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The article discusses the findings of a study on the link between the condition of Nearctic-Neotropic migrant species and a combination of La Niña and El Niño cycle called El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) during spring in Costa Rica. The authors state the correlation between migrant condition during spring and ENSO, and the possibility for such relationship to vary through foraging guild. Also cited are the factors that may hinder the potential improvement in the number of some migratory species.

The southeastern Yucatan Peninsula hosts high numbers of transient Nearctic-Neotropic migrants during autumn migration, but the importance of this region during migratory stopover has not been addressed. We studied autumn stopover body mass gains among passerine migrants in tropical lowland forest 20 km inland from the Gulf of Honduras. Most individuals captured had some subcutaneous fat. Ten of 15 taxa with sufficient sample sizes had significant positive diel (24 hr) gains in a body condition index. Estimates of net mass gains in these 10 taxa suggested they all were depositing fat; average individuals in four of these taxa were depositing sufficient fuel to undertake an entire night of migration after only 1 day of fattening: Empidonax spp., Red-eyed Vireo (Vireo olivaceus), Gray Catbird (Dumetella carolinensis), and Northern Waterthrush (Seiurus noveboracensis). Two (Wood Thrush [Hylocichla mustelina] and Common Yellowthroat [Geothlypis trichas]) of the four species apparently not gaining mass at the study site migrate late in the season and occurred only after Hurricane Iris severely altered the habitat. Four other species (Gray Catbird, Magnolia Warbler [Dendroica magnolia], American Redstart [Setophaga ruticilla], and Indigo Bunting [Passerina cyanea]) had significant gains in mass after the hurricane. These data demonstrate the importance of the region as an autumn stopover site for some species and suggest that stopover areas farther north are also important to migrants passing through the southeastern part of the Yucatan Peninsula. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The genus Epanycles Butler (Lepidoptera: Erebidae: Arctiinae: Ctenuchina) has been considered as monotypical for 145 years, including only Epanycles imperialis (Walker). Herein, we propose a new combination: E. satania new. comb. based on external morphology, genital morphology of males and females, morphological phylogeny, DNA barcoding, and geographical distribution. Epanycles satania was originally described for the genus Episcepsis Butler. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Seven species of Omiostola are recorded from Brazil, Ecuador and Cuba, four of which (O. longimacula, O. paragerda, O. manca, O. macella) are described as new. An alphabetical list of the known species of the genus is provided. O. macrotrachela is synonymized with O. hemeropis. Episimus melanaspis and E. varablancana are transferred to Omiostola. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thirty species are discussed; 26 species Epinotia caracae sp. n., Epinotia griseiblema sp. n., Epinotia potosicola sp. n., Epinotia sticta sp. n., Epinotia huatuscana sp. n., Epinotia chalsocia sp. n., Epinotia phorminx sp. n., Epinotia sinuncus sp. n., Crocidosema ochrovirens sp. n., Crocidosema pusula sp. n., Crocidosema semanticana sp. n., Crocidosema marumbiana sp. n., Crocidosema atrovirens sp. n., Crocidosema bidepas sp. n., Crocidosema peroteana sp. n., Crocidosema tainia sp. n., Crocidosema argentonivea sp. n., Crocidosema dematia sp. n., Crocidosema carchinaia sp. n., Crocidosema puertoricana sp. n., Crocidosema cayeaya sp. n., Crocidosema cingularia sp. n., Crocidosema meteora sp. n., Crocidosema obta sp. n., Crocidosema mycteria sp. n., Crocidosema connexa sp. n. are described as new. New combinations: Epinotia chlorochara Razowski & Wojtusiak, E. guarandae Razowski & Wojtusiak, E. multistrigata Razowski & Wojtusiak, E. runtunica Razowski & Wojtusiak and E. tenebrica Razowski & Wojtusiak are transferred to Crocidosema. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Field Ornithology is the property of Resilience Alliance and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Seven species of the genus Rhysida Wood, 1862 from Venezuela and one subspecies from Peru described by Manuel Angel González Sponga and Wolfgang Bücherl respectively, are revised. R. caripensis González- Sponga, 2002, R. neoespartana González-Sponga, 2002, R. guayanica González-Sponga, 2002, R. maritima González-Sponga, 2002, R. monaguensis González-Sponga, 2002, R. porlamarensis González-Sponga 2002, R. sucupanensis González-Sponga, 2002 and Rhysida celeris andina Bücherl, 1953 are junior synonyms of R. celeris (Humbert & Saussure, 1870), which is redescribed and illustrated for the first time. Its geographic distribution is updated and a map showing its distribution is presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Field Ornithology is the property of Resilience Alliance and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The Marattiaceae are represented by a small family of four to six genera that bear esporogenous structures of two types: sorus with free eusporangia in Angiopteris and Archangiopteris, and indurated synangium in Christensenia, Danaea and Marattia. Marattia is a pantropical genus of about eight to ten species in the paleotropic