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A ema (Rhea americana) é uma ave sul-americana do grupo das ratitas e da ordem Reiforme explorada com finseconômicos. Objetivou-se a obtenção de valores hematológicos para a espécie, criada em cativeiro no município deTeresina-PI. Foram utilizados 10 exemplares de diversas idades, sem considerar o sexo, oriundos de criadourocomercial em regime de manejo semi-intensivo, do Município de Teresina, PI. Colheram-se 3mL de sangueperiférico de cada exemplar para as análises hematimétricas, por punção da veia braquial, utilizando-se seringadescartável. Para determinação do hematócrito utilizou-se o Método do Microhematócrito; para a dosagem dehemoglobina, a técnica da cianometahemoglobina; para as contagens de eritrócitos e leucócitos, a técnica dohemocitômetro para aves; a contagem diferencial de leucócitos foi feita através da quantificação de 100 células porlâmina, em triplicata, para cada animal. O hematócrito variou de 30 a 45, média 39,6%; hemoglobina de 9,4 a 26,média 16,3 g/dL; contagem total de eritrócitos de 1,6x106 a 2,9x106, média 2,4x106 por mm3 de sangue; contagemtotal de leucócitos de 3.000 a 18.500, média 8.693 por mm3. Os valores relativos à contagem diferencial de leucócitosforam: heterófilos de 52 a 78, média 62,1%, totalizando 1.689 a 14.430, média 5.706 por mm3 de sangue; eosinófilosde 0,3 a 3,1, média 2,2%, 39 a 360, média 176,4; basófilos de 1 a 6, média 2,7%, 58 a 363, média 208,2; monócitosde 1,4 a 9,7, média 6,0%, 171 a 1.115, média 450,2; linfócitos de 17,7 a 34,3, média 27,0%, 921 a 3.515, média2.142. Conclui-se que os valores encontrados são referência para a espécie criada sob regime de semi-confinamento.

Eperua is a genus of Neotropical trees that forms a major component of tropical lowland forests in Amazonia, especially in the Guiana Shield and on white-sand forests. One species occurs in the Cerrado-Caatinga ecotone, and the genus also inhabits riverine and terra firme forests. Species in Eperua exhibit one of two drastically different floral architectures and inflorescence types, each associated with distinct pollinators. Prior phylogenetic studies of Eperua have revealed an unstructured topology concerning floral architectures and inflorescence types. In addition, no investigation has been conducted on how the evolution of these traits and habitat preferences influenced the dispersal and diversification of Eperua. Using target capture sequencing, we inferred the most comprehensive phylogeny for Eperua to date, sampling all 19 known species, five for the first time. We used coalescence, concatenation, and network methods to infer the Eperua phylogeny and investigate sources of incongruence impacting resolution and support. We reconstructed the biogeographic history and ancestral states for the flower architecture, inflorescence type, and habitat preference. Our phylogenomic analyses successfully resolved relationships within Eperua, attributing conflicts between the species tree and concatenated tree to gene tree discordance linked to reticulation events. Biogeographical analyses indicate that Eperua originated and initially diversified in the white-sand forests of the Guiana Shield. A subsequent adaptation to riverine and terra firme forests enabled Eperua to expand into new habitats and regions. Still, its historical preference for white-sand forests probably accounts for its absence in the southern and western parts of Amazonia. Ancestral geographic areas and corolla morphotype reconstructions suggest that speciation in Eperua has occurred in sympatry, likely driven by pollinator shifts mediated by drastic changes in floral architecture., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Premise: The Amazonian hyperdominant genus Eperua (Fabaceae) currently holds 20 described species and has two strongly different inflorescence and flower types, with corresponding different pollination syndrome. The evolution of these vastly different inflorescence types within this genus was unknown and the main topic in this study., Methods: We constructed a molecular phylogeny, based on the full nuclear ribosomal DNA and partial plastome, using Bayesian inference and maximum likelihood methods, to test whether the genus is monophyletic, whether all species are monophyletic and if the shift from bat to bee pollination (or vice versa) occurred once in this genus., Results: All but two species are well supported by the nuclear ribosomal phylogeny. The plastome phylogeny, however, shows a strong geographic signal suggesting strong local hybridization or chloroplast capture, rendering chloroplast barcodes meaningless in this genus., Conclusions: With our data, we cannot fully resolve the backbone of the tree to clarify sister genera relationships and confirm monophyly of the genus Eperua. Within the genus, the shift from bat to bee and bee to bat pollination has occurred several times but, with the bee to bat not always leading to a pendant inflorescence., (© 2023 The Authors. American Journal of Botany published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of Botanical Society of America.)

