FOREWORD: EDITORS’ INTRODUCTION (original) (raw)
A scientometric study of the order Odonata with special attention to Brazil
International Journal of Odonatology, 2017
The insects of the order Odonata have an aquatic larval stage and land-dwelling adults. These insects play an important role in aquatic ecosystems and are excellent bioindicators. The present study was based on a scientometric analysis of the research available on the Odonata, which aimed to identify the principal trends and gaps in the database on these organisms, compiled online from databases of the Institute for Scientific Information-ISI, Scielo and journals Odonatologica and International Journal of Odonatology. A total of 2317 papers were analyzed, permitting the detection of the following tendencies: a gradual increase in the number of papers occurred over time, most of the papers had an ecological perspective, most focused primarily on the adult stage and species level, and 49 studies focused on bio-indication by examining variation in the composition of the community, fluctuating asymmetry, bioaccumulation, species richness and abundance, and odonate habitat index (OHI). The increase in the ecological studies of odonates may reflect the dynamic characteristics of this order, and its relatively well-defined systematics, principally in the case of the adults. Despite the increase in the number of publications, there are still many gaps, such as biogeography, parasitism, competition within and among species, evolutionary and phylogenetic relationships, as well as studies of the larval stages of these organisms. Given the sensitivity of the members of this order to environmental variables, they may be used for the evaluation of aquatic systems, given their roles as detectors, exploiters or accumulators, depending on the type of response to environmental modifications.
314 Cruz et al. Revista Brasileira de Entomologia 53(2): 314–317, junho 2009
2015
Bot flies of the genus Cuterebra are restricted to the New World and are distributed throughout most of the temperate and tropical areas. Their larvae are obligatory parasites of mammals, producing myiasis in dermic and subdermic tissues of these animals (Catts 1982; Pape 2001). There is almost 70 species of Cuterebra and these flies are one of the most highly studied groups of insect parasites of New World wild mammals (Slansky 2007). However, the knowledge available on the ecology and natural history of most species comes from studies carried out in temperate regions (e.g. Wolf & Batzli 2001; Alcock & Kemp 2004; Jaffe et al. 2005). In the Neotropical region, the studies concerning the prevalence and dynamics of bot fly larval parasitism in wild mammals are scarce and have been carried out mainly with rodents. These studies have showed higher prevalence of bot fly larval parasitism in warm-wet season of the year, although few longitudinal studies Prevalence of larvae of the bot fly...
Revista Brasileira de Biologia, 2000
Atol das Rocas, the unique atoll in the South-western Atlantic, is located 144 nautical miles (266 Km) northeast from the city of Natal, NE Brazil and 80 nautical miles from Arquipélago de Fernando de Noronha, with geographic co-ordinates 3º51'S and 33º49"W. It's of volcanic origin and coralline formation. The reef is ellipsoid, its largest axis (E-W) is approximately 3.7 km long, and the shortest (N-S) is 2.5 km. Inside the lagoon, there are two islands: the Ilha do Farol and Ilha do Cemitério, which comprehend 7.2 Km 2 of emerged area. The Atol das Rocas lodges 143,000 birds, mainly by Sula dactilatra, S. leucogaster, Anous stolidus, A. minuta and Sterna fuscata. Due to their remote location, the islands remain largely undisturbed by the human activities. Aiming to a first characterization of the entomological diversity and the general trophic niches of atoll's entomofauna, three collects were made (1994, 1995 and 1996) utilizing several methods for a wide sample. One thousand six hundred and six insect specimens were collected belonging to eight orders: 1. Coleoptera -333 individuals of Dermestidae (Dermestes cadaverinus); Tenebrionidae (Phaleria testacea and morphospecies) and Curculionidae (one morphospecies); 2. Dermaptera -50 individuals of Carcinophoridae (Anisolabis maritima); 3. Diptera -281 individuals of Ephydridae (Scatella sp. and Hecamede sp.) and Hippoboscidae (one morphospecies); 4. Hymenoptera -45 individuals of Formicidae (Brachymyrmex sp.); 5. Lepidoptera -111 individuals of Microlepidoptera (one morphospecies); 6. Mallophaga -18 individuals in birds (two morphospecies); 7. Orthoptera -237 individuals of Acrididae (Schistocerca cancellata), Tridactylidae (one morphospecies) and Blattidae (three morphospecies); 8. Thysanoptera -531 individuals (one morphospecies). Also were collected 112 individuals of Arachnida. The taxa of the Order Araneae were represented by the families: 1. Miturgidae (Cheiracanthium inclusum); 2. Salticidae (two morphospecies) and 3. Segestriidae (Ariadna sp.); 4. Theridiidae (Achaearanea sp. and Latrodectus geometricus). For the Order Scorpionida, only samples of Buthidae (Isometrus maculatus) were collected. Through field observations, it was concluded the most insects are detritophagous and/ or necrophagous. It is suggested that which the dimension of ecological niches of the insects are a function of the droppings, trash and corpses of birds. A low diversity in the entomofauna of atoll, with its 25 morphospecies, was ascertained.
