrevistados admitiram matá-los e a maior razão para tal reação foi o dano psicológico causado pela presença destes animais (65%. Para 78% dos entrevistados, os “insetos” foram seres sem importância positiva. Devido ao pouco conhecimento sobre os seus aspectos positivos, a percepção dos “insetos” por alunos e professores residentes da região de Santa Cruz do Xingu está relacionada, principalmente, à atribuição de qualidades negativas a estes animais, provocando reações de agressividade contra os “insetos” assim que percebidos no ambiente.

SPIDERS (ARANEI IN HEPRETOBIONT MESOFAUNA OF THE NORTHWEST CAUCASUS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. V. Ponomarev

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract. Aim. We discussed in previous work a herpetobiont fauna of arachnids (Arachnida from the isolated yewboxwood wood, located in the Caucasian State Biosphere Reserve, 20 km near Sochi (Ponomarev, Chumachenko, 2007. The aim of the paper is to summarize available data about herpetobiont araneofauna of the Northwest Caucasus. Location. Republic of Adygea, Russia.Methods. Material was collected in 2009 on north macroslope of Main Caucasian Ridge within the territory of the Caucasian State Biosphere Reserve between 1000–1820 m. The following plant communities are studied: beech-silver fir (assotiation Abieti-Fagetion orientalis Korotkov et Belonovskaya 1987, maple forest (assotiation Petasito albae-Abietetum nordmannianae subassotiation Aceretosum trautvetteri Francuzov 2006, subalpine meadow (assotiation Poa longifolii – Calamagrostietum arundinaceae Semagina, 1992. Soil traps were used for collection of spiders.Results and main conclusions. During the period of study 100 species of spiders from 19 families are registered. Most diverse araneofauna of subalpine meadows includs 54 species belonging to 14 families. The least diverse araneofauna is in maple forest (24 species of 7 families. In beech-silver fir includes 45 species of 16 families of spiders. Only 3 species (Pireneitega ovtchinnikovi, Cybaeus abchasicus, Tenuiphantes mengei were found in all surveyed habitats. These 3 species clearly tend to forest habitats. Herpetobiont araneofauna of the Northwest Caucasus characterized by high taxonomic diversity with clear predominance of representatives of the family Linyphiidae. Specificity of araneofauna in different types of plant communities is high.

Phylogeny and systematic position of Opiliones: a combined analysis of chelicerate relationships using morphological and molecular data

Science.gov (United States)

Giribet, Gonzalo; Edgecombe, Gregory D.; Wheeler, Ward C.; Babbitt, Courtney

2002-01-01

The ordinal level phylogeny of the Arachnida and the suprafamilial level phylogeny of the Opiliones were studied on the basis of a combined analysis of 253 morphological characters, the complete sequence of the 18S rRNA gene, and the D3 region of the 28S rRNA gene. Molecular data were collected for 63 terminal taxa. Morphological data were collected for 35 exemplar taxa of Opiliones, but groundplans were applied to some of the remaining chelicerate groups. Six extinct terminals, including Paleozoic scorpions, are scored for morphological characters. The data were analyzed using strict parsimony for the morphological data matrix and via direct optimization for the molecular and combined data matrices. A sensitivity analysis of 15 parameter sets was undertaken, and character congruence was used as the optimality criterion to choose among competing hypotheses. The results obtained are unstable for the high-level chelicerate relationships (except for Tetrapulmonata, Pedipalpi, and Camarostomata), and the sister group of the Opiliones is not clearly established, although the monophyly of Dromopoda is supported under many parameter sets. However, the internal phylogeny of the Opiliones is robust to parameter choice and allows the discarding of previous hypotheses of opilionid phylogeny such as the "Cyphopalpatores" or "Palpatores." The topology obtained is congruent with the previous hypothesis of "Palpatores" paraphyly as follows: (Cyphophthalmi (Eupnoi (Dyspnoi + Laniatores))). Resolution within the Eupnoi, Dyspnoi, and Laniatores (the latter two united as Dyspnolaniatores nov.) is also stable to the superfamily level, permitting a new classification system for the Opiliones. c2002 The Willi Hennig Society.

First record of Stygnidae for the state of Espírito Santo and description of a new Protimesius (Arachnida: Opiliones: Laniatores Primeiro registro de Stygnidae para o estado do Espírito Santo e descrição de um novo Protimesius (Arachnida: Opiliones: Laniatores

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Adriano B. Kury

2008-06-01

Full Text Available Protimesius osvaldoi sp. nov. is described from the Reserva Biológica de Sooretama, state of Espírito Santo, southeastern Brazil, being the first record of Stygnidae from this State and the southernmost record of the family in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest (hitherto, the family was recorded down to Bahia only, extending in 210 km south of the previously known distribution. This is a large species, with armature of leg IV very reduced and penial morphology differing from the closest counterparts mainly in the ventral plate, which recedes deeply at the lateral borders and has the distal margin curved ventrally and by the presence of two small intermediate setae. Protimesius Roewer, 1913 consisted hitherto of 17 species, recorded from northern/northeastern Brazil and Amazonia of adjacent countries. A key is given for the 17 species of Protimesius for which males are known.Protimesius osvaldoi sp. nov. é descrita da Reserva Biológica de Sooretama, Espírito Santo, sudeste do Brasil, sendo considerado o primeiro registro de Stygnidae para este Estado (até então a distribuição registrada para a família se estendia apenas até a Bahia e o registro mais ao sul na Floresta Atlântica, aumentando em 210 km ao sul a distribuição do grupo. Protomesius osvaldoi é uma espécie de tamanho grande, com armação reduzida na perna IV e placa ventral. Protimesius possui 17 espécies, registradas no norte e nordeste do Brasil e Região Amazônica. É apresentada uma chave para as 17 espécies de Protimesius com machos conhecidos.

A revision of the spider genus Selenops Latreille, 1819 (Arachnida, Araneae, Selenopidae) in North America, Central America and the Caribbean.

Science.gov (United States)

Crews, Sarah C

2011-01-01

The spider genus Selenops Latreille, 1819 occurs in both the Old World and New World tropics and subtropics and contains nearly half of the species in the family Selenopidae Simon, 1897. In this paper the members of the genus Selenops found in North America, Central America, and on islands of the Caribbean are revised, excluding Cuban endemics. No taxonomic changes are currently made to the species from the southwestern United States. In total, 21 new species are described, including Selenops arikoksp. n., Selenops chamelasp. n., Selenops amonasp. n., Selenops bawekasp. n., Selenops bocacanadensissp. n., Selenops enriquillosp. n, Selenops ixchelsp. n., Selenops huetocatlsp. n., Selenops kalinagosp. n., Selenops oviedosp. n., Selenops morrosp. n., Selenops deniasp. n., Selenops duansp. n., Selenops malinalxochitlsp. n., Selenops oricuajosp. n., Selenops petenajtoysp. n., Selenops guerrerosp. n., Selenops makimakisp. n., Selenops souligasp. n., Selenops wilmotorumsp. n., and Selenops wilsonisp. n. Six species names were synonymized: Selenops lunatus Muma, 1953 syn. n. =Selenops candidus Muma, 1953; Selenops tehuacanus Muma 1953 syn. n., Selenops galapagoensis Banks, 1902 syn. n. and Selenops vagabundus Kraus, 1955 syn. n. = Selenops mexicanus Keyserling, 1880; Selenops santibanezi Valdez-Mondragón, 2010 syn. n. = Selenops nigromaculatus Keyserling, 1880; and Selenops salvadoranus Chamberlin, 1925 syn. n. = Selenops bifurcatus Banks, 1909. Lectotypes are designated for the following three species: Selenops marginalis F. O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1900 (♂), Selenops morosus Banks, 1898 (♂), and Selenops mexicanus Keyserling, 1880 (♀). The female neotype is designated for Selenops aissus Walckenaer, 1837. The males of Selenops bani Alayón-García, 1992 and Selenops marcanoi Alayón-García, 1992 are described for the first time, and the females of Selenops phaselus Muma, 1953 and Selenops geraldinae Corronca, 1996 are described for the first time. Almost all species are redescribed, barring Cuban endemics and a few species recently described. New illustrations are provided, including those of the internal female copulatory organs, many of which are illustrated for the first time. A key to species is also provided as are new distributional records.

Detection, Prevalence and Phylogenetic Relationships of Demodex spp and further Skin Prostigmata Mites (Acari, Arachnida) in Wild and Domestic Mammals.

Science.gov (United States)

Sastre, Natalia; Francino, Olga; Curti, Joseph N; Armenta, Tiffany C; Fraser, Devaughn L; Kelly, Rochelle M; Hunt, Erin; Silbermayr, Katja; Zewe, Christine; Sánchez, Armand; Ferrer, Lluís

2016-01-01

This study was conceived to detect skin mites in social mammals through real-time qPCR, and to estimate taxonomic Demodex and further Prostigmata mite relationships in different host species by comparing sequences from two genes: mitochondrial 16S rRNA and nuclear 18S rRNA. We determined the mite prevalence in the hair follicles of marmots (13%) and bats (17%). The high prevalence found in marmots and bats by sampling only one site on the body may indicate that mites are common inhabitants of their skin. Since we found three different mites (Neuchelacheles sp, Myobia sp and Penthaleus sp) in three bat species (Miotis yumanensis, Miotis californicus and Corynorhinus townsendii) and two different mites (both inferred to be members of the Prostigmata order) in one marmot species (Marmota flaviventris), we tentatively concluded that these skin mites 1) cannot be assigned to the same genus based only on a common host, and 2) seem to evolve according to the specific habitat and/or specific hair and sebaceous gland of the mammalian host. Moreover, two M. yumanensis bats harbored identical Neuchelacheles mites, indicating the possibility of interspecific cross-infection within a colony. However, some skin mites species are less restricted by host species than previously thought. Specifically, Demodex canis seems to be more transmissible across species than other skin mites. D. canis have been found mostly in dogs but also in cats and captive bats. In addition, we report the first case of D. canis infestation in a domestic ferret (Mustela putorius). All these mammalian hosts are related to human activities, and D. canis evolution may be a consequence of this relationship. The monophyletic Demodex clade showing closely related dog and human Demodex sequences also supports this likely hypothesis.

