Larvae of Leucothyreus spp. have been reported causing damage to several crops in Brazil. From May 2012 to April 2013, adults and immatures of Leucothyreus alvarengai Frey (Coleoptera: Melolonthidae: Rutelinae) samples were obtained from sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum L.) (Poaceae) fields in the municipalities of Naviraí and Nova Andradina, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil. Adults were collected with the aid of light traps, whereas immatures were sampled by opening two trench sizes (30 x 30 x 30 cm and 80 x 50 x 40 cm) in the soil, beside the plants. The collected larvae were reared in laboratory conditions, fed by sugarcane seedlings. The biological cycle of L. alvarengai was completed in 230 days, displaying three larval instars with mean size of the cephalic capsule of 1.68, 2.46, and 3.00 mm for the first, second, and third instar, respectively. Adults were collected in greater numbers in December 2012, and first-instar larvae were observed as of January 2013. Conversely, pupae were observed in the field from July 2012 to January 2013. This is the first record of larvae and adults of L. alvarengai in sugarcane fields in Mato Grosso do Sul state, contributing with the knowledge about its biology and temporal distribution in the field.
Coleoptera , Saccharum , Animals , Poaceae , Brazil , Larva , Edible Grain
Cyclocephaline beetles are flower visitors attracted primarily by major floral volatiles. Addressing the identity of these volatile compounds is pivotal for understanding the evolution of plant-beetle interactions. We report the identification and field testing of the attractant volatiles from trumpet flowers, Brugmansia suaveolens (Willd.) Sweet (Solanaceae), for the beetle Cyclocephala paraguayensis Arrow (Melolonthidae: Dynastinae). Analysis of headspace floral volatiles revealed 19 compounds, from which eucalyptol (57%), methyl benzoate (16%), and ß-myrcene (6%) were present in the largest amounts, whereas E-nerolidol in much lesser amounts (1.8%). During a first-field assay, traps baited with Mebe alone or blended with the other two major compounds attracted more beetles than myrcene and eucalyptol alone, which did not differ from the negative controls. In a second assay, Mebe and nerolidol attracted more beetles as a blend than individually. Nerolidol was more attractive than Mebe, and all treatments attracted more beetles than negative controls. The number of attracted beetles in the Mebe-nerolidol blend was greater than the combined sum of beetles attracted to these compounds alone, suggesting a synergistic interaction. The attraction of C. paraguayensis by trumpet-flower volatiles supports the beetle's extended preference for sphingophilous plants, especially when cantharophilous (beetle-pollinated) flowers are lacking. This phenomenon, thus, might have contributed to the widespread occurrence of this beetle throughout the Brazilian biomes.
Coleoptera , Solanaceae , Animals , Eucalyptol , Flowers , Pheromones
ABSTRACT The present study describes the morphology of the antennal sensilla of adults of Gymnetis holosericea (Voet, 1779) and Gymnetis rufilateris (Illiger, 1800). The adults of Gymnetis spp. were sexed and antenna of males and females were dissected. Both species have sensilla chaetica, trichodea, placodea (type I and II), coeloconica (type I and II), and ampullacea (or pore). Females of G. holosericea have a total of about 19,995 sensilla and males have about 23,273 sensilla, and females of G. rufilateris have about 16,633 sensilla and males have about 21,184 sensilla. Sensilla placodea are the predominant type of sensilla in males and females of G. holosericea and G. rufilateris.
ABSTRACT Species of the scarab beetle genus Liogenys are potential pests to several crops in Brazil. This study aimed to describe the antennal sensilla of Liogenys suturalis (Blanchard, 1851). Adults were collected in a pasture area in Bálsamo, São Paulo state, Brazil, using a light trap. The antennae were dissected and images of the antennal sensilla were obtained using a scanning electron microscope. Sensilla ampulacea (pores), s. auricilica, s. basiconica, s. placodea, and s. trichodea are present in the lamellae. The antenna of females have 4399 sensilla, of which 3671 (83.5%) are s. placodea, 422 (9.5%) s. coeloconica, and 306 (6.9%) s. auricilica. The antennae of males have 4039 sensilla, of which 3117 (77.1%) are s. placodea, 353 (8.7%) s. coeloconica, and 569 (14.1%) s. auricilica. The antennal sensilla of the genus Liogenys have been described for the first time.
Cyclocephalini beetles of the genus Cyclocephala (Coleoptera: Melolonthidae: Dynastinae) use flowers of some plants as food, shelter, and mating sites. However, little is known about floral scent chemistry involved in this interaction. Here we show that a sesquiterpene alcohol mediates attraction of Cyclocephala paraguayensis Arrow, on bottle gourd flowers, Lagenaria siceraria (Cucurbitaceae). Both males and females started to aggregate on the flowers at twilight; after that, mating began and remained for the entire night. GC-FID/EAD analysis of the L. siceraria floral scent collected in the field revealed that only the major constituent of the airborne volatiles elicited electroantennographic responses on male and female antennae of C. paraguayensis. This compound was identified as (3S,6E)-nerolidol, which was tested in two field trapping trials in Brazil. In the first bioassay, traps baited with nerolidol (mix of isomers) captured significantly more adult C. paraguayensis than control traps. In the second field trial, catches in traps baited with a mixture of isomers or enantiopure nerolidol were significantly higher than captures in control traps, but the treatments did not differ significantly. Analysis from the gut content of adult C. paraguayensis showed the presence of pollen, suggesting that they also use bottle gourd flowers for their nourishment. Taken together, these results suggest that (3S,6E)-nerolidol plays an essential role in the reproductive behavior of C. paraguayensis by eliciting aggregation, mating, and feeding.