Revista Brasileira de …, 2011
Diversity of Odonata (Insecta) in lotic systems from Serra da Bodoquena, Mato Grosso do Sul State, Brazil. A systematic survey was carried out in four lotic systems from Serra da Bodoquena, the largest natural forests of the State, from August 2007 to November 2008. 548 specimens belonging to 33 species, distributed in 5 families were sampled. Libellulidae was dominant, with 13 species, followed by Gomphidae, Coenagrionidae, Protoneuridae and Calopterygidae. KEYWORDS. Aquatic insects; Odonata community; Neotropical Region; species richness. RESUMO. Diversidade de Odonata (Insecta) em sistemas lóticos da Serra da Bodoquena, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brasil. Um estudo sistemático foi realizado em quatro sistemas lóticos da Serra da Bodoquena, maior extensão de florestas naturais do estado, de Agosto de 2007 a Novembro de 2008. Foram coletados 548 espécimes pertencentes a 33 espécies, distribuídas em 5 famílias. Libellulidae foi dominante, com 13 espécies, seguida por Gomphidae, Coenagrionidae, Protoneuridae e Calopterygidae. PALAVRAS-CHAVES. Insetos aquáticos; comunidade de Odonata; Região Neotropical; riqueza de espécies.
BRAZILIAN ORNITHOLOGY: HISTORY AND CURRENT TRENDS
2008
Resumo. -Ornitologia brasileira: história e tendências atuais. -O desenvolvimento das pesquisas ornitológicas no Brasil pode ser dividido em três fases: exploração estrangeira (1500 até metade do século XIX), a dos museus de história natural (metade do século XIX até anos 70) e a fase moderna (a partir dos anos 70), quando os pesquisadores associados a universidades passaram a ser maioria. A primeira fase foi marcada pela presença de naturalistas estrangeiros que coletaram um grande número de espécimes e informações da avifauna brasileira que foi depositado em museus principalmente europeus. Na segunda fase, a pesquisa ornitológica passou a ser realizada nos museus de história natural, instituições que foram criadas em cidades brasileiras grandes e desenvolvidas, usando instituições européias como modelos. A ênfase das pesquisas nesta fase foi dada à taxonomia e à documentação da distribuição geográfica das espécies. Os museus de história natural, entretanto, não tiveram como tradição a formação de recursos humanos. A terceira fase da ornitologia brasileira inicia-se quando os estudos sobre a avifauna começaram a ser desenvolvidos na crescente rede nacional de universidades. A ênfase inicial dos estudos nas universidades foi a pesquisa sobre a ecologia das espécies e comunidades. Isto proporcionou a criação de muitos grupos de pesquisa locais e, consequentemente, a qualificação acadêmica de várias gerações de ornitólogos brasileiros. Atualmente, a formação de novos ornitólogos se dá em cursos de pós-graduação nas áreas de zoologia, ecologia, genética e biologia geral. Uma análise dos resumos dos trabalhos apresentados nos Congressos Brasileiros de Ornitologia (promovidos regularmente pela Sociedade Brasileira de Ornitologia), observa-se uma tendência ao aumento de estudos quantitativos em relação aos descritivos. O número de estudos em ecologia e comportamento é maior quando comparado a outros temas. Um dos grandes desafios da ornitologia brasileira é integrar as informações coletadas pelos museus de história natural, universidades, institutos de pesquisa e organizações governamentais e não-governamentais para expandir o conhecimento teórico sobre aves, abrindo frentes inovadoras de investigação e promovendo estratégias consistentes para a conservação da rica avifauna brasileira.
Oecologia Australis
The scarcity of studies on fauna inventories, especially those addressing insects, is a large problem in many regions of Brazil. To contribute to taxonomic knowledge and broaden the distribution of the order Odonata, we present a survey of odonate fauna of the Maracaju Hills in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil. Ten samplings were performed between September 2013 and April 2015, totaling 38 h of active searches. A total of 386 individuals belonging to five families, 21 genera and 37 species were collected. Eleven species belonged to the suborder Zygoptera and 26 belonged to the suborder Anisoptera. The family Libellulidae was the richest and most abundant (25 species; 285 individuals), followed by Coenagrionidae (nine spp.; 81 individuals). Lestidae, Gomphidae and Calopterygidae were each represented by a single species and totaled little more than 5% of the overall sample. Among the genera, Erythrodiplax stood out in terms of richness (eight spp.), followed by Erythemis (three spp.). The most abundant species were Erythrodiplax paraguayensis (N = 75), Erythrodiplax famula (n = 50), Ischnura fluviatilis (N = 48) and Micrathyria spuria (N = 45). The sampling effort represented by the species accumulation curve indicated that the richness of Odonata is close to actual richness, since the curve approached the asymptotic one. Aphylla molossus, Erythemis mithroides and Oxyagrion basale constitutes new records for the state of Mato Grosso do Sul, raising the richness of the state to 212 species.