Metal concentrations, oxidative status and histopathological evaluation of fish species from Doce River, Brazil, after the Fundao dam collapse.

Eight years after the tailings dam collapse in Mariana, MG, Brazil, several aspects of this massive disaster are yet to be elucidated. Our goal was to investigate the impact of the mud flow on 16 fish species collected across 15 points from the Doce River, addressing 12 metal concentrations, tissue oxidative status (antioxidant enzymes and stress biomarkers), and histopathological analyses. The species Trachelyopterus striatulus, Prochilodus vimboides, Loricariichthys castaneus, Lophiosilurus alexandri, Hypostomus affinis, Hoplias intermedius were shown to be the most affected regarding the gills tissue integrity; Hypostomus affinis, Oligosarcus acutirostris, Lophiosilurus alexandri, Pygocentrus nattereri, Hoplosternum littorale, and Loricariichthys castaneus showed the highest levels of liver health.

Parks under attack: Brazil's Iguaçu National Park illustrates a global threat to biodiversity.

National parks are under attack in many parts of the world, including Brazil, which the Convention on Biodiversity ranks as the world's most biodiverse country. Brazil has been experiencing an unprecedented environmental crisis, and the political situation in the country favors approval of environmentally damaging measures by both the legislative and executive branches of government. A new and largely unreported setback is a proposal in the National Congress for a road cutting the Iguaçu National Park in two.

Impacts of the Samarco Tailing Dam Collapse on Metals and Arsenic Concentration in Freshwater Fish Muscle from Doce River, Southeastern Brazil.

On November 2015, Samarco tailings dam in Mariana, Minas Gerais, Brazil, collapsed, releasing 62 million tons of tailings that advanced through 668 km of the Doce River and adjacent floodplain. Although the collapse was the worst environmental disaster in Brazil, little is known about its consequences to aquatic biota. Here we evaluate the effects of the tailings mudflow on metal and As concentration in fish and how concentration correlates with water and fish characteristics.

Review of Lophotettix, the sole member of the subfamily Lophotettiginae Hancock, 1909 (Insecta: Orthoptera: Caelifera: Tetrigidae).

Lophotettiginae is a small, peculiar taxon of the Neotropical region, characterized mainly by median carina compresso-cristated or leaf-like crest, antennae flattened laterally and expanding from the base to the apex (incrassate shape). This subfamily has only one genus known as Lophotettix Hancock, 1909 that comprises five species. Here, we reviewed the types of the five known species, highlighting morphological aspects that distinguish the species from each other and from other tetrigids.

Male reproductive tract and spermatozoa ultrastructure in the grasshopper Orphulella punctata (De Geer, 1773) (Insecta, Orthoptera, Caelifera).

Identification Orphulellini grasshoppers (Acrididae: Gomphocerinae) species has been difficult due to high polymorphism rate. Orphulella Giglio-Tos, 1894 is a genus with widespread geographical distribution and poor descriptions. Orphulella punctata (De Geer, 1773) has an extensive record of occurrence and available information about the phallic complex, however, there is poor data describing other parts of the male reproductive tract.

Comments on the recent changes in taxonomy of pygmy unicorns, with description of a new species of from Brazil (Insecta, Tetrigidae, Cleostratini, Miriatrini).

The tribe Cleostratini Bolívar, 1887 Storozhenko, 2016 does not represent a monophyletic taxon because it gathers various Tetrigidae genera with various types of horn and prolongation of frons or vertex. Prolongation of these structures is present in morphologically and biogeographically distant groups. We do not regard Miriatrini Cadena-Castañeda & Cardona, 2015 synonymous with Cleostratini because the genus Bolívar, 1906 belongs to a group of genera distant from Stål, 1877.

Forest litter crickets prefer higher substrate moisture for oviposition: Evidence from field and lab experiments.

For insects, choosing a favorable oviposition site is a type of parental care, as far as it increases the fitness of its offspring. Niche theory predicts that crickets should show a bell-shaped oviposition response to substrate moisture. However, lab experiments with mole crickets showed a linear oviposition response to substrate moisture.

A new genus and species of Neotropical Nemobiinae (Insecta: Orthoptera: Grylloidea: Trigonidiidae: Nemobiinae).

A new genus and a new species of Neotropical cricket is described: Pepoapua cariacica n. gen., n.

Proximate mechanism of behavioral manipulation of an orb-weaver spider host by a parasitoid wasp.

