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ABSTRACT The limited temporal completeness and taxonomic accuracy of species lists, made available in a traditional manner in scientific publications, has always represented a problem. These lists are invariably limited to a few taxonomic groups and do not represent up-to-date knowledge of all species and classifications. In this context, the Brazilian megadiverse fauna is no exception, and the Catálogo Taxonômico da Fauna do Brasil (CTFB) (http://fauna.jbrj.gov.br/), made public in 2015, represents a database on biodiversity anchored on a list of valid and expertly recognized scientific names of animals in Brazil. The CTFB is updated in near real time by a team of more than 800 specialists. By January 1, 2024, the CTFB compiled 133,691 nominal species, with 125,138 that were considered valid. Most of the valid species were arthropods (82.3%, with more than 102,000 species) and chordates (7.69%, with over 11,000 species). These taxa were followed by a cluster composed of Mollusca (3,567 species), Platyhelminthes (2,292 species), Annelida (1,833 species), and Nematoda (1,447 species). All remaining groups had less than 1,000 species reported in Brazil, with Cnidaria (831 species), Porifera (628 species), Rotifera (606 species), and Bryozoa (520 species) representing those with more than 500 species. Analysis of the CTFB database can facilitate and direct efforts towards the discovery of new species in Brazil, but it is also fundamental in providing the best available list of valid nominal species to users, including those in science, health, conservation efforts, and any initiative involving animals. The importance of the CTFB is evidenced by the elevated number of citations in the scientific literature in diverse areas of biology, law, anthropology, education, forensic science, and veterinary science, among others.

ABSTRACT Despite their large size and intimidating appearance, most mygalomorph spiders do not cause severe envenomation in Brazil. “Programa Estadual de Vigilância de Acidentes por Animais Peçonhentos da Secretaria de Estado da Saúde do Paraná”, through the “Sistema de Notificação de Animais Peçonhentos” (SINAP), documents the occurrence of synanthropic species captured by the public and reported to municipal health services. In this study, we present a list of the mygalomorph species received by Secretaria de Saúde do Estado do Paraná (SESA) and their distribution across the state of Paraná, based on the SINAP reports. A total of 575 mygalomorph specimens were identified, originating from all 22 Regional Health Centers (RS) of SESA-PR. We identified species of four families: Actinopodidae (on species: Actinopus itapitocai); Dipluridae (1 species: Diplura catharinensis; Pycnothelidae (two species: Psalistopoides emanueli, and P. fulvimanus); and Theraphosidae (10 species in four genera: Acanthoscurria paulensis, Eupalaestrus campestratus, Grammostola actaeon, Pterinopelma longisternale, Tekoapora wacketi, Vitalius dubius, V. lucasae, V. paranaensis, V. sorocabae and V. vellutinus). Of the aforementioned species, Vitalius paranaensis has the widest distribution, occurring in all Regional Centers of Health except Paranaguá. The other most frequently collected species were Pterinopelma longisternale, Vitalius sorocabae, and Psalistopoides emanueli. In total, the 575 records resulted in only 12 accidents. The results highlight the broad distribution of some species; contributes to the identification of the main species encountered by the population and reported to SINAP in Paraná; and helps to bring attention to the low number of accidents caused by these large-sized spiders.

Reports of mites parasitizing arthropods are common worldwide. However, there hasn't been a single record of mite parasitism by any Erythraeidae species on the millipede Polyxenidae in Brazil. To address this gap, we present a record of the species Charletonia rocciai Treat & Flechtmann, 1979 (Trombidiformes: Erythraeidae), parasitizing a specimen of this millipede family in the country.