Detection, Prevalence and Phylogenetic Relationships of Demodex spp and further Skin Prostigmata Mites (Acari, Arachnida in Wild and Domestic Mammals.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Natalia Sastre

Full Text Available This study was conceived to detect skin mites in social mammals through real-time qPCR, and to estimate taxonomic Demodex and further Prostigmata mite relationships in different host species by comparing sequences from two genes: mitochondrial 16S rRNA and nuclear 18S rRNA. We determined the mite prevalence in the hair follicles of marmots (13% and bats (17%. The high prevalence found in marmots and bats by sampling only one site on the body may indicate that mites are common inhabitants of their skin. Since we found three different mites (Neuchelacheles sp, Myobia sp and Penthaleus sp in three bat species (Miotis yumanensis, Miotis californicus and Corynorhinus townsendii and two different mites (both inferred to be members of the Prostigmata order in one marmot species (Marmota flaviventris, we tentatively concluded that these skin mites 1 cannot be assigned to the same genus based only on a common host, and 2 seem to evolve according to the specific habitat and/or specific hair and sebaceous gland of the mammalian host. Moreover, two M. yumanensis bats harbored identical Neuchelacheles mites, indicating the possibility of interspecific cross-infection within a colony. However, some skin mites species are less restricted by host species than previously thought. Specifically, Demodex canis seems to be more transmissible across species than other skin mites. D. canis have been found mostly in dogs but also in cats and captive bats. In addition, we report the first case of D. canis infestation in a domestic ferret (Mustela putorius. All these mammalian hosts are related to human activities, and D. canis evolution may be a consequence of this relationship. The monophyletic Demodex clade showing closely related dog and human Demodex sequences also supports this likely hypothesis.

Evaluation of the Systematic Status of Geographical Variations in Arcuphantes hibanus (Arachnida: Araneae: Linyphiidae), with Descriptions of Two New Species.

Science.gov (United States)

Nakano, Takafumi; Ihara, Yoh; Kumasaki, Yusuke; Baba, Yuki G; Tomikawa, Ko

2017-08-01

The systematic status of geographical variants of Arcuphantes hibanus Saito, 1992 belonging to the A. longiscapus species group, indigenous to western Honshu and Shikoku, Japan, was evaluated using morphological and molecular data. Two species, A. enmusubi Ihara, Nakano and Tomikawa, sp. nov. and A. occidentalis Ihara, Nakano and Tomikawa, sp. nov., are described, and A. hibanus is redescribed with redefinition of its taxonomic status. These three species are diagnosed by the characteristics of paracymbium, pseudolamella, and epigynal basal part. Phylogenetic trees obtained with mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I and 16S rRNA markers showed that the variants are mutually genetically highly diverged. However, the mtDNA phylogenies failed to recover the monophyly of A. hibanus redefined herein. Contrary to the mtDNA phylogenetic analyses, a neighbor-network analysis of nuclear internal transcribed spacer 1 sequences of A. hibanus, A. enmusubi and A. occidentalis spiders showed that each of them forms a cluster. The results of mitochondrial and nuclear DNA analyses in each of the three species are briefly discussed, along with their taxonomic identities.

A new species of Charinus Simon, 1892 (Arachnida: Amblypygi: Charinidae from Israel and new records of C. ioanniticus (Kritscher, 1959

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gustavo S. Miranda

2016-09-01

Full Text Available A new species of Charinus is described from Israel and new localities for C. ioanniticus are reported. Charinus israelensis sp. nov. is a cave dwelling species with extremely small median eyes, no median tubercle and reduced lateral eyes. It is similar to C. ioanniticus, which occurs in nearby areas, but can be differentiated by the shape of the carapace, the number of pedipalp spines and the development of the eyes. A detailed comparison is made between the two species, including pictures, drawings and scanning electron micrographs. Charinus ioanniticus is reported here from several new localities in Israel and Turkey. Identification keys to the Charinus species groups and to the species of the bengalensis group are provided.

Faunistical data on the spiders (Arachnida: Araneae of the Lacul Dracului bog complex with new data for the Romanian fauna

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

GALLE Robert

2006-09-01

Full Text Available The present paper contains faunistical data obtained by the joint research of Babeş-Bolyai and Szeged University. 44 species of 15 families were identified from Lacul Dracului marsh-complex (Harghita Mountains. Meioneta similis (Kulczynski 1926 is new for the Romanian fauna. Furthermore the occurrences of two questionable species [Kaestneria pullata (O.P.-Cambridge, 1863 and Trichoncus saxicola (O.P.- Cambridge, 1861] are proved.

Evolutionary and biogeographical history of an ancient and global group of arachnids (Arachnida: Opiliones: Cyphophthalmi) with a new taxonomic arrangement

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Giribet, Gonzalo; Sharma, Prashant P.; Benavides, Ligia R.

2012-01-01

We investigate the phylogeny, biogeography, time of origin and diversification, ancestral area reconstruction and large-scale distributional patterns of an ancient group of arachnids, the harvestman suborder Cyphophthalmi. Analysis of molecular and morphological data allow us to propose a new......; Boreophthalmi includes Stylocellidae and Sironidae, the latter family of questionable monophyly. The internal resolution of each family is discussed and traced back to its geological time origin, as well as to its original landmass, using methods for estimating divergence times and ancestral area reconstruction....... The origin of Cyphophthalmi can be traced back to the Carboniferous, whereas the diversification time of most families ranges between the Carboniferous and the Jurassic, with the exception of Troglosironidae, whose current diversity originates in the Cretaceous/Tertiary. Ancestral area reconstruction...

Evolutionary morphology of the male reproductive system, spermatozoa and seminal fluid of spiders (Araneae, Arachnida)--current knowledge and future directions.

Science.gov (United States)

Michalik, Peter; Ramírez, Martín J

2014-07-01

The male reproductive system and spermatozoa of spiders are known for their high structural diversity. Spider spermatozoa are flagellate and males transfer them to females in a coiled and encapsulated state using their modified pedipalps. Here, we provide a detailed overview of the present state of knowledge of the primary male reproductive system, sperm morphology and the structural diversity of seminal fluids with a focus on functional and evolutionary implications. Secondly, we conceptualized characters for the male genital system, spermiogenesis and spermatozoa for the first time based on published and new data. In total, we scored 40 characters for 129 species from 56 families representing all main spider clades. We obtained synapomorphies for several taxa including Opisthothelae, Araneomorphae, Dysderoidea, Scytodoidea, Telemidae, Linyphioidea, Mimetidae, Synotaxidae and the Divided Cribellum Clade. Furthermore, we recovered synspermia as a synapomorphy for ecribellate Haplogynae and thus propose Synspermiata as new name for this clade. We hope that these data will not only contribute to future phylogenetic studies but will also stimulate much needed evolutionary studies of reproductive systems in spiders. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A companion to Part 2 of the World Checklist of Opiliones species (Arachnida): Laniatores - Samooidea, Zalmoxoidea and Grassatores incertae sedis.

Science.gov (United States)

Kury, Adriano B; Pérez-González, Abel

2015-01-01

A series of databases is being prepared to list the valid species of Opiliones worldwide. This paper containing nomenclatural acts is meant to accompany Part 2, which includes the members of the infraorder Grassatores of the superfamilies Samooidea and Zalmoxoidea plus the Grassatores currently not allocated to any family (i.e. Grassatores incertae sedis). The following 32 taxonomic changes are proposed here: (1-3) The Afrotropical genera Hovanoceros Lawrence, 1959, Malgaceros Lawrence, 1959 and Tetebius Roewer, 1949 (all currently in Samoidae) are all newly transferred to Biantidae. (4-5) Microminua soerenseni Soares & Soares, 1954, from Brazil is newly transferred to Tibangara (Gonyleptoidea: Cryptogeobiidae), newly combined as Tibangara soerenseni new comb., new familial allocation for the species. (6-7) The new genus Llaguenia Gen. nov is erected for the South American species Zamora peruviana Roewer, 1956, newly combined as Llaguenia peruviana new comb., and newly placed in Gonyleptoidea: Cranaidae (Prostygninae). (8) Bebedoura Roewer, 1949, known from a single Brazilian species, is transferred from Tricommatinae to Grassatores incertae sedis. (9) Microconomma Roewer, 1915, known from a single Cameroonian species, is transferred from Samoidae to Grassatores incertae sedis. (10) Stygnomimus Roewer, 1927, with two Indomalayan species and hitherto included in the Stygnommatidae, is here formally considered Grassatores incertae sedis. (11) Bichito González-Sponga, 1998, known from a single Venezuelan species, originally described in Phalangodidae: Phalangodinae, and currently in Grassatores incertae sedis is transferred to Samoidae. (12) The Neotropical genus Microminua Sørensen, 1932, currently with two species, is newly transferred from Kimulidae to Samoidae. (13-14) Cornigera González-Sponga, 1987 (currently in Samoidae), is newly considered a junior subjective synonym of Microminua, and its single species is combined under Microminua as Microminua flava (González-Sponga, 1987) new comb. (15) Niquitaia González-Sponga, 1999 (originally in Phalangodidae: Phalangodinae, currently in Zalmoxidae), monotypic from Venezuela, is newly transferred to Samoidae. (16) Heteroscotolemon Roewer, 1912 originally described in Phalangodidae: Phalangodinae, and currently in Grassatores incertae sedis is transferred to Zalmoxidae. (17) While the Australasian genus Zalmoxista Roewer, 1949 is currently in Samoidae and some of its former species have been transferred to Zalmoxis Sørensen, 1886, Zalmoxista americana Roewer, 1952 from Peru, is here newly transferred to Zalmoxidae into Minuides Sørensen, 1932, forming the combination Minuides americanus (Roewer, 1952) new comb. (specific name inflected to match the masculine gender). (18) Neobabrius Roewer, 1949 (currently in Phalangodidae), monotypic from Indonesia, is newly transferred to Zalmoxidae. (19) While Crosbyella Roewer, 1927, belongs to Phalangodidae, Crosbyella roraima Goodnight & Goodnight, 1943 (originally Phalangodinae, but currently Zalmoxidae without generic assignment) is here transferred to Soledadiella González-Sponga, 1987, as Soledadiella roraima new comb. (Zalmoxoidea: Zalmoxidae). (20) Zalmoxissus Roewer, 1949 is newly synonymized with Zalmoxis Sørensen, 1886 (Zalmoxidae). (21) The original spelling Zalmoxis sorenseni Simon, 1892 is restored from the unjustified emendation soerenseni. (22) The Neotropical genus Phalangodella Roewer, 1912 (originally in Phalangodidae: Tricommatinae, but currently in Grassatores incertae sedis) is newly transferred to Zalmoxoidea incertae sedis and (23-26) four other genera are newly synonymized with it: Phalangodella Roewer, 1912 = Exlineia Mello-Leitão, 1942 = Langodinus Mello-Leitão, 1949 = Cochirapha Roewer, 1949 = Phalpuna Roewer, 1949, generating the following new combinations (27-32): Phalangodella fulvescens (Mello-Leitão, 1943) new comb., Phalangodella milagroi (Mello-Leitão, 1942) new comb., Phalangodella rhinoceros (Mello-Leitão, 1945) new comb., Phalangodella flavipes (Mello-Leitão, 1949) new comb., Phalangodella rugipes (Roewer, 1949) new comb. and Phalangodella urarmata (Roewer, 1949) new comb.

