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Gathering regular samples of "Peixe-rei" from the southern coast of the State of S.Paulo (Brazil), the author examined 374 specimens distributed as follows: 805 specimens caught monthly from March 20, 1952, to February 19, 1963; 39 caught in December 18, 1961, all at the same place and 30 collected at the mouth of the Santo Amaro River, in Santos. Sohultz (1949, p. 107) referring to specimens from Venezuela, in consequence of the enormous variation and small series of specimens at his disposal, had written: "...it is not possible to separate the Lago de Maracaibo population from that of the Gulf of Venezuela or of Brazil. Perhaps when an adequate number of specimens has been studied throughout the range of this species, it may be possible to break it up into subspecies. " This is the problem that the author has been trying to solve. Receiving regular samples of different age groups the author studied them carefully and concluded that he was dealing with the same species described by Quoy & Gaimard under the name of Atherina brasiliens is and, at present, included by Schultz in the genus Xenomelaniris. A comparison with 30 specimens from Santos, an harbour located in the central portion of the State coast, was made. Beginning his paper with a few considerations about the research made in relation to the South American representatives of the family Atherinidae, the author follows with an analysis of the biometrioal data obtained from the specimens collected. These data were confronted with the ones given by other authors and only slight differences in relation to number of scales and vertebrae were observed. For the time being the author believes in the existence of a mixture of genotypioal and phenotypioal characters interfering with the perfect distinction between the population of Lago de Maracaibo, Gulf of Venezuela and Brazil. Due to the difficulties of interpretation and the small differences observed in the confrontation of data, the author sees no convenience, at least for the moment, in separating the population of the State of S.Paulo into a new subspeoifioal unit. The information available concerning this species being rather poor, the author thought it useful to give the diagnosis of the specimen studied and presents a photo for illustration. A few complementary considerations are also made pointing out small osteological divergences between the material studied by the author and some diagrammatic drawings from Schultz (1948, p. 35). TheBe divergences may be attributed to the scarcity of material with which the North American author had worked. Summing up his work the author makes a reference to the presence of teeth of substitution in the maxila and mandibula of the Peixe-rei, and mentions some of the frequent anomalies found in the branchial lamelae or gill rakers of the specimen examined.

This paper presents the life tables for sexually isolated males and females of the ''tobacco beetle", Lasioderma serricorne F., based on insects that lived in vials maintained in an incubator at 30°C and 85% of relative humidity, in the dark. The adults were obtained from three different cultures ; the immature stages were fed on wheat flour. For each culture the females were always longer-lived than the males (P = .01). The mean life durations for males from cultures a, b and c were respectively 23.06, 24.63 and 19.66 days. Males from cultures a and b showed no statistical difference in their life duration (P = .01). The mean life durations for females from cultures a, b, and c were respectively 33.63, 26.53 and 21.18 days. Those means are statistically different (P = .01). Males and females from cultures c were shorter lived (P = .01) than males and females of both cultures a and b. Considering the fact that the original number of beetles from culture c (382 males and 330 females) was much larger than the original number of beetles from culture a (171 males and 157 females) or b (146 males and 184 females), we know that the density of the larval population in the culture c was higher than in the culture a or b. Competition during the larval stage must be the chief factor responsible for the shortening of the mean adult life for both sexes of L. serricorne F. from culture c as compared with the mean adult life of adults from cultures a and b, less densely populated during the larval stage. This observation agrees with the criticism of Wright, mentioned by Allee, Emerson, Park and others (1) concerning the importance of exogenous events in the pre-imaginal period of the life duration of the adults. The data show that L. serricorne F. is an excellent material for studies on physiological longevity, because the adult beetles do not feed. For toxicological studies this insect species also seems to be a very appropriate material, as it is well brought out by the survivorship curves.

