Two new species of Ageniella Banks, 1912 (Hymenoptera: Pompilidae) from Brazil and updated keys

Ageniella Banks, 1912 is a paraphyletic group exclusive to the Nearctic and Neotropical regions. The genus has a remarkable morphological diversity among species and strong sexual dimorphism, hampering taxonomic studies of it. Herein, we add two new species to the Neotropical fauna of Ageniella: A. caerulea sp. nov. belonging to the subgenus Ameragenia and A. ruschi sp. nov. belonging to the subgenus Priophanes; both species are described and illustrated. A brief discussion of subgeneric characters and an updated taxonomic key to the species of Ageniella known from Brazil are provided.

A reappraisal of the taxonomy of Neotropical Sialidae (Insecta: Megaloptera): with the description of a new genus from Cuba

The unique Neotropical species of the alderfly genus Protosialis van der Weele, 1909, P. bifasciata (Hagen, 1861), is herein transferred to the newly described genus Caribesialis gen. nov. This new taxon is proposed to be sister to the clade Protosialis + Sialis Latreille, 1802, after a phylogenetic analysis that included male genital characters scored on a previous morphological matrix of the family. Also, Ilyobius nigrocephalus sp. nov., a remarkable new species from Ecuador, is described and its phylogenetic position is discussed. Furthermore, Ilyobius bimaculatus (Banks, 1920) from Bolivia, known solely from the female holotype, is redescribed. Based on the present study, the Neotropical fauna of Sialidae is proposed to be constituted by two genera, one insular (Cuba) and one continental (Mexico to Chile and Argentina).

The Hummingbird Collection of the Natural History and Science Museum of the University of Porto (MHNC-UP), Portugal

The Hummingbird (Family Trochilidae) Collection of the Natural History and Science Museum of the University of Porto (MHNC-UP) is one of the oldest collections of this family harboured in European museums. Almost 2,000 specimens, that encompass most of the taxonomic diversity of this family, were collected in the late 19th Century. The collection is relevant due its antiquity and because all specimens were bought from the same provider, mainly as mounted specimens, for a Portuguese private collection of Neotropical fauna. In the early 20th Century, it was donated to the Museum that is now the MHNC-UP. The information about the majority of these specimens is now available for consultation on the GBIF platform after curation of all specimens and digital cleaning of the associated metadata. In the process, hundreds of non-catalogued specimens were found and taxonomic and spatial information was updated for many of the specimens.

Partial revision of the genus Robinsonia Grote 1866: description of five new species for the Neotropical fauna (Lepidoptera, Erebidae, Arctiinae, Phaegopterina)

The genus Robinsonia Grote, 1866 is partially reviewed following a large DNA barcode campaign. In the Robinsonia praphoea Dognin, 1906 group three new species are described: R. simulans sp. n. from French Guiana, up to now confused with R. praphoea itself and then R. decaensi sp. n. and R. maranhensis sp. n. both from the lower Amazon. R. drechseli sp. n. is described from Paraguay and R. inexpectata sp. n., a species close to R. mera (Schaus, 1910) from Costa Rica, is described as new from Peru and Bolivia. Finally the full species status is confirmed for R. flavicorpus Dognin, 1910 which is found to be differentiable from R. marginata Rothschild, 1909. All types are figured along with the male genitalia for most and some female genitalia for all studied species.

Illustrated catalogue of type specimens of Megalopodidae (Coleoptera) deposited at the Museu de Zoologia da Universidade de São Paulo

The Museu de Zoologia da Universidade de São Paulo (MZUSP) houses an important Megalopodidae collection representing 144 species, especially from Brazil and the Neotropical fauna. The type specimens of some species have never been accessed since their original descriptions, and are thus unknown to a major part of the Megalopodidae researchers. Presented here is an illustrated catalogue of the megalopodid type specimens of 32 species deposited at MZUSP, featuring photos of habitus and labels, and complete label data of all the specimens, which originally belonged to Jacintho Guérin’s personal collection. Conflicting and inconsistent data provided in the literature and in the specimens’ labels are addressed. Taxa originally proposed as species varieties are here reaffirmed as valid, with subspecific rank. Agathomerus varians Monrós, 1945 and Plesioagathomerus vittatus Monrós, 1945, originally described as junior synonyms, are considered unavailable names. The subspecific epithet ngriapex is emended into Agathomerus bifasciatus nigrapex Guérin, 1949. An overview of the MZUSP Megalopodidae collection is presented with a history of the arrival of Guérin’s specimens.

