Neodexiopsis Malloch (Diptera, Muscidae) from Ecuador: description of new species and a key to the species

ABSTRACT Neodexiopsis Malloch (Diptera, Muscidae) is a member of the subfamily Coenosiinae, with more than a hundred species recorded in the Neotropical region. In Ecuador, it is known by four species, which may be an underestimated number. We describe five new species based on recently collected material: Neodexiopsis bicoloratta new species, N. longialata new species, N. nigrocalyptrata new species, N. plana new species, and N. secunda new species. A key to segregating all the recorded species from Ecuador is presented. The male and female terminalia of the new species were dissected and illustrated. Images of the habitus of the adult from the new species are presented.

Taxonomy of the Neotropical species of Calythea (Anthomyiidae: Diptera), with description of two new species from South America

ABSTRACT Calythea Schnabl & Dziedzicki has 15 known species distributed worldwide, including three species in the neotropics. The species of Calythea can be easily identified by having bright silvery grey-dusting on the thorax and abdomen, forming a contrasting pattern with the dark body. Herein, we describe two new species from the Neotropical region and present new records of the genus for Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. We also redescribe Calythea comis (Stein). In addition, we present an identification key for the Neotropical species and drawings of the terminalia and habitus images of the new species, C. comis, C. crenata (Bigot) and C. micropteryx (Thomson).

Checklist of the dipterofauna (Insecta) from Roraima, Brazil, with special reference to the Brazilian Ecological Station of Maracá

Roraima is a Brazilian state located in the northern portion of the Amazon basin, with few studies regarding its biodiversity. The Ecological Station of Maracá (Brazil, state of Roraima) harbors the third largest Brazilian pluvial island and is composed of a transitional landscape of savanna and Amazon rainforest components. Despite its ecological importance and strategic localization, few studies covered the dipterofauna of this locality. An updated checklist addressing 41 families of true flies (Diptera) occurring in Roraima is presented based on the literature and the specimens collected during a field expedition that occurred in 2015. This checklist brings several improvements such as new records of 165 taxa to the state of Roraima, 29 taxa to Brazil, and 259 morphotypes, mostly likely representing undescribed species.(AU)

Insect (Hexapoda) diversity in the oceanic archipelago of Fernando de Noronha, Brazil: updated taxonomic checklist and new records

ABSTRACT Hexapods, commonly known as insects, are a neglected taxonomic group in the Fernando de Noronha archipelago, with unanswered questions about their species richness and the ecological processes in which they are involved (e.g., colonization, introduction, establishment, and extinction). Herein, we provide an updated Hexapod checklist with current nomenclatural combinations. The entomofauna of the Fernando de Noronha archipelago is currently composed of 453 species in 21 orders. The orders, and their respective number of species, are: Blattaria (9), Coleoptera (118), Collembola (29), Dermaptera (3), Diplura (1), Diptera (134), Embioptera (1), Hemiptera (29), Hymenoptera (59), Isoptera (2), Lepidoptera (25), Mantodea (1), Neuroptera (3), Odonata (5), Orthoptera (11), Phasmatodea (1), Phthiraptera (6), Psocoptera (3), Siphonaptera (1), Thysanoptera (10), and Zygentoma (2). The archipelago has 263 new taxon records (family + genera + species). Thirty-eight species (3.39%) were described from local specimens and most of them are likely endemic species. This study more than doubles our knowledge (from the previous 190 records) of the entomofauna in this large Brazilian archipelago. This study also provides a baseline for studies on its conservation status and for implementing future environmental management programs.

A new species of Drepanocnemis (Diptera, Muscidae) from Andes in Peru, with an updated phylogenetic analysis of species

ABSTRACT Drepanocnemis Stein (Diptera, Muscidae) is a small genus of flies that occur in high altitudes in the Colombian Andes, Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia. Herein we describe Drepanocnemis aurifrons sp. nov. from Cuzco, Peru, which is found from high (2904 m) to lower altitudes (707 m). An updated phylogeny, key to species and map of species' distributions are provided, together with images and illustrations of the male and the female terminalia.