and seven to eight species in the neotropic. In order to describe the spores and sinangia morphology, this study analyzed the shape of the receptacles, and the position of the synangia, and evaluated the spores with SEM, of seven neotropical species of the genus Marattia: M. alata, M. cicutifolia, M. excavata, M. interposita, M. laevis, M. laxa y M. weinmanniifolia from several collections. The receptacles were fully developed in M. cicutifolia and M. laevis, and scarcely overelevated in the rest of the species. The synangium was ellipsoidal and had intramarginal to supramedial position in the laminae. The spores of Marattia were elliptic. Among the taxa, only monolete spores were found, with no trilete, aborted or deformed spores. The laesura was linear and reached about two of the total length of the spore. The perispore appears as a continuous thin layer deposited on the exospore according to its ornamentation in M. cicutifolia and M. laevis. It is smooth in M. alata, rugate in M. excavata and pustulate-rugate in two species: M. interposita and M. laxa. The exospore is echinate in M. cicutifolia and M. laevis and pustulate in the other species. In M. weinmannifolia spores produced by the same sinangium may have different ornamentation types. We concluded that, while the presence of ellipsoidal and superficial synangia and monolete spores aperture were generic traits, the micro and macro-ornamentation types of the perispores and exospores vary at specific level. Besides, macro-ornamentation can be bulliform (pustulate), a combination of bulliform and muriform types (pustulate-rugate), muriform (rugate-retate) and stelliform (echinate); finally, granular micro-ornamentation can be seen frecuently in perispores. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Galatheidae and Chirostylidae are two of the most diverse and abundant families of decapod crustaceans, besides penaeid shrimps. These families contain 869 species around the world and live from shallow waters (less common), marine bottoms on continental slopes (more common), to hydrothermal vents and abyssal plains at 5000 m depth. Eleven genera and 161 species from the Neotropic, and eight genera and 43 species from Colombian waters have been recorded. Currently we have few taxonomic and systematic studies on these groups in spite of their ecological importance due the species richness and abundance. The main goal of this paper is to compile the most important bibliographic information from galatheids and chyrostilids from the neotropical region, including local and regional data, synonymies and current information. This compilation was made from papers and other regional publications and also with the material revision from several international museums, including the Museo de Historia Natural Marina de Colombia. Results show that the majority of species from Neotropic waters (67 species) are distributed in Florida, Central America, Caribbean insular territories and Colombia; 20 species are Neotropical-wide, 12 are restricted to insular territories and three to Central America. The remaining 46 species show a discontinuous distribution throughout the area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new Apicotermitinae genus and species Echinotermes biriba is described from workers collected on the Andean-Amazon Piedmont in Colombia and Peru. The enteric valve armature of Echinotermes biriba Castro & Scheffrahn, gen. et sp. n. is a remarkably diagnostic character. A Bayesian phylogenetic analysis using the COI gene and including all other Neotropical Apicotermitinae genera, supports the new genus as a distinct terminal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Lilloa is the property of Fundacion Miguel Lillo and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

We conducted a greenhouse experiment using common Puerto Rican trees and shrubs that span the spectrum of neotropic life histories. Our working hypothesis was that species had a higher colonisation rate of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) as they established further and further after a disturbance (quantified as increasing seed size). Results suggested that (1) Cecropia schreberiana and Schefflera morototoni were weakly-facultative mycorrhizal, (2) Casearia arborea, Inga laurina and Guarea guidonia were strongly-facultative mycorrhizal and (3) Piper glabrescens, Tabebuia heterophylla, Palicourea riparia, Buchenaria capitata and Dacryodes excelsa were obligately mycorrhizal with (4) Psychotria berteriana, Prestoea montana and Manilkara bidentata also obligate but at a reduced level. In general, these species were adapted to low inorganic phosphorus, colonised well with AMF and agreed with our working hypothesis; however, three shrub species (Piper, Palicourea, Psychotria) did not. Finally, we also found that shade tolerance of the test species corresponded with the AMF results better than their wood density or drought tolerance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A common assumption in bioclimatic envelope modeling is that species distributions are in equilibrium with contemporary climate. A number of studies have measured departures from equilibrium in species distributions in particular regions, but such investigations were never carried out for a complete lineage across its entire distribution. We measure departures of equilibrium with contemporary climate for the distributions of the world amphibian