Propuesta de corredores ecológicos para la restauración del hábitat de Guanta y Guatusa en Pacoche

Proposal of ecological corridors for habitat restoration of Guanta and Guatusa in Pacoche Resumen El hábitat de la Guanta (Cuniculus paca) y Guatusa (Dasyprocta punctata) en la Reserva de Vida Silvestre Marino Costera Pacoche, en la provincia de Manabí, ha experimentado presiones antrópicas que colocan en peligro su existencia. Con la finalidad de conservar la fauna neotropical, se propone identificar hábitats óptimos para estas especies, que tienen un rol fundamental en la cadena trófica. La metodología consistió en emplear el programa Maxent como el predictor de hábitats potenciales; el análisis de parámetros geográficos para identificar zonas con la mejor aptitud territorial y el análisis de rutas óptimas combinada con los parámetros propuestos por Bentrup en 2008, para definir la potencial ubicación de los conectores funcionales, apoyados en un Sistema de Información Geográfica. Resultó que las condiciones naturales donde se localizan los sitios óptimos son sectores donde predomina bosque húmedo con cuerpo de aguas cercanos, baja densidad de población y vías de primer orden. Se concluye, que el hábitat óptimo está muy intervenido, pese a estar dentro de un área protegida, por ello se propone como medida de regeneración ambiental, el diseño de conectores verdes y zonas de amortiguamiento. La herramienta Maxent es un predictor confiable ya que su AUC de 0.96. Palabras clave: corredor ecológico; hábitat; intervención; restauración ambiental. Abstract The habitat of Guanta (Cuniculus paca) and Guatusa (Dasyprocta punctata) in the Pacoche Coastal Marine Wildlife Reserve, in the province of Manabí, has experienced anthropic pressures that endanger its existence. With the purpose of conserving the Neotropical fauna, identify optimal habitats for these species, which have a fundamental role in the food chain. The methodology consisted of using the Maxent program as the predictor of potential habitats; the analysis of geographic parameters to identify areas with the best territorial aptitude and the analysis of optimal routes combined with the parameters proposed by Bentrup in 2008 to define the potential location of the functional connectors with the use of Geographic Information Systems. It turned out that the natural conditions where the optimal sites are located are sectors where humid forest predominates with a body of nearby waters, low population density and first-order roads. It is concluded that the optimal habitat of the species is highly intervened, despite being within a protected area; therefore, it is proposed as a measure of environmental regeneration the design of green connectors and buffer zones. The Maxent tool with a reliable predictor since its AUC of 0.96. Keywords: ecological corridor; habitat; intervention; environmental restoration.

Taxonomic revision of the genus Trichopoda Berthold, 1827 (Diptera: Tachinidae: Phasiinae), with emphasis on the Neotropical fauna

Trichopoda Berthold, 1827 is a tachinid genus belonging to the subfamily Phasiinae and natively distributed in the Americas. Species of Phasiinae are parasitoids of Hemiptera, especially Heteroptera, and are greatly important as biological control agents. Trichopoda is included in the “Trichopoda typica” group sensu Sabrosky, along with the genera Eutrichopoda Townsend, 1908 and Ectophasiopsis Townsend, 1915a. The genus Trichopoda includes several nominal species, many of which have been synonymized, whereas others have been transferred to different genera. Even though the group is morphologically remarkable for its bright colors and feather-like setae on the hind tibia and is important from an agricultural point of view, there have been no revisionary works dealing with its species. Before the present study, 22 valid species were included in Trichopoda, divided into two subgenera: Galactomyia Townsend, 1908 and Trichopoda s. str. In the current study, 25 species of Trichopoda are considered valid, of which twelve are described as new: Trichopoda (Galactomyia) auricauda sp. n., T. (G.) castannea sp. n., T. (G.) curvicercus sp. n., T. (G.) dupuisi sp. n., T. (G.) elongata sp. n., T. (G.) eupilipes sp. n., T. (G.) goiana sp. n., T. (G.) splendida sp. n., T. (G.) tenebrosa sp. n., T. (G.) tschorsnigi sp. n., T. (G.) urucurytuba sp. n. and T. (Trichopoda) sabroskyi sp. n. We also propose two new synonymies: Trichopoda (Galactomyia) giacomellii (Blanchard, 1966) syn. n. of T. (G.) pennipes (Fabricius, 1781) and T. (G.) nigripes Wulp, 1892 syn. n. of T. (G.) pennipes (Fabricius, 1781); the synonymies of T. ciliata (Fabricius, 1805) and T. haitensis Robineau-Desvoidy, 1830 with T. (G.) pennipes (Fabricius, 1781) are confirmed. We resurrect one species, T. (Galactomyia) limbata (Blanchard, 1966), which was previously synonymized under T. giacomellii (= T. pennipes). We also propose two new subgeneric combinations: T. alipes Wulp, 1892 and T. squamipes Wulp, 1892 are moved from the subgenus Galactomyia to the subgenus Trichopoda. The species aurantiaca Townsend, 1891 is considered as unrecognized within the genus Trichopoda, whereas T. mexicana Macquart, 1846 and T. subcilipes Macquart, 1844 are considered incertae sedis within the tribe Gymnosomatini. Three species are removed from the genus Trichopoda and placed in the genus Homogenia Wulp, 1892: Homogenia apicalis (Wiedemann, 1830), comb. n., H. decisa (Walker, 1853), comb. n. and H. luteipennis (Wiedemann, 1830), comb. n. We provide an identification key to Trichopoda species; due to lack of material, T. flava Röder, 1885 was not included in the key. The compositions of the two subgenera of Trichopoda are redefined for the Neotropical species, whereby all species previously placed in the subgenus Trichopoda by Guimarães, with the exception of T. alipes Wulp, 1892, T. indivisa Townsend, 1897 and T. squamipes, are transferred to the subgenus Galactomyia. On the other hand, the subgeneric placement of the Nearctic species stays the same. We also comment on and try to clarify possible misidentifications, notably for use of species in biological control programs. We present photographs of males and females of all examined species, as well as illustrations of almost all male and female terminalia.

