Karyotype composition of some rodents and marsupials from Chapada Diamantina (Bahia, Brasil)

The Chapada Diamantina (CD) is located in Bahia State, between 11-14° S and 41-43° W, being part of the Serra do Espinhaço. The occurrence of different habitats and transition areas permits an interesting mammal fauna composition, with species from different biomes living in sympatry. Species of Didelphimorphia and Rodentia are important members of mammal communities in almost all different habitats, and morphological and cytogenetic characters are important for a correct identification of most of these species. In this work 258 specimens of small mammals from the orders Didelphimorphia (six genera and six species) and Rodentia (two families, five Sigmodontinae tribes, nine genera and 11 species) were collected during the whole field work (44 nights with traps). Chromosome preparations were obtained from 145 specimens from the species: Marmosops incanus, Gracilinanus microtarsus, Monodelphis domestica, Akodon aff. cursor, Necromys lasiurus, Cerradomys sp., Oligoryzomys fornesi, O. nigripes, O. rupestris, Calomys expulsus, Rhipidomys macrurus, Wiedomys pyrrhorhinus and Thrichomys inermis. Didelphis albiventris, Micoureus demerarae, Thylamys karymii and Nectomys sp. were identified by morphological characters. Most analyzed specimens do not show karyotype variation. However, numerical chromosomic variation was found in two individuals of Akodon aff. cursor (2n = 15) and in one individual of Cerradomys sp. (2n = 51). Structural variation in karyotype was observed in seven individuals of Cerradomys sp., showing one additional pair of metacentric chromosomes.

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Taxonomic Synopsis of Eriosema (Leguminosae: Papilionoideae, Phaseoleae) in Brazil

Phytotaxa ◽

10.11646/phytotaxa.416.2.1 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 416 (2) ◽

pp. 91-137 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

ELISA SILVA CÂNDIDO ◽

WANDERLEIA DE VARGAS ◽

LUÍSA MARIA DE PAULA ALVES BEZERRA ◽

VIDAL DE FREITAS MANSANO ◽

MOHAMMAD VATANPARAST ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Field Work ◽

Morphological Characters ◽

Second Step ◽

Correct Identification ◽

Type Specimens ◽

Distribution Maps ◽

Savanna Vegetation ◽

Tropical Environments ◽

Species Complexes ◽

Representative Species

Eriosema is a pantropical genus occurring mostly in savanna vegetation and grasslands of tropical environments, with approximately 150 species and two centers of diversity, one in Africa with about 110 species, and the other in the Neotropics with about 40 species. Considering the large number of Eriosema taxa in Brazil, including five recently described, and the lack of recent study that encompasses all species that occur in the country, a taxonomic synopsis of the Brazilian species of Eriosema was needed and is presented here. Herbaria collections, including type specimens, were consulted and field work was carried out in Brazil. Our study records 35 Eriosema species in Brazil, which concentrates most of the diversity of the genus in the Americas (85%; 35 out of 41 species). Most of this diversity occurs in the Central Brazilian savannas, particularly in the states of Goiás (29 taxa, eight endemic), and Minas Gerais (26 taxa, four endemic). Among all American species in the genus, Eriosema simplicifolium and E. crinitum have the broadest geographical distributions, and occur throughout Brazil and most part of the American continent. They form species complexes and future detailed studies will be necessary in order to understand taxon boundaries and delimitations. An identification key, taxon descriptions, information about type specimens as well as information on the habitat, phenological and geographical records, together with distribution maps, images of representative species in the field and the main morphological characters are provided to assist in the correct identification of this group of savanna plants. We also present 15 lectotypifications, out of which three are second-step.

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Seed micromorphology of central European Orobanche and Phelipanche (Orobanchaceae) in relation to preferred hosts and systematic implications

Australian Systematic Botany ◽

10.1071/sb15007 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 28 (3) ◽

pp. 124 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Renata Piwowarczyk

Keyword(s):