Under the lash

Science.gov (United States)

Lacey, Noreen; Kavanagh, Kevin; Tseng, Scheffer C.G.

2010-01-01

Demodex mites, class Arachnida and subclass Acarina, are elongated mites with clear cephalothorax and abdomens, the former with four pairs of legs. There are more than 100 species of Demodex mite, many of which are obligatory commensals of the pilosebaceous unit of mammals including cats, dogs, sheep, cattle, pigs, goats, deer, bats, hamsters, rats and mice. Among them, Demodex canis, which is found ubiquitously in dogs, is the most documented and investigated. In excessive numbers D. canis causes the inflammatory disease termed demodicosis (demodectic mange, follicular mange or red mange), which is more common in purebred dogs and has a hereditary predisposition in breeding kennels1. Two distinct Demodex species have been confirmed as the most common ectoparasite in man. The larger Demodex folliculorum, about 0.3–0.4 mm long, is primarily found as a cluster in the hair follicle (Figure 1a), while the smaller Demodex brevis, about 0.2–0.3 mm long with a spindle shape and stubby legs, resides solitarily in the sebaceous gland (Figure 1b). These two species are also ubiquitously found in all human races without gender preference. The pathogenic role of Demodex mites in veterinary medicine is not as greatly disputed as in human diseases. In this article, we review the key literature and our joint research experience regarding the pathogenic potential of these two mites in causing inflammatory diseases of human skin and eye. We hope that the evidence summarized herein will invite readers to take a different look at the life of Demodex mites in several common human diseases. PMID:20664811

Ecdysozoan mitogenomics: evidence for a common origin of the legged invertebrates, the Panarthropoda.

Science.gov (United States)

Rota-Stabelli, Omar; Kayal, Ehsan; Gleeson, Dianne; Daub, Jennifer; Boore, Jeffrey L; Telford, Maximilian J; Pisani, Davide; Blaxter, Mark; Lavrov, Dennis V

2010-07-12

Ecdysozoa is the recently recognized clade of molting animals that comprises the vast majority of extant animal species and the most important invertebrate model organisms--the fruit fly and the nematode worm. Evolutionary relationships within the ecdysozoans remain, however, unresolved, impairing the correct interpretation of comparative genomic studies. In particular, the affinities of the three Panarthropoda phyla (Arthropoda, Onychophora, and Tardigrada) and the position of Myriapoda within Arthropoda (Mandibulata vs. Myriochelata hypothesis) are among the most contentious issues in animal phylogenetics. To elucidate these relationships, we have determined and analyzed complete or nearly complete mitochondrial genome sequences of two Tardigrada, Hypsibius dujardini and Thulinia sp. (the first genomes to date for this phylum); one Priapulida, Halicryptus spinulosus; and two Onychophora, Peripatoides sp. and Epiperipatus biolleyi; and a partial mitochondrial genome sequence of the Onychophora Euperipatoides kanagrensis. Tardigrada mitochondrial genomes resemble those of the arthropods in term of the gene order and strand asymmetry, whereas Onychophora genomes are characterized by numerous gene order rearrangements and strand asymmetry variations. In addition, Onychophora genomes are extremely enriched in A and T nucleotides, whereas Priapulida and Tardigrada are more balanced. Phylogenetic analyses based on concatenated amino acid coding sequences support a monophyletic origin of the Ecdysozoa and the position of Priapulida as the sister group of a monophyletic Panarthropoda (Tardigrada plus Onychophora plus Arthropoda). The position of Tardigrada is more problematic, most likely because of long branch attraction (LBA). However, experiments designed to reduce LBA suggest that the most likely placement of Tardigrada is as a sister group of Onychophora. The same analyses also recover monophyly of traditionally recognized arthropod lineages such as Arachnida and of

Diversidad taxonómica y denso-actividad de solífugos (Arachnida: Solifugae asociados a un ecosistema desértico costero del centro norte de Chile Taxonomic diversity and density-activity of solpugids (Arachnida: Solifugae in a coastal desert ecosystem in the northern centre of Chile

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Daniel E. Valdivia

2008-06-01

Full Text Available En Chile, el orden Solifugae está representado por 14 especies agrupadas en 10 géneros, distribuidos en las tres familias descritas en Sudamérica: Ammotrechidae, Mummuciidae y Daesiidae. En el presente trabajo se documenta la composición genérica y/o específica de solífugos asociados a un ecosistema desértico costero del centro norte de Chile, y se muestran las variaciones de su denso-actividad. El estudio se realizó en el sector costero de Punta de Choros (29°21'S, 71°10'O; 17 msnm, durante los meses de junio, agosto, octubre y noviembre de 2005. Entre los 249 ejemplares capturados, se reconoció la presencia de tres familias, cuatro géneros y cinco especies. Éstas fueron Procleobis sp., Sedna pirata Muma (Ammotrechidae, Mummucia sp., Mummucia variegata (Gervais (Mummuciidae y Ammotrechelis goetschi Roewer (Daesiidae. La mayor denso-actividad de solífugos se registró en los meses de octubre, 5 especies (ca 30 % del total capturado; y noviembre, 3 especies (ca 41 % del total capturado. Mientras que algunas especies se mostraron activas durante todo el período de estudio (e.g., Ammotrechelis goetschi, otras presentaron actividad parcial. Por ejemplo, Mummucia variegata manifestó actividad entre agosto y noviembre; Sedna pirata entre octubre y noviembre y tanto Procleobis sp. como Mummucia sp. estuvieron activas sólo en octubre. La diversidad y la denso-actividad de Solifugae estarían determinadas por factores biológicos y ecológicos.In Chile the order Solifugae is represented by 14 species arranged in 10 genera distributed among the three families described for South America: Ammotrechidae, Mummuciidae and Daesiidae. The present work documents the taxonomic composition of solpugids in a desert coastal ecosystem of the northern centre of Chile and describes variation in their density-activity. The study was carried out in the coastal sector of Punta de Choros (29°21'S, 71°10'W; 17 masl during June, August, October and November 2005. The 249 captured specimens represented three families, four genera, and five species. These were Procleobis sp. and Sedna pirata Muma (Ammotrechidae, Mummucia sp. and Mummucia variegata (Gervais (Mummuciidae, and Ammotrechelis goetschi Roewer (Daesiidae. The highest levels of solpugid density-activity occurred in October (ca 30 % of the total captured and November (ca 41 % of the total captured. Five species were captured in October and three, in November. While some species were active throughout the study (e.g., Ammotrechelis goetschi, others showed occasional activity. For example, Mummucia variegata showed activity between August and November, Sedna pirata between October and November, and Procleobis sp. and Mummucia sp. only in October. The diversity and density-activity may be determined by biological and ecological factors.

A survey of the spider family Nesticidae (Arachnida, Araneae in Asia and Madagascar, with the description of forty-three new species

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yucheng Lin

2016-10-01

Full Text Available Forty-three new species of Nesticidae are described from China, Indonesia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and Madagascar, and two new junior synonyms are suggested. A new genus, Speleoticus gen. n., is described with Nesticus navicellatus Liu & Li, 2013 as the type species, and four species are transferfed from Nesticus, i.e., Speleoticus globosus (Liu & Li, 2013, comb. n., S. libo (Chen & Zhu, 2005, comb. n., S. navicellatus (Liu & Li, 2015, comb. n. and S. uenoi (Yaginuma, 1972, comb. n. The new species described in this paper belong to four genera and are: Hamus cornutus sp. n. (♂♀, H. kangdingensis sp. n. (♂, H. luzon sp. n. (♀, H. mangunensis sp. n. (♂, Nescina kohi sp. n. (♂♀, Nesticella baiseensis sp. n. (♂♀, N. baobab sp. n. (♂, N. caeca sp. n. (♂♀, N. chongqing sp. n. (♀, N. dazhuangensis sp. n. (♂♀, N. fuliangensis sp. n. (♂♀, N. gazuida sp. n. (♀, N. gongshanensis sp. n. (♀, N. griswoldi sp. n. (♂♀, N. hongheensis sp. n. (♂♀, N. huomachongensis sp. n. (♂♀, N. jingpo sp. n. (♀, N. kaohsiungensis sp. n. (♂♀, N. lisu sp. n. (♂♀, N. liuzhaiensis sp. n. (♀, N. nandanensis sp. n. (♂♀, N. phami sp. n. (♂♀, N. potala sp. n. (♀, N. qiaoqiensis sp. n. (♀, N. qiongensis sp. n. (♂♀, N. robusta sp. n. (♂♀, N. rongtangensis sp. n. (♂, N. sanchaheensis sp. n. (♂♀, N. sulawesi sp. n. (♀, N. sumatrana sp. n. (♂, N. tibetana sp. n. (♂♀, N. vanlang sp. n. (♀, N. wanzaiensis sp. n. (♂♀, N. xiongmao sp. n. (♂♀, N. xixia sp. n. (♂♀, N. yanbeiensis sp. n. (♂♀, N. yao sp. n. (♀, N. zhiyuani sp. n. (♂♀, Pseudonesticus dafangensis sp. n. (♂♀, P. miao sp. n. (♂♀, P. spinosus sp. n. (♂♀, P. wumengensis sp. n. (♀, P. ziyunensis sp. n. (♂♀. Nesticella inthanoni (Lehtinen & Saaristo, 1980, syn. n. is synonymised with N. mollicula (Thorell, 1898; N. taiwan Tso & Yoshida, 2000, syn. n. is synonymised with N. odonta (Chen, 1984. The female of Nesticella connectens Wunderlich, 1995, so far unknown, is described and recorded from Thailand. Nesticidae are reported from Madagascar for the first time. Nesticella nepalensis (Hubert, 1973 is recorded for the first time from China. Types of Nesticella odonta (Chen, 1984, N. songi Chen & Zhu, 2004 and N. yui Wunderlich & Song, 1995 are re-examined and photographed. The entire genus Nesticella is reviewed, and four species groups are recognised. DNA barcodes of the new species are obtained to confirm their correct identifications.