Coleções biológicas são a base da pesquisa taxonômica, pois fornecem dados sobre a riqueza de espécies e diversidade biológica regionais. Espécimes depositados em coleções estão sistematicamente organizados e identificados, o que permite o conhecimento da biodiversidade, bem como o seu uso para fins educacionais. No município de Codó, no estado do Maranhão, na região Nordeste do Brasil, está localizado um dos campi da Universidade Federal do Maranhão (UFMA) e cuja região é conhecida pela grande abundância de Arecaceae, mas sem nenhuma unidade de conservação. Com o objetivo de subsidiar informações sobre a coleção didática do campus da UFMA, o presente estudo contribuiu com a organização de artrópodes dessa coleção, em especial os Arachnida e Myriapoda, além de fornecer informações sobre a ecologia e distribuição desses táxons na região. A região do povoado Amorim apresentou a maior riqueza de espécies, em especial da classe Diplopoda, e diversidade, enquanto o povoado de Bruacas apresentou a maior equitabilidade. As regiões de Amorim, Bacabinha e Bruacas apresentaram grande similaridade faunística. Ressaltamos que as áreas dos povoados nos quais foram obtidas as amostras de Arachnida e Myriapoda sofrem com o avanço de atividades extrativistas, o que pode acarretar a perda da diversidade biológica nas áreas ainda quase que inexploradas para a fauna. Assim, essas informações são importantes para atenuar essa subamostragem e subsidiar o conhecimento sobre a biodiversidade local.

The intriguing thanatosis was observed for the second time for a member of the family Chelodesmidae. This behavior was recorded for the species Pseudoleptodesmus rubescens (Gervais, 1836), in the municipality of Magé, state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

A classe Diplopoda corresponde a cerca de 12.000 espécies nominais. Indivíduos desta classe estão associados a quase todos os estratos do solo, contribuindo de maneira eficiente para a ciclagem de nutrientes. Algumas espécies são consideradas pragas agrícolas, amplamente distribuídas atráves de atividades humanas. No Brasil, são conhecidas 12 espécies introduzidas, com grande parte dessas originarias da Ásia e difundidas principalmente na região sudeste do país. Dentre essas, destacam-se Oxidus gracilis (C.L. Koch) e Orthomorpha coarctata (Saussure) (Polydesmida, Paradoxosomatidae), registradas para quase todas as regiões do Brasil, e Trigoniulus corallinus (Gervais) (Spirobolida, Pachybolidae), de ocorrência para o Norte, Nordeste e Sudeste. No entanto, mesmo essas sendo amplamente distribuídas, nenhuma tem registro até o momento para o estado do Maranhão. Nesta perspectiva, o presente trabalho tem como objetivo registrar pela primeira vez no estado do Maranhão a ocorrência destas espécies a partir de coletas em áreas urbanas do município de Códo, região ao leste do estado, durante os meses de janeiro e fevereiro de 2023. De modo geral, os indivíduos foram encontrados enterrados em camadas mais superficiais do solo ou associados a poças de água próximas da serrapilheira. A região apresenta grande diversidade vegetal, mas sem nenhuma unidade de conservação formulada até o momento, além de sofrer atualmente com o avanço de atividades extrativistas e de Silvicultura, podendo acarretar a perda da diversidade biológica em áreas ainda quase que inexploradas em relação a fauna.

The chelodesmid genus Dibolostethus Hoffman, 2009, the sole member of the tribe Dibolostethini, is reviewed. The genus contains the type species D. sicarius Hoffman, 2009 known only from the Los Rios Province, Ecuador, and two new species from the Tropical Andes, D. inopinatus Means, Bouzan & Ivanov sp. nov. from the Morona-Santiago Province, Ecuador and D. kattani Means, Bouzan, Martínez-Torres & Ivanov sp. nov. from the Valle del Cauca Department, Colombia. We redescribe D. sicarius and provide a revised diagnosis of the genus, images of diagnostic morphological characters, and a key to the males of Dibolostethus. In addition, we provide a summary and a distribution map of the Chelodesmidae of the Tropical Andes Biodiversity Hotspot.