Knowledge of wild species embryonic development is important for their maintenance in captivity or the wild. The objective of the present study was to characterize the external morphology and define the biometry of greater rhea embryos and fetuses at different stages of development. A total of 41 embryos and fetuses were analyzed to describe their external morphology using a stereoscopic microscope. The crown-rump (CR), total length (TL), cephalocaudal length (CCL), biparietal diameter (BPD), beak, humerus and tibio-tarsal lengths were measured by digital pachymeter, millimetric scale ruler and cotton thread. The weight of the embryos and fetuses was measured on digital scales. The greater rhea embryos at 5, 6 and 7 days incubation presented a "C" shape. At 9, 10 and 11 days the eyes were big and pigmented. At 11, 12 and 13 days the eyelid covered more than half the eye, resulting in an oval slit. In 14 and 15 day-old embryos, the skin was still thin and the ribs evident, but at 18 days this structure was thicker. In embryos at 21 and 27 days of development closed eyelids were observed forming an eyelid slit, and the eye ball was less pronounced at 27 days. Weight gain presented an exponential growth curve, while measurements such as TL, DBP, beak, humerus and tibio-tarsal length had linear growth over time. Thus it was possible to characterize the greater rhea embryos and fetuses at several incubation ages using their external morphology and morphometric analyses., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The gestation period in agoutis can range from 104 to 120 days. Knowledge regarding the morphological characteristics of embryos and fetuses is important as a base for studies in reproduction biotechnology, such as in vitro fertilization, embryo transfer and helps in determining congenital anomalies during the development phase. Thus, given the importance and lack of information about agouti embryology, the objective of this study was to characterize the external morphology and define the biometry of embryos and fetuses, at different days of development. Nine females were submitted to daily colpocytology to identify the estrus, confirm mating and identify day zero of the gestation. When the mating was confirmed they were weighed, underwent abdominal ultrasonography and surgery was conducted on the females at the gestational ages of 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 75 and 100 days. Sixteen embryos/fetuses were weighed and measured. Agouti embryos at 25 days after mating are "C" shaped, with primitive structures, 0.4±0.01cm crown-rump and weighed 0.06±0.01g; at 30 days after mating the crown-rump was 0.95±0.07cm and weighed 0.28±0.00g; at 35 days after mating the crown-rump was 155±0.07cm and weighed 0.38±0.01g; at 40 days after mating the crown-rump was 2.25±0.21cm and weighed 1.25±0.07g; at 45 days after mating the crown-rump was 3.45±0.35cm and weighed 2.75±0.64g; at 50 days after mating the crown-rump was 5.0±0.3cm and weighed 7.01±2.6g; at 75 days after mating, the skin was dark, the crown-rump was 10.0±0.14cm and weighed 55.2±0.07g. At 100 days after mating, the crown-rump was 13.8±0.49cm and fetuses weighed 136.7±9.40g. Based on the morphological data assessed the embryo and fetus age could be assessed and the size and average weight of agouti embryos was established., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Thirty-one pregnant agoutis, between Days 9 and 103 of gestation (Day 1 = day of detection of sperm in the vaginal smear), underwent B-mode ultrasonography; gestational sac diameter (GSD), crown-rump length (CRL), embryonic-fetal diameter (EFD), and placenta diameter (PD) were measured. There were positive correlations (P < 0.05) between GSD and CRL (r = 0.98), GSD and PD (r = 0.88), CRL and PD (r = 0.86), days of gestation (DG) and CRL (r = 0.85), and DG and PD (r = 0.73). The gestational sac was first observed on Day 14. The embryo was first seen on Day 18 in 9/31 of pregnant agoutis and on Day 22 in 20/31 of pregnant agoutis. Heartbeats were detected from the Day 25 and placentas were observed in 100% of the animals from Day 25. Early limb bud and ossification of the fetal skull were identified on Days 27 (15/31) and 45 (24/31), respectively. Fetal orientation (head and body) was evident from Day 40, the stomach, liver and lungs were identified on Day 50, the kidneys were reliably seen only on Day 55, and the aorta and vena cava were seen on Day 70. The fetal bowel and the urinary bladder were the last structures to be observed (Day 85). Ultrasonography was effective for early pregnancy diagnosis in agouti and for obtaining information on embryonic and fetal structures that could be used to predict gestational age and birth, thereby contributing to their reproductive management in captivity., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Thirty adult agoutis (Dasyprocta primnolopha) from the Nucleus of Study and Preservation of Wild Animals at the Federal University of Piauí were used. Blood scrubs of these animals were colored by the Leishman method and analyzed in light microscopy. The cells had been measured using programs that analyze images (Leica QWin - Image Processing and Analysis Software). Mature erythrocytes, basophil reticulocytes, lymphocytes, eosinophils, neutrophils, monocytes, and thrombocytes were identified. Agoutis' erythrocytes presented elliptical form, without nucleus with an average diameter of 5.64 micromeres ± 0.38. The lymphocytes are spherical cells with scarce cytoplasm, dense and with a very centralized rounded nucleus measuring an average diameter of 13.20 micromeres ± 0.35. The monocytes are slightly basophilic, with a spherical nucleus, central constriction, and an average diameter of 20.59 micromeres ± 0.32. The neutrophils are spherical, with a polymorphic lobulated nucleus, with an average diameter of 11.2 micromeres ± 0.20. The eosinophils are spherical with lobulated nucleus and with an average diameter of 14.25 micromeres ± 0.36. Only five basophils were observed, with abundance of cytoplasmic granules with 9.8 micrometers of diameter ± 0.30. Thrombocytopenic pleomorphism was frequent. There were similarities in the cellular constituents in peripheral blood of agoutis and of other rodents and humans. The cellular types from the peripheral blood, the morphology, and morphometry of the blood's cells did not vary according to sex., (Copyright © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)