species. Specifically, we fitted bioclimatic envelopes for 5544 species using three presence-only models. We then measured the proportion of the modeled envelope that is currently occupied by the species, as a metric of equilibrium of species distributions with climate. The assumption was that the greater the difference between modeled bioclimatic envelope and the occupied distribution, the greater the likelihood that species distribution would not be at equilibrium with contemporary climate. On average, amphibians occupied 30% to 57% of their potential distributions. Although patterns differed across regions, there were no significant differences among lineages. Species in the Neotropic, Afrotropics, Indo-Malay, and Palaearctic occupied a smaller proportion of their potential distributions than species in the Nearctic, Madagascar, and Australasia. We acknowledge that our models underestimate non equilibrium, and discuss potential reasons for the observed patterns. From a modeling perspective our results support the view that at global scale bioclimatic envelope models might perform similarly across lineages but differently across regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Laguncularia racemosa is a species characteristic of mangroves of the Neotropic. The leaves of this species present diverse glandular structures, slightly common characteristic in arboreal species and less still in species of mangrove forest. In this work we are described morphoanatomically the leaf blade glands by scanning and transmission electron microscopy. The presence of diverse glands might assume to a complex adjustment or mechanism of response of the species to the halophytic ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Brazilian Journal of Biology is the property of Instituto Internacional de Ecologia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

A short review is supplied of the history and search of the Microchelonus species in the Neotropics, taxonomic status of the genus Microchelonus and the features employed for the species differentiation. Descriptions of 25 new species of Microchelonus are presented from the Neotropical Region, completed with their taxonomic position. The enumeration of the new species is presented in the Introduction. Fifty-six Microchelonus species are registered in the region, their checklist are compiled. Identification key was constructed to the species occurring in Central and South America, females and males separately. A new synonymy; Microchelonus parkeri Papp, 2010 sen. syn. / Chelonus (Microchelonus) murici Nascimento et Penteado-Dias, 2011, jun. syn. and a new combination; Microchelonus kellieae (Marsh, 1979) originally Chelonus (Microchelonus) kellieae are presented. With 519 line-drawn figures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study evaluated the feasibility of using the Ribulose Bisphosphate Carboxylase Large subunit gene (rbcL) and the Internal Transcribed Spacers 1 and 2 of the nuclear rDNA (nuITS1 and nuITS2) markers for identifying a very diverse, albeit poorly known group, of green microalgae from neotropical inland waters. Fifty-one freshwater green microalgae strains isolated from Brazil, the largest biodiversity reservoir in the neotropics, were submitted to DNA barcoding. Currently available universal primers for ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 region amplification were sufficient to successfully amplify and sequence 47 (92%) of the samples. On the other hand, new sets of primers had to be designed for rbcL, which allowed 96% of the samples to be sequenced. Thirty-five percent of the strains could be unambiguously identified to the species level based either on nuITS1 or nuITS2 sequences’ using barcode gap calculations. nuITS2 Compensatory Base Change (CBC) and ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 region phylogenetic analysis, together with morphological inspection, confirmed the identification accuracy. In contrast, only 6% of the strains could be assigned to the correct species based solely on rbcL sequences. In conclusion, the data presented here indicates that either nuITS1 or nuITS2 are useful markers for DNA barcoding of freshwater green microalgae, with advantage for nuITS2 due to the larger availability of analytical tools and reference barcodes deposited at databases for this marker. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Insects' wings are complex surfaces that have become a new field to study towards the design of flying devices and hydrophobic surfaces. Several orders and families of insects have been analyzed for their hydrophobic properties and the microstructures related. We studied the wings of 13 dipteran families under scanning electron microscopy and used a goniometer to measure the corresponding static contact angle. Common structures as well as distinct features were found in the samples. None of the wings was superhydrophobic; the contact angles raged from 67.9° to 109.9°. Wings' ultrastructure and cuticle elements are associated with these differences, and play a crucial role during flight. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cave entrances are transition zones with intermediate characteristics between epigean environments, which bear lower environmental stability, and hypogean environments, with lower food resources. Associated to these interfaces there is a specific community, capable of exploiting its unique and intermediate characteristics. This work investigated this community in a Brazilian limestone cave, identifying its arthropod species composition and spatial distribution, and exploring its relationships with climatic and structural environment characteristics and trophic relations. An ecotone zone was identified, with 55 species found only in the ecotone, 49 species were shared with the epigean community, 37 species with the hypogean community, and 14 species were found in the three communities. Although detritus is the base of the trophic web in the entrance, light allows the establishment of some producers and even herbivores. Species diversity in the ecotone was intermediate to that of the adjacent environments. Light is the main filter that acts near the cave entrance and determines the presence and distribution of several species in the ecotone. Therefore, this region is important for the cave ecosystem as a whole, considering that a considerable amount of trophic resources is transferred from the epigean to the hypogean environment through this area. Accordingly, conservation and management strategies regarding cave communities should incorporate actions to study and protect ecotonal communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new Neotropical species of Trentepohlia (Mongoma) is described from Cuba. This is the first species of the subgenus from the West Indies, whereas the other four Trentepohlia spp. are from the subgenus Paramongoma. Notes on the phenology of this new species are provided. Also, we discuss the transfer of Trentepohlia suberrans Alexander, 1979 to Mongoma and provide a key for the identification of the three species of this subgenus present in the Neotropics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The regression of similarity against distance unites several ecological phenomena, and thus provides a highly useful approach for illustrating the spatial turnover across sites. Our aim was to test whether the rates of decay in community similarity differ between diatom growth forms suggested to show different dispersal ability. We hypothesized that the diatom group with lower dispersal ability (i.e. periphyton) would show higher distance decay rates than a group with higher dispersal ability (i.e. plankton). Methods/Principal findings: Periphyton and phytoplankton samples were gathered at sites distributed over an area of approximately 800 km length in the Negro River, Amazon basin, Brazil, South America (3°08'00"S; 59°54'30"W). Distance decay relationships were then estimated using distance-based regressions, and the coefficients of these regressions were compared among the groups with different dispersal abilities to assess our predictions. We found evidence that different tributaries and reaches of the Negro River harbor different diatom communities. As expected, the rates of distance decay in community similarity were higher for periphyton than for phytoplankton indicating the lower dispersal ability of periphytic taxa. Conclusions/Significance: Our study demonstrates that the comparison of distance decay relationships among taxa with similar ecological requirements, but with different growth form and thus dispersal ability provides a sound approach to evaluate the effects of dispersal ability on beta diversity patterns. Our results are also in line with the growing body of evidence indicating that microorganisms exhibit biogeographic patterns. Finally, we underscore that clumbing all microbial taxa into one group may be a flawed approach to test whether microbes exhibit biogeographic patterns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Leishmaniasis is one of the most diverse and complex of all vector-borne diseases worldwide. It is caused by parasites of the genus Leishmania, obligate intramacrophage protists characterised by diversity and complexity. Its most severe form is visceral leishmaniasis (VL), a systemic disease that is fatal if left untreated. In Latin America VL is caused by Leishmania infantum chagasi and transmitted by Lutzomyia longipalpis. This phlebotomine sandfly is only found in the New World, from Mexico to Argentina. In South America, migration and urbanisation have largely contributed to the increase of VL as a public health problem. Moreover, the first VL outbreak was recently reported in Argentina, which has already caused 7 deaths and 83 reported cases. Methodology/Principal Findings: An inventory of the microbiota associated with insect vectors, especially of wild specimens, would aid in the development of novel strategies for controlling insect vectors. Given the recent VL outbreak in Argentina and the compelling need to develop appropriate control strategies, this study focused on wild male and female Lu. longipalpis from an Argentine endemic (Posadas, Misiones) and a Brazilian non-endemic (Lapinha Cave, Minas Gerais) VL location. Previous studies on wild and laboratory reared female Lu. longipalpis have described gut bacteria using standard bacteriological methods. In this study, total RNA was extracted from the insects and submitted to high-throughput pyrosequencing. The analysis revealed the presence of sequences from bacteria, fungi, protist parasites, plants and metazoans. Conclusions/Significance: This is the first time an unbiased and comprehensive metagenomic approach has been used to survey taxa associated with an infectious disease vector. The identification of gregarines suggested they are a possible efficient control