scholarly journals Natural history of two carpenter ants, Camponotus renggeri and C. rufipes (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), in an Atlantic Forest reserve

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miguel Piovesana Pereira-Romeiro ◽  
Gabriel Tofanelo Vanin ◽  
Marianne Azevedo-Silva ◽  
Gustavo Maruyama Mori

Widespread species face a wide variety of environmental challenges and their morphology, behavior, and natural history may change across their range. However, not rarely, natural history research is restricted to one or few locations. That is the case for Camponotus renggeri and C. rufipes. Both species occur across South America in different ecosystems, but most research on these species is restricted to the Brazilian savanna, known as Cerrado. Here, we describe the home range, nesting habits, and activity schedule of C. renggeri and C. rufipes in an Atlantic Forest reserve in SE Brazil. C. renggeri foraged exclusively during nighttime and C. rufipes remained active throughout the nycthmeron, but with little intensity during daylight hours. Most nests of both species were composed of dry straw, and home ranges varied from nearly 0.91 m2 (C. renggeri) to 1.79 mm2 (C. rufipes). Foraging areas overlapped, especially in C. renggeri. Our field study reinforces the importance of natural history and what it adds to our knowledge on the ecology and behavior of C. renggeri and C. rufipes in Atlantic Forest.

Zootaxa ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 5061 (2) ◽  
pp. 361-368
Author(s):  
VINICIUS M. LOPEZ ◽  
RENAN KOBAL DE OLIVEIRA ALVES CARDOSO ◽  
RODRIGO R. CEZÁRIO ◽  
RHAINER GUILLERMO-FERREIRA ◽  
EDUARDO F. DOS SANTOS

We describe the new species Entypus renata, sp. nov., from the Brazilian Atlantic Forest and report on its host. We also provide the first host records for Ageniella (Priophanes) erythroptera (Banks), Entypus bituberculatus (Guérin-Méneville) and an undetermined species of Poecilopompilus Ashmead. In addition, we report behavioral aspects for these species, including a new ethological sequence for Poecilopompilus.  


2004 ◽  
Vol 64 (2) ◽  
pp. 353-356 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Van Sluys ◽  
V. M. Ferreira ◽  
C. F. D. Rocha

Information on the ecology of lizard species from the Brazilian Atlantic Forest is scarce and almost nothing is known about the ecology of lizards of the genus Enyalius. In this study, we provide information about some aspects of the natural history of E. brasiliensis from an area of Atlantic Forest in Ilha Grande, RJ. Enyalius brasiliensis (N = 15) feeds mainly on arthropods. The most frequent food items were insect larvae, orthopterans, and ants; in terms of volume, larvae and termites were the most important food items; ants and termites were the most numerous prey categories. Two females were reproductive (one had 10 and the other, five vitellogenic follicles); the smallest measured 92.4 mm in SVL. Seven lizards were found on forest leaf litter. The other microhabitats used were vines, fallen logs, branches, and a crevice on a slope.


2018 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Camila F. Moser ◽  
Mateus de Oliveira ◽  
Fernanda R. de Avila ◽  
Diogo Dutra-Araújo ◽  
Renata K. Farina ◽  
...  

Abstract: The species Boana bischoffi and Boana marginata are endemic to the Atlantic Forest, where they often occur in sympatry. There is a large gap in the knowledge of natural history of both species. In this study, we aimed to describe and compare the diet composition of B. bischoffi and B. marginata in the southern domain of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. We analyzed the gastrointestinal contents of 43 individuals of B. bischoffi and 30 individuals of B. marginata. Both showed a high trophic niche overlap (0.90 Ojk). The most important prey categories for both species belonged to the orders Araneae and Coleoptera. The species niche breadth (Bsta) varied from 0.35 to 0.42, suggesting a generalist feeding behavior for both species. Our data provide unprecedented information on these species' food composition, contributing to a better knowledge of the natural history of neotropical anurans.