Distribution and Seasonal Activity of Hard Ticks (Acari: Ixododae Infesting Domestic Ruminants in Famenin County, Hamadan Province, Iran

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

F. Fayazkhoo

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Background and Objective: Hard ticks (Acari: Ixodidae are one of the most important obligate ectoparasites of vertebrates, belonging to class Arachnida, which transmit a wide range of pathological agents such as viruses, bacteria, and parasites to humans and animals in Iran and around the world. Identifying the distribution of hard ticks in a region is important to monitor their control program, and thereby prevent disease transmission. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional descriptive study, sampling was carried out from different parts of the livestock body during four seasons in four geographical directions and five villages of Famenin County, Hamadan Province, Iran, during 2015-2016. The ticks were initially stimulated by using chloroform solution and then separated from domestic ruminants by forceps. The collected ticks were sent to a laboratory, and then their sex and species were identified by using valid diagnostic keys. Results: We studied 800 domestic ruminants, including cattle, sheep, and goats, and found 150 (18.7% cases of infestation. A total of 274 ticks were collected, 259 of which were hard ticks including four genera of Hyalomma, Dermacentor, Repicephlus, and Haemaphysalis. The greatest diversity of species, including Hyalomma scopens (Hy. deteritum, Hyalomma asiaticum, Hyalomma marginatum, and Hyalomma anatolicum belonged to the genus Hyalomma. The frequency rates of Hyalomma, Dermacentor, Rhipicephalus, and Hemaphysalis genera were 73.74%, 15.05%, 10.03%, and 1.15 %, respectively. The highest abundance of ticks was observed in spring (152. Conclusion: The results of this study indicate the diversity of hard ticks in the region and the highest abundance of ticks in spring. Considering the importance of ticks in disease transmission among humans and domestic ruminants, health authorities and respective organizations should take appropriate health measures to control and combat these external parasites.

Expression analysis of Drosophila doublesex, transformer-2, intersex, fruitless-like, and vitellogenin homologs in the parahaploid predator Metaseiulus occidentalis (Chelicerata: Acari: Phytoseiidae).

Science.gov (United States)

Pomerantz, Aaron F; Hoy, Marjorie A

2015-01-01

Characterization and expression analyses are essential to gain insight into sex-determination pathways in members of the Acari. Little is known about sex determination at the molecular level in the western orchard predatory mite Metaseiulus occidentalis (Arthropoda: Chelicerata: Arachnida: Acari: Phytoseiidae), a parahaploid species. In this study, eight genes previously identified as putative homologs to genes involved in the sex-determination pathway in Drosophila melanogaster were evaluated for sex-specific alternative splicing and sex-biased expression using reverse-transcriptase PCR and quantitative real-time PCR techniques, respectively. The homologs evaluated in M. occidentalis included two doublesex-like genes (Moccdsx1 and Moccdsx2), transformer-2 (Mocctra-2), intersex (Moccix), two fruitless-like genes (MoccBTB1 and MoccBTB2), as well as two vitellogenin-like genes (Moccvg1 and Moccvg2). Single transcripts of equal size were detected in males and females for Moccdsx1, Moccdsx2, Mocctra-2, Moccix, and MoccBTB2, suggesting that their pre-mRNAs do not undergo alternative splicing in a sex-specific manner. Three genes, Moccdsx1, Moccdsx2 and MoccBTB2, displayed male-biased expression relative to females. One gene, Moccix, displayed female-biased expression relative to males. Two genes, Mocctra-2 and MoccBTB1, did not display detectable differences in transcript abundance in males and females. Expression of Moccvg1 and Moccvg2 were detected in females only, and transcript levels were up-regulated in mated females relative to unmated females. To our knowledge, this represents the first attempt to elucidate expression patterns of putative sex-determination genes in an acarine. This study is an initial step towards understanding the sex-determination pathway in the parahaploid M. occidentalis.

Arthropods in trophic-cenosis structure of collared flycatcher consortium in conditions of forest ecosystems of North-Eastern Ukraine

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. B. Chaplygina

2015-03-01

Full Text Available The study is based on taxonomic and quantitative analysis of feed ration of nestlings and structure of nidikolas of collared flycatcher (Ficedula albicollis (Temminck, 1815. Ecological features and consortium relations of flycatchers and their specific feeding behavior were analyzed. Materials were collected in May – July 2009–2014 on the transformed territories of North-Eastern Ukraine. Functioning of trophic structure of biogeocenosis with the participation of flycatcher as a heterotrophic core of big autotrophic group was studied. Spatial and trophic relations of flycatcher with the woody vegetation and insect-phytophages (leaf beetles, leafhoppers, and barbels have been described. In the feed ration of flycatcher nestlings the prevalence is given to representatives of Hexapoda (83%, including Lepidoptera (16 families, 24%, Hymenoptera (12 families, 23% and Coleoptera (40 families, 15%. We characterize trophic groups of arthropods in the consortium of flycatchers: phytophages (33%, zoophages (45%, parasites, bloodsuckers, saprophages (16%, necrophages (4%, coprophages, keratophages. Fauna of arthropods of collared flycatcher nests was analyzed. Nests of birds as a heterotrophic consortium is the habitat of invertebrates with 293 taxons belonging to the Hexapoda, Arachnida, Malacostraca and Myriaroda, sometimes Mollusca. In the trophic structure of the population of flycatcher the representatives of Hexapoda dominate (278 species, where the first place is given to zoophages (127 species, 45%, including parasites (Culicidae, Tabanidae, Mallophaga, Hippoboscidae, Aphaniptera. The second are phytophages (78 species, 28%, the third – decomposers (75 species, 27%, and the last presenting detritivores (48 species, 18% and necrophages (27 species, 10%. Constant ectoparasitic species of flycatchers are Ricinus sp. (Mallophaga, Ornithomyia avicularia L. (Diptera, Protocalliphora azurea chrysorrhea Mg. (Diptera, Ceratophyllus sp. (Aphaniptera

Mercury Concentration in the Tissue of Terrestrial Arthropods from the Central California Coast

Science.gov (United States)

Ortiz, C.; Weiss-Penzias, P. S.; Flegal, A. R.

2012-12-01

The primary goal of this project was to obtain a baseline understanding and investigate the concentration of mercury (Hg) in the tissue of arthropods in coastal California. This region receives significant input of fog which may contain enhanced levels of Hg. Currently there is a lack of data on Hg concentration in the tissue of arthropods (Insecta, Malacostraca, and Arachnida). The sample collection sites were Elkhorn Slough Estuarine Reserve in Moss Landing, and the University of California Santa Cruz (UCSC) campus. Samples collected between February and March, 2012 had total Hg (HgT) concentrations in dry weight that ranged from 27 - 39 ng/g in the Jerusalem cricket (Orthoptera Stenopelmatidae); 80 - 110 ng/g in the camel cricket (Orthoptera Rhaphidophoridae); 21 - 219 ng/g in the ground beetle (Coleoptera Carabidae); 100 - 228 ng/g in the pill bug (Isopoda Armadillidiidae); and 285 - 423 ng/g in the wolf spider (Araneae Lycosidae). Monomethyl mercury (MMHg) concentrations in dry weight were determine to be 4.3 -28.2 ng/g for the ground beetle; 45.5 - 87.8 ng/g for the pill bug, and 252.3 - 293.7 ng/g for the wolf spider. Samples collected in July, 2012 had HgT concentrations in dry weight that ranged from 110 - 168 ng/g in the camel cricket; 337 - 562 ng/g in the ground beetle; 25 - 227 ng/g in the pill bug; and 228 - 501 ng/g in the wolf spider. The preliminary data revealed an 18% increase in the concentration of HgT for wolf spiders, and a 146% increase for ground beetles in the summer when compared to those concentrations measured in the spring. It is hypothesized that coastal fog may be a contributor to this increase of Hg concentration in coastal California arthropods.

Tropism and pathogenicity of rickettsiae

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tsuneo eUchiyama

2012-06-01

Full Text Available Rickettsiae are obligate intracellular parasitic bacteria that cause febrile exanthematous illnesses such as Rocky Mountain spotted fever, Mediterranean spotted fever, epidemic and murine typhus, etc. Although the vector ranges of each Rickettsia species are rather restricted; i.e., ticks belonging to Arachnida and lice and fleas belonging to Insecta usually act as vectors for spotted fever group and typhus group rickettsiae, respectively, it would be interesting to elucidate the mechanisms controlling the vector tropism of rickettsiae. This review discusses the factors determining the vector tropism of rickettsiae. In brief, the vector tropism of rickettsiae species is basically consistent with their tropism towards cultured tick and insect cells. The mechanisms responsible for rickettsiae pathogenicity are also described. Recently, genomic analyses of rickettsiae have revealed that they possess several genes that are homologous to those affecting the pathogenicity of other bacteria. Analyses comparing the genomes of pathogenic and nonpathogenic strains of rickettsiae have detected many factors that are related to rickettsial pathogenicity. It is also known that a reduction in the rickettsial genome has occurred during the course of its evolution. Interestingly, Rickettsia species with small genomes, such as Rickettsia prowazekii, are more pathogenic to humans than those with larger genomes. This review also examines the growth kinetics of pathogenic and nonpathogenic species of spotted fever group rickettsiae in mammalian cells. The growth of nonpathogenic species is restricted in these cells, which is mediated, at least in part, by autophagy. The superinfection of nonpathogenic rickettsiae-infected cells with pathogenic rickettsiae results in an elevated yield of the nonpathogenic rickettsiae and the growth of the pathogenic rickettsiae. Autophagy is restricted in these cells. These results are discussed in this review.