In order to provide a reassessment of the Neotropical genus Pseudonannolene Silvestri, 1895, a cladistic analysis, biogeographic analysis, and taxonomic review were conducted in the present work. For the cladistic approach, 91 morphological characters were scored for 53 terminals as the ingroup and 10 as the outgroup. Three synapomorphies support the monophyly of the genus: presence of a longitudinal suture on the promentum, penial bases partially fused, and the internal branch of the gonopods surrounding the telopodite; and two homoplastic transformations: the lateral lobe of the collum densely striated and setae present up to the apical portion of the prefemoral process on the first leg-pair of males. The genus Pseudonannolene is recovered as sister-group of Epinannolene Brölemann, 1903 (Pseudonannoleninae). A total of 226 occurrence points were recorded for Pseudonannolene, with the majority of records from the Chacoan subregion, composed by Araucaria Forest, Atlantic, and Parana Forest provinces. The biogeographical searches using the Geographically explicit Event Model recovered two biogeographic reconstructions (cost of 79 000), with the vicariance events occurring more frequently in the deep clades, whereas sympatry and points of sympatry occurred in more inclusive clades. The first reconstruction recovered four vicariances, 13 sympatries, 4 points of sympatry, and 21 founder events, and the second reconstruction recovered four vicariances, 12–13 sympatries, 4–5 points of sympatry, and 21 founder events. The genus Pseudonannolene comprises 56 species, including 8 new species herein described: P. alata sp. nov., P. aurea sp. nov., P. bucculenta sp. nov., P. curvata sp. nov., P. granulata sp. nov., P. insularis sp. nov., P. morettii sp. nov., and P. nicolau sp. nov.; P. brevis Silvestri, 1902 and P. rugosetta Silvestri, 1897 are regarded as species inquirendae; a neotype of P. alegrensis Silvestri, 1897 is here proposed with male described for the first time. The following taxa are synonymized: P. canastra Gallo & Bichuette, 2020 and P. saguassu Iniesta & Ferreira, 2013 with P. ambuatinga Iniesta & Ferreira, 2013; P. marconii Iniesta & Ferreira, 2013 with P. longicornis (Porat, 1888); P. chaimowiczi Fontanetti, 1996, P. gogo Iniesta & Ferreira, 2013, P. rosineii Iniesta & Ferreira, 2014, P. taboa Iniesta & Ferreira, 2014, and P. longissima Iniesta & Ferreira, 2014 with P. microzoporus Mauriès, 1987; P. tricolor gracilis Brölemann, 1902 and P. tricolor rugosus Schubart, 1945 with P. tricolor Brölemann, 1902; P. auguralis Silvestri, 1902 with P. rocana Silvestri, 1902; and P. abbreviata Silvestri, 1902 with P. typica Silvestri, 1895. P. inops Brölemann, 1929 is proposed here as new status from P. bovei inops. A dichotomous identification key is presented to facilitate the species identification.

A classe Diplopoda é conhecida por espécies de baixa capacidade de dispersão e limitada área de distribuição, podendo ser restritas a montanhas, ilhas ou manchas de florestas. Membros da classe tem importância agrícola e médica. A família Chelodesmidae é a segunda mais diversa para Diplopoda, com cerca de 800 espécies descritas. Em Chelodesmidae, o gênero Atlantodesmus Hoffman, 2000 é conhecido pela ausência de projeções ventrais nos esternitos dos anéis corpóreos e por características presentes na estrutura reprodutiva dos machos. Até o momento são conhecidas seis espécies no gênero amplamente distribuídas na Mata Atlântica e Cerrado. Dentre essas espécies, Atlantodesmus teresa (Hoffman) é endêmica da Mata Atlântica. O presente trabalho tem como objetivo caracterizar a espécie com base em análise de ultraestrutura e mapear a sua distribuição no bioma a partir de dados de coleções biológicas. Como resultado foram identificados 15 adultos dos estados do Minas Gerais e Espírito Santo, sendo dois novos indivíduos registrados para região de Sooretama, ES. As principais características morfológicas relacionados aos gonópodos dos machos. Futuros estudos ainda são necessários para entender a distribuição do gênero e a riqueza da família no bioma.

