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Biota Neotropica
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This is an Open Access Journal

Open Access journal
ISSN (Print) 1676-0611 - ISSN (Online) 1676-0603
Published by SciELO

[672 journals]

Building knowledge to save species: 20 years of ichthyological studies in
the Tocantins-Araguaia River basin
- Authors: Carine Cavalcante Chamon, Jane Piton Serra, Priscila Camelier, Angela Maria Zanata, Ilana Fichberg, Manoela Maria Ferreira Marinho
  Abstract: Abstract: The Tocantins-Araguaia River basin is the largest basin located entirely in the Brazilian territory. The high degree of endemism of its ichthyofauna has been revealed in several studies, with the upper Tocantins River having the largest absolute number of endemic taxa within the Amazon basin. Here we provide an accurate review of the ichthyofauna of the Tocantins-Araguaia River basin, based on collections made between 2000-2020, including an extensive list of valid fish species occurring in the basin and a discussion of the major threats to its ichthyofauna. Ichthyofauna diversity was further refined based on web searches. Protected Areas and hydropower plants were mapped using shape files or coordinates from the responsible government agencies. 751 species of fishes are currently known from the Tocantins-Araguaia River basin. A considerable increase in fish diversity knowledge occurred in the last 20 years, in parallel with significant anthropic alterations in the basin and its surroundings. Dams constructed along the basin are ranked as the major threats to ichthyofauna. Although the drainage-basin holds several conservation units and indigenous lands, they have not been sufficient to guarantee the preservation of fish species. Our compilation emphasizes that the upper Tocantins River must be considered as a priority area to preserve fish species. Some mitigation actions that may achieve satisfactory results concerning ichthyofauna conservation are proposed.
  PubDate: 2022-01-01
  Issue No: Vol. 22, No. 2 (2022)
Hummingbird-plant networks in rupestrian fields and riparian forests in
altitudinal areas of the Serra da Canastra National Park, Minas Gerais,
Brazil
- Authors: Monique Maianne, Carolline Zatta Fieker, Manoel Martins Dias, Matheus Gonçalves dos Reis
  Abstract: Abstract: Hummingbirds are specialized in consumption of nectar and play an important role in Neotropical plant communities acting as pollinator organisms. Despite the importance of this mutualistic interaction, studies about hummingbird-plant relationships remain scarce regarding the Cerrado domain (Brazilian savanna). In this study, we aimed to describe the interaction network between hummingbirds and plants in rupestrian fields and riparian forests located in altitudinal areas of the Serra da Canastra National Park. We established two transects in each phytophysiognomy, that were sampled monthly for four days, from November 2018 to October 2019. Flowering plants in each transect were observed each survey, and all the visiting hummingbirds were recorded. Networks were constructed using the R bipartite package, considering each phytophysiognomy type, and grouping data of both environments. From these three network arrangements, we extracted complementary metrics at the community level (modularity, nestedness, and network specialization index), and at the species level (species specialization index and species strength in the network). We recorded 647 interactions between 10 hummingbird species and 23 flowering plant species. The hummingbird Colibri serrirostris was responsible for most of observed bird-plant interactions and the plant Qualea cordata was the most visited. The general network was significantly modular, comprising four modules, and showed considerable high specialization and low nestedness. The interaction network in the rupestrian field showed a higher specialization, nestedness, and modularity index when compared to riparian forests, while the metrics of this ecosystem did not differ from those of the general network. However, the metrics at hummingbird species level did not differ significantly between phytophysiognomies. This study corroborated some findings about hummingbird-plant networks in other areas of the Cerrado domain, but also pointed idiosyncrasies in networks of the investigated phytophysiognomies, especially the rupestrian fields.
