Resumo em Inglês:

Phragmatopoda lapisosa Kinberg (Polychaeta, Sabellariidae), originaliy described from the Brazilian coast, has had its distribution much enlarged lately. As the original description is not sufliciently clear, I add here some characteristics for its recognition the shape of the opercular paleae is a decisive character for its identification.

Resumo em Inglês:

The morphology of the parts and the configuration in situ of the worker digestibe tube of the 8 soilfeeding genera with nasute solidiers from the Neotropical Region are studied. All genera showed a reduced or incomplete gizzard armature, a tubular first proctodeal segment terminating in the left half of the abdomen, an enteric valve armature with trilateral symmetry and often with strong spines, a paunch of two large sections separated by a constriction, and a long colon. In addition, a mixed segment at the mesenteron-proctodeal junction is absent in Convexitermes, Atlantitermes, Araujotermes, Coatitermes, Subulitermes and Agnathotermes, and present in Cyranotermes and Angularitermes, the latter having also a gizzard armature stronger than usual in the soilfeeding nasutes. The coiling of the gut and the morphology of some gut parts provide a good means for the identification of undissected workers of all genera.

Resumo em Inglês:

The morphology of the mandibles of the alates and workers of the 8 soil-feeding genera with nasute soldiers from the Neotropical Region is studied. Three mandibular patterns are recognized : (1) Convexitermes, Atlantitermes, Araujotermes, Coatitermes, Subulitermes and Agnathotermes have mandibles with complete marginal dentition and no reduced teeth, (2) Angularitermes has mandibles with complete marginal dentition but two teeth are vestigial, and in (3) Cyronotermes the marginal dentition is incomplete. A set of other characteristics is associated with each of these mandibular patterns. Intraspecific variation are registered, either between the alate and the worker castes of all genera, as between the worker types of the dimorphic worker caste of the genera with complete and developed marginal dentition. Such dimorphism was previously unreported for the soil-feeding Nasutitermitinae; the soldier arises from one worker type.

Resumo em Inglês:

In this study a number of caves from various Brazilian limestone regions were surveyed. The information gathered expands and improves that of our preliminary article, allowing a reasonable good picture of the Brazilian cave fauna. There doesn't seem to be any striking difference between the composition of the Brazilian cave fauna and that of the other tropical regions that have been studied. Animals commonly found throughout the studied area include: Phalangopsidae crickets, Reduviidae heteropterans, Polydesmida and Juliformida millipedes, Opilionida Laniatores, and spiders, particularly Scytodidae, Ctenidae, Theridiosomatidae and Pholcidae. Among the vertebrates the commonest are barts and catfishes. Amblypygi are common in all regions except São Paulo State, which is outside the group geographical distribution. Cockroaches are frequent in the warm caves to the north of Vale do Ribeira (São Paulo State) where these animals are rarely seen. The cave fauna of the Vale do Ribeira is better Known than that of other Brazilian regions. Those small secretive species often found in Vale do Ribeira are probable also common elsewhere: beetles (partilarly the Carabidae, Leiodidae Catopinae, and, to a lesser exyent, the Pselaphidae and Otilodactylidae); dipterans (in special Chironomidae and Keroplatidae); and typically soil animals like collembolans and earthwormos. The sandstone cave fauna is basically the same found in limestone. The only difference seems to be the larger amount of batguano found in the former, conditioning larger populations of guano-feeding arthropods such as crickets and juliformid millipedes. The fauna of the entrance and twilight zone is characterized by the predominance of the Arachnida like opilionids Goniosominae and spiders Pholcidae, and heteropterans Reduviidae; the only typical dipteran of this fauna is the larval form of the fungus gnat Neoditomyia sp. (Mycetophiloidea). It was also observed a stratification within the studied cave communities as a result of the preference of various species toward determined substrates. As in other tropical regions, terrestrial predator troglobites are rare in Brazil, in contrast with temperate caves, characterized by a larger number of such species (particularly among the spiders and beetles). For Brazil only a genus of carabid beetle (Schizogenius spp ), an unidentified species of pselaphidae beetle and some pseudoscorpions, among the terrestrial predators, have been found bearing troglomorphic characters. The Brazilian troglobites are mainly aquatic organisms (catfishes and crustaceans) or terrestrial detritivores/omnivores like isopods and polydesmide millipeds.