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Mourecotelles Toro & Cabezas (Hymenoptera, Apidae, Colletinae) currently includes only nine valid species of cellophane bees found mostly in relatively-dry regions of western South America (Chile, Argentina, Bolivia, and Ecuador). In this paper, we describe and illustrate a new species of the genus - M. braziliensis Ferrari & Melo, sp. nov. - based on individuals of both sexes captured through trap-nesting in an environmental protection area (Araucárias Municipal Natural Park) and in flowers in different localities in southern Brazil. In total, we obtained 16 nests of M. braziliensis, each consisting of two to eleven brood cells arranged horizontally and lined with a cellophane-like substance. Of the 57 adult bees that emerged, 41 were male (mean weight 46.5 mg) and 16 were female (mean weight 58.9 mg), resulting in biased sex and investment ratios of 2.56:1 and 2.02:1, respectively. Both the numbers of provisioned cells and mortality rate were higher for trap nests with the narrowest bore diameter, although the differences in relation to other trap nests were not statistically significant. Pollen of nine different plant families were found in brood cells of M. braziliensis, but the species showed a clear preference for Fabaceae and Polygalaceae. Indeed, some of the specimens were collected while foraging in flowers of an unidentified species of Monnina Ruiz & Pav. (Polygalaceae) growing in swampy areas. The evolutionary and biogeographical implications of our discovery are briefly discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ophioderma appressum is a common and abundant ophiuroid species in tropical reef communities. Nevertheless, few studies analyse and describe its biology. In this paper, we evaluate and describe the diet of this species collected at Seixas reefs, João Pessoa, Brazil. Monthly diurnal samples were obtained between September 2018 and July 2019. In total, 143 individuals were analysed. The recorded diet was variable and consisted of 24 taxa and two additional items. Most material represented unidentifiable and/or digested remains, foraminiferans, crustacean fragments, and sediment particles, indicating omnivory. The number of individuals with stomach contents varied along the year (from two to 13 specimens per month). There was also significant temporal variation in the composition of the stomach contents. The months September 2018, May 2019 and June 2019 had the highest variety of items during the study. Our results suggest generalist and opportunistic feeding behaviour and highlight the role of O. appressum as an active predator on prey of diverse taxa and body size. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The diversity and natural history of Cassidinae s. str (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), popularly known as tortoise beetles, were recorded in a 335 ha remnant area of Atlantic Forest in Passa Quatro, south of Minas Gerais, Brazil. This is the first inventory with beetles conducted within this conservation unit. Tortoise beetles and their host plants were collected manually at weekly visits conducted between November 2015 and December 2017. Biological and behavioural characteristics of these organisms were obtained. Forty-six species of tortoise beetles were identified, belonging to 23 genera and five tribes. New records include 13 species of cassidines for the state of Minas Gerais, the first host plant 22 record for nine species of beetles, and 15 new host plants for ten species of cassidines. The most common tribes were Cassidini (n = 22) and Mesomphaliini (n = 20). Identification of host plants was possible, at least at the family level, for 40 of the 46 cassidine species collected. The dominant host plant families were Convolvulaceae (43%) and Asteraceae (19%). The biological and behavioural findings are discussed by relating them to the defensive mechanisms that have been described or hypothesised previously in the literature. The present paper is a novel contribution to the tortoise beetle diversity studies in Brazil, as well as their natural history and life cycle within the Atlantic Forest, a diverse and endangered Neotropical biome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diadiplosis multifila was recently discovered feeding on Planococcus citri eggs in vineyards in the semi-arid northeast region of Brazil. The objective of the present paper was to study the biology of D. multifila in P. citri under constant temperatures of 22, 25, 28, and 31 °C. We evaluated its embryonic stage, egg viability, development period, survival of larva and pupa, longevity, average number of eggs, and sex ratio. D. multifila completed its life cycle in all temperatures except for 31 °C. The length of the embryonic period ranged from 4 to 7 days. The larval stage was longer at a temperature of 22 °C (8.6 days) and shorter at 28 °C (6.4). The pupal stage exhibited durations of 12.9, 10.4, and 8.2 days for temperatures of 22, 25, and 28 °C, respectively. The average viability in the larval stage was 97% and 83% in the pupal stage. The total life cycle took 16.7 (28 °C), 20 (25 °C), and 27 (22 °C) days to complete. The adults lived for approximately 2 days and the females produced on average 34, 25, and 19 eggs at temperatures of 22, 25, and 28 °C, respectively. The sex ratio varied from 0.46 to 0.54. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Engaging recent social science work examining the truth making claims of science and biomedicine, this paper explores how biology is being localised in Brazilian cancer genetics. It draws from ethnographic fieldwork in urban regions of southern Brazil working with and alongside patients, families and practitioners in cancer genetic clinics. It examines how different sorts of ‘local biologies’ are articulated in the context of research, clinical practice and among implicated patient communities and the way these can ‘recursively’ move across different spheres and scales of social action to extend and transform the meaning of the biological. It shows how the mattering of the biological in Brazilian cancer genetics is fundamentally informed by questions of inequity and care, even while multiple local biologies may obscure rather than reveal the biopolitics of cancer. In an era of epigenetics this raises new opportunities and challenges for anthropological analysis as intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This manuscript summarizes the papers presented at the 19th International Papillomavirus Conference, held in Florianopolis, Brazil, September 1–7, 2001, divided in four main areas: Clinical diagnosis and screening, Epidemiology, Biology and Immunology. It provides an overview of what we know about the biology and life cycle of these viruses, their interaction with human and animal hosts, and the diseases that they cause. Highlights derive from the analysis of more than 500 papers presented at the Conference. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]