A new species and a new combination for the subfamily Cunaxinae (Acari: Cunaxidae)

A new species of Cunaxidae, namely Cunaxa bagualensis Wurlitzer & Ferla sp. nov., is described and illustrated based on females and males collected in soil and leaf litter in the Atlantic rainforest biome in a rural forest fragment in Mormaço county, Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil. Additionally, Armascirus livingstoni Laniecka & Kazmierski, 2021 is transferred to Dactyloscirus based on some observations.

Scrotal thermographic profile and seminal characteristics of Mangalarga Marchador stallions bred in the Atlantic Rainforest biome

ABSTRACT The objective of this study was to determine the scrotal thermographic profile and to verify the influence of temperature and humidity of the humid tropical climate on testicular temperature and seminal quality of Mangalarga Marchador stallions. The thermal profiles of the proximal, middle, and distal zones of the testicles and total surface temperature (TSTT) were recorded using an FLIR E60bx thermal imager. The average air temperature (°C) and relative humidity (%) were obtained 1, 5, 9, 33, and 66 days before semen collection and showed a mean value of 26.5±2.4 and 80.4±6.0 respectively. The scrotal surface temperature was close to 34°C and there was no variation with the age of the stallion, reproductive activity, and characteristics of the ejaculate (P>0.05). The only significant correlations obtained were between TSTT and minor defects (R = 0.41; P<0.05), between TSTT and total defects (R = 0.46; P<0.01), and between TSTT and percentage of morphologically normal sperm (R = -0.46; P<0.05). It was concluded that the Mangalarga Marchador stallions maintained the testicular temperature within favorable conditions for spermatogenesis, demonstrating the efficiency of testicular thermoregulation mechanisms in the Atlantic Forest biome.

A new species of Pulaeus and the first report of Coleoscirus tuberculatus for the fauna of Brazil (Acari: Cunaxidae)

A new species of Cunaxidae, namely Pulaeus mormacensis Wurlitzer & Silva sp. nov., is described and illustrated based on females and males collected in soil and leaf litter in the Atlantic rainforest biome in a rural forest fragment in Mormaço and Putinga municipalities, Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil. In addition, we report for the first time and illustrate Coleoscirus tuberculatus Den Heyer from Brazil.

A new species of Euplocania Enderlein (Psocodea, ‘Psocoptera’, Ptiloneuridae), from the Atlantic Rainforest, Brazil

A new species of Euplocania belonging in the Marginata species group, collected in an area of the Atlantic Rainforest in Brazilian states of Bahia is described and illustrated. It differs from all the other species in the Marginata species group in details of the hypandrium and phallosome. This is the first record of a species in the Marginata species group for the Atlantic Rainforest biome and the first record of a Euplocania species for Brazilian states of Bahia.

Occurrence of non-native species in a subtropical coastal River, in Southern Brazil

Aim This paper aims to concatenate and update the records of non-native species in a subtropical River, in Southern Brazil, warning about their possible impacts in this and other water bodies. Methods Monitoring was carried out in the Guaraguaçu River, the largest River of the Paraná coastal plain, located in the Atlantic Rainforest biome. Fishes were sampled in two periods: from 2002 to 2007 (monthly) and from 2016 to 2018 (semiannually), and the other organisms were collected in isolated samplings. Results The monitoring recorded the presence of six non-native species of animals in this River – four species of fish (Clarias gariepinus, Ictalurus punctatus, Oreochromis niloticus and Salminus brasiliensis), one invertebrate (Macrobrachium rosenbergii) and one foraminifera (Ammoglobigerina globigeriniformis) introduced by escapes from aquaculture, sport fishing and ballast water. These introductions are problematic because they have the potential to impact upon the endangered native species in the River through predation, competition or novel diseases. Conclusions In Guaraguaçu River the increasing number of introductions is worrying because these species have in common a set of traits that turns them into potential invaders. It is of great importance to keep monitoring their populations in order to detect and minimize their negative impacts on native biota, once there is a conservation unit in the region (Guaraguaçu Ecological Station), with the aim to protect the environment in its pristine condition.

A new species and first record of Vates Burmeister, 1838 from the Atlantic Rainforest (Mantodea: Vatinae)

A new species of praying mantis, Vates phoenix sp. nov. (Mantidae, Vatinae), is described from localities within Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo states, Brazil. This is the first record of Vates from the Atlantic Rainforest biome. The new species is unique among its congeners in having, among other features, strongly reduced cuticular projections above the lateral ocelli, structures otherwise well developed and produced in all other species of Vates. Remarks on the natural history and biogeography of Vates, in relation to this new finding, are further discussed.

Rock star flowers: Conchocarpus hendrixii (Galipeinae, Rutaceae), a new species from Eastern Brazil with notes on its phylogenetic position in the genus

A new species, Conchocarpus hendrixii (tribe Galipeinae, Rutaceae), is described and illustrated. To date, this new species is known from populations observed in the municipalities of Cardoso Moreira and São Fidélis in Serra da Bandeira/Serra da Vista mountain ranges in northern Rio de Janeiro state in the Atlantic Rainforest biome and was brought to light as an undescribed species thanks to photographs shared on the social media site Facebook. The epithet “hendrixii” is in honor of Jimi Hendrix, guitarist and singer-songwriter, who wrote the song “Purple Haze,” in reference to the purple color of the flowers of the new species. Analyzes showed that flowers of the new species bear a staminal tube, a characteristic present only in C. odoratissimus among the Conchocarpus. However, this species bears flowers with much shorter staminal tubes (c. 2–2.5 mm in length v. 1–1.2 cm in the new species) and smaller flowers, among other morphologically dissimilar characteristics. Molecular phylogenetic analysis using nuclear (ITS-1 and IT-2) and plastidial markers (trnL-trnF and rps16 intron) were conducted and demonstrated that the new species belongs to an internal clade in Conchocarpus, together with species formerly assigned to Almeidea (currently included in Conchocarpus). The presence of pantoporate pollen grains, a synapomorphic trait to this clade supports the molecular results. Conservation status as well as data from foliar and floral (with an emphasis on the staminal tube) anatomy are presented.