Study of the Influence of Gamma Radiation on Certain Pharmacological and Biochemical Action s of Leiurus Quinquestriatus Scorpion Venom

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abd Rabo, H.A.M.

2012-01-01

Unlike the amphibians, birds, mammals and reptiles, scorpions have no back bone, as they are invertebrates. Scorpions belong to the phylum arthropoda, their bodies are segmented and their legs are jointed. They belong to the class arachnida, because they have eight legs, two pedipalps, two chelicerae and a body composed of eighteen segments. The most important species of Buthidae family are Buthotus tamulus, Leiurus quinquestriatus, Androctonus crassicauda, Androctonus australis, Tityus serrulatus, and Centruroides suffusus (Minton, 2010). Scorpions are found in East Africa, Middle East, India, as well as Central and South America. Classification of scorpions from Africa and Middle East, has been summarized by Vachon, (1966). Unlike snakes, all scorpions are venomous. The venom is injected by means of a stinger found at the tip of the telson, the terminal structure of the tail. The smallest adults may range from approximately 2 to 3 cm and the largest between 15 to 25 cm (Bucherl, 1971). Scorpions have quite variable life spans. The age range appears to be approximately 4–25 years. Scorpions prefer to live in areas where the temperatures range from 20 °C to 37 °C, but may survive from freezing temperatures to the desert heat (Hadley, 1970; Hannah's et al., 2006). The death stalker (Leiurus quinquestriatus), is a member of the Buthidae family. It is also known as Palestine yellow scorpion, Omdurman scorpion, Israeli desert scorpion and numerous other colloquial names. To eliminate confusion, especially with potentially dangerous species, the scientific name is normally used to refer to them. The name Leiurus quinquestriatus roughly translates into English as f ive-striped smooth-tail . Other species of the genus Leiurus are often referred to as d eathstalkers a s well (Werness, 2004; Minton, 2010).

Occurrence of ticks on wild animals received and attended at the Parque Zoológico Municipal Quinzinho de Barros, Sorocaba, São Paulo, Brazil

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Thiago Fernandes Martins

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Os carrapatos são ectoparasitas da classe Arachnida que parasitam vertebrados terrestres, anfíbios, repteis, aves e mamíferos. O presente trabalho relata a ocorrência de carrapatos ixodídeos em animais silvestres recebidos e atendidos pelo Hospital Veterinário do Parque Zoológico Municipal Quinzinho de Barros, localizado no município de Sorocaba, estado de São Paulo, Brasil. De setembro de 1999 a maio de 2015, foram coletados carrapatos em animais silvestres da região de Sorocaba e de outros 20 municípios do interior do estado de São Paulo. Ao todo, foram identificados 43 larvas, 637 ninfas e 1.178 adultos (631 machos e 547 fêmeas, totalizando 1.858 exemplares de 14 espécies distintas de ixodídeos. Durante exames clínicos de rotina, foram inspecionadas duas espécies de repteis, uma espécie de ave e 11 espécies distintas de mamíferos de um total de 103 animais silvestres amostrados. Nos repteis foram identificados Amblyomma rotundatum, nas aves Amblyomma sculptum e nos mamíferos Amblyomma aureolatum, Amblyomma brasiliense, Amblyomma calcaratum, Amblyomma dubitatum, Amblyomma longirostre, Amblyomma nodosum, Amblyomma ovale, A. sculptum, Amblyomma varium, Ixodes aragaoi, Haemaphysalis juxtakochi, Rhipicephalus microplus e Dermacentor nitens. Este estudo relata os primeiros registros de fêmeas de A. rotundatum parasitando Hydromedusa tectifera e Oxyrhopus guibei, assim como ninfas de A. dubitatum e H. juxtakochi em Chrysocyon brachyurus, ninfas de A. brasiliense em Myrmecophaga tridactyla e Tamandua tetradactyla, além de ninfas de A. sculptum em Alouatta guariba e Sphiggurus villosus no país, demonstrando que os zoológicos são uma fonte de informação valiosa para o conhecimento parasitológico da fauna silvestre brasileira.

The phylogeny of fossil whip spiders.

Science.gov (United States)

Garwood, Russell J; Dunlop, Jason A; Knecht, Brian J; Hegna, Thomas A

2017-04-21

Arachnids are a highly successful group of land-dwelling arthropods. They are major contributors to modern terrestrial ecosystems, and have a deep evolutionary history. Whip spiders (Arachnida, Amblypygi), are one of the smaller arachnid orders with ca. 190 living species. Here we restudy one of the oldest fossil representatives of the group, Graeophonus anglicus Pocock, 1911 from the Late Carboniferous (Duckmantian, ca. 315 Ma) British Middle Coal Measures of the West Midlands, UK. Using X-ray microtomography, our principal aim was to resolve details of the limbs and mouthparts which would allow us to test whether this fossil belongs in the extant, relict family Paracharontidae; represented today by a single, blind species Paracharon caecus Hansen, 1921. Tomography reveals several novel and significant character states for G. anglicus; most notably in the chelicerae, pedipalps and walking legs. These allowed it to be scored into a phylogenetic analysis together with the recently described Paracharonopsis cambayensis Engel & Grimaldi, 2014 from the Eocene (ca. 52 Ma) Cambay amber, and Kronocharon prendinii Engel & Grimaldi, 2014 from Cretaceous (ca. 99 Ma) Burmese amber. We recovered relationships of the form ((Graeophonus (Paracharonopsis + Paracharon)) + (Charinus (Stygophrynus (Kronocharon (Charon (Musicodamon + Paraphrynus)))))). This tree largely reflects Peter Weygoldt's 1996 classification with its basic split into Paleoamblypygi and Euamblypygi lineages; we were able to score several of his characters for the first time in fossils. Our analysis draws into question the monophyly of the family Charontidae. Our data suggest that Graeophonus is a crown group amblypygid, and falls within a monophyletic Paleoamblypgi clade, but outside the family Paracharontidae (= Paracharonopsis + Paracharon). Our results also suggest a new placement for the Burmese amber genus Kronocharon, a node further down from its original position. Overall, we offer a

A multilocus phylogeny of Podoctidae (Arachnida, Opiliones, Laniatores) and parametric shape analysis reveal the disutility of subfamilial nomenclature in armored harvestman systematics

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Sharma, P. P.; Santiago, M. A.; Kriebel, R.; Lipps, S. M.; Buenavente, P. A. C.; Diesmos, A. C.; Janda, Milan; Boyer, S. L.; Clouse, R. M.; Wheeler, W. C.

2017-01-01

Roč. 106, JAN 01 (2017), s. 164-173 ISSN 1055-7903 Institutional support: RVO:60077344 Keywords : grassatores * morphology * comparative methods Subject RIV: EG - Zoology OBOR OECD: Zoology Impact factor: 4.419, year: 2016 http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1055790316302445

Ist das Zeigerwertsystem Ellenbergs zur autökologischen Charakterisierung von Spinnenarten geeignet? Beispielhafte Darstellung an der Bodenspinne Comaroma simoni (Arachnida, Araneae, Anapidae

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kropf, Christian

1993-06-01

Full Text Available A new method for autoecological characterization of spider species is presented. It is based on the indicator value system of ELLENBERG and provides preliminary information, especially for rarely found species by comparing several different habitats. The use of this method is exemplified for the soil-spider Comaroma simoni BERTKAU, 1889 and the autecology of this species is discussed.

A new highly specialized cave harvestman from Brazil and the first blind species of the genus: Iandumoema smeagol sp. n. (Arachnida, Opiliones, Gonyleptidae)

Science.gov (United States)

Pinto-da-Rocha, Ricardo; da Fonseca-Ferreira, Rafael; Bichuette, Maria Elina

2015-01-01

Abstract A new species of troglobitic harvestman, Iandumoema smeagol sp. n., is described from Toca do Geraldo, Monjolos municipality, Minas Gerais state, Brazil. Iandumoema smeagol sp. n. is distinguished from the other two species of the genus by four exclusive characteristics – dorsal scutum areas with conspicuous tubercles, enlarged retrolateral spiniform tubercle on the distal third of femur IV, eyes absent and the penial ventral process slender and of approximately the same length of the stylus. The species is the most highly modified in the genus and its distribution is restricted only to caves in that particular area of Minas Gerais state. The type locality is not inside a legally protected area, and there are anthropogenic impacts in its surroundings. Therefore, Iandumoema smeagol sp. n. is vulnerable and it must be considered in future conservation projects. PMID:26798238

Two new species of Piaroa (Arachnida: Schizomida, Hubbardiidae) from Colombia, with comments on the genus taxonomy and the flagellar setae pattern of Hubbardiinae.

Science.gov (United States)

Moreno-González, Jairo A; Delgado-Santa, Leonardo; De Armas, Luis F

2014-08-14

Two new species of the genus Piaroa Villarreal, Tourinho & Giupponi, 2008, P. escalerete sp. nov. and P. bacata sp. nov. are described from Valle del Cauca, and Cundinamarca departments, Colombia, respectively. The female flagellum is fully illustrated for a Piaroa species for the first time; the generic diagnosis is also emended and the relationships of the new species with those previously described are discussed. New characters for Piaroa species, a new nomenclature for the chitinized arch and a reinterpretation of the Hubbardiinae flagellar setae pattern are proposed. A distribution map of the known species of Piaroa is provided. 

Arañas (Arachnida : Araneae de un muestreo estival en el Robledal de Orgi, Valle de Ultzama (Navarra, Norte se España

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. de Castro, A. Barriuso

2004-01-01

Full Text Available Se ha realizado un análisis faunístico de las arañas capturadas en el Robledal de Orgi durante un muestreo estival del año 2002. Los métodos de captura utilizados fueron : batido de la vegetación, trampas de intercepción de suelo, bandeja de color y captura directa. En total se capturaron 350 individuos adultos y se determinaron 100 especies repartidas en 23 familias. Se encontraron 6 nuevas citas para la Peninsula Ibérica. La diversidad taxonómica del robledal fue alta compararda con otros bosques europeos, aunque no se muestreó de forma sistemática durante un ciclo anual completo y no se abarcó toda la heterogeneidad del bosque. La composición faunística presentó baja proporción de especies con preferencias forestales y alta de amplia distribución geográfica.

