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Four new records of Anastrepha species, A. elongata Fernández, 1953, A. fraterculus (Wiedemann, 1830) (sensu lato), A. pseudanomala Norrbom, 2002, and A. sodalis Stone, 1942, are discussed. Anastrepha elongata is recorded for the first time in Brazil. All species were collected in McPhail traps in an urban forest fragment on the campus of the Federal University of Amazonas, city of Manaus, state of Amazonas.

Larger species tend to feed on abundant resources, which nonetheless have lower quality or degradability, the so-called Jarman-Bell principle. The "eat more" hypothesis posits that larger animals compensate for lower quality diets through higher consumption rates. If so, evolutionary shifts in metabolic scaling should affect the scope for this compensation, but whether this has happened is unknown. Here, we investigated this issue using termites, major tropical detritivores that feed along a humification gradient ranging from dead plant tissue to mineral soil. Metabolic scaling is shallower in termites with pounding mandibles adapted to soil-like substrates than in termites with grinding mandibles adapted to fibrous plant tissue. Accordingly, we predicted that only larger species of the former group should have more humified, lower quality diets, given their higher scope to compensate for such a diet. Using literature data on 65 termite species, we show that diet humification does increase with body size in termites with pounding mandibles, but is weakly related to size in termites with grinding mandibles. Our findings suggest that evolution of metabolic scaling may shape the strength of the Jarman-Bell principle.

Amazonian rainforests once thought to hold an innate pristine wilderness, are increasingly known to have been densely inhabited by populations showing a diverse and complex cultural background prior to European arrival. To what extent these societies impacted their landscape is unclear. Amazonian Dark Earths (ADEs) are fertile soils found throughout the Amazon Basin, created by pre-Columbian societies as a result of more sedentary habits. Much is known of the chemistry of these soils, yet their zoology, have been neglected. Hence, we characterised soil macroinvertebrate communities and activity in these soils at nine archaeological sites in three Amazonian regions. We found 667 morphospecies and a tenacious pre-Columbian footprint, with 43% of species found exclusively in ADEs. The soil biological activity is higher in the ADEs when compared to adjacent reference soils, and it is associated with higher biomass and richness of organisms known to engineer the ecosystem. We show that these habits have a unique pool of species, however, the contemporary land-use in ADEs drives nutrient decay and threats biodiversity. These findings support the idea that Humans have built and sustained a contrasting high fertile system that persisted until our days and irreversibly altered the biodiversity patterns in Amazonia.

This is the first record, for the state of Amazonas, of the occurrence of Anastrepha striata in fruits of abiu (Pouteria caimito, Sapotaceae) and star fruit (Averrhoa carambola, Oxalidaceae). The associations between A. striata vs Inga fagifolia (Fabaceae), A. striata vs Passiflora nitida (Passifloraceae) and Anastrepha distincta vs P. nitida are new for Brazil. RESUMO: Esse é o primeiro registro, para o estado do Amazonas, da ocorrência de Anastrepha striata em frutos de abiu (Pouteria caimito, Sapotaceae) e de carambola (Averrhoa carambola, Oxalidaceae). As associações entre A. striata e Inga fagifolia (Fabaceae), A. striata e Passiflora nitida (Passifloraceae) e Anastrepha distincta e P. nitida são inéditas para o Brasil.

Organismal fitness is fuelled by resources. However, resource acquisition often involves conflicting functional demands that may ultimately shape broader ecological patterns. For instance, termites play major roles in ecosystem functioning through their foraging and building activities. Yet, while experiments suggest improved foraging in sand, nest construction depends on clay. Hence, these functions may trade off, with species optima reflecting interspecific variation in building requirements. We investigated whether a foraging–building trade-off could affect termite populations by using three species differing in building requirements, namely Neocapritermes braziliensis, Anoplotermes banksi and Labiotermes labralis. We characterized their populations in relation to soil texture and food amount across a tropical rain forest landscape, and then compared the observed patterns. Colony density was unrelated to food amount in the three species. However, A. banksi was denser at balanced mixtures of sand and clay, consistent with a compromise between foraging and building demands. Further, the species building more mineralized nests (L. labralis) was more abundant on clayish soils, whereas the species relying less on soil for nest construction (N. braziliensis) was more abundant on sandy soils. Changes in colony density correlated with changes in size structure: in N. braziliensis and A. banksi, colony mass variability increased with density due to a sharp decrease in minimum colony mass, consistent with higher productivity and/or size-asymmetric competition. This study suggests a novel functional trade-off that may help drive population density and size structure both within and across termite species.