A rich colony of the cladohepatic nudibranchiate mollusk Embletonia mediterranea was studied from the lagoon region of Cananéia, from March to July (end of summer through winter). To the author's knowledge this species is here redescribed for the first time since its description by Costa (1866), fulfilling some omissions present in the original paper. A comparison is here made with 4 out of the remaining 8 species of the genus. All the species are closely allied, two of the species which were not compared for lack of the necessary bibliography, are probably only a variety of E. pallida which is known to the authors. These are: E. juscata and E. remigata. E. minuta, also not compared, may be a synonim of E. pulchra. The fourth uncompared species: E. pygmex is the only one totally unknown to the authors. The colony became well established in aquaria in S. Paulo where the animals reproduced freely. The whole individual cycle was observed from spawning of a generation to spawning of the following one. The egg masses are lump-shaped, they contain an average of 11 eggs; each full-size animal lays about 16 to 17 eggs in 24 hours. Spawning begins in animals about one third full length. The whole development, from spawning to hatching takes from 48 h to 60 h in temperatures from 20º C to 25º C. Few days after hatching the veligers settle to the bottom and after 24 h to 48 h the young ones abandon the nautiloid shell yet with no cerata neither rhinophores and with reduced cephalic expansions. A comparison is made with the development of E. pallida, described and wonderfully portrayed by Rasmussen (1944). This species is closely associated to Bougainvillia on which were always found numerous egg-masses and adults and on which the animals feed. On the athecate hydroid, are usually found several cauli of Obelia bidentata. Animals reared out of reach of living hydroids had cerata entirely devoid of cnidocysts. In spite of its natural association to the mentioned hydroids, the species is euryphagous since it thrives well in captivity feeding on detritus and perhaps diatoms, small ciliates and suctorians. There is no annual cycle, the species having been found active continuously from summer through the coldest months. No migrations have been recorded and the population seems to be stationary the year round. Finally it was pointed out that this species seems to be a suitable material to study the problems of the relation between the internal medium and the external osmotic pressure. 1) - Foram estabelecidas em S. Paulo algumas colónias de E. mediterranea proveniente das águas salobras da região de Cananéia afim de completar as observações realisadas in loco. 2) - São apresentadas tanto a descrição como a classificação, incluindo uma rápida comparação com quase todas as outras espécies desse gênero que foram até hoje descritas. 3) - Descreve-se o ciclo completo desde a desova até a postura da geração seguinte. Não foi feito o estudo embriológico detalhado. 4) - Foram anotados o habitat e a alimentação, e verificada a ausência de cnidocistos em animais não alimentados com hidrozoários. 5) - Foram estabelecidas as temperaturas letais e a duração das principais fases do desenvolvimento em temperaturas diferentes. 6) - Foi feita a comparação com o ciclo de E. pallida, otimamente descrito e figurado por Rasmussen (1944). 7) - Foi verificada in loco a ausência de migrações. 8) - Considera-se essa espécie, sem dúvida eurihalina, um ótimo material para o estudo das relações entre o meio interno e a pressão osmótica externa.

No presente trabalho são apresentados osresultados do estudo da produtividade individual de 4337 seringueiras, com cêrca de 37 anos de idade, plantadas de sementes no seringal Imperial, Óbidos, Estado do Pará. Além de sua capacidade de produção, foi também estudado o desenvolvimento das plantas (circunferência do tronco) e, ainda, as relações existentes entre produção e desenvolvimento e as seguintes características da casca das seringueiras: a) textura: lisa ou rugosa. pelo seu aspecto); b) dureza: mole ou dura, determinada pela resistência oferecida ao corte pela faca Jebong; c) côr: branca, vermelha ou rosada; d) espessura: fina ou grossa, a ôlho, pela espessura observada no corte, por ocasião de uma sangria. A análise dos dados permite verificar estreita relação entre o desenvolvimento das plantas e sua produtividade, sendo esta tanto maior quanto maiores são as plantas. Por outro lado, venfica-se serem mais produtiva- e de maior desenvolvimento as seringueiras com casca rugosa, dura ou grossa e, conseqüentemente, menos produtivas e menores as com casca lisa, mole ou fina. Observa-se, também, que associações de duas ou mais das características tidas como favoráveis à produção, dão em resultado ainda uma maior produtividade às plantas que as possuem, e que de associações semelhantes, de características tidas como desfavoráveis, resulta muito pequena produção por parte das plantas suas portadoras. O mesmo é verdade, em línhas gerais, no que se refere ao desenvolvimento das plantas. A côr da casca pouca ou nenhuma influência parece ter na produção e desenvolvimento das seringueiras.In this paper are presented the results of tapping 4337 seedlings of rubber trees (Hevea brasiliensis Muell.