Abstract New records for the species Exallostreptus vanzoliniiHoffman, 1988 and Guaporeptus paradisiusHoffman, 1988, known only from the state of Rondônia, are made from the state of Mato Grosso, Brazil. Figures of gonopods, first and second leg-pair of males are provided. In addition, an updated list of 19 Spirostreptidae species from Mato Grosso is provided, with the species Plusioporus salvadorii, Trichogonostreptus (Oreastreptus) mattogrossensis, and Urostreptus tampiitauensis widely distributed in the state.

This study concerns the diplopod genus Eucampesmella Schubart, 1955, widespread in Brazil. After this work, the genus includes 12 valid species, and three incertae sedis: E. pugiuncula (Schubart, 1946), E. brunnea Kraus, 1959 and E. schubarti Kraus, 1957. The type-species, Eucampesmella tricuspis (Attems, 1931), is redescribed based on the holotype, and the following six new Brazilian species are added: Eucampesmella macunaima sp. nov. from the states of Rondônia, Pará, and Piauí; E. capitu sp. nov. from the states of Piauí and Paraíba; E. brascubas sp. nov. from the state of Sergipe; E. iracema sp. nov. from the state of Pernambuco; E. pedrobala sp. nov. from the state of Ceará; and E. lalla sp. nov. from the state of Rio Grande do Norte. Furthermore, E. lartiguei ferrii (Schubart, 1956) is recognized as a junior synonym of E. lartiguei lartiguei (Silvestri, 1897), which also had its status changed, and E. sulcata (Attems, 1898) is revalidated, prevailing under the name Leptodesmus tuberculiporus Attems, 1898. In addition, drawings, diagnoses, and distribution maps for all species of the genus are provided.

Abstract The present study provides historical and new records of the introduced millipedes species in Brazil, Oxidus gracilis (C.L. Koch, 1847), Orthomorpha coarctata (Saussure, 1860) (Paradoxosomatidae), Prosopodesmus jacobsoni Silvestri, 1910 (Haplodesmidae), Trachyjulus calvus (Pocock, 1893a), Glyphiulus granulatus (Gervais, 1847) (Cambalopsidae), Trigoniulus corallinus (Gervais, 1842), Leptogoniulus sorornus (Butler, 1876), Epitrigoniulus cruentatus (Brölemann, 1903) (Pachybolidae), Paraspirobolus lucifugus (Gervais, 1837) (Spirobolellidae), Cylindroiulus britannicus (Verhoeff, 1891), Cylindroiulus truncorum (Silvestri, 1896) (Julidae), and Rhinotus purpureus (Pocock, 1894) (Siphonotidae). Among the 27 federative units in Brazil, 21 states present at least one record of a non-native species. Orthomorpha coarctata was the most widely distributed species, occurring in 15 states. Glyphiulus granulatus (state of Rio Grande do Sul), C. truncorum (São Paulo), and R. purpureus (Amazonas) were recorded from only one Brazilian state. The Southeast region concentrates most of the compiled records (42,6%) and richness by grid (5-7 species), mainly in urban areas of the states of Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo.

Different welfare indicators were studied in three patients with psychomotor alterations and in two horses throughout 9–10 equine assisted therapy sessions in each patient. In horses, heart and respiratory rates, blood pressure, temperature and behavioral signs were studied. In patients, heart rate, oxygen saturation, temperature, sleep quality, psychomotor and emotional parameters were analyzed. Data collection was recorded in the anticipatory phase (15 min before the start of the session), two interaction phases (after 30 min of horse-patient interaction on the ground and on horseback, respectively) and the recovery phase (15 min after the end of the session). During the anticipatory phase, most of physiological parameters of patients and horses and the stress behavioral signs of horses increased, followed by a relaxing phase during the horse-patient interaction on the ground. In horse-patient riding phase the heart and respiratory rates of the horses again increased. These results showed that the horses did not seem to suffer stress attributable to the therapy sessions, but only an increase in their parameters associated with activity and external stimuli. The patients improved their gross and fine motor skills, their cognitive and perceptual-sensitive parameters and it led to an improvement in the life quality of their families.