Morphological Characters ◽

Seed Morphology ◽

Diagnostic Features ◽

The Czech Republic ◽

Vegetative Organs ◽

Periclinal Wall ◽

Taxonomic Criterion ◽

Seed Micromorphology ◽

Wall Perforation ◽

Almost All

Holoparasitic genera within family Orobanchaceae are characterised by greatly reduced vegetative organs; therefore, seed micromorphology has proved to be a useful complementary taxonomic criterion. Seeds of 160 samples from 54 localities of 26 taxa of the Orobanche and Phelipanche genera occurring in central Europe, specifically from Poland, the Czech Republic, Austria and Slovakia, supplemented by samples from Spain, France and Ukraine, were investigated using scanning electron microscopy. Thirteen quantitative or qualitative morphological characters of seeds were analysed. The following three types of periclinal wall sculpture of seeds were identified: veined and fibrillar in Phelipanche; with oval or elliptic perforations (pitted) in almost all species of Orobanche; with outer periclinal wall smooth, granular or rugged (very rarely visibly pitted), impeding vision of the inner one, occurring only in O. gracilis Sm. and O. coerulescens Stephan in Willd. The influence of different hosts on the features of seeds of eight species is also presented, as well as relationships between seed morphology and taxonomic classification, including problematic taxa. The best diagnostic features include type of ornamentation of the periclinal wall, perforation diameter (in pitted sculpture), fibrillar diameter (in fibrillar sculpture) and width of anticlinal walls. Size and shape of the seeds and cells and the presence of median troughs are variable; however, these features can be helpful when using larger samples. The usefulness of micromorphological studies on seeds of Orobanche and Phelipanche is demonstrated.

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Cecidomyiidae (Diptera, Insecta): richness of species and distribution in Brazil

Biota Neotropica ◽

10.1590/1676-0611-bn-2020-1038 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (2) ◽

Author(s):

Valéria Cid Maia

Keyword(s):

Plant Species ◽

Atlantic Forest ◽

Gall Midge ◽

The Other ◽

Amazon Forest ◽

Gall Midges ◽

Species Origin ◽

Neotropical Species ◽

Fauna Composition ◽

Almost All

Abstract: Most Neotropical species of Cecidomyiidae (Diptera) have been described from Brazil, but a list of species with occurrence in the country has never been published. Little is known about their distribution and richness in the Brazilian phytogeographic domains. Additionally, a list of host plant species has never been gathered. The present study aims to fill these knowledge gaps and provides an overview of this family in Brazil. For this, data were obtained mainly from the literature, but also from the Cecidomyiidae collection of Museu Nacional and two herbaria (RB and R). Based on the site "Flora do Brasil 2020", botanical names were updated and plant species origin and distribution were verified. A total of 265 gall midge species have been recorded in Brazil, most from the Atlantic Forest (183), followed by Cerrado (60), and Amazon Forest (29). The other phytogeographic domains shelter from five to ten species. Phytophagous gall midges occur on 128 plant species of 52 families, almost all native, being 43 endemic to Brazil (21 endemic to Atlantic Forest, five to Cerrado, and one to Amazon). Although, the taxonomical knowledge is focused on the Atlantic Forest, each domain has its own fauna composition and these informations can be useful for environmental conservational purposes. About 58% of the Brazilian fauna are known only from the type-locality. In order to fill these gaps, it is necessary and important to collect in uninvestigated areas.

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Interactive key (Lucid) for identification of fungi in vegetable seeds

Summa Phytopathologica ◽

10.1590/0100-5405/204669 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 46 (1) ◽

pp. 14-19

Author(s):

Caroline Geraldi Pierozzi ◽

Ricardo Toshio Fujihara ◽

Efrain de Santana Souza ◽

Marília Pizetta ◽

Maria Márcia Pereira Sartori ◽

...

Keyword(s):