Coleoptera/physiology , Cucurbita/metabolism , Sesquiterpenes/metabolism , Animals , Brazil , Coleoptera/metabolism , Cucurbita/physiology , Cucurbitaceae/metabolism , Cucurbitaceae/physiology , Female , Flowers/physiology , Male , Odorants/analysis , Pheromones/analysis , Pollen/physiology , Pollination , Sesquiterpenes/analysis
A series of 3-(triazolyl)-coumarins were synthesized and tested as anti-inflammatory agents. It was possible to infer that these compounds do not alter the interaction of LPS with TLR-4 or TLR-2, as the intracellular pathways involved in the TNF-α secretion and COX-2 activity were not affected. Nevertheless, the compounds inhibited iNOS-derived NO production, without affecting the eNOS activity. The outcome of the docking studies showed that π···π interactions with the heme group are important for the iNOS inhibition, thus making compound 3c a promising lead. Moreover, the efficacy of this compound was visualized by the reduced number of neutrophils in the LPS-inflamed subcutaneous tissue. Together, biological and docking data show that triazolyl-substituted coumarins, that can act on iNOS, are a good scaffold to be explored.
Anti-Inflammatory Agents/pharmacology , Coumarins/pharmacology , Enzyme Inhibitors/pharmacology , Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II/antagonists & inhibitors , Triazoles/pharmacology , Animals , Anti-Inflammatory Agents/chemical synthesis , Anti-Inflammatory Agents/chemistry , Cells, Cultured , Coumarins/chemical synthesis , Coumarins/chemistry , Dose-Response Relationship, Drug , Endothelial Cells/drug effects , Enzyme Inhibitors/chemical synthesis , Enzyme Inhibitors/chemistry , Humans , Lipopolysaccharides/antagonists & inhibitors , Lipopolysaccharides/pharmacology , Male , Models, Molecular , Molecular Structure , Neutrophils/drug effects , Nitric Oxide/antagonists & inhibitors , Nitric Oxide/biosynthesis , Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II/metabolism , Rats , Rats, Wistar , Structure-Activity Relationship , Triazoles/chemical synthesis , Triazoles/chemistry
Several coleopterans of the Scarabaeidae family (Pleurosticti) are reported as important pests of agricultural crops, but little information on their biology is available. We describe our observations on the biology of adult Cyclocephala verticalis Burmeister collected with light traps from January, 2006 to December, 2007, in Aquidauana, MS, Brasil. Field collected adults were taken to the laboratory and kept in plastic containers containing soil and seedlings of Brachiaria decumbens under controlled conditions (26 +/- 1 masculineC with 12h of photophase). The embrionary period of C. verticalis took 17.2 days in the average. The duration of first-, second- and third-instar larvae was 22.0, 23.7 and 138.1 days in the average, respectively. The prepupal stage took 12.7 days and the pupal stage 14.8 days. Adults obtained in laboratory lived 37.5 days. The complete cycle reached 228.6 days, making possible the development of a single generation per year. In laboratory conditions, the copulation lasted about 19 min and 20 seconds. The adults fly in a great amount in September and October, being this the main period of oviposition in the field.
Coleoptera/physiology , Animals
Several coleopterans of the Scarabaeidae family (Pleurosticti) are reported as important pests of agricultural crops, but little information on their biology is available. We describe our observations on the biology of adult Cyclocephala verticalis Burmeister collected with light traps from January, 2006 to December, 2007, in Aquidauana, MS, Brasil. Field collected adults were taken to the laboratory and kept in plastic containers containing soil and seedlings of Brachiaria decumbens under controlled conditions (26 ± 1ºC with 12h of photophase). The embrionary period of C. verticalis took 17.2 days in the average. The duration of first-, second- and third-instar larvae was 22.0, 23.7 and 138.1 days in the average, respectively. The prepupal stage took 12.7 days and the pupal stage 14.8 days. Adults obtained in laboratory lived 37.5 days. The complete cycle reached 228.6 days, making possible the development of a single generation per year. In laboratory conditions, the copulation lasted about 19 min and 20 seconds. The adults fly in a great amount in September and October, being this the main period of oviposition in the field.