O cubiu ( Solamun sessiliflorum Dun.) e uma hortalica-fruto nao-convencional de alto potencial agroindustrial. No entanto, informacoes sobre o sistema de cultivo comercial sao escassas. Objetivou-se avaliar o comportamento de quatro etnovariedades de cubiu (ETV 1, ETV 2, ETV 3 e ETV 4) em tres densidades populacionais (20.000, 10.000 e 6.667 plantas ha -1 ), na mesorregiao do Alto do Solimoes, AM. O trabalho foi conduzido em delineamento em blocos casualizados, com tres repeticoes, em fatorial simples 4 x 3, os caracteres altura e diâmetro da planta, comprimento, numero, massa media e produtividade dos frutos. Observaram-se comportamentos distintos entre as etnovariedades para a maioria dos caracteres avaliados. As densidades populacionais afetaram as expressoes das caracteristicas tanto dentro de uma mesma etnovariedade quanto entre diferentes. A ETV 2 se destacou para os caracteres relacionados a producao, devendo ser estudada mais detalhadamente na regiao abordada no estudo. Normal 0 21 false false false PT-BR X-NONE X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Tabela normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Calibri",serif;}

O cubiu (Solanum sessiliflorum Dunal) (Solanaceae) é originário da região Amazônica. Suas propriedades alimentares, medicinais e agronômicas têm despertado o interesse de pesquisadores desde 1970. No entanto, estudos sobre insetos em plantas tanto de ocorrência natural como de cultivos são escassos. O objetivo deste trabalho foi realizar um levantamento da ocorrência de insetos e caracterizar os danos aparentes aos cultivos de cubiu localizados em Benjamin Constant, no Alto Solimões, Amazonas, Brasil. Foram encontradas 51 espécies de insetos adultos distribuídas em 22 famílias e sete ordens. Hymenoptera, Hemiptera e Coleoptera congregam juntas 82,35% das espécies encontradas neste estudo. Hemiptera e Coleoptera são as ordens com maior número de famílias, oito e cinco, respectivamente; enquanto a família Formicidae (Hymenoptera) tem o maior número de espécies (11). Foram registradas 18 espécies de insetos fitófagos, 10 pertencentes à ordem Coleoptera e oito à Hemiptera. O maior número de famílias foi registrado para a ordem Hemiptera com seis, para Coleoptera identificou-se apenas três. Os Coleoptera da espécie Epicauta pestifera Werner (Meloidae) constituem a principal praga do cultivo de cubiu em Benjamin Constant, pois seu ataque em reboleira é capaz de destruir várias plantas em um único dia e exterminar plantios em poucas semanas. Outros fitófagos dos gêneros Colaspis e Cerotoma, ambos Chrysomelidae, ao consumirem o tecido foliar expõem as plantas ao ataque de microrganismos e reduzem a área fotossintética. Enquanto que Edessa rufomarginata De Geer (Pentatomidae, Hemiptera) causa danos diretos e indiretos e merece atenção durante todo o ciclo de produção. Entomofauna associated to cultivation of Cubiu (Solanum sessiliflorum Dunal) in Benjamin Constant city, Amazonas, BrazilAbstract. Cubiu (Solanum sessiliflorum Dunal, Solanaceae) is originally from Amazon region and its dietary, medicinal and agronomic properties sparked the interest of researchers since 1970. The studies about insects on cubiu plants both of natural occurrence as well as in cultivations, is scarce. This study aims to relate the visitor insect of cubiu plants, with emphasis to the phytophagous species. We found 51 species of the mature insect, distributed among 22 families and seven orders. Hymenoptera, Hemiptera and Coleoptera represent together 82.35% of the species found in this study. Coleoptera and Hemiptera are the orders with larger number of families, eight and five, respectively, while Formicidae (Hymenoptera) is the family with the largest number of species (11). We recorded 18 species of phytophagous insects, ten belong to the order Coleoptera and eight to the order Hemiptera. However, the largest number of families was recorded to the order Hemiptera with six, while Coleoptera has only three. The species of beetles Epicauta pestifera Werner (Meloidae) constitute the main pest of the cultivation of cubiu in Benjamin Constant, because the attack in agglomerates may destroy many plants in just one day and exterminate the plantation within weeks. Other genus of phytophagous such as Colaspis and Cerotoma, both Chrysomelidae, consumes foliar tissues, exposing the plants to the attack of microorganisms, which may compromise the photosynthetic capacity of the plant. Edessa rufomarginata De Geer (Pentatomidae, Hemiptera) causes direct and indirect damages and deserves attention throughout the production cycle.

