The Mitochondrial Genome of Melipona fasciculata (Apidae, Meliponini): Genome Organization and Comparative Analyses, Phylogenetic Implications and Divergence Time Estimations.

The native stingless bee Melipona fasciculata is economically and ecologically important to the Brazilian Northeast, providing a sustainable source of income to family farmers and being considered an effective pollinator in most ecosystems and crops. This study describes, for the first time, the mitogenome of the species and its phylogenetic position. The mitochondrial genome was sequenced using a MiSeq Sequencer (Illumina Inc.

Chemical composition and biological activities of the essential oils from Lippia alba and Lippia origanoides.

There is an increasing interest in essential oils extracted from Verbenaceae plant species as potential sources of biologically active compounds that could provide a starting point for designing novel phyto-pharmaceuticals in aquaculture. The present study was aimed to investigate the chemical composition, antioxidant activity, acute toxicity and antimicrobial effects against Vibrio parahaemolyticus of essential oils extracted from Lippia alba and L. origanoides.

Identification and characterization of microsatellite loci in West Atlantic sea cucumber (Selenka 1867).

The sea cucumber has become the subject of intense and unregulated fishing in northeastern Brazil due to their growing demand in Asian market. However, there is little knowledge about the dynamics and genetics of wild populations on the South American coast. In this study, we present the first set of microsatellite markers, identified and characterized using Illumina paired-end reads of whole genome shotgun sequencing.

Mitochondrial DNA Variation Reveals a Sharp Genetic Break within the Distribution of the Blue Land Crab Cardisoma guanhumi in the Western Central Atlantic.

The blue land crab Cardisoma guanhumi is widely distributed throughout tropical and subtropical estuarine regions in the Western Central Atlantic (WCA). Patterns of population genetic structure and historical demographics of the species were assessed by mtDNA control region sequence analysis to examine the connectivity among five populations (n = 97) within the region for future conservation strategies and decision-making of fishery management. A total of 234 polymorphic nucleotides were revealed within the sequence region, which have defined 93 distinct haplotypes.