High Resolution ◽

Prior Knowledge ◽

Undergraduate Students ◽

Morphological Characters ◽

Fungal Species ◽

Ease Of Use ◽

Identification Accuracy ◽

Difficulty Level ◽

Identification System ◽

Correct Identification

ABSTRACT Interactive keys are tools that aid research and technical work since identification of organisms has become increasingly present in the scientific and academic context. An interactive key was developed with the software Lucid v. 3.3 for the identification of eleven fungal species associated with onion, carrot, pepper and tomato seeds. It was based on a matrix composed of six features: crop, conidium, conidiophore, color of long conidiophore, color of mycelium and presence of setae, besides 21 character states. In addition, descriptions, illustrations and high-resolution photographs of the morphological characters and states were made available to aid in the correct identification of fungal species. Validation of the interactive key was performed by distinct groups of volunteers: (i) graduate students with prior knowledge and using the interactive key; (ii) undergraduate students with little prior knowledge and using the interactive key, and (iii) undergraduate students with little prior knowledge and using the conventional identification system such as the printed manuals used in seed pathology laboratories. We analyzed the time spent by each volunteer to evaluate 25 seeds infected with the fungal species in the key, as well as the percentage of success and the difficulty level for each participant. The high percentage of correct answers with the use of the interactive key and the ease of use by the volunteers confirmed its efficiency because there was an increase in the identification accuracy when compared to the conventional system. Furthermore, the rate of success and the difficulty level presented low variability within groups (i) and (ii). These results are a consequence of the interaction of the user with characteristics of the developed tool, such as high-resolution photographs, which faithfully reproduce the fungal characteristics observed in the seeds under a stereomicroscope. Thus, the interactive key presented here can aid in teaching, institutional and commercial research, inspection and certification of seeds, making diagnosis safer and more accurate. The key is available for free at https://keys.lucidcentral.org/keys/v3/seed_fungi/.

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A new cryptic arboreal species of the Cyrtodactylus brevipalmatus group (Squamata: Gekkonidae) from the uplands of western Thailand

Vertebrate Zoology ◽

10.3897/vz.71.e76069 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 71 ◽

pp. 723-746

Author(s):

L. Lee Grismer ◽

Chatmongkon Suwannapoom ◽

Parinya Pawangkhanant ◽

Roman A. Nazarov ◽

Platon V. Yushchenko ◽

...

Keyword(s):

New Species ◽

Mitochondrial Gene ◽

Sequence Divergence ◽

Field Work ◽

Morphological Characters ◽

Sister Species ◽

Base Pairs ◽

Meristic Characters ◽

Nadh Dehydrogenase Subunit 2 ◽

A New Species

The first integrative taxonomic analysis of the Cyrtodactylus brevipalmatus group of Southeast Asia recovered two newly discovered populations from the Tenasserim Mountains in Suan Phueng District, Ratchaburi Province, Thailand as a new species described here as C. rukhadeva sp. nov. Based on 1397 base pairs of the mitochondrial gene NADH dehydrogenase subunit 2 (ND2), C. rukhadeva sp. nov. is the well-supported sister species to a clade containing three undescribed species, C. ngati, and C. cf. interdigitalis with a large uncorrected pairwise sequence divergence from other species in the brevipalmatus group ranging from 15.4–22.1%. Cyrtodactylus elok and C. brevipalmatus are recovered as poorly supported sister species and the well-supported sister lineage to the remainder of the brevipalmatus group. Cyrtodactylus rukhadeva sp. nov. is putatively diagnosable on the basis of a number of meristic characters and easily separated from the remaining species of the brevipalmatus group by a number of discrete morphological characters as well as its statistically significant wide separation in multivariate morphospace. The discovery of C. rukhadeva sp. nov. continues to underscore the unrealized herpetological diversity in the upland forests of the Tenasserim Mountains and that additional field work will undoubtedly result in the discovery of additional new species.

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Terrestrial Environments

Evolution and Biogeography ◽

10.1093/oso/9780190637842.003.0014 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 359-388

Author(s):

Spyros Sfenthourakis ◽

Alan A. Myers ◽

Stefano Taiti ◽

James K. Lowry

Keyword(s):