Micropropagation of Brasilidium forbesii (Orchidaceae) through transverse and longitudinal thin cell layer culture / Micropropagação de Brasilidium forbesii (Orchidaceae) pela técnica 'thin cell layer' longitudinal e transversal

An efficient in vitro propagation method was established for Brasilidium forbesii (Hook.) Campacci using transverse and longitudinal thin cell layer (tTCL and lTCL, respectively) culture systems. Six-month-old protocorms from in vitro germinated seeds were used for this study. TCLs (1.0-mm thick) from protocorms were grown on Woody Plant Medium (WPM) supplemented with benzyladenine (BA) (0.5­4.0 µM).The lTCL technique was more efficient for inducing protocorm-like bodies (PLBs) and regenerating shoots than the tTCL technique. The frequency of PLB formation was influenced by BA concentration, and the lTCL explant grown on a medium containing 2.0 µM BA produced the highest percentage of new protocorms (77%) with a total of 22.7 PLBs per explant, after the first subculture on the same medium. Plantlet development was optimal on WPM medium containing 3.0 g L -1 activated charcoal, and indole-3 -butyric acid was not necessary for rooting. Regenerated plants were successfully acclimatized in a greenhouse after 16 weeks using vermiculite as the substrate (100% survival).

Foi estabelecido um método eficiente de propagação in vitro para Brasilidium forbesii (Hook.) Campacci utilizando a técnica 'thin cell layer' transversal (TCLt) e longitudinal (TCLl). Foram utilizados protocormos de seis meses obtidos da germinação in vitro. TCLs (1,0 mm de espessura) dos protocormos foram cultivados no meio 'Woody Plant Medium' (WPM), acrescido com benziladenina (BA) (0,5 a 4,0 µM). A técnica TCLl foi mais eficiente para indução de estruturas semelhantes a protocormos (ESPs) e regeneração de brotações do que a técnica TCLt. A frequência de formação de ESP foi influenciada pela concentração de BA e o explante TCLl, cultivado em um meio contendo 2,0 µM BA, produziu a mais alta percentagem de novos protocormos (77%), com um total de 22,7 PLBs por explante, após o primeiro subcultivo para o mesmo meio. O desenvolvimento das plântulas foi eficiente no meio WPM contendo 3,0 g L -1 de carvão ativado e o ácido indol-3- butírico (AIB) não foi necessário para o enraizamento. Plantas regeneradas foram estabelecidas com sucesso em casa de vegetação, utilizando vermiculita como substrato (100% de sobrevivência), após 16 semanas.

Micropropagation of Brasilidium forbesii (Orchidaceae) through transverse and longitudinal thin cell layer culture / Micropropagação de Brasilidium forbesii (Orchidaceae) pela técnica thin cell layer longitudinal e transversal

An efficient in vitro propagation method was established for Brasilidium forbesii (Hook.) Campacci using transverse and longitudinal thin cell layer (tTCL and lTCL, respectively) culture systems. Six-month-old protocorms from in vitro germinated seeds were used for this study. TCLs (1.0-mm thick) from protocorms were grown on Woody Plant Medium (WPM) supplemented with benzyladenine (BA) (0.54.0 µM).The lTCL technique was more efficient for inducing protocorm-like bodies (PLBs) and regenerating shoots than the tTCL technique. The frequency of PLB formation was influenced by BA concentration, and the lTCL explant grown on a medium containing 2.0 µM BA produced the highest percentage of new protocorms (77%) with a total of 22.7 PLBs per explant, after the first subculture on the same medium. Plantlet development was optimal on WPM medium containing 3.0 g L-1 activated charcoal, and indole-3-butyric acid was not necessary for rooting. Regenerated plants were successfully acclimatized in a greenhouse after 16 weeks using vermiculite as the substrate (100% survival).(AU)

Foi estabelecido um método eficiente de propagação in vitro para Brasilidium forbesii (Hook.) Campacci utilizando a técnica thin cell layer transversal (TCLt) e longitudinal (TCLl). Foram utilizados protocormos de seis meses obtidos da germinação in vitro. TCLs (1,0 mm de espessura) dos protocormos foram cultivados no meio "Woody Plant Medium" (WPM), acrescido com benziladenina (BA) (0,5 a 4,0 M). A técnica TCLl foi mais eficiente para indução de estruturas semelhantes a protocormos (ESPs) e regeneração de brotações do que a técnica TCLt. A frequência de formação de ESP foi influenciada pela concentração de BA e o explante TCLl, cultivado em um meio contendo 2,0 M BA, produziu a mais alta percentagem de novos protocormos (77%), com um total de 22,7 PLBs por explante, após o primeiro subcultivo para o mesmo meio. O desenvolvimento das plântulas foi eficiente no meio WPM contendo 3,0 g L-1 de carvão ativado e o ácido indol-3-butírico (AIB) não foi necessário para o enraizamento. Plantas regeneradas foram estabelecidas com sucesso em casa de vegetação, utilizando vermiculita como substrato (100% de sobrevivência), após 16 semanas.(AU)