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Agojie rupicola gen. et sp. nov., a new genus and species of Euptychiina from the campos rupestres and granitic inselbergs of eastern Minas Gerais, southeastern Brazil, is herein described using comparative morphology and ecological data. Diagnoses, photos, and illustrations are also provided, in addition to a discussion on the putative systematic placement of the new taxa and its conservation status. Considering the collecting points, the estimated value for the extent of occurrence (EOO) is 100.263 km2 and the area of occupancy (AOO) is 20 km2, which combined with the reduced number of localities in which the species is known to occur, and the observed continuing decline of the quality of the habitat, we recommend that A. rupicola gen. et sp. nov. should be formally assessed as Endangered based on criteria B1+2(a,biii) of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The results presented here add to the increasing faunistic and floristic novelties that justify the priority for the conservation of these still scientifically underexplored Brazilian mountains.

Maruinini is one of the most diverse tribes of moth flies in the Neotropical region. We describe two new species, Arisemus sinuosus sp. nov. and Neopericoma bela gen. nov. et sp. nov., collected in streams and waterfalls of a mountainous formation on the Brazilian Atlantic Forest of eastern Minas Gerais, Brazil. In contrast to the morphology of the type species of Australopericoma Vaillant, a new genus is proposed, Neopericoma gen. nov., to accommodate one new species and other eight species previously placed in Australopericoma: N. abnormalis (Quate & Brown) comb. nov., N. bulbula (Quate & Brown) comb. nov., N. cesticela (Quate & Brown) comb. nov., N. exilis (Quate & Brown) comb. nov., N. onofrei (Araújo & Bravo) comb. nov., N. pallidula (Tonnoir) comb. nov., N. roessleri (Wagner and Joost) comb. nov., N. xavierae (Araújo & Bravo) comb. nov. This is the first record of Arisemus in the State of Minas Gerais.

A new genus of Psychodini, Wagneromyia gen. nov. is described, based on examination of males from the State of Acre in the Brazilian Amazon. The new genus is described to accommodate a new species, Wagneromyia aquiri sp. nov., type of the genus, and six Central American species previously described in Philosepedon Eaton: Wagneromyia bicalcarata (Quate, 1996) comb. nov., Wagneromyia deceptrix (Quate, 1996) comb. nov., Wagneromyia dimorpha (Quate, 1996) comb. nov., Wagneromyia majorina (Quate, 1996) comb. nov., Wagneromyia tripetala (Quate, 1996) comb. nov., and Wagneromyia tritenacula (Quate, 1996) comb. nov. An identification key for the species of the new genus is presented.

The Ja National Park, located in the Amazon, is the largest National Park of Brazil and still its insect fauna is barely known. Herein we describe two new species of Psychodinae, Alepia iy sp. nov. and Parasetomima timmirima sp. nov., and report 19 other species of Psychodidae, subfamilies Phlebotominae, Psychodinae and Trichomyiinae collected from this Conservation Unit. Micrommatos Quate Brown, represented by M. stephaniae Quate Brown, and Platyplastinx culmosus Quate Brown are recorded for the first time for Brazil. Among the collected phlebotomine sand fly species, three species have previously been implicated in transmission of Leishmania: Nyssomyia anduzei (Rozeboom), Psychodopygus ayrozai (Barretto Coutinho) and Trichophoromyia ubiquitalis (Mangabeira).

Larvae of Psychodidae develop in a variety of breeding sites, including vertebrate feces. As searching for the larvae can be an extremely difficult task, immatures of many species are little known, with descriptions of coprophagous moth flies all from outside the Neotropics. In an attempt to mitigate this challenge, we tested an oviposition trap using cattle dung as attractant, measured the efficiency and specificity of the traps and the most efficient period of exposition in the field. With 60 traps installed in one fragment of ombrophilous forest, 344 immatures were collected, distributed in four species of Psychoda and one of Feuerborniella. Psychodidae accounted for 75% of the collected Diptera. The high specificity of the trap to Psychodidae contrasts with other studies on coprophagous fauna where they appear in low abundance. Based on the metrics in this study, the most efficient period of trapping exposition was between five to eight days, but the difference was not significant probably due to the high number of zero observations among the traps. Many questions pertaining to coprophagous moth flies remain unanswered. Further research is needed to improve trapping efficiency, elucidate the effects of attractants and determine how environmental factors influence the attractiveness of bait.

Maruina is an aquatic genus of Psychodidae with larvae and pupae adapted for life in flowing water. The genus is restricted to the Western Hemisphere, with the majority of species distributed in the Neotropical region. 39 Maruina species are described, with 11 currently known to occur in Brazil, all recorded from the eastern Biomes of Atlantic forest and Caatinga. Here we describe four new Maruina species collected from Brazil: Maruina (Aculcina) roraimensis sp. nov., Maruina (Maruina) kallyntrona sp. nov. and M. (M.) mystax sp. nov. constitute the first report of Maruina from Amazonia and M. (A.) pila sp. nov. from the southern portion of the Atlantic forest expands the distribution of the genus to Rio Grande do Sul, the southernmost state of Brazil. Type specimens of some described species were also studied. Redescriptions are completed for M. (M.) garota and M. (M.) namorada, and additional characters and figures are presented for M. (A.) duckhousei, M. (M.) barrettoi and M. (M.) jezeki. M. pilosella and M. spinosa are considered nomina dubia. Diagnostic characters for the genus and both subgenera are revised and distribution maps for Maruina species recorded in Brazil are provided.

Phlebotomine sand flies are insects of medical importance, as they are vectors of viruses, bacteria and trypanosomatids of the genus Leishmania Ross, the causative agent of leishmaniasis (Forattini 1973). During the past 20 years approximately 500,000 cases of leishmaniasis have been reported in Brazil. Most of these cases were reported in the North and Northeast regions. In the State of Roraima, almost 2,000 cases, including both cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) and visceral leishmaniasis (VL), have been reported during the past three years (SINAN 2017). Usually the transmission by infected female sand flies occurs in wild or rural areas, but there have also been recorded cases and vector captures in urban environments. Some sand fly species are known to enter houses in search of resting places and blood meal sources; as a result of this behavior, they are remarkably adaptable to new environments (Carvalhoet al. 2010).

The aim of this study was to evaluate the wound-healing activity of a semisolid formulation of avocado oil, SSFAO 50%, or avocado oil in natura, on incisional and excisional cutaneous wound models in Wistar rats. An additional objective was to quantify the fatty acids present in avocado oil. On the 14th day, a significant increase was observed in percentage wound contraction and reepithelialization in the groups treated with 50% SSFAO or avocado oil compared to the petroleum jelly control. Anti-inflammatory activity, increase in density of collagen, and tensile strength were observed inSSFAO 50% or avocado oil groups, when compared to control groups. The analysis of the components of avocado oil by gas chromatography detected the majority presence of oleic fatty acid (47.20%), followed by palmitic (23.66%), linoleic (13.46%) docosadienoic (8.88%), palmitoleic (3.58%), linolenic (1.60%), eicosenoic (1.29%), and myristic acids (0.33%). Our results show that avocado oil is a rich source of oleic acid and contains essential fatty acids. When used in natura or in pharmaceutical formulations for topical use, avocado oil can promote increased collagen synthesis and decreased numbers of inflammatory cells during the wound-healing process and may thus be considered a new option for treating skin wounds.