Resumo em Inglês:

ABSTRACT Hypolobocera olgaluciae Ramos-Tafur and Ríos, 2007 is considered herein as junior synonym of H. buenaventurensis (Rathbun, 1905) taking into account that the morphological differences on the first male gonopod are not significant and are the consequence of natural variations of the populations. The first male gonopod of H. buenaventurensis is redescribed and illustrated.

Resumo em Inglês:

ABSTRACT The genus Trichorhina Budde-Lund, 1908 in Brazil includes 22 described species, four of which occur in caves. The present work aims at describing the first cave species for the state of Paraná. Trichorhina kaingangi n. sp. was collected in Água Boa cave, municipally of Almirante Tamandaré, and Ermida Paiol do Alto cave, municipally of Adrianópolis, both in the Açungui karst area.

Resumo em Inglês:

ABSTRACT The occurrence of the alien alpheid shrimp Athanas dimorphus Ortmann, 1894 is reported for the first time for the state of Pernambuco, northeastern Brazil, based on two ovigerous females collected at Praia do Paraíso, near the Suape Harbor (08º21'29.9"S 34º57'00.9"W). The species, native from the Indo-West Pacific region, was previously reported from two other Brazilian states (Ceará and São Paulo), also occurring in localities with nearby harbors. The presence of ovigerous females suggests that the species was successfully introduced into the area. The main possible introduction vectors for A. dimorphus in Pernambuco and the dispersal potential of the species along the Brazilian coast are discussed.

Resumo em Inglês:

ABSTRACT We report herein the occurrence of the infraorder Polychelida in Potiguar Basin, northeastern Brazil. Specimens were collected by the project "Avaliação da Biota Bentônica e Planctônica na porção offshore das Bacias Potiguar e Ceará", developed by the Brazilian Oil Company (PETROBRAS). Three species were recorded for the first time in this region: Pentacheles validus A. Milne-Edwards, 1880, Polycheles typhlops Heller, 1862, and Stereomastis sculpta (Smith, 1880) at 2000 m, 400 m and 2057 m depth, respectively. The Brazilian deep-sea floor remains poorly known, but progress has been made as a result of collections obtained by oceanographic expeditions and research projects developed by PETROBRAS in Campos Basin (Rio de Janeiro) and Potiguar Basin (Rio Grande do Norte), expanding the knowledge of the distribution area of Polychelidae in Brazilian deep sea waters.

Resumo em Inglês:

ABSTRACT: The abundance and distribution of larval phases of the Portunidae found in the estuary of the Patos Lagoon and the coastal region were studied during two years (1995 and 1999). A conical net (165 cm long, 60 cm mouth, and 330 µm mesh) equipped with a flowmeter was towed for three minutes at 2 knots at six stations within the estuary and four stations in the coastal region. Samplings were carried out on the surface and near the bottom. At each sampling location, the salinity and temperature were also recorded. In 1995, the zoeae of Arenaeus cribrarius (Lamarck, 1818), Callinectes sapidus Rathbun, 1896 and Achelous spinicarpus Stimpson, 1871 were caught, resulting in a total abundance of 121.98 ind.100 m-3 (90.95 ind.100 m-3 on the surface and 31.03 ind.100 m-3 near the bottom). A total of 452.27 ind.100 m-3 were caught in the megalopa phase (13.49 ind.100 m-3 on the surface and 438.78 ind.100 m-3 near the bottom). In 1999, only zoeae of C. sapidus were caught, resulting in a total abundance of 419.78 ind.100 m-3 (386.98 ind.100 m-3 on the surface and 32.8 ind.100 m-3 near the bottom). Megalopae of these three species were caught, resulting in a total abundance of 179.91 ind.100 m-3 (25.38 ind.100 m-3 on surface and 154.53 ind.100 m-3 near the bottom). Summer was the season with the highest abundance of larvae in both years. During spring and summer, spawning was observed in the estuarine region of the Patos Lagoon.

Resumo em Inglês:

ABSTRACT Macrobrachium amazonicum (Heller, 1862) is a freshwater prawn occurring in rivers and reservoirs of Central and South America. Given its broad geographical distribution, the species shows great intraspecific morphological, reproductive, physiological and ecological plasticity. Furthermore, it also stands out for its economic importance, especially in the states of North (Pará and Amapá) and Northeast Brazil. Despite the wide geographic distribution and economic importance of M. amazonicum, the biology of this species is poorly known, particularly in Northeast Brazil. We analyzed the length-weight relationships and condition factor of males and females of M. amazonicum. Specimens were collected monthly from September 2008 to August 2009 at the Pedra do Cavalo Reservoir, city of Cabaceiras do Paraguaçu, State of Bahia. All specimens were sexed, measured and weighted. After that, length-weight relationships and the allometric (K) and relative (Kr) condition factors were calculated. Altogether 2,974 specimens were analyzed, 334 of which were males (11%) and 2,640 were females (89%). Females were larger and heavier than males. Males and females showed isometric and negative allometric growth, respectively. Monthly variations in the condition factor were similar for both sexes, and correlated strongly with rainfall regime and temperature in the region. Such variations are not correlated with the reproductive cycle of the species, but are probably correlated with food availability and somatic growth.

Resumo em Inglês:

Abstract The reproductive aspects of populations are important determinants of their ability to maintain themselves throughout time. In the case of amphipods from the genus Hyalella Smith, 1874, the reproductive period is easily determined by the presence of ovigerous females and pre-copula pairs in the population. This study evaluated the fecundity, pairing patterns and reproduction period of Hyalella carstica Bastos-Pereira and Bueno, 2012 in a karst environment in the West of Minas Gerais, Brazil. Monthly, from April, 2010 to April, 2011, amphipods were sampled using a hand net with 15 cm diameter and 250 µm mesh size. In the laboratory, animals were sexed and measured, and the ovigerous state of females was evaluated. Couples in pre-copula and ovigerous females were found throughout the year, with the exception of the dry months (September−November). During drought, the stream's superficial water dried out, and only a few refuges for the population remained. Although couples were found in all months with a water flow, a higher number of unpaired males and females was found after the dry season. In all months, ovigerous females were more abundant than non-ovigerous, and the relationship between head length and the number of eggs in the marsupium was positive. Most eggs were in the first developmental stage, although all other stages were found before the dry season. Considering the frequency of pre-copula pairs, as well as ovigerous females, the reproduction in this H. carstica population seems to be continuous throughout the year, without a distinct peak.