Colony size is often attributed a key role in social insect population ecology. However, in nest-building termites, colony size is a power function of nest volume, so that colonies of species with low scaling exponents tend to grow less as their nests are expanded. Thus, in such species, intercolonial differences in colony size may be less likely to develop, and changes in species total biomass may largely reflect those in colony numbers rather than colony sizes. The scaling of colony biomass with nest volume in three termite species, namely Anoplotermes banksiEmerson, Neocapritermes braziliensis Snyder and Labiotermes labralis Holmgren was determined. Then, their nests were counted and their total biomass in plots across an Amazonian rainforest landscape was estimated. Finally, whether the strength of the relationship between total biomass and number of nests reflected species scaling exponents was examined. Scaling exponents were 0.47 for N. braziliensis, 0.57 for A. banksi, and 0.83 for L. labralis. On the other hand, the strength of the relationship between total biomass and the number of nests (r2) followed the opposite trend: 0.93 for N. braziliensis, 0.92 for A. banksi, and 0.53 for L. labralis. It is suggested that the scaling of colony size with nest volume may mediate termite population dynamics: as the scaling exponent decreases across species, changes in total biomass would increasingly reflect changes in colony numbers, with an accompanying increase in the importance of colony births and deaths as opposed to colony growth.

Ngauratermes arue, new termite genus and species from the Amazon region is described based on soldiers and workers. Soldiers are dimorphic, with constricted head and vestigial mandibles with distinct points. Workers are dimorphic, but one worker type is rare. The gut morphology of Ngauratermes is similar to that of Velocitermes and Diversitermes, with a large crop, P1 simple and tubular, enteric valve conical and curved. The relationships of the new genus with other neotropical Nasutitermitinae are discussed.

The taxonomy of Ruptitermes Mathews 1977 is revised. Nine new species are described: R. araujoi, sp. n. (from Brazil), R. atyra, sp. n. (from Brazil, Peru, and Panama), R. bandeirai, sp. n. (from Brazil), R. cangua, sp. n. (from Brazil), R. kaapora, sp. n. (from Paraguay and Brazil), R. krishnai, sp. n. (from Trinidad), R. maraca, sp. n. (from Brazil), R. piliceps, sp. n. (from Brazil), and R. pitan, sp. n. (from Brazil). Ruptitermes franciscoi (Snyder 1959), new combination, is transferred from Anoplotermes Fr. Müller to Ruptitermes. Ruptitermes proratus Emerson 1949 is placed under the synonymy of R. reconditus (Silvestri, 1901). The genus is redescribed to accommodate all the species included. Ruptitermes arboreus, R. reconditus and R. xanthochiton are redescribed based on the examination of large series. A key to the 13 species of the genus based on the external morphology of workers is provided. The enteric valve armature is described and illustrated for all species except R. kaapora. Distribution maps are presented for all species.