Morphological Characters ◽

Tectonic Activity ◽

Model Organisms ◽

Aquatic Life ◽

Terrestrial Isopods ◽

Biological Studies ◽

The Family ◽

Terrestrial Environments ◽

Forest Leaf Litter ◽

Almost All

Among crustaceans, only Amphipoda, Isopoda, and Decapoda have invaded truly terrestrial environments, but only two groups show full adaptations to live on land: the family Talitridae among the Amphipoda and the suborder Oniscidea among the Isopoda. The Talitridae occur primarily in forest leaf litter, but a number of other habitats, including caves, are recorded. Talitrids are important ecological contributors to the litter fauna, often occurring in high densities. Their adaptations to a terrestrial way of life include the retention of the mitten-shaped second gnathopods, a neotenic condition among males; the first article of antenna 2 greatly enlarged and fixed to the side of the head; and enlarged gills and pleopods often reduced, sometimes to vestigial stumps. Talitrids have a skewed world distribution being at their most diverse in New Zealand, Tasmania, and Japan/Taiwan. They occur in the Caribbean and Central America but are absent from South and North America except as introduced taxa. Their distribution is largely a result of tectonic activity during the past 150 million years and of extinctions during the Tertiary due to increasing aridity of the climate. The Oniscidea (terrestrial isopods) are the only crustaceans that have managed to adapt to almost all habitat types on land and have become the most species-rich suborder of Isopoda. Although monophyly of the Oniscidea is generally accepted, current taxonomy, based almost entirely on morphological characters, needs extensive revision. Terrestrial isopods present a number of unique adaptations to life on land, some of which result from what can be considered as pre-adaptations of ancestral marine isopods, such as egg development in a marsupium, being dorso-ventrally oblate and having a pleopodal respiration. Other crucial adaptations of Oniscidea include the water-conducting system, the structure of their cuticle, and the “covered” type of pleopodal lungs, all of which are responses to the acute problem of desiccation. They are also among the most speciose taxa in caves, some species have even returned to an aquatic life, and a few species have evolved social behavior. Oniscidea are increasingly being used in biogeographical, phylogeographical, ecological, and evolutionary research and can become model organisms for a broad range of biological studies.

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Male identification, generic classification and sexual dimorphism of Micronychus pardus (Kazantsev, 2018) comb. nov. (Coleoptera: Lycidae: Calochrominae)

Zootaxa ◽

10.11646/zootaxa.4657.1.9 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 4657 (1) ◽

pp. 177-182 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

MICHAL MOTYKA

Keyword(s):

Mitochondrial Dna ◽

Sexual Dimorphism ◽

Species Identification ◽

Dna Sequences ◽

Morphological Characters ◽

Molecular Data ◽

Large Specimen ◽

Molecular Analyses ◽

Almost All ◽

First Time

Almost all net-winged beetles are members of Müllerian complexes and their similarity due to phenotypic coevolution sometimes complicates species identification and generic placement. Therefore, large specimen series, detailed exhaustive examination of morphological characters and molecular data are needed to clarify the taxonomic placement. Using mitochondrial DNA sequences, I investigated the sexual dimorphism and generic placement of the recently described species Calochromus pardus Kazantsev, 2018. I found that the species does not belong in Calochromus Guérin-Méneville, 1833 and all morphological characters and molecular analyses point to its placement in Micronychus Motschulsky, 1861. Therefore, Micronychus pardus (Kazantsev, 2018), comb. nov. is proposed. Additionally, the male is described here for the first time showing the sexual dimorphism in the species. Unlike the females, the males do not superficially resemble members of Xylobanus Waterhouse, 1879 with bright coloured elytral costae and black background, but mimics the sympatrically occurring yellow and black lycids in the genus Cautires Waterhouse, 1879.

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A new species of Astyanax Baird & Girard (Characiformes: Characidae) from western Chapada Diamantina, Bahia, Brazil

Zootaxa ◽

10.11646/zootaxa.4604.2.9 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 4604 (2) ◽

pp. 369 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

RAFAEL BURGER ◽

FERNANDO R. CARVALHO ◽

ANGELA M. ZANATA

Keyword(s):

New Species ◽

Species Complex ◽

Morphological Characters ◽

Body Depth ◽

Chapada Diamantina ◽

Dorsal Fin ◽

Astyanax Scabripinnis ◽

Fin Rays ◽

A New Species ◽

Pelvic Fin

A new species of Astyanax from the upper rio Paraguaçu basin, Chapada Diamantina, Bahia, Brazil, is described. Astyanax sincora shares characters currently used to define the Astyanax scabripinnis species complex, as highest body depth approximately at vertical through pectoral-fin midlength and a low number of branched anal-fin rays (13–17). It differs from its congeners by a combination of characters, including eight branched dorsal-fin rays, six branched pelvic-fin rays, presence of bony hooks in pectoral and anal fins of males, dark midlateral line or stripe initiating posteriorly to the vertically elongate humeral blotch, and by the presence of 30–35 scales in the median longitudinal series. The generic positioning of the new species and some polymorphic morphological characters in Astyanax are briefly discussed. The degree of completeness of the lateral line in Hyphessobrycon balbus is discussed. [Species Zoobank registration: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:D708FE7E-3FB5-4729-B438-779717F7ED1A]