-Arg.) approximately 37 years old. The tapping system used was one full-spiral cut every fourth day, the cut made at an angle of 30º counter clockwise downward. Besides the production also were studied the size of the plants (measurement of the circumference of the trunk at one meter above the soil) and the following characteristics of the bark: a) texture: smooth (L) or rough (R), determined by its aspect; b) hardness: soft (M) or hard (D), determined by the resistance offered to the cut with a Jebong knive; c) color: white (B), red (V) or rose (Ro); and d) thikness: thin (F) or thick (G). delermined visually at the moment of a cut. A detailed discussion of the findings are presented and the results show a close relation between size of the plant (girth) and production, the yield increasing with the increase of the size of the plants. On the other hand it was observed that the better yielding plants were of greater size and with rough, hard and thick bark; consequently the poorer yielders were plants of small size and with smooth, soft or thin bark. Is was observed also that of the association of two or more of the characteristics of the bark apparently linked to better production, resulted in a greater productivity, and vice-versa. The color of the bark do not seem to be closely related to production. It is suggested that the bark characteristics may be used in studies related to selection and improvement of the rubber tree. The study of the population of plants shows also that: a) 10% of the plant population yielded 27.82% of the total latex production: b) 25% of the plant population yielded 49.27% of the total latex production: c) 50% of the plant population yielded 73.51% of the total latex production: d) 75% of the plant population yielded 90.40% of the total latex production.

Os resultados da produtividade e de outras características de 64 progênies selecionadas de café plantadas em Mococa foram avaliados e discutidos. Compararam-se êsses resultados com os obtidos em ensaios semelhantes plantados em Campinas e Jaú, e traçaram-se paralelos entre o comportamento dos cultivares e das progênies individuais nas três regiões ecológicas. O grupo de progênies de 'Mundo Nôvo' revelou-se o mais produtivo, de maior vigor e de sementes maiores e mais pesadas. As progênies dêsse cultivar de prefixos CP 387-17, MP 386-2, CP 379-19 e MP 376-4 mostraram-se mais produtivas e com boas características vegetativas, podendo ser recomendadas para plantio na região. A progênie CP 387-17 produziu 250 por cento a mais, de café beneficiado, do que o padrão 'Tipica', comumente cultivado na região ao se iniciarem os trabalhos de seleção. A de prefixo MP 386-2, além de produtiva, apresentou as sementes maiores e mais pesadas. As quatro progênies de 'Mundo Nôvo' mais produtivas deram pràticamente 100 por cento a mais do que o testemunha 'Mundo Nôvo', sem seleção, indicando o acentuado progresso conseguido no melhoramento dêsse cultivar, pelo método de seleção individual. The coffee selection program of the Instituto Agronomico at Campinas has been carried on in five experimental stations located in different ecological conditions. After identifying the best progenies in each station, a series of five trials was established to evaluate the adaptability of these selections to different localities. The present paper refers to a trial planted in the Experimental Station at Mococa in the northeastern part of the Stale of S. Paulo, with heavy clay soil (massapê-salmourão). The selected progenies of 'Mundo Nôvo' cultivar were superior to any other progenies studied in all characteristics considered: yield, vigor, and size and weight of flat seeds. Among them the progenies CP 387-17, MP 386-2, CP 379-19 and MP 376-4 revealed to be the most promising ones for high yield, vigor and seed size. The progeny CP 387-17 produced 250 per cent more clean coffee than the tester 'Tipica' commonly grown in the Mococa region at the beginning of the coffee selection project. Remarkable progress was observed in the selection of progenies by the pedigree method from the originai population of 'Mundo Nôvo'. The four best selections had an average production 100 percent higher than the original population. The results obtained confirm observations made for the same progenies grown in Campinas and Jau, in that the 'Mundo Nôvo' progenies have a very broad adaptation giving high yields in diverse ecological conditions.