Venomous animals are found in a variety of environments, including residential urban areas, which creates a suitable place for reproduction. In this sense, the present work had as objective to understand the approach of the theme of venomous animals in two public schools of the municipality of Benjamin Constant-AM. To that end, students and teachers of basic education working in Primary Education were part of the research, in which structured questionnaires were applied with open and closed questions. In addition, multimedia resources were used for the visual demonstration of concepts, ecological importance, examples, general characteristics and differentiation between venomous and venomous animals. The obtained data were analyzed and tabulated following arithmetic mean between the answers. It was noted that the students involved have a vast knowledge about venomous animals, but that these need to be more worked in a contextualized way facilitating a better understanding of scientific terms, thus improving methods of accident prevention and that these can be multipliers of this knowledge

The mesofauna has an important function in the soil and it is represented mainly by Acari Oribatida and Collembola. We report the first data on the density and diversity of the soil mesofauna in Benjamin Constant, Amazonas State, Brazil. The following systems were evaluated: primary forest, secondary forest, agroforestry system, cultivated areas and pastures. A total of 101 samples were collected 100 m apart from each other and specimens were collected by using Berlese-Tullgren method. The highest density was registered in secondary forest (29,776 specimens.m-2). Acari Oribatida was the dominant group (7.072 specimens.m-2) in the pasture, suggesting that mites show higher capacity of adaptation to disturbed environments and/or due to the presence of gregarious species. The density of Collembola (5,632 specimens.m-2) was higher in secondary forest. Formicidae was the dominant group (27,824 specimens.m-2) and its highest density occurred in the secondary forest (12,336 specimens.m-2). Seven species and ten morphospecies of Isoptera and three species of Symphyla were identified. The highest density and diversity were found in secondary forest. One supposes that the low density of mesofauna found in all of the studied systems is being influenced by soil structure and composition as well as litter volume. For SUT, the composition of taxonomic groups in the cultivated areas is similar to the one found in primary forest, while the groups found in the agroforestry system are similar to those in the pasture, which may help to decide on land use strategies.

The taxonomy of the South American termite genus Labiotermes Holmgren (sensu novo) is revised, including identification keys to soldiers and workers, and distribution maps for all 10 species. Paracornitermes Emerson is treated as a new synonym of Labiotermes. Two new species are described: L. guasu, from the Amazon rain forest and L. oreadicus, from the Cerrado of central Brazil. Paracornitermes caapora Bandeira & Cancello and P. hirsutus Araujo are placed under the synonymy of L. orthocephalus. The imagos of L. emersoni and L. orthocephalus are described for the first time. The workers of all species are described and illustrated, including the enteric valve armature and the mixed segment. The soldiers of the species previously included in Paracornitermes are redescribed.