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The diversity of a snake community in a karst forest ecosystem in the central Truong Son, Vietnam, with an identification key

Zootaxa ◽

10.11646/zootaxa.1493.1.1 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 1493 (1) ◽

pp. 1-40 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

THOMAS ZIEGLER ◽

RALF HENDRIX ◽

VU NGOC THANH ◽

MARTINA VOGT ◽

BERNHARD FORSTER ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Field Work ◽

Identification Key ◽

Mountain Ridge ◽

Field Surveys ◽

Snake Species ◽

Karst Forest ◽

Central Vietnam ◽

Species Abundances ◽

Fauna Composition ◽

Species Being

A review of the snake diversity of Phong Nha Ke Bang, central Truong Son, Vietnam is given. As the result of recent field work, we add nine species to the region's karst forest snake fauna: Amphiesma sp., Calamaria thanhi, Gonyosoma prasinum, Liopeltis frenatus, Lycodon cf. ruhstrati, Lycodon sp., Pareas hamptoni, P. macularius, and Pseudoxenodon macrops. The evidence of Calamaria thanhi from within the Phong Nha Ke Bang National Park's borders in addition represents the second finding of this recently described and barely known species as well as the first male recorded. A topical list of the 59 snake species recorded from the area is presented (two Typhlopidae, two Xenopeltidae, two Pythonidae, five Elapidae, five Crotalidae, and 43 colubrid snakes) and compared with the snake fauna known from Tam Dao mountain ridge in northern Vietnam. Species being expected in the future to be recorded within the Phong Nha Ke Bang region are introduced and zoogeographical aspects of the regional snake's fauna composition are discussed. Besides an overview of the spatial and temporal niche segregation of the Phong Nha Ke Bang snake community we show the snake species abundances based on own field surveys in the period between 1998 and 2006. Finally, we provide an identification key to the snake species recorded from Phong Nha Ke Bang and adjacent provinces in central Vietnam.

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Impact of volcanic halogens on the ozone layer and climate, a look to the past to highlight the present

10.5194/egusphere-egu2020-19275 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Hélène Balcone-Boissard ◽

Thiébaut D'Augustin ◽

Georges Boudon ◽

Slimane Bekki ◽

Magali Bonifacie ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Volcanic Eruptions ◽

Field Work ◽

Field Studies ◽

Global Scale ◽

Ozone Layer ◽

Volatile Species ◽

Magma Supply ◽

Global Impacts ◽

Almost All ◽

The Impact

Explosive eruptions of the Plinian type inject large amounts of particles (pumice, ash, aerosols) and volatile species into the atmosphere. They result from the rapid discharge of a magma chamber and involve large volumes of magma (from a km3 to hundreds of km3). Such eruptions correspond to a rapid ascent of magma in the conduit driven by the exsolution of volatile species. If the magma supply is continuous, this jet produces a convective eruptive column that can reach tens of km in height and transports gas and particles (pumice, ash, aerosols) directly into the stratosphere. Depending on the latitude of the volcano, the volume of implied magma, the height of the eruptive plume and the composition of the released gaseous and particulate mixture, these events can strongly affect the environment at the local or even at a global scale. Almost all studies on global impacts of volcanic eruptions have largely focused on the sulfur component. Volcanoes are also responsible for the emission of halogens which have a crucial impact on the ozone layer and therefore the climate.The objective of our project is to revisit the issue of the impact of volcanism on the atmosphere and climate by considering not only the sulfur component but also the halogen component. We will provide field work-based constraints on the strength of halogen (Cl and Br) emissions and on degassing processes for key eruptions, we will characterise the dynamics of volcanic plumes, notably the vertical distribution of emissions and we will explore and quantify the respective impacts of sulfur and halogen emissions on the ozone layer and climate.&#160;Here we will shed light on the methodology that will combine field campaign, laboratory analysis of collected samples and a hierarchy of modelling tools to study. We use an approach combining field studies, petrological characterization, geochemical measurements including isotopic data, estimation of the volume of involved magma and the height of injection of gases and particles by modelling the eruptive plume dynamic and numerical simulation of the impacts at the plume scale and at the global scale. &#160;The first halogen budget will also be presented.

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