Some ichneumonid wasps induce modifications in the web building behavior of their spider hosts to produce resistant "cocoon" webs. These structures hold and protect the wasp's cocoon during pupa development. The mechanism responsible for host manipulation probably involves the inoculation of psychotropic chemicals by the parasitoid larva during a specific developmental period.

New species of Zygoclistron Rehn, 1905 (Insecta: Orthoptera: Acrididae: Copiocerinae) in the central corridor of the Atlantic Forest biome.

Herein we describe a new species of Copiocerinae, Zygoclistron ruschii Silva n. sp., from Atlantic Forest remnants in southeastern Brazil, collected from the Reserva Biológica Augusto Ruschi in the Santa Teresa municipality, Espírito Santo state, Brazil.

Aggregation of Cricket Activity in Response to Resource Addition Increases Local Diversity.

Crickets are often found feeding on fallen fruits among forest litter. Fruits and other sugar-rich resources are not homogeneously distributed, nor are they always available. We therefore expect that crickets dwelling in forest litter have a limited supply of sugar-rich resource, and will perceive this and displace towards resource-supplemented sites.

Preservation Methods Alter Carbon and Nitrogen Stable Isotope Values in Crickets (Orthoptera: Grylloidea).

Stable isotope analysis (SIA) is an important tool for investigation of animal dietary habits for determination of feeding niche. Ideally, fresh samples should be used for isotopic analysis, but logistics frequently demands preservation of organisms for analysis at a later time. The goal of this study was to establish the best methodology for preserving forest litter-dwelling crickets for later SIA analysis without altering results.

Redescription of Argizala brasiliensis Walker, 1869 (Orthoptera: Grylloidea: Trigonidiidae: Nemobiinae: Pteronemobiini) and consideration of its morphological proximity to other Pteronemobiini Nearctic genera.

Although male crickets provide more informative characters for the delimitation of species and genera, many taxonomic descriptions are based only on females. This is the case for Argizala Walker, 1869 and its two valid species, A. brasiliensis Walker, 1869 and A.

Contrasting effects of sampling scale on insect herbivores distribution in response to canopy structure.

Species diversity of insect herbivores associated to canopy may vary local and geographically responding to distinct factors at different spatial scales. The aim of this study was to investigate how forest canopy structure affects insect herbivore species richness and abundance depending on feeding guilds' specificities. We tested the hypothesis that habitat structure affects insect herbivore species richness and abundance differently to sap-sucking and chewing herbivore guilds.

New Neotropical species of Hygronemobius Hebard, 1913 (Orthoptera: Grylloidea: Nemobiinae), including a brief discussion of male genitalia morphology and preliminary biogeographic considerations of the genus.

Three new Neotropical species of Hygronemobius Hebard are described from Atlantic Forest remnants in southeastern Brazil: Hygronemnobius indaia sp. n. and Hygroneinobius iperoigae sp.

Ethanol fuel improves arthropod capture in pitfall traps and preserves DNA.

We tested the value of ethanol fuel as a killing solution in terms of sampling efficiency (species richness and accumulated abundance) and DNA preservation of Ensifera ground-dwelling specimens. Sampling efficiency was evaluated comparing abundance and species richness of pitfall sampling using 100% ethanol fuel, with two alternative killing solutions. We evaluated the DNA preservation efficiency of the killing solutions and of alternative storage solutions.

Two new species of Phalangopsis Serville, 1831 (Orthoptera: Grylloidea: Phalangopsidae) from Brazilian Amazon Forest.

We describe here two new species of the genus Phalangopsis Serville, 1831 from the Brazilian Amazon Forest. The male genitalia and the female copulatory papilla were described, and a combination of diagnostic characteristics was given to separate both new species from the other described species. The principal morphological characteristics of this genus were discussed.

A new species of Laranda Walker 1869 (Orthoptera: Grylloidea, Phalangopsidae) from remnant patches of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest.

The genus Laranda has six described species and is confined to South and Southeast of Brazil. We describe a new species and discuss the biology and distribution of the genus. The new species can be distinguished from its known congeners by the following characteristics: absence of yellow spots on pronotum and base of posterior tibiae; female copulatory papilla: sclerotization in dorsal view forming opposing acute angles, apical lobes narrow and small; male genitalia: pseudepiphallic median process short and wide; pseudepiphallic paramere with apex incurved and ectophallic fold surpassing apex of the parameres.