A cladistic analysis of the genus Atlantodesmus Hoffman, 2000 is presented. With a total of 11 taxa and 30 morphological characters, and under implied weighting (k = 3), two equally most parsimonious trees (length = 58 steps; total fit = 23.150; CI = 0.64; RI = 0.64) recovered the monophyly of the genus. The resulting synapomorphies are: absence of a ventral projection on the post-gonopodal sternites; presence of folds on the dorsal edge of the prefemoral region of the gonopod; and one homoplastic transformation: presence of a cingulum. In addition, Atlantodesmus sierwaldae sp. nov. is described from the state of Minas Gerais, in the Brazilian Cerrado, and a key to the males of the genus is provided.

The aim of this study was to assess the effect of melatonin implants on the reproductive performance of yearling Iberian red deer (Cervus elaphus hispanicus) hinds. It also explored exogenous melatonin administration as a tool to minimize the negative effect of a low yearling hind’s liveweight on their reproductive efficiency. In addition, the effect of melatonin-treated yearling hinds on non-treated hinds was studied in order to provide a practical and economical protocol to improve farms’ productivity. A total of 4520 Iberian red deer hinds belonging to the same farm were included in this study. Melatonin (108 mg/hind) implants were administered three-fold every 30 days before the breeding season. Fertility rates, calves’ weights and calving dates were registered for each hind. The results showed that exogenous melatonin increased significantly (p < 0.05) the calves’ weight (32.39 ± 1.07 kg vs. 27.65 ± 1.11 kg for Weight 1calf (July) and 46.59 ± 1.50 kg vs. 41.79 ± 1.54 kg for Weight 2calf (August, at weaning)) and advanced the calving date by 15 days in yearling hinds compared to the non-treated group. In addition, the administration of melatonin implants before the breeding season was able to minimize the negative effect of low yearling hinds’ liveweight (Weight 1hind) on their future reproductive outcomes, as the fertility rates increased by 46% and the calves’ weight increased by 7 kg after the melatonin treatment, regardless of the yearlings’ weight. Finally, when both experimental groups (melatonin and non-treated) were kept separate, higher fertility rates (76.73 ± 7.18% vs. 66.94 ± 7.41%) were observed for the melatonin-treated hinds compared to the non-treated hinds. However, when both groups of yearling hinds were maintained together, no significant differences were observed in their fertility outcomes (78.13 ± 21.26% vs. 78.12 ± 23.32%). Therefore, melatonin implants may be used in yearling Iberian red deer hinds as a management tool to improve their reproductive productivity.

Sperm cryopreservation is a complex process that needs to be adapted to wild and domestic avian species to ensure proper efficiency. Because of its accessibility, the peregrine falcon may be used as a good model for studying other raptor species. To find the most optimal cryopreservation protocol for peregrine falcon ejaculates, sperm parameters such as motility, viability, DNA fragmentation, acrosome integrity, and mitochondrial activity were analyzed under different conditions by varying the freezing method (slow freezing in straws vs. ultrarapid freezing in pellets), thawing conditions (37 °C for 30 s vs. 5 °C for 1 min), type of cryoprotectant (DMA vs. DMSO), and concentration of DMSO (4% vs. 8%). Results show that slow cryopreservation in straws yielded greater percentages (p < 0.05) of motile spermatozoa (22.5% ± 4.4% vs. 0.0% ± 4.1%), viable spermatozoa with intact acrosomes (84.6% ± 4.3% vs. 77.4% ± 4.3%), and spermatozoa with active mitochondria (41.0% ± 6.7% vs.12.8% ± 6.7%), compared with those obtained by the ultrarapid freezing in pellets. However, no differences were found between different thawing conditions. Moreover, all sperm motility parameters were greater (p < 0.05) when DMSO was used during freezing compared with DMA, although the use of 3% and 8% DMSO produced similar results. In conclusion, these results represent important progress in the study of falcon semen cryopreservation protocol, highlighting the crucial steps of the process and the most suitable conditions.