Frugivory and seed dispersal in a hyperdiverse plant clade and its role as a keystone resource for the Neotropical fauna

Background and Aims Much of our understanding of the ecology and evolution of seed dispersal in the Neotropics is founded on studies involving the animal-dispersed, hyperdiverse plant clade Miconia (Melastomataceae). Nonetheless, no formal attempt has been made to establish its relevance as a model system or indeed provide evidence of the role of frugivores as Miconia seed dispersers. Methods We built three Miconia databases (fruit phenology/diaspore traits, fruit–frugivore interactions and effects on seed germination after gut passage) to determine how Miconia fruiting phenology and fruit traits for >350 species interact with and shape patterns of frugivore selection. In addition, we conducted a meta-analysis evaluating the effects of animal gut passage/seed handling on Miconia germination. Key Results Miconia produce numerous small berries that enclose numerous tiny seeds within water- and sugar-rich pulps. In addition, coexisting species provide sequential, year long availability of fruits within communities, with many species producing fruits in periods of resource scarcity. From 2396 pairwise interactions, we identified 646 animal frugivore species in five classes, 22 orders and 60 families, including birds, mammals, reptiles, fish and ants that consume Miconia fruits. Endozoochory is the main dispersal mechanism, but gut passage effects on germination were specific to animal clades; birds, monkeys and ants reduced seed germination percentages, while opossums increased it. Conclusions The sequential fruiting phenologies and wide taxonomic and functional diversity of animal vectors associated with Miconia fruits underscore the likely keystone role that this plant clade plays in the Neotropics. By producing fruits morphologically and chemically accessible to a variety of animals, Miconia species ensure short- and long-distance seed dispersal and constitute reliable resources that sustain entire frugivore assemblages.

Rectifying the identities of the males of two Micrathena species (Araneae: Araneidae), with report of the first case of intersexuality in the genus

Despite extensive taxonomic work on the Neotropical fauna of the spider genus Micrathena Sundevall, for 27 out of 117 (23%) species only the female morphology has been described, and some of the previously hypothesized male-female matches have been proven erroneous. This work provides new insight about sex matching in two species: Micrathena ruschii (Mello-Leitão, 1945) and Micrathena lata Chickering, 1960. For Micrathena ruschii, the male previously hypothesized to belong to this species was collected with females in Itatiaia; we here present morphologically different males, also collected with females, in Macaé, both in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Through a DNA barcoding approach, we present molecular evidence indicating conspecificity of M. ruschii females with the males collected in Macaé, proving the male from Itatiaia to be a misidentification. Therefore, a description of the correct male of Micrathena ruschii is herein provided. The male previously identified as M. ruschii probably represents an undescribed species but is not named here due to scarcity of material. We also describe for the first time the male of Micrathena lata based on one specimen collected in Misiones, Argentina. This male specimen belongs to the militaris species group, where M. lata is the only species from the Atlantic Forest previously only known by females. In addition, we detect an intersexual specimen of Micrathena ruschii, revealing the first case of intersexuality for the genus.