The spider collection (Arachnida: Araneae of the Zoological Museum of the Iranian Research Institute of Plant Protection, with new species records for Iran

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zamani, Alireza

2015-11-01

Full Text Available The spider collection of the Zoological Museum of the Iranian Research Institute of Plant Protection was studied during the summer of 2014. A total of 180 specimens, belonging to 25 families, 60 genera and 77 species were documented. Of these, the following nine species could be recorded from Iran for the first time: Alopecosa schmidti (Hahn, 1835, Anyphaena accentuata (Walckenaer, 1802, Crustulina sticta (O. P.-Cambridge, 1861, Enoplognatha mordax (Thorell, 1875, Ero tuberculata (De Geer, 1778, Salticus zebraneus (C. L. Koch, 1837, Pardosa aenigmatica Tongiorgi, 1966, Pardosa nebulosa (Thorell, 1872 and Tmarus piochardi (Simon, 1866. Morphological and geographical data are provided for the newly recorded species. Two species (P. aenigmatica and T. piochardi are illustrated and a map of localities is given.

Terrestrial arthropods from tree canopies in the Pantanal of Mato Grosso, Brazil

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marinêz Isaac Marques

2006-06-01

Full Text Available Terrestrial arthropods from tree canopies in the Pantanal of Mato Grosso, Brazil. This study represents a contribution to the knowledge of the diversity of arthropods associated to the canopy of Vochysia divergens Pohl (Vochysiaceae. Three trees individuals were sampled during two seasonal periods in this region: a by spraying one tree canopy during high water (February; b by fogging two tree canopies during low water (September/October. The 15,744 arthropods (183.2±38.9 individuals/m² obtained from all three trees (86 m² represented 20 taxonomic orders, 87.1% were Insecta, and 12.9% Arachnida. The dominant groups were Hymenoptera (48.5%; 88.9 individuals/m², mostly Formicidae (44.5%; 81.4 individuals/m², followed by Coleoptera (14.0%; 25.5 individuals/m² and Araneae (10.2%; 19.5 individuals/m², together representing 62.5% of the total catch. Fourteen (70% of all orders occurred on three trees. Dermaptera, Isoptera, Neuroptera, Odonata, Plecoptera and Trichoptera were collected from only one tree. Of the total, 2,197 adult Coleoptera collected (25.5±11.3 individuals/m², 99% were assigned to 32 families and 256 morphospecies. Nitidulidae (17.9% of the total catch; 4.6 individuals/m², Anobiidae (16.7%; 4.3 individuals/m², Curculionidae (13.2%; 3.4 individuals/m² and Meloidae (11.4%; 2.9 individuals/m² dominated. The communitiy of adult Coleoptera on V. divergens indicated a dominance of herbivores (37.8% of the total catch, 127 spp. and predators (35.2%, 82 spp., followed by saprophages (16.2%, 32 spp. and fungivores (10.8%, 15 spp.. The influence of the flood pulse on the community of arboreal arthropods in V. divergens is indicated by the seasonal variation in evaluated groups, causing changes in their structure and composition.Artrópodes terrestres associados a copas de árvores no Pantanal de Mato Grosso, Brasil. Este estudo representa uma contribuição ao conhecimento da diversidade de artrópodes associados à copa de Vochysia

Abundância e sazonalidade de Bothriurus signatus (Arachnida, Scorpiones em diferentes formações vegetais em São Francisco de Paula, RS, Brasil

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ricardo Ott

2014-03-01

Full Text Available Foi realizado levantamento de escorpiões em serrapilheira de três tipos de formações vegetais (florestas primárias, florestas secundárias e silviculturas em área de Floresta com Araucária no Sul do Brasil. Para a coleta foram utilizadas armadilhas de queda ao longo de 20 meses. No total foram amostrados 165 escorpiões de apenas uma espécie identificada como Bothriurus signatus Pocock, 1893. Machos foram mais abundantes que fêmeas e jovens. A espécie foi mais abundante em áreas de floresta primária e silvicultura do que na floresta secundária. A maior atividade dos escorpiões foi registrada durante a primavera. O comprimento total dos escorpiões adultos coletados variou de 3,05 a 4,52 cm sendo que machos foram significativamente maiores que fêmeas. Nenhuma fêmea grávida foi registrada entre os indivíduos coletados.

Revisão sistemática de Promitobates Roewer 1913 e análise filogenética de Mitobatinae Simon1879 (Arachnida, Opiliones, Gonyleptidae)

OpenAIRE

Cibele Bragagnolo

2009-01-01

As 10 especies nominais de Promitobates foram utilizadas na analise cladistica da subfamilia Mitobatinae. A especie P. ornatus (Mello-Leitao, 1922), amplamente distribuida e polimorfica, foi decomposta em quatro unidades monomorficas e sua taxonomia testada durante a analise cladistica. Outras duas especies que apresentaram polimorfismos (P. hatschbachi H. Soares, 1945 e P. viridigranulatus Soares & Soares, 1946) tambem foram separadas em duas unidades distintas. A analise cladistica foi efet...

Insect succession on a decomposing piglet carcass placed in a man-made freshwater pond in Malaysia.

Science.gov (United States)

Heo, C C; Mohamad, A M; John, J; Baharudin, O

2008-04-01

This entomological study was conducted in a man-made freshwater pond in a palm oil plantation in Tanjung Sepat, Selangor from 23 July 2007 by using pig (Sus scrofa) as a carcass model. A 1.5 month old piglet (5 kg), which died of asphyxia after being accidentally crushed by its mother, was thrown into a pond. Observation was made for ten days; one visit per day and climatological data were recorded. On the first two days, the piglet carcass sunk to the bottom of the pond. The carcass floated to the surface on the third day but no fly activities were seen. The blow fly, Chrysomya megacephala and Chrysomya rufifacies started to oviposit on the fourth day. Other than adult flies, a spider (Arachnida) was also observed on the carcass. Bubbles accumulated at the mouthpart, and the abdomen was greenish black. A lot of blow fly eggs were seen on the body surface on the fifth day (floating decay), along with first and second instars C. megacephala crawling under the piglet's skin. On the sixth day, adult blow fly, C. megacephala,and C. rufifacies,and muscid flies, Ophyra spinigera and Musca domestica were observed on to the carcass. High numbers of first and second instars of flies were observed wandering around the body surface with C. megacephala larvae being the predominant species. Two prominent maggot masses occurred on seventh and eighth days. Bloated deterioration stage began on day eighth exposing rib bones, humerus bones and intestines. Carcass was partially sinking and the maggot masses were at the water level. On day ninth, the carcass was partially sinking and three maggot masses were observed on the exposed surface. There were very few adult flies, including a scarab beetle was sighted on the carcass at this stage. The carcass along with the maggots sunk on day tenth, leaving an oily layer on the water surface.

Effects of local-scale decontamination in a secondary forest contaminated after the Fukushima nuclear power plant accident.

Science.gov (United States)

Ayabe, Yoshiko; Hijii, Naoki; Takenaka, Chisato

2017-09-01

We investigated whether local-scale decontamination (removal of the litter layer, superficial soil layer, and understory) in a secondary forest contaminated by the Fukushima nuclear power plant accident reduced 137 Cs contamination of the soil and litter. We also measured 137 Cs concentrations in plants and in the web-building spider Nephila clavata (Nephilidae: Arachnida), as an indicator species, to examine 137 Cs contamination in arthropods. One month after decontamination, the total 137 Cs contamination (soil + litter) was reduced by 20% (100 kBq·m -2 ) relative to that in an adjacent untreated (i.e., contaminated) area, which was however not statistically significant. Four months after decontamination, 137 Cs in the decontaminated area had increased to a level similar to those in the untreated area, and the air radiation dose in the decontaminated area was about 2.1 μSv·h -1 , significantly higher than that in the untreated area (1.9 μSv·h -1 ). This may have been attributed to a torrential rain event. Although no statistically significant reduction was observed, most spiders had a lower 137 Cs contamination than that before the decontamination. This implied that the decontamination may have reduced 137 Cs transfer from soil via litter to N. clavata through the detrital food chains, but may not have reduced the amount of 137 Cs transfer through grazing food chains because the concentration of 137 Cs in living tree leaves was not reduced by the decontamination. In autumn, about 2 kBq·m -2 of 137 Cs was supplied from foliage to the ground by litterfall. The results suggested that removal of the litter and superficial soil layers in a contaminated forest may be ineffective. The present study suggests that the local-scale decontamination in a secondary forest had no effect on the reduction of 137 Cs contamination in the treated area. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Biochemical, transcriptomic and proteomic analyses of digestion in the scorpion Tityus serrulatus: insights into function and evolution of digestion in an ancient arthropod.

Science.gov (United States)

Fuzita, Felipe J; Pinkse, Martijn W H; Patane, José S L; Juliano, Maria A; Verhaert, Peter D E M; Lopes, Adriana R

2015-01-01

, a large gene duplication of cathepsin L occurred in Arachnida with the sequences from ticks being completely divergent from other arachnids probably due to the particular selective pressures over this group.

The relevance, biases, and importance of digitising opportunistic non-standardised collections: A case study in Iberian harvestmen fauna with BOS Arthropod Collection datasets (Arachnida, Opiliones).

Science.gov (United States)

Merino-Sáinz, Izaskun; Torralba-Burrial, Antonio; Anadón, Araceli

2014-01-01

In this study, we analyse the relevance of harvestmen distribution data derived from opportunistic, unplanned, and non-standardised collection events in an area in the north of the Iberian Peninsula. Using specimens deposited in the BOS Arthropod Collection at the University of Oviedo, we compared these data with data from planned, standardised, and periodic collections with pitfall traps in several locations in the same area. The Arthropod Collection, begun in 1977, includes specimens derived from both sampling types, and its recent digitisation allows for this type of comparative analysis. Therefore, this is the first data-paper employing a hybrid approach, wherein subset metadata are described alongside a comparative analysis. The full dataset can be accessed through Spanish GBIF IPT at http://www.gbif.es:8080/ipt/archive.do?r=Bos-Opi, and the metadata of the unplanned collection events at http://www.gbif.es:8080/ipt/resource.do?r=bos-opi_unplanned_collection_events. We have mapped the data on the 18 harvestmen species included in the unplanned collections and provided records for some species in six provinces for the first time. We have also provided the locations of Phalangium opilio in eight provinces without published records. These results highlight the importance of digitising data from unplanned biodiversity collections, as well as those derived from planned collections, especially in scarcely studied groups and areas.

