Sciency Thoughts: Mato Grosso State

Showing posts with label Mato Grosso State. Show all posts

Wednesday, 16 May 2018

Poeciloderrhis spp.: Six new species of Giant Cockroaches from Brazil.

Giant Cockroaches, Blaberidae, are generally large Cockroaches, reaching between 10 and 60 mm, with spines on their middle and rear legs. There are about 660 known species from across the globe, many of which give birth to live young.

In a paper published in the jounrnal Zoologia on 22 March 2018, Leonardo de Oliveira Cardoso da Silva and Sonia Maria Lopes of the Department of Entomology at the Museu Nacional of the Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, describe six new species of Giant Cockroaches from Brazil, all of which are placed in the genus Poeciloderrhis.

The first new species described is named Poeciloderrhis aureolatus, in reference to their yellow-brown colour. The species is described from nineteen male and ten female specimens, collected in Rio de Janeiro and Minas Gerais states. The females are on average larger than the males, though the largest specimens of both sexes are about the same size, with females reaching 45.4-45.7 mm in length, compared to 41.6-45.7 mm in the males. These Cockroaches have triangular heads with black eyes and robust spines on all legs.

Poeciloderrhis aureolatus, male (top) and female (bottom). Scale bars 5.6 mm (top) and 6.0 mm (bottom). Silva & Lopes (2018).

The second new species is named Poeciloderrhis mediansclerostylatus, meaning 'stylus shaped median sclerite' in reference to a detail of the male genitalia. This species is described from a single male specimen collected in Rio de Janeiro State. This is 30 mm in length and shiny brown in colour, with a triangular head, dark brown eyes and strong spines on all legs.

Poeciloderrhis mediansclerostylatus, male specimen. Scale bar is 5.6 mm. Silva & Lopes (2018).

The third new species is named Poeciloderrhis diamantinensis, in reference to the municipality of Diamantino in Mato Grosso State, where this species was first discovered. The species is described from twelve male specimens from Mato Grosso, Rondônia and Goiás states. These range from 22.1 to 24.5 mm in length and are a shiny light brown colour with triangular heads, dark brown eyes, and strong spines on all legs.

Poeciloderrhis diamantinensis, male specimen. Scale bar is 3.4 mm. Silva & Lopes (2018).

The fourth new species is named Poeciloderrhis itatiaiensis, in reference to the Parque Nacional de Itatiaia, in Rio de Janeiro State, where the species was discovered. The species is described from a single male specimen, light brown in colour and 48.9 mm in length, with black eyes, a triangular head and spines on all legs.

Poeciloderrhis itatiaiensis, male specimen. Scale bar is 6.7 mm. Silva & Lopes (2018).

The fifth new species described is named Poeciloderrhis vanzolinii, in honour of herpetologist Paulo Emilio Vanzolini, who collected the specimen from which the species is described, a male from São Paulo State. This specimen is 27.5 mm in length, and shiny light brown in colour with dark brown eyes, a triangular head and strong spines on all legs.

Poeciloderrhis vanzolinii, male specimen. Scale bar is 3.5 mm. Silva & Lopes (2018).

The final new species described is named Poeciloderrhis penduloides, meaning 'pendulum shaped; in reference to the male genetalia. This species is described from a single male specimen collected in Rio de Janeiro State. This specimen is 26.9 mm in length and shiny light brown in colour, with brown eyes, a triangular head and spines on all limbs.

Poeciloderrhis penduloides, male specimen. Scale bar is 4.7 mm. Silva & Lopes (2018).

Thursday, 15 September 2016

Potamotrygon albimaculata & Potamotrygon jabuti: Two new species of Freshwater Stingray from the Rio Tapajós Basin of Brazil.

Freshwater Stingrays, Potamotrygonidae, are Batoid Fish found in South American river systems draining into the Caribbean and Atlantic, found as far south as the River Plate in Argentina, with their maximum diversity in the Amazon River system of Brazil. They are roughly disk-shaped, with an elongate tail with a venomous caudal sting, and range from about 25 cm to about 1.5 m in length. They are the only entirely freshwater-dwelling family of Batoid Fish, or Chondrichthians of any type. Many species are traded in the aquarium trade, often under the name 'Teacup Rays', which has raised concern with some conservationists, as these Rays are slow-breeding, leading dealers to rely on wild-caught, rather than captive-bred, Fish, and making over-harvested populations slow to recover.