  PubDate: 2022-01-01
  Issue No: Vol. 22, No. 2 (2022)
A “hotspot” within a hotspot: the reptiles of the Estação Ecológica
and Área de Proteção Ambiental de Murici, Atlantic Forest of
northeastern Brazil
- Authors: Marcos Jorge Matias Dubeux, José Vieira de Araújo Neto, Ingrid Carolline Soares Triburcio, Barnagleison Silva Lisboa, Selma Torquato, Marco Antônio de Freitas, Eliza Maria Xavier Freire, Míriam Camargo Guarnieri, Tamí Mott
  Abstract: Abstract: Currently the Atlantic Forest hotspot has less than 11% of its original coverage. However approximately 300 species of reptiles are known to inhabit this ecoregion, of which 34% are endemic. The creation of protected areas represents a strategy for preserving ecosystems and managing land use, and for attaining the proper management of these protected areas, information on local biodiversity is essential. Herein we provide the first list of reptile species for the Estação Ecológica and Área de Proteção Ambiental de Murici, two overlapping protected areas located in the state of Alagoas, one of the most important sets of forest remnants for the conservation of the Atlantic Forest in the northeast of Brazil. The species list was constructed based on expeditions and occasional encounters in the area between 1994 and 2022. A total of 89 reptile species were obtained during the 28 years of collection, being two species of Crocodylia, three species of Testudines and 84 species of Squamata. This richness is by far one of the greatest ever documented for the Atlantic Forest. Additionally, two species registered in the area are considered threatened according to the national list (Amerotyphlops paucisquamus and Bothrops muriciensis) and six are defined as data deficient for the assessment of their conservation status. Three species are recorded for the first time in the Atlantic Forest north of the São Francisco River: Dipsas indica, Trilepida salgueiroi and Cercophis auratus. We claim that the species list provided here will serve as a starting point for further studies in this rich reptile “hotspot” within the Atlantic Forest.
  PubDate: 2022-01-01
  Issue No: Vol. 22, No. 2 (2022)
Erratum
- PubDate: 2022-01-01
  Issue No: Vol. 22, No. 2 (2022)
Potential dispersal of aquatic snails by waterbird endozoochory in
neotropical wetlands
- Authors: Luiz C. Barboza, Giliandro G. Silva, Andy J. Green, Leonardo Maltchik, Cristina Stenert
  Abstract: Abstract Waterbird-mediated zoochory is one of the main ecological mechanisms by which non-flying freshwater invertebrates can disperse between isolated wetlands. Passive dispersal through gut passage inside waterbirds (endozoochory) may explain how many organisms spread in the landscape. Here, we evaluate the potential for dispersal of aquatic snails by three waterbird species in neotropical wetlands. A total of 77 faecal samples from Coscoroba coscoroba (n = 28), Dendrocygna viduata (n = 36) and Anas flavirostris (n = 13) were collected in the field and taken to the laboratory. There, the samples were examined under a stereomicroscope to check for the presence of gastropod shells. We found 496 intact gastropod shells, and Heleobia piscium was the most abundant species (n= 485). We also found two shells of Drepanotrema sp. and nine others distributed between two different morphotypes of Planorbidae. Snails were present in 20.8 % of all samples, and were more frequent in faeces of coscoroba swan (50%) than the other two bird species. Our data suggest that aquatic snails may disperse by avian endozoochory between neotropical wetlands, with vectors including migratory bird species.
  PubDate: 2022-01-01
  Issue No: Vol. 22, No. 2 (2022)
Living at the top of the forest line: medium and large mammals in a
high-mountain ecotone in Peruvian Central Andes
- Authors: Mateus Melo-Dias, Jesenia Flora Aliaga Huatuco, Marco Aurelio Arizapana-Almonacid, Marco Italo Castañeda-Tinco, Fernán Chanamé, Jesus Ulloa Ninahuamán, Marcelo Passamani
  Abstract: Abstract: Among the ecoregions that comprise the high-Andean zone of the Tropical Andes, the Puna and the Yungas stand out for covering a large part of the Peruvian Eastern Andes. Located in the ecotone of these two ecoregions, the Pampa Hermosa National Sanctuary (PHNS) houses one of the priority areas for conservation in Peru. However, the biodiversity of the high-Andean zone of the sanctuary and its surroundings remains poorly studied. Thus, through camera traps and transects, we sought to inventory for the first time the medium and large mammals from the high-Andean region of the PHNS and its buffer zone. We recorded 11 native and three domestic species of medium and large mammals. The richness of native mammals sampled reached 91.7% of the estimated richness (S est.= 11.99 ± 1.85). Among the native species Odocoileus virginianus had the highest relative frequency (56%). We recorded three endemic mammals from the Tropical Andes, Cuniculus taczanowskii, Tremarctos ornatus, and Pudu mephistopheles. The observed richness was higher than most surveys of medium and large mammals carried out in the Puna-forest ecotone in Peru, where the reported richness ranged from 4 to 13 species. In addition, our records of Leopardus pardalis and Eira barbara are the highest for all distribution of these two carnivores. Our results showed that more than 90% of the species recorded were found in it, demonstrating that the entire high-Andean region of the PHNS and its surroundings has an important value for the local mammal community.