Apesar de sua relevância ecológica, os Apicotermitinae neotropicais foram taxonomicamente pouco estudados, e nenhum trabalho abrangente de morfologia comparada foi feito sobre eles. Portanto, há uma lacuna na compreensão da variação apresentada por alguns caracteres (especialmente do tubo digestório) em todo o grupo. A morfologia interna e externa de 600 amostras de Apicotermitinae da Mata Atlântica depositadas no MZUSP, juntamente com os tipos do American Museum of Natural History (Nova Iorque) e do Smithsonian Institution National Museum (Washington, DC), foi estudada. O tubo digestório, incluindo a válvula entérica, foi analisado para cada espécie tratada aqui. Foram identificadas 35 espécies, sendo 20 delas ainda não descritas, e outras 15 espécies já conhecidas, cujas áreas de distribuição foram ampliadas. O estudo do material tipo possibilitou a melhoria das descrições de espécies, cujos diagnósticos eram problemáticos. As descrições e redescrições de todas as espécies foram incluídas, bem como ilustrações das principais características, estudo morfométrico e mapas de amostragem. Também foram incluídos comentários sobre o status do material tipo, um breve estudo comparativo de todas as espécies neotropicais e uma chave de identificação baseada nos operários para essas espécies. O estudo comparado deu suporte para novas hipóteses de agrupamento das espécies no nível de gênero, e permitiu avaliar caracteres informativos que têm sido negligenciados em artigos publicados recentemente, como: diferenças nas mandíbulas de operários e alados da mesma espécie, especialmente na região molar, dimorfismo sexual nos alados, presença de órgãos deiscentes no tórax e nos primeiros segmentos abdominais do operário. Conclui-se que é fundamental o estudo da morfologia externa e interna do operário e morfologia externa do alado de forma combinada para um bom diagnóstico em nível específico e genérico, não considerando apenas uma característica (como a válvula entérica) para a separação de táxons. As descrições desses novos táxons permitirão estudos faunísticos comparáveis, levando a um melhor entendimento desse grupo nos ecossistemas neotropicais. Despite their ecological relevance, the Neotropical soldierless termites were not taxonomically studied enough, and no comprehensive comparative morphology study has been done. Therefore, there is a gap in the understanding of the character variation (mainly those of the gut) in the whole group. External and internal morphology of 600 samples of Apicotermitinae from the Atlantic Forest housed in the MZUSP were studied, along with the types from the American Museum of Natural History (New York) and the Smithsonian Institution National Museum (Washington, DC). The digestive tube, including the enteric valve, of each species herein treated were studied. Thirty five species were identified in total, out of which 20 are undescribed, and the other 15 already described have had an extension of their known distribution. The study of the type material have improved the descriptions of species, whose diagnosis were problematic. Descriptions and re-descriptions of all species were provided, as well as illustrations of the main characteristics, morphometric study and sampling maps. There were also comments on the status of the type material, and a brief comparative study of all Neotropical species plus an identification key for these, based on workers. The comparative study supports the new hypotheses of grouping species at the genus level, and allowed an evaluation of the informative characters often neglected in recent published articles, such as: differences in the mandibles of workers and imagoes of the same species, mainly in the molar region; alate sexual dimorphism; presence of dehiscent organs in the thorax and first abdominal segments in workers. In conclusion, a combined study of both the external and internal morphology of the worker and the external morphology of the alate is fundamental to diagnose both the specific and generic level well, not just taking into consideration one characteristic (such as the enteric valve) to split taxons. Descriptions of the new taxa will enable comparisons among faunistic studies already published, leading to a better understanding of this group in Neotropical ecosystems.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-09-23T15:19:42Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 PIB_A_0110_2011.pdf: 1381871 bytes, checksum: 8ca61afd7ab4860f8d0faa1d74d5b84e (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-07-31 FAPEAM O projeto intitulado "Controle populacional da abelha-cachorro (Trigona spinipes. Fabr.) em plantios de maracujazeiros (Passiflora edulis. Sims) na comunidade de São José no município de Benjamin Constant-AM-Brasil" é proposto a partir do atual do projeto "PIB - A/0092/2010 - ENTOMOFAUNA ASSOCIADA À CULTURA DO MARACUJÁ (Passiflora edulis f. flavicarpa; Passifloraceae), COM ÊNFASE SAZONAL DO PERCEVEJO Anisoscelis foliaceus (Fabr., 1803) (Hemiptera/Heteroptera: Coreidae: Anisoscelini) NA REGIÃO DO ALTO SOLIMÕES, AMAZONAS, BRASIL" que já constatou que a abelha-cachorro (Trigona sp.) é uma das principais pragas