Avaliação da comunidade de macroinvertebrados aquáticos como ferramenta para o monitoramento de um reservatório na bacia do rio Pitangui, Paraná, Brasil

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ivana F Barbola

2011-06-01

Full Text Available Os macroinvertebrados bentônicos e nectônicos representam elementos importantes na estrutura e funcionamento dos ecossistemas aquáticos e sua distribuição é influenciada pela natureza química do substrato, composição da vegetação e profundidade da lâmina d'água. O conhecimento desta fauna contribui para a avaliação da qualidade da água e a elaboração de ações visando à conservação da biodiversidade. No presente estudo foram avaliadas diferentes medidas bióticas da comunidade de invertebrados da represa de Alagados, importante manancial da cidade de Ponta Grossa, no Paraná. Em cinco diferentes pontos de amostragem, foram coletados 18.473 exemplares de macroinvertebrados aquáticos ou semi-aquáticos, pertencentes a 46 táxons dos filos Annelida (Hirudinea e Oligochaeta, Mollusca (Gastropoda, Platyhelminthes (Turbellaria, Nematoda e Arthropoda (Arachnida, Crustacea e Insecta. Esta comunidade foi constituída predominantemente por organismos predadores (45,7% dos táxons amostrados, seguidos de coletores e/ou filtradores (23,9%; raspadores (15,2%, fragmentadores (13% e detritívoros (2,2%. De modo geral, os índices de diversidade (H' e equitabilidade (J foram significativamente baixos para os cinco locais investigados, com H' variando de 0,3301 a 1,0396. Quanto à tolerância dos organismos à poluição orgânica, alguns táxons mais sensíveis foram muito raros (Plecoptera ou em baixa frequência (Trichoptera e Ephemeroptera. Entre os grupos mais resistentes a ambientes poluídos estão os Chironomidae e os Hirudinea, ambos bastante comuns nas amostras de Alagados. Este estudo reforça a importância da análise de bioindicadores na avaliação da qualidade de água para consumo humano e também para a conservação de ecossistemas, considerando que um programa de monitoramento ambiental deve integrar medidas físicas, químicas e biológicas.

CHANGES IN SOIL MACROFAUNA IN AGROECOSYSTEMS DERIVED FROM LOW DECIDUOUS TROPICAL FOREST ON LEPTOSOLS FROM KARSTIC ZONES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Francisco Bautista

2009-02-01

%, Taiwan pasture of two year old (80%, Taiwan pasture of 12 years old (60% and Star grass of 12 years old (60%. Hymenoptera (the most abundant taxa and Orthoptera were the macrofauna groups that differ among agroecosystems. Response to disturbance by taxonomical groups showed that Hymenoptera had a temporal pattern, with peak dominance at systems with intermediate disturbance and decrease in dominance at SP; Coleoptera had an opportunistic behavior, becoming dominant as disturbance increased; Orthoptera and Arachnida showed susceptibility to disturbance.

Effects of chemical elements in the trophic levels of natural salt marshes.

Science.gov (United States)

Kamiński, Piotr; Barczak, Tadeusz; Bennewicz, Janina; Jerzak, Leszek; Bogdzińska, Maria; Aleksandrowicz, Oleg; Koim-Puchowska, Beata; Szady-Grad, Małgorzata; Klawe, Jacek J; Woźniak, Alina

2016-06-01

The relationships between the bioaccumulation of Na, K, Ca, Mg, Fe, Zn, Cu, Mn, Co, Cd, and Pb, acidity (pH), salinity (Ec), and organic matter content within trophic levels (water-soil-plants-invertebrates) were studied in saline environments in Poland. Environments included sodium manufactures, wastes utilization areas, dumping grounds, and agriculture cultivation, where disturbed Ca, Mg, and Fe exist and the impact of Cd and Pb is high. We found Zn, Cu, Mn, Co, and Cd accumulation in the leaves of plants and in invertebrates. Our aim was to determine the selectivity exhibited by soil for nutrients and heavy metals and to estimate whether it is important in elucidating how these metals are available for plant/animal uptake in addition to their mobility and stability within soils. We examined four ecological plant groups: trees, shrubs, minor green plants, and water macrophytes. Among invertebrates, we sampled breastplates Malacostraca, small arachnids Arachnida, diplopods Diplopoda, small insects Insecta, and snails Gastropoda. A higher level of chemical elements was found in saline polluted areas (sodium manufactures and anthropogenic sites). Soil acidity and salinity determined the bioaccumulation of free radicals in the trophic levels measured. A pH decrease caused Zn and Cd to increase in sodium manufactures and an increase in Ca, Zn, Cu, Cd, and Pb in the anthropogenic sites. pH increase also caused Na, Mg, and Fe to increase in sodium manufactures and an increase in Na, Fe, Mn, and Co in the anthropogenic sites. There was a significant correlation between these chemical elements and Ec in soils. We found significant relationships between pH and Ec, which were positive in saline areas of sodium manufactures and negative in the anthropogenic and control sites. These dependencies testify that the measurement of the selectivity of cations and their fluctuation in soils provide essential information on the affinity and binding strength in these environments. The

A medium-spatial scale distribution pattern of Pseudoscorpionida (Arachnida in a gradient of topography (altitude and inclination, soil factors, and litter in a central Amazonia forest reserve, Brazil

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

N. O. Aguiar

Full Text Available In Amazonia, nothing is known about the distribution of the invertebrates on a medium-spatial scale pattern. In a trail system of 64 km² at Ducke Reserve, we sampled 72 transects using the hand-sorting method and Berlese-Tullgren extraction. The reserve possesses ecosystems of "terra-firme" forest and the trail system represents a gradient of topographic soil factors and vegetation, avoiding categorizations. Considering the abundance and diversity of Pseudoscorpionida, we investigated the relation of the community to environmental factors tested (topography, clay percentage, litter, and soil pH, to the two major drainage basins of the reserve, and if these invertebrates can be used as biological indicators to monitor changes. We registered two species for the first time in the reserve, increasing the known diversity to 17 species. The lack of correlation with the predictor variables and the large home range, indicate that pseudoscorpions are not good biological indicators in the reserve. As the eastern and western watersheds are not separate management units for the community, our results show that they are generalist predators. In spite of our results and lack of knowledge concerning their biology, life history and taxonomy, pseudoscorpions are cosmopolitan and easy to find and measure. Compared with previous studies in the reserve, they have a consistent pattern of abundance and diversity throughout the years showing the stability of the community which can be checked mainly by comparison with environmental changes that would occur in the reserve. An investigation on a medium-spatial scale pattern and over a long-term period including other habitats, and also other predictor variables, like humidity, the structure of the vegetation and canopy closure, will be necessary to reinforce the observed tendencies.

Possibilities of using soil microarthropods, with emphasis on mites (Arachnida, Acari, Mesostigmata, in assessment of successional stages in a reclaimed coal mine dump (Pszów, S Poland

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

MADEJ GRAŻYNA

2014-06-01

Full Text Available The usefulness of 2 methods for biomonitoring of the effects of land rehabilitation were compared in Pszów (Upper Silesian Coal Basin, south of Poland. Thirty-one species of mesostigmatid mites were collected from 3 study plots representing different stages of restoration of the mine dump Wrzosy in Pszów and community structure of the mites was analysed. There was a general trend for mesostigmatid species richness, diversity, and density to increase with the development of vegetation. The dominant early successional mesostigmatid species was the phoretic Hypoapis claviger. During this study, 4616 specimens of soil microarthropods were extracted in total. They were classified according to the Biological Soil Quality Index (QBS. We tested the sensitivity and usefulness of this index for monitoring of soil quality and found its good relationship with successional stages in the reclaimed mine dump. Thus the QBS index seems to be an efficient index for monitoring the effects of restoration in mine dumps. It is a simpler, quicker, and cheaper bioindicator method than the earlier method based on community structure analysis of mesostigmatid mites.

Mites (Arachnida, Acari on Citrus sinensis L. Osbeck orange trees in the state of Amazonas, Northern Brazil Ácarofauna de Citrus sinensis L. Osbeck no estado do Amazonas, Brasil

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Teiamar da Encarnação Bobot

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Despite the importance of citriculture in Brazil, very little is known about mite populations in citrus crops in the Northern Region. In the municipality of Manaus, 12 sprayed sweet orange orchards were surveyed every two weeks during seven months to record mite species amount, and to describe the abundance and distribution of the most important species. The size and age of the orchards varied from 3,360 to 88,080 m² and seven to 25 years, respectively. In the fourteen sampling period, leaves, twigs and fruits were collected from 12 trees, one per orchard. In total, 3,360 leaves, 672 twigs and 1,344 fruits were sampled from 168 trees. Mites were manually extracted from the fruits, and by the washing method on leaves and twigs. We identified pests with the potential to cause economic loss. Fourteen species of phytophagous and mycophagous mites from Eriophyidae, Tarsonemidae, Tenuipalpidae, and Tetranychidae were recorded. Brevipalpus phoenicis (Geijskes 1939 and Phyllocoptruta oleivora (Ashm., 1879, the two commonest phytophagous mites in other Brazilian regions were dominant, showing that local orchards are susceptible to their infestation. Eleven predatory mites were recorded, comprising 10% of the mite population, belonging to Phytoseiidae and Ascidae. Phytoseiidae was the richest family, with ten species. The results are discussed in relation to the temporal variation aspects and habitat use of the most important species. Long-term research encompassing chemical applications followed by evaluations of the mite community are necessary for a better management of the orchards, taking into consideration the seasonal phenology of key pests.Apesar da importância da citricultura no Brasil, pouco se conhece sobre as populações de ácaros em plantações de citros no norte do país. No município de Manaus, 12 pomares de laranja doce pulverizados foram avaliados a cada duas semanas, durante sete meses, para o registro de ácaros plantícolas e para descrever a abundância e a distribuição das espécies mais importantes. O tamanho e a idade dos pomares variaram de 3.360 a 88.0080 m² e de sete a 25 anos, respectivamente. Nos 14 períodos de coleta, folhas, galhos e frutos foram coletados de uma árvore em cada pomar. No total, 3.360 folhas, 672 galhos e 1.344 frutos foram coletados de 168 árvores. Os ácaros foram extraídos dos frutos manualmente e pelo método de lavagem nas folhas e galhos. Identificamos espécies pragas com potencial de causar danos econômicos. Registramos 14 espécies de fitófagos em quatro famílias (Eriophyidae, Tarsonemidae, Tenuipalpidae, and Tetranychidae. Brevipalpus phoenicis (Geijskes 1939 (Tenuipalpidae e Phyllocoptruta oleivora (Ashm., 1879 (Eriophyidae, as duas espécies fitófagas mais abundantes em outras regiões, foram dominantes, mostrando que a cultura de citros local é suscetível à infestação. Registramos 11 espécies de predadores das famílias Phytoseiidae e Ascidae, compreendendo 10% da população total. Phytoseiidae foi a família mais diversa, com 10 espécies. Foram discutidos aspectos da variação temporal e utilização de hábitat das espécies mais abundantes. Estudos de longo prazo, envolvendo a aplicação de acaricidas e avaliações da comunidade de ácaros, são necessários para um melhor manejo dos pomares, levando-se em consideração a fenologia das pragas-chave.