  PubDate: 2022-01-01
  Issue No: Vol. 22, No. 2 (2022)
Phyllanthaceae in the Atlantic Forest of northeastern Brazil
- Authors: Alícia Marques Torres, Sarah Maria Athiê-Souza, Wesley Patrício Freire de Sá Cordeiro, Margareth Ferreira de Sales
  Abstract: Abstract: The taxonomy of Phyllanthaceae Martinov in the Atlantic Forest of northeastern Brazil was updated through the analysis of approximately 200 specimens deposited in regional herbaria as well as field observations. Thirty-five species were recorded, belonging to seven genera: Amanoa Aubl. (1 species), Astrocasia B.L. Rob. & Millsp. (1), Discocarpus Klotzsch (1), Hieronyma Allemão (2), Margaritaria L.f. (1), Phyllanthus L. (28), and Richeria Vahl (1). Of the 35, six are new records for Alagoas State, two for Rio Grande do Norte, four for Paraíba, and six for Sergipe. Among the recorded species, 18 are endemic to Brazil, and of those, 11 are endemic to the Brazilian northeast and nine are exclusive to the Atlantic Forest. An identification key, comments on their taxonomy, phenology and geographic distributions, species conservation status, distribution maps, and illustrations of the species are provided.
  PubDate: 2022-01-01
  Issue No: Vol. 22, No. 2 (2022)
Fish assemblage patterns in a subtropical estuary in southern Brazil
- Authors: André Pereira Cattani, Yuri Gerke, Helen Audrey Pichler, Johnatas Adelir-Alves, Henry Louis Spach, Paulo Ricardo Schwingel
  Abstract: Abstract: In this study, the relationship between fish assemblage structure and environmental factors was analyzed in a bay in southern Brazil. Fish were collected every two months between February and December 2002 at six sampling sites using bottom trawl nets. Abiotic data (salinity, temperature, rainfall, and depth) and biotic data (number of individuals, biomass, and total length of individuals from each species) were obtained. In total, 56 fish species representing 27 families were collected. Assemblage structure varied with seasonality, as was evidenced by the variation in temperature and rainfall in each season. Catches showed a high abundance of demersal fishes, particularly Genidens genidens, Eucinostomus gula, and E. argenteus.
  PubDate: 2022-01-01
  Issue No: Vol. 22, No. 2 (2022)
Insect (Hexapoda) Diversity in the Oceanic Archipelago of Fernando de
Noronha, Brazil: Scenopinidae (Diptera)
- Authors: José Albertino Rafael, Rosaly Ale-Rocha, Francisco Limeira-de-Oliveira
  Abstract: Abstract: This paper covers the first record of window flies, Scenopinidae (Diptera), in the archipelago of Fernando de Noronha, Brazil: Scenopinus schulzi Enderlein, which is briefly characterized. This species was recorded in low numbers: three males and 13 female specimens. The occurrence of scenopinids in Fernando de Noronha is regarded as an extension of the Brazilian mainland continental fauna. The colonization of the archipelago is discussed.
  PubDate: 2022-01-01
  DOI: 10.1590/1676-0611-bn-2021-1282
  Issue No: Vol. 22, No. 2 (2022)
Entomological survey of phlebotominae sand flies (diptera: psychodidae)
and vector species in the tegumentary leishmaniasis endemic area in
eastern brazilian Amazon, Amapá state
- Authors: Tiago Silva da Costa, Ricardo Marcelo dos Anjos Ferreira, Gabriel Silva Santos, Manoel Daltro Garcia Júnior, Camila Barbosa Pinto, Raimundo Nonato Picanço Souto
  Abstract: Abstract: American tegumentary leishmaniasis is an endemic that has increased considerably in recent decades in the Amazon region, sand flies are the vectors of the transmission of the protozoan that causes leishmaniasis, so the objective of this study was to carry out a survey of the diversity of species and the presence of Leishmania DNA in vectors circulating in three endemic counties for tegumentary leishmaniasis in the eastern Brazilian Amazon (Amapá state, Brazil). Using CDC light traps, a total of 10,773 specimens were collected between February 2019 and February 2020, representing 64 species in 15 genera. The vector specie Nyssomyia umbratilis Ward and Frahia, 1977 was the predominant species (13.20% of the total), being collected in all three counties, followed by Trichopygomyia trichopyga Floch & Abonnenc, 1945 (11.41%), Trichophoromyia ubiquitalis Mangabeira,1942 (9.47%) and Nyssomyia anduzei Rozeboom, 1942 (7.61%). For the identification of Leishmania DNA, 775 pools of unengorged females were used, of which 5 tested positive, 2 of Nyssomya umbratilis Ward & Fraiha,1977, 1 of Nyssomyia anduzei and 2 of Psychodopygus davisi Root,1934, demonstrating a natural total infection rate of 0.64%. This study increases the knowledge of vector diversity, as well as identifying Leishmania spp. in circulation in the eastern region of the Amazon.