In a paper published in the journal Zootaxa on 13 September 2016, Marcelo De Carvalho of the Departamento de Zoologia at the Universidade de São Paulo, describes two new species of Freshwater Stingray from the Rio Tapajós Basin of Brazil. Both species are placed in the genus Potamotrygon, and both have been known in the aquarium trade for some time, but this is the first time they have been formally described.

The first new species described is named Potamotrygon albimaculata, meaning 'white spots'; adults of the species are dark-brown to black in colour with numerous white spotes on their dorsal surface. The species is found in the upper and middle reaches of the Rio Tapajós in Amazonas, Pará and Mato Grosso states, where it is known locally as the Pretinha do Tapajós (Tapajós Freshwater Stingray); it is traded in the aquarium trade as the 'Itaituba Ray', or simply 'P14'. The species appears to live in the deeper parts of the center of the river during the daytime, foraging in the shallower waters around the shore at night.

Live adult female specimen of Potamotrygon albimaculata, in aquarium, shortly before giving birth to two pups. Richard Hardwick & G England in De Carvalho (2016).

This is quite a large species, reaching 790 mm in length. Juveniles have a distinctive reticulated pattern, with a dark background with tightly packed lighter brown areas with small white spots in the center. The dermal denticles on the body reach a maximum of 1 mm; on the tail many of these are modified to make larger, sharp thorns. As a defence mechanism they produce copious amounts of mucus, which is shed when they are grabbed. Young are born live, being 100-110 mm in length, in clutches of up to four, though two is much more common.

Live neonates of Potamotrygon albimaculata, shortly after birth; offspring of gravid female above. Richard Hardwick & G England in De Carvalho (2016).

The second new species is named Potamotrygon jabuti, where 'jabuti' is a local word for the species meaning 'Tortoise', a reference to the appearance of the adults, which have a torroiseshell patternation and a tendency to arch their backs. In the aquarium trade the species is marketed as the 'Pearl Freshwater Stingray'. The species was found in the middle and upper Rio Tapajós waterway as well as numerous smaller tributaries, being partucularly abundant in the Rio Jamanxim.

Live adult specimen of Potamotrygon jabuti, in aquarium. Richard Hardwick in De Carvalho (2016).

This is another large species, reaching 810 mm in length, and quite variable in colouration, having a marbled pattern that comes in a variety of greens, browns and yellows. Denticles on the body reach up to a mm in size, with larger denticles modified to form spines on the tail and hindpart of the body disk.

Live neonates of Potamotrygon jabuti, shortly after birth. Richard Hardwick in De Carvalho (2016).

Saturday, 1 August 2015

Catasetum telespirense: A new species of epiphytic Orchid from the southern Brazilian Amazon.

In 2011-2012 a series of series of rescue expeditions recovered and relocated around 105 000 epiphytic plants (plants which live on other plants, typically the branches of canopy trees) from the site of the planned Teles Pires Power Plant, which straddles the borders between Paranaíta County in Mato Grosso State and Jacareacanga County in Pará State on the banks of the River Teles Pires. This area is poorly explored by botanists, despite being an area high biodiversity, and many new species were discovered during this operation.

In a paper published in the journal Phytotaxa on 27 March 2015, Adarilda Petini-Benelli of the Instituto de Biociências at the Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso and Célia Regina Araújo Soares-Lopes of the Herbário da Amazônia Meridional at the Universidade do Estado de Mato Grosso describe a new species of epiphytic Orchid from the Teles Pires Power Plant site.

The new species is placed in the genus Catasetum, which currently contains at least 130 species of epiphytic Orchids with many undiscovered species thought likely to be present in unexplored areas of the Amazon, and given the specific name telespirense, in reference to the area where it was found. Catasetum telespirense is an epiphytic herb consisting of a 10-18 cm pseudobulb with 5-7 narrow leaves 20-