2005 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
pp. 475-483 ◽  
Author(s):  
Isami Ikeuchi ◽  
Masami Hasegawa ◽  
Akira Mori

AbstractNatural history of the diurnal gecko, Phelsuma madagascariensis kochi, was investigated with mark-and-recapture and census methods from the end of the dry season to the middle of the rainy season in a dry forest of Madagascar. Males were larger than females in snout-vent length, tail length, and body mass, and also had relatively larger head widths. Hatchlings were observed only in the rainy season. The geckos passively followed ambient temperatures, rarely basked, but had lower cloacal temperature than air temperature at high air temperatures. They preferred high and thick trees. The frequency of sighting decreased in the rainy season. Foraging mode was sit-and-wait. Home ranges of male P. madagascariensis kochi did not overlap with each other, but partially overlapped with those of females and unsexed individuals. Several ecological traits of P. madagascariensis kochi such as male-biased sexual size dimorphism and possible home range defense, seemed more similar to those of diurnal, arboreal lizards (some iguanids and agamids) relying on the visual modality, rather than to those of nocturnal geckos.


Mammalia ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 82 (5) ◽  
pp. 490-493
Author(s):  
David O. Ribble ◽  
Galen B. Rathbun

Abstract We conducted a brief radiotelemetry study of Scotinomys teguina (Alston’s singing mice) in Costa Rica to better understand their natural history and spatial ecology. We radio-collared five mice, one of which was quickly eaten by a pitviper. The home ranges of the remaining mice were in moist habitats and ranged from 255 to 1620 m2, with extensive overlap between adjacent individuals. Singing mice, being small, diurnal, uniformly dark-colored insectivores foraging in dense forest floor habitats, have an adaptive syndrome similar to soricids, which may be due to the low diversity of shrews through Central America.


2020 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 189-200
Author(s):  
Edelcio Muscat ◽  
Rafael Costabile Menegucci ◽  
Rafael Mitsuo Tanaka ◽  
Elsie Rotenberg ◽  
Matheus de Toledo Moroti ◽  
...  

Natural history of the marsupial frog Gastrotheca albolineata (Anura: Hemiphractidae) in lowland Brazilian Atlantic Forest. Gastrotheca albolineata is a marsupial frog endemic to the Atlantic Forest in southeastern Brazil. It remains poorly studied in nature and is uncommon in herpetological collections. We studied the natural history of G. albolineata during a four-year period (2015 to 2019), in Ubatuba, São Paulo state, Brazil, at its southernmost distribution. Our results show that G. albolineata is arboreal, perches from low to medium heights, and breeds during the dry season without chorus aggregation. Calling activity occurs during the day but is more intense during the first half of the night. We used dorsal body markings to identify individuals. Six individuals were recaptured during the study, indicating site fidelity during the active season. The defensive repertory of G. albolineata contains seven different behaviors, including a high-pitched distress call. Egg development in the female’s dorsal pouch took at least 87 days, and fully formed froglets were born with a snout–vent length of 16 mm. Our data substantially add to the knowledge of the natural history of Brazilian marsupial frogs and can be helpful to delineate conservation strategies for elusive species such as G. albolineata.


2020 ◽  
Vol 13 ◽  
pp. e916
Author(s):  
Suianne Oliveira dos Santos Cajé ◽  
Jefferson Duarte de Melo ◽  
Erlande Lins da Silva ◽  
Iracilda Maria de Moura Lima

The family Lycaenidae (Lepidoptera) comprises over 6,000 described and widely distributed species. However, studies on interactions with other insects such as ants, parasitoids, and with food plants in the Neotropical region, are still scarce, even though such information are fundamental for better understanding the natural history of this taxonomic group. This study reports a new food plant to larvae of Lycaenidae species in the neotropics, as well as its parasitoid. A Lycaenidae larva was found and collected for immature stage observation under laboratory conditions. The larva fed on petals and seeds of Zornia latifolia Sm. (Fabaceae). Nineteen days after pupation in laboratory a larvipupal parasitoid of the genus Conura (Chalcididae) had egressed. This is the first report of tritrophic relationship amongst Z. latifolia, a Lycaenidae larva and its larvipupal parasitoid of the genus Conura in a periurban area near remnants of the Atlantic Forest, in Northeastern Brazil.


2013 ◽  
Vol 86 (2) ◽  
pp. 181-190 ◽  
Author(s):  
MÁRCIA AKEMI NAKANO ◽  
VITOR F OLIVEIRA DE MIRANDA ◽  
DÉBORA RODRIGUES DE SOUZA ◽  
RODRIGO M FEITOSA ◽  
M. SANTINA C MORINI

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