  PubDate: 2022-01-01
  DOI: 10.1590/1676-0611-bn-2021-1263
  Issue No: Vol. 22, No. 2 (2022)
Contribution of the Brazilian National Forest Inventory to the knowledge
of Cerrado woody flora
- Authors: Fernanda K Kiataqui, Sérgio Eustáquio de Noronha, Marcelo F Simon
  Abstract: Abstract: The National Forest Inventory (Inventário Florestal Nacional-IFN) is a large initiative that uses standardised methods to survey Brazilian forestry resources. One target of the IFN is the Cerrado, which contains one of the richest floras in the world. The aim of this study was to assess the contribution of the IFN to the knowledge of Cerrado woody flora. We analysed data from field-collected vouchers sampled by the IFN Cerrado. We restricted our analyses to IFN collections of native trees and shrubs, including palms, which were identified at the species level. Habitat of each collection was obtained by overlaying specimens’ geographic coordinates with land cover maps available in the Mapbiomas platform. Our final dataset comprised 28,602 specimens distributed in 2,779 sites (conglomerates) in Bahia, Distrito Federal, Goiás, Maranhão, Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul, Minas Gerais, Piauí, São Paulo and Tocantins. Collections were located in the following habitats: savannas (40.5%), forests (30.2%), anthropic areas (25.6%), grasslands (3.5%), and water (0.2%). We recorded 1,822 species belonging to 543 genera and 105 families, representing 34% of Cerrado woody species recorded on Flora do Brasil 2020. Fabaceae had the largest number of species, while Tapirira guianensis and Matayba guianensis were the most collected species. We highlight 60 potentially new records of occurrence for several states and 64 new records for the Cerrado, primarily in riparian forests where species from other biomes occur. In addition, 232 recorded species are Cerrado endemics, while 36 are cited in the CNCFlora’s red list as endangered. The systematic sampling carried out by the IFN enabled vegetation sampling in remote and poorly known areas, which expanded the geographic range of many woody species and contributed to the knowledge of plant diversity in the Cerrado.
  PubDate: 2022-01-01
  DOI: 10.1590/1676-0611-bn-2021-1306
  Issue No: Vol. 22, No. 2 (2022)
Two in one: the little bat that pollinates and disperses plants at an
urban site in Southeastern Brazil
- Authors: Ivan Sazima, Marlies Sazima
  Abstract: Abstract: The glossophagine Pallas’s long-tongued bat (Glossophaga soricina) fares well in urban environments across its range. In addition to roost sites, there are nectar and fruit sources available in diverse situations across the urban gradient. Phyllostomid bats that thrive in urbanized situations are behaviorally plastic generalists and rely on patches of ornamental or feral plants as food sources. Herein we report on G. soricina and its food sources at an urbanized site in Southeastern Brazil. This small phyllostomid bat consumes nectar from landscaping ornamental plants, besides consuming the soft pulp along with the tiny seeds of pioneer trees and shrubs. In addition to these natural sources, the bat exploits hummingbird feeders to consume the sugared water. Ingested small seeds are defecated in flight, the bat acting as a disperser of pioneer plants that favor cleared areas. Glossophaga soricina role as flower-pollinator and seed-disperser at Neotropical urban areas merits further attention due both to the maintenance of urban biodiversity and delivery of ecosystem services.
  PubDate: 2022-01-01
  DOI: 10.1590/1676-0611-bn-2021-1290
  Issue No: Vol. 22, No. 2 (2022)