Use of species delimitation approaches to tackle the cryptic diversity of an assemblage of high Andean butterflies (Lepidoptera: Papilionoidea).

Cryptic biological diversity has generated ambiguity in taxonomic and evolutionary studies. Single-locus methods and other approaches for species delimitation are useful for addressing this challenge, enabling the practical processing of large numbers of samples for identification and inventory purposes. This study analyzed an assemblage of high Andean butterflies using DNA barcoding and compared the identifications based on the current morphological taxonomy with three methods of species delimitation (automatic barcode gap discovery, generalized mixed Yule coalescent model, and Poisson tree processes).

Páramo de Belmira as an important centre of endemism in the northern Colombian Andes: new evidence from Pronophilina butterflies (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae, Satyrinae, Satyrini).

Páramo de Belmira (Páramo de Santa Inés) is the highest part of the Andean Central Cordillera in the Colombian department of Antioquia. It harbours a pocket of highlands grassland vegetation isolated from the nearest southerly other large paramo extensions by some 150 km. Butterflies sampling was carried out for over three years in the cloud forest-paramo mosaic and open grassland at 2650-3350 m.

Antibody drop in newborns congenitally infected by Trypanosoma cruzi treated with benznidazole.

Objective: To compare the drop of Chagas antibody titres between non-infected and congenitally infected newborns treated by two doses of benznidazole, aiming at evaluating the recovery time and giving recommendations regarding serological criteria of recovery.

Methods: During a clinical trial, the drop of Trypanosoma cruzi antibody titres measured by ELISA tests was followed during the first year of life in congenitally infected newborns treated with different doses of benznidazole and compared to T. cruzi antibody titres in non-parasitaemic newborns.