da cultura na região. Assim este projeto visa propor formas de controle não químicos para este grupo de abelhas. O local de estudo e coleta das abelhas Trigona ssp., será nos plantios de maracujazeiros da comunidade de São José, localizada a 15 minutos, via fluvial em motor 60hp e a 01 (uma) hora em um motor rabeta 13 hp da sede do Município de Benjamin Constant, em uma ilha de várzea alta do rio Solimões, que fica especificamente na margem direita do rio (furo) que liga as cidades de Benjamin Constant e Tabatinga. As coletas serão feitas em dois plantios de maracujá em fase de produção de fruto. O estudo será realizado durante nove meses. Neste período será feita uma coleta mensal com objetivo capturar as abelhas-cachorro, insetos polinizadores e não polinizadores, com auxílio de puçá, armadilhas para capturar as abelhas, feitas com garrafas plásticas de 2L e coletas manuais com auxílio de morteiros entomológicos. Os insetos serão mortos, preservados e armazenados conforme os métodos proposto por Almeida, Marinoni, Ribeiro-Costa (1998). As observações feitas a campo serão anotadas em uma caderneta e os danos causados pelas abelhas serão fotografados e descritos, durante a pesquisa toda. Para o levantamento populacional se utilizarão as armadilhas feitas com as garrafas plásticas. As garrafas terão dois orifícios em sua parte lateral e serão postas penduradas por barbante nos plantios, com suco grosso e bastante doce de maracujá dentro da garrafa que serão distribuídas aleatoriamente nos plantios. Os insetos serão classificados de acordo com a chave de identificação proposta por Gallo et al.(2002), em seguida serão etiquetados, com seus respectivos nomes científicos e depositados na coleção de insetos da Universidade Federal do Amazonas - UFAM no Instituto de Natureza e Cultura - INC em Benjamin Constant - AM.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-09-23T15:11:41Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Relatório_Final_-_Marcelo_REVISÃO.pdf: 1298374 bytes, checksum: ee28916c2374e5d80bdf2a07cd0c08fc (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011-07-01 CNPQ O maracujazeiro pertence à família Passifloraceae, que tem 12 gêneros e cerca de 600 espécies distribuídas na região tropical, principamente nas Américas e na África. A cultura do maracujá é cultivada praticamente em todo o Brasil, tornando-o um importante produtor mundial. Tradicionalmente a cultura do maracujá é plantada em forma de monocultura, facilitando a disseminação de doenças e pragas. Algumas literaturas registram mais de 90 espécies de insetos e ácaros causando algum tipo de injúria à cultura do maracujá. Na Amazônia poucos são estudos abordando a fauna associada a cultura do maracujá e também escassos são os trabalhos sobre a importância de uma determinada praga. Em Benjamin Constant, as comunidades localizadas na ilha de São José destacam-se a anos como principal pólo produtor de maracujá in natura da região. Em visita a esta comunidade os produtores nos relataram a necessidade de estudos na tentativa de controlar algumas pragas, como o percevejo fedorento-do-maracujá (Anisoscelis foliaceus). Assim, este estudo tem como proposta estudar entomofauna associada a cultura do maracujá, com destaque para determinar a sazonalidade do percevejo fedorento-do-maracujá (A. foliaceus). As coletas serão realizadas em três plantios de maracujá, todos com áreas do mesmo tamanho e em idades de produção. Os plantios serão vistoriados e os insetos coletados com puçá, manualmente e com armadilhas. No caso específico do estudo proposto para A. foliaceus, será construído um retângulo de madeira medindo 0,50m2 e colocado sobre as espaldeiras; no espaço interno será contado o número de percevejos, além disso, será anotado o número de botões florais, flores e frutos. Os insetos identificados serão depositados na coleção entomológica do INC.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-09-23T14:00:19Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Paulo_Vitor_-_Pibic_-_08.pdf: 758739 bytes, checksum: 944a8d91ae7144833ab9c3daf935d885 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2009-07-26 CNPQ Os cupins são insetos pertencentes à Ordem Isoptera, são sociais, ou seja, apresentam divisão de castas, sobreposição de geração e cuidam da prole. Estão distribuídos principalmente nas regiões tropicais, com grande diversidade de espécies na região Amazônica. São responsáveis pela decomposição de material de origem vegetal, além de serem capazes de alterarem a física e química do solo ou mesmo a distribuição de algumas espécies vegetais. Entretanto recebem atenção especial por se destacarem como pragas rural e urbana. Na zona urbana causam danos em qualquer estrutura de madeira, para se alimentarem, modificando a estética original. Assim, este estudo tem como objetivo investigar os cupins que causam danos relacionados à rede elétrica e residência em áreas urbanas nas cidades de Benjamin Constant e São Paulo de Olivença, ambas localizadas na região do Alto Solimões. Também vale ressaltar que este possivelmente será o primeiro estudo sobre danos causados por cupins a ser desenvolvido nesta vasta região da Amazonia.