This paper deals with some aspects of faunistic diversification and refers to part of the distribution area of a sciaenid fish Micropogon furnieri (Desmarest, 1822) Jordan & Evermann 1884, widely distributed. Such species is characteristic of the tropical area and occurs along the Brazilian coast with highest abundance south of Cabo Frio. The analysis of variations of six meristic characters and eight body proportions and of some reproduction and growth features has shown that along the coast between latitudes 23ºS and 33ºS diversifi cation occurs within the species; such diversification implies in the existence of two populations, one occupying the area between 23ºS and 29ºS (area I) and the other between 29ºS and 33ºS (area II). The eco logical differences between the two mentioned areas according to our point of view is the reason for the species diversification in the whole area under observation. The differences recorded as the characteristics studied were suf ficient enough to illustrate the existence of two populations reproductively isolated suggesting that some gene exchange, if any, between both populations occurs in a very low rate. Our results show that abundance estimates of M. furnieri in this area must be made for each population as a whole until further studies on genetic characters are developed which may confirm the existence of gene exchange and if so, the gene flow rate. As the present study does not cover the total area of occurrence of Micropogon furnieri no hypothesis is extended to the general pattern of diversification (eventual presence of sub-species) and no systematic "status" and names are given to the populations identified.

Um conjunto de 24 progênies, derivadas de plantas matrizes selecionadas da variedade Bourbon Vermelho, e outro de 19 grupos de híbridos F1 entre essas plantas matrizes, cada um dêles com 20 plantas, tiveram a produção individual controlada durante os seis primeiros anos. Após esse período, cinco melhores progénies e cinco híbridos F1 num total de 200 plantas, continuaram a ser colhidos individualmente por mais de oito anos consecutivos. De outras progênies e híbridos F1, 139 indivíduos também tiveram a produção controlada por 14 anos. Com os dados obtidos realizou-se um estudo a fim de verificar se a eliminação precoce de progénies menos produtivas, logo após o 2.° ano de produção, redundaria em eliminação de progênies que, após seis anos de produção, passassem a pertencer ao grupo mais produtivo. Como resultado verificou-se que hão haveria desvantagem em se realizar essa seleção precoce, pois as progênies que aos dois anos de produção total se mostraram menos produtivas assim se conservaram até aos seis anos, com raras exceções. A seleção das progênies mais produtivas, feita com base em apenas duas primeiras produções, é menos eficiente. A análise, dos dois e dos seis anos de produção total individual dos 856 cafeeiros tomados como uma população única, mostra que há uma acentuada tendência de os indivíduos mais produtivos aos seis anos pertencerem a progênies e híbridos melhor classificados logo após os dois primeiros anos de produção. Também quanto a êste particular não haveria inconveniência em se eliminarem as piores progênies precocemente. Os dados relativos às 339 plantas, selecionadas após seis anos e com produção controlada por 14 anos, foram analisados quanto aos efeitos que teria a eliminação precoce das piores progênies logo depois do primeiro biênio. Verificou-se que tal efeito seria mínimo, pois na verdade, se uma tal seleção precoce tivesse sido realizada, o número de boas plantas perdidas seria bem reduzido. Dentre êstes cafeeiros 200 pertencem a cinco progênies e a cinco híbridos. As médias de suas produções acumuladas por biênios mostram que entre eles se nota tendência de os melhores conjuntos também se revelarem cedo, pois a sua classificação aos dois anos se altera pouco quando comparada com a classificação após 14 anos consecutivos de produção. A comparação entre as produções totais individuais de 14 anos dessas 200 plantas e as comparações com as médias de seis anos apresentadas por êsses conjuntos, mostram também que maior número de melhores plantas aos 14 anos pertence a progénies melhor classificadas aos seis anos. Ainda neste conjunto de plantas comparou-se a distribuição das produções totais individuais aos seis e aos 14 anos, verificando-se que as plantas que aos 14 anos se situam acima da média correspondem a cafeeiros que, em sua maioria, já se encontravam bem classificados aos seis anos. Esta análise indica que é boa a probabilidade de se efetuar seleção individual das melhores plantas após os seis primeiros anos de produções consecutivas. Como medida de segurança aconselha-se, todavia, que a seleção das progênies seja efetuada com base em seis anos de produção, e que a seleção