Wine color is one of the main organoleptic characteristics influencing its quality. It is of especial interest in red vinifications due to the economic resources that wineries have to invest for the extraction of the phenolic compounds. To increase this extraction, some chemical (maceration enzymes) or physical technologies (thermovinification, criomaceration, flash-expansion) can be applied. In this work, the results of the application of high power ultrasounds to the crushed grapes to increase the extraction of phenolic compounds are presented. Crushed grapes (400 kg) from the 2017 harvest were treated with ultrasound, and three different lengths of skin maceration period (2, 3 or 7 days) and the results were compared with a control vinification, where grapes were not subjected to any treatment and were skin macerated during 7 days. The wine chromatic characteristics and the individual phenolic compounds were followed during all the maceration period, at the end of alcoholic fermentation and after bottle storage. The wines made with ultrasound treated grapes presented differences with control wine, especially as regard color and total phenol and tannin content, the wines with three days of maceration time presenting similar chromatic characteristics than control wines with 7 days of maceration time.

ABSTRACT The South American genus Heteropyge Silvestri, 1897 is revised, accommodating now six accepted species. Adults of the poorly known species Heteropyge araguayensis (Schubart, 1947) are described for the first time from near-topotypic material collected near the Araguaia River, state of Mato Grosso, Brazil. In addition, based on recent samplings and on material from Schubart’s collection, H. bidens (Schubart, 1945) is removed from the synonymy of H. cayennophilus (Silvestri, 1897) and revalidated. Both species show significant differences concerning the gonopods and male leg-pair 1. New records and additional data for H. bidens and H. cayennophilus are provided, as well as an updated checklist of the species belonging to Heteropyge.

A major limiting factor for the development of in vitro embryo production (IVP) in wild species, such as Iberian red deer, compared to livestock animals is the poor availability and limited access to biological material. Thus, the use of post-mortem ovaries from slaughtered animals represent a source of oocytes for the large scale production of embryos needed for research and to improve the efficiency of IVP. However, these oocytes are not as developmentally competent as their in vivo counterparts. Moreover, oocytes are usually obtained from ovaries that have been transported for long distances, which may also affect their quality. In order to overcome the issues associated with prolonged storage times of post-mortem material, in this study we examined the effect of melatonin supplementation to the ovary transport medium on oocyte quality, embryo yield, and blastocyst quality in Iberian red deer. When necessary, sheep was used as an experimental model due to the large number of samples required for analysis of oocyte quality parameters. Oocytes were in vitro matured and assessed for early apoptosis; DNA fragmentation; reactive oxygen species (ROS); reduced glutathione (GSH) content, mitochondrial membrane potential, and distribution; and relative abundance of mRNA transcript levels. After in vitro fertilization, embryo rates and blastocyst quality were also investigated. The results revealed that melatonin treatment significantly increased intracellular level of GSH in sheep oocytes. Moreover, the percentage of cleavage and blastocyst yield in red deer was greater compared to the Control group and there was lower abundance of oxidative stress- and apoptosis-related SHC1, TP53, and AKR1B1 mRNA transcripts in blastocysts for the Melatonin group. In conclusion, the supplementation of melatonin to the ovary storage medium had a positive effect on the developmental competence and quality of resulting blastocysts in Iberian red deer.

Abstract A checklist of the family Chelodesmidae Cook, 1895 (order Polydesmida) from state of São Paulo, Brazil has been performed based on literature and examined material from the collection of the Instituto Butantan, São Paulo (IBSP). A total of 15 genera (7 tribes and 5 genera considered incertae sedis) with 64 species are listed. Among these species, 30 presented a single one record in the state, 19 with more than one record and four recorded for the first time for the state of São Paulo, and 11 species occurring in other Brazilian states. The most distributed species is Brasilodesmus paulistus paulistus (Brölemann, 1902) with 52 records of occurrence. In addition, a complete bibliography list of the chelodesmidan fauna from the state is compiled, as well as distribution maps for all species are provided.