Dieta del Pirincho (Guira guira en el nordeste de la provincia de Buenos Aires, Argentina (Cuculiformes: Cuculidae

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Guillermo E Soave

2008-12-01

only on animals. The trophic spectrum was determined on the basis of the identification of 92 items, all of animal origin, principally insecta (98 %, Annelida, Mollusca, Arachnida, Crustacea, Amphibia, Reptilia and Aves. in conclusion, G. guira is a opportunistic species that consumes animal preys exclusively. Rev. Biol. Trop. 56 (4: 1883-1892. Epub 2008 December 12.

Community structure and composition of litter spiders (Arachnida: Araneae and influence of macro-climatic factors on Parque Ecológico Jatobá Centenário, Morrinhos, Goiás, Brazil

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Renan Castro Santana

2015-08-01

Full Text Available Spiders are a diverse group and are considered to be good bioindicators due to their sensitivity to variation in biotic and abiotic factors.  Despite this the taxonomy of the Araneae is poorly known, particularly in the tropical and subtropical regions.  The use of spider guilds can improve our understanding of the dynamics of spider communities, and in this paper we analyse the influence of climatic factors on guilds and species dominance of spiders within the leaf litter layer of a semi-deciduous forest in the tropical savanna Cerrado, Brazil. The study site was Parque Ecológico Jatobá Centenário, a fragment of 90ha, in Morrinhos, Goiás, Brazil.  Spiders were sampled from November 2006 to August 2007 using pitfall traps that remained open for seven days on each of four occasions.  Overall 4139 spiders from 35 families and 118 species were collected. The main families were Salticidae (28%, Linyphiidae (27%, Lycosidae (12% and Theridiidae (11%.  In terms of richness the main families were: Theridiidae, Salticidae, Corinnidae and Araneidae, with 18, 16, 15 and 13 species respectively. The overall Shannon-Wiener (H’ diversity was 3.6. The rainy season showed higher values than the dry season for abundance (2,868 and 1,271 respectively, richness (100 and 71 and diversity (3,296 and 3,237.  The families Theridiidae, Corinnidae and Salticidae presented more species in both dry and wet seasons.  Observed climatic variation (rainfall, humidity and temperature between seasons influenced the community structure of ground-dwelling spiders. 

Description of new species of Stenaelurillus Simon, 1886 from the Western Ghats of India with the redescription of Stenaelurillus lesserti Reimoser, 1934 and notes on mating plug in the genus (Arachnida, Araneae, Salticidae

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pothalil A. Sebastian

2015-03-01

Full Text Available A new species of the jumping spider genus Stenaelurillus Simon, 1886, S. albus sp. n., is described from the Western Ghats of India, one of the biodiversity hotspots of the world. Detailed morphological descriptions, diagnostic features and illustrations of copulatory organs of both sexes are given. Detailed redescription, diagnosis and illustration of S. lesserti Reimoser, 1934 are provided. The occurrence of a mating plug in the genus is reported.

Pseudoescorpiões (Arachnida da vegetação de sub-bosque da floresta primária tropical de terra firme (Coari, Amazonas, Brasil Pseudoscorpions (Aracnida in the undergrowth vegetetion in dryland forest in Coari, Amazonas, Brazil

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nair Otaviano Aguiar

2003-01-01

Full Text Available Foi encontrada uma riqueza de 15 espécies de pseudoscorpiões, de 12 gêneros e 5 famílias (Chthoniidae, Geogarypidae, Olpiidae, Atemnidae e Chernetidae, habitando diferentes plantas da vegetação do sub-bosque, em floresta primária de terra firme, no alto rio Urucu, Coari, Amazonas, no período de 1991 a 1996. As plantas foram examinadas pelo método de "bateção". Apolpium aff. vastum foi à espécie mais freqüente e abundante sobre as plantas. Dentre os tipos de plantas avaliados, as maiores diversidades de espécies de pseudoscorpiões foram registradas nas pequenas palmeiras, tanto com fronde junto ao chão, como elevada acima do chão. A análise da composição das espécies que ocorreram sobre os diferentes tipos de plantas avaliadas foi realizada pelo "modo-Q", tendo como base a matriz de coeficientes de similaridade de "Jaccard", o que demonstrou maior similaridade entre a fauna das palmeiras e outras plantas que acumulam detritos acima do chão, entre as bromélias e entre aráceas de chão e outras plantas que acumulam detritos junto ao chão.A richness of 15 pseudoscorpion species, 12 genera belonging to 5 families (Chthoniidae, Geogarypidae, Olpiidae, Atemnidae and Chernetidae were found in the undergrowth vegetation of the dryland forest, at the upper Urucu river, Coari, Amazonas, from 1991 to 1996, and was collected by the "beating tray" method. Apolpium aff. vastum was the most frequent and abundant species in the undergrowth forest vegetation. Among the various types of plants examined, the majority of the pseudoscorpions occurred in small palms (in the ground-trenched palms as much as the erect stemmed palms. To appraise the specie's composition of these arachnids found in the different kinds of plants, the Q-mode analysis was used based on Jaccard's similarity coefficients. The coefficients that showed the greatest similarity were between the fauna of the palms and other plants that accumulate litter on top of the ground, and between the Bromeliacea and Aracea of the floor and other plants that use the litter of the ground.

Comunidades de arañas (Arachnida:Araneae asociadas al dosel de bosques de tierra firme e igapó en la Estación Biológica Mosiro Itájura (Caparú, Vaupés, Amazonia Colombiana

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ligia Rosario Benavides Silva

2004-07-01

de epífitas y hojarasca permitió encontrar especies e incluso familias que no se encontraron con el primer método. Al comparar los microhábitats de hojarasca y epífitas con el follaje, en los dos primeros se encontraron arañas activas nocturnas y que por lo tanto en las horas del día generalmente permanecen ocultas, razón por la cual no se encontraron en el follaje; este hecho muestra que este tipo de microhábitats contribuyen a los estimativos de riqueza de especies para el dosel. Igualmente en estos microhábitats (hojarasca y epífitas se hallaron arañas del suborden Mygalomorpha (tarántulas, las cuales no habían sido reportadas en estudios de dosel. El hallazgo en el dosel amazónico del 83% de las  familias de arañas reportadas para el país, evidencia el importante papel que desempeña este estrato en los bosques tropicales.

Composición y distribución espacio-temporal de las comunidades de arañas (Arachnida: Araneae en el sistema de cultivo maíz-soya de la altillanura plana colombiana, municipio de Puerto López, Meta

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Carlos Andrés Perafán Liévano

2004-07-01

sistema. La composición y diversidad de arañas en términos generales no se ve afectada durante las diferentes etapas del sistema de cultivo, pero sí entre los ecosistemas aledaños, los cuales promueven un aumento en la diversidad dentro de los cultivos y además determinan la fauna de arañas que se dispersa hacia estos.

MEMORIAS III Encuentro Científico de Estudiantes de Biología

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Biológica Colombiana Acta

2003-07-01

de regeneración en un bosque intervenido de la Amazonía Colombiana / Estudio preliminar de la comunidad macrobentónica del mesolitoral rocoso de bahía Concha (Parque Nacional Natural Tayrona,Magdalena, Colombia / Caracterización florística de un bosque pluvial tropical en el corregimiento de Pacurita, Quibdó, Chocó (Colombia / Revisión preliminar de la familia procyonidaeen Colombia / Evaluación y dinámica de uso del recurso hídrico en el corregimiento de Barú (Cartagena, Bolívar, Colombia / Viabilidad de la liberación de ardillas cola roja sciurus granatensisen el arboretum Francisco Bayón - Universidad Nacional de Colombia / Los rastros del megaterio comparación anatómica entre eremotherium rusconiiy bradypus variegatus / Comportamiento reproductivo de chiroxiphia lanceolata(pipridae:aves en un bosque intervenido del Tolima, Colombia / índice de agresividad en apis mellifera(hymenoptera: aapidae / Inserción de proteínas en membrana: algunas características del proceso / Comportamiento de félidos en cautiverio en el Zoológico de Santa Cruz, Colombia / Efecto de la forma tridimensional y el fenómeno de iluminación mutua en la percepción del color en el hombre / Tasa de hidratación de Physalaemus pustulosusR / Algunas serpientes venenosas presentes en la cuenca hidrográfica del Río Cabí, Chocó, Colombia / Embriogénesis somática y regeneración de plantas enepidendrum ruizianum (Orchidaceae / Germinación y crecimiento de una planta foránea, satureja sp.(labiaceae sobre tres sustratos orgánicos bajo condiciones controladas en la Sabana de Bogotá, Colombia / Caracterización de la comunidad de arañas (arachnida: aranae presente en bosque alto andino y en frailejonal del Parque Nacional Natural Chingaza, Colombia / Transporte de biomasa por una colonia de atta laevigatasmith 1958 (hymenoptera: formicidae en los Llanos Orientales (Puerto López, Meta, Colombia / Manejo ex situde crías de crocodylus intermedius(crocodylidae, una