Animals , Coleoptera/physiology
Este trabalho foi executado com o objetivo de determinar as espécies locais de estafilinídeos fimícolas, devido à importância destes predadores e ou parasitóides no controle natural de parasitos de bovinos associadas às fezes. Para tanto, massas fecais com 1, 2 e 3 dias de idade foram coletadas semanalmente em uma pastagem de Brachiaria decumbens Stapf, no período de maio de 1990 a abril de 1992. As fezes foram acondicionadas em baldes plásticos, opacos, com capacidade para 15 litros, contendo aberturas lateral e no topo, onde foram fixados frascos para a captura, por um período de 40 dias, dos besouros estafilinídeos presentes nas massas fecais. Após este período a massa fecal e o solo existente nos baldes eram examinados e os insetos remanescentes recolhidos. Foi coletado um total de 13.215 exemplares, pertencendo a 34 espécies e/ou morfo espécies. Foram observados os seguintes doze gêneros: Oxytelus (3 espécies; 70,1 por cento); Falagria (1 sp.; 7,9); Aleochara (4 sp.; 5,8); Philonthus (3 sp.; 5,1); Atheta (2 sp.; 4,0); Cilea (2 sp.; 1,2); Neohypnus (1 sp.; 0,7); Lithocharis (1 sp.; 0,7); Heterothops (2 sp.; 0,6); Somoleptus (1 sp.; 0,08); Dibelonetes (1 sp.; 0,06) e, Dysanellus (1 sp.; 0,04). As sete espécies mais abundantes, constantes e ou freqüentes, seguidas, respectivamente, pelo percentual de indivíduos coletado, foram: Oxytelus sp.1 (38,8 por cento); Oxytelus sp.2 (28,1); Falagria sp. (7,9); Philonthus sp.1 (4,1); Atheta sp.1 (3,7); Aleochara sp.1 (3,6) e Oxytelus sp.3 (3,2). Doze presumíveis espécies (3,6 por cento do total coletado) foram identificadas apenas até família.
This work was carried out in order to determinate the local fimiculous Staphylinidae species due to these predators and or parasites importance on the natural control of the dung associated bovine parasites. For that, fecal masses 1, 2 and 3 days old were weekly collected on a pasture of Brachiaria decumbens Stapf, from May 1990 through April 1992. The feces were conditioned in 15-liter opaque plastic buckets, containing lateral and top openings, where flasks were fastened for capturing Staphylinidae beetles present in these masses, during a 40-day period. After this period the soil and fecal masses from the buckets were examined and the remaining insects collected. A total of 13215 specimens were collected, belonging to 34 species. The following twelve Genera were observed: Oxytelus (3 species; 70.1 percent of the specimens collected); Falagria (1 sp.; 7.9); Aleochara (4 sp.; 5.8); Philonthus (3 sp.; 5.1); Atheta (2 sp.; 4.0); Cilea (2 sp.; 1.2); Neohypnus (1 sp.; 0.7); Lithocharis (1 sp.; 0.7); Heterothops (2 sp.; 0.6); Somoleptus (1 sp.; 0.08); Dibelonetes (1 sp.; 0.06) and, Dysanellus (1 sp.; 0.04). The seven most abundant, constant, and or frequent species, followed respectively by the percentage of collected specimens, were: Oxytelus sp.1 (38.8 percent); Oxytelus sp.2 (28.1); Falagria sp. (7.9); Philonthus sp.1 (4.1); Atheta sp.1 (3.7); Aleochara sp.1 (3.6), and Oxytelus sp.3 (3.2). Twelve species (3.6 percent of the collected specimens) were determined as far as family only.
Dung beetles were collected in pasture areas in Piracicaba (State of São Paulo), Aquidauana (State of Mato Grosso do Sul) and Capão do Leão (State of Rio Grande do Sul). In the first two sites, the beetles were collected in pitfall traps, while in the third site they were collected in a light trap. Mites of the families Scutacaridae and Pygmephoridae were commonly found on those beetles. In the family Scutacaridae, the following species were found: Pygmodispus (Pygmodispus) bicornutus Ebermann & Rodrigues, Scutacarus longitarsus (Berlese) and Scutacarus sp. In the family Pygmephoridae, the following genera were found: Elattoma, Bakerdania, Elattosoma, Pediculaster sp. near brasiliensis and Sicilipes. Only female mites were collected.
Besouros coprófagos foram coletados em áreas de pastagem em Piracicaba (Estado de São Paulo), Aquidauana (Estado de Mato Grosso do Sul) e Capão do Leão (Estado de Rio Grande do Sul). Nas duas primeiras localidades, os besouros foram coletados em armadilhas pitfall, enquanto que na terceira localidade foram coletados em armadilha luminosa. Acaros das famílias Scutacaridae e Pygmephoridae foram encontrados comumente nos besouros. Na família Scutacaridae, as seguintes espécies foram encontradas: Pygmodispus (Pygmodispus) bicornutus Ebermann & Rodrigues, Scutacarus longitarsus (Berlese) e Scutacarus sp. Na família Pygmephoridae, os seguintes gêneros foram encontrados: Elattoma, Bakerdania, Elattosoma, Pediculaster sp. aff. brasiliensis e Sicilipes. Apenas ácaros fêmeas foram coletados.