dos cafeeiros individuais seja feita com base em 12 anos de produção, quando o cafeeiro atinge completo desenvolvimento. During the initial years of a breeding project carried out in Campinas, coffee progenies and hybrids were usually planted in rows of twenty plants each. Progenies were not replicated in the same location but usually they were studied at three to five experiment stations. Although this method did not allow for statistical analysis of individual yields and other plant and seed characteristics, it proved to be sufficiently accurate to select several outstanding progenies and exceptional individual coffee plants. Individual yields of 856 plants belonging to forty-three of such groups of twenty plants each were studied in order to evaluate the effect of an early elimination of progenies which started yielding below the general mean. The 43 groups were derived from 25 Bourbon plants, 24 groups being selfed progenies and 19 F1 hybrids between a few of those trees. In a previous paper it was shown that these progenies and hybrids did not differ in yielding ability, thus allowing treatment as a single population of Bourbon plants. Individual harvests of each plant from this population were recorded during the first six years of yields (1939-44). A preliminary selection was done in 1944. The five progenies and five hybrids which had the highest mean yields were selected as groups of twenty plants and continued under observation for an additional period of eight years. Besides these 200 coffee trees, 139 others were also selected for their high individual yields during the first six years of crop, and their records were also kept for another period of eight years, ending in 1952. The remaining trees were not recorded after the preliminary selection. Average yields per plant were calculated for the 43 groups, accumulating the crops of the first 2, 4 and 6 years, and distributed, for each period, in classes centered at the general mean plus or minus integer multiples of the corresponding standard error. In the distribution for the first two years of crop (1939-40), 10 groups were in class x-1s, two in x-2s and one group in x-3s. After four additional harvests seven groups remained in the lowest classes and four reached the mean class. This relative stability in ranking after successive years of crops suggests that little was gained by keeping records for the whoie group of 43 pro genies and hybrids. Had the lowest group been discarded after the first two crops, only two lines would have been lost for the preliminary selection in the sixth crop. When comparison is made between the distribution of progenies and hybrids according to their mean yields after the first two crops, and the array of six-years total individual yields of the 856 plants, it may be seen that the most productive plants belong, as a rule, to progenies and hybrids which occupy the upper classes in the distribution of the average yields of the 43 groups. This is an indication that early elimination of the lowest yielding groups would not affect selection among the best individual coffee trees. The comparison made between the distribution of the total individual yields of 339 plants recorded to the 14th consecutive crop, and the array of the average yields for the first two crops of the progenies and hybrids to which those plants belong, show that elimination of 13 groups with the lowest yields in the period of 1939-40 would sacrifice 89 out of 339 coffee trees selected in 1944. Only 20 of these 89 plants, however, yielded above the average of the selected population of 339 trees. Considering a more restricted group of plants, namely, the 200 individual trees that belong to the five progenies and five hybrids selected in 1944 for their high average yield in the first six years of crops, it may be observed that among the 40 plants of the progenies with the highest average yields, 22 ranked above the mean of the 200 plants, after 14 years of production. Among the 40 plants of the two groups with the lowest yields, however, only eight could reach a position above the mean. These informations indicate that in trials involving large number of progenies it is possible to restrict observation on the most promising groups, discarding those which start yielding far below the mean. This elimination of low yielding progenies could be made after two or four consecutive yields, even if it considered that definite selection of individual coffee plants must wait until twelve or more years have elapsed, when the trees attain full development. When coffee progeny trials are planted in randomized blocks or in lattices such an elimination would not introduce difficulties in future statistical analysis. It is pointed out that similar procedures could be adopted in selection programs of other perennial crops.