method under natural conditions. Ongoing studies are determining the significance of the associated taxa found in this study in a greater number of adult male and female Lu. longipalpis samples from endemic and non-endemic locations. A particular emphasis is being given to those species involved in the biological control of this vector and to the etiologic agents of animal and plant diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The causes for the higher biodiversity in the Neotropics as compared to the Nearctic and the factors promoting species diversification in each region have been much debated. The refuge hypothesis posits that high tropical diversity reflects high speciation rates during the Pleistocene, but this conclusion has been challenged. The present study investigates this matter by examining continental patterns of avian diversification through the analysis of large-scale DNA barcode libraries. Methodology and Principal Findings: Standardized COI datasets from the avifaunas of Argentina, the Nearctic, and the Palearctic were analyzed. Average genetic distances between closest congeners and sister species were higher in Argentina than in North America reflecting a much higher percentage of recently diverged species in the latter region. In the Palearctic genetic distances between closely related species appeared to be more similar to those of the southern Neotropics. Average intraspecific variation was similar in Argentina and North America, while the Palearctic fauna had a higher value due to a higher percentage of variable species. Geographic patterning of intraspecific structure was more complex in the southern Neotropics than in the Nearctic, while the Palearctic showed an intermediate level of complexity. Conclusions and Significance: DNA barcodes can reveal continental patterns of diversification. Our analysis suggests that avian species are older in Argentina than in the Nearctic, supporting the idea that the greater diversity of the Neotropical avifauna is not caused by higher recent speciation rates. Species in the Palearctic also appear to be older than those in the Nearctic. These results, combined with the patterns of geographic structuring found in each region, suggest a major impact of Pleistocene glaciations in the Nearctic, a lesser effect in the Palearctic and a mild effect in the southern Neotropics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Neotropical region (tropical America) is the most species rich region on Earth. Several causes have been proposed to explain this extraordinary biodiversity, which may be very roughly classified into two major categories: 'biotic' (e.g. soil adaptations; biotic interactions with pollinators, dispersers and herbivores; niche conservatism; dispersal ability) and 'abiotic' (e.g. time; rainfall, temperature and area; mountain uplift; hydrological changes). In this paper we review the evidence for each of these postulated causes of diversification and provide general directions towards further testing. We highlight the need of more well-sampled and dated phylogenies and urge increased inter-disciplinary collaboration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Companion vector-borne diseases (CVBDs) are an important threat for pet life, but may also have an impact on human health, due to their often zoonotic character. The importance and awareness of CVBDs continuously increased during the last years. However, information on their occurrence is often limited in several parts of the world, which are often especially affected. Latin America (LATAM), a region with large biodiversity, is one of these regions, where information on CVBDs for pet owners, veterinarians, medical doctors and health workers is often obsolete, limited or non-existent. In the present review, a comprehensive literature search for CVBDs in companion animals (dogs and cats) was performed for several countries in Central America (Belize, Caribbean Islands, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Puerto Rico) as well as in South America (Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana (British Guyana), Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay, Venezuela) regarding the occurrence of the following parasitic and bacterial diseases: babesiosis, heartworm disease, subcutaneous dirofilariosis, hepatozoonosis, leishmaniosis, trypanosomosis, anaplasmosis, bartonellosis, borreliosis, ehrlichiosis, mycoplasmosis and rickettsiosis. An overview on the specific diseases, followed by a short summary on their occurrence per country is given. Additionally, a tabular listing on positive or non-reported occurrence is presented. None of the countries is completely free from CVBDs. The data presented in the review confirm a wide distribution of the CVBDs in focus in LATAM. This wide occurrence and the fact that most of the CVBDs can have a quite severe clinical outcome and their diagnostic as well as therapeutic options in the region are often difficult to access and to afford, demands a strong call for the prevention of pathogen transmission by the use of ectoparasiticidal and anti-feeding products as well as by performing behavioural changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

New replacement names are proposed in Trathala Cameron, 1899 (Ichneumonidae: Cremastinae) and Enicospilus Stephens, 1835 (Ichneumonidae: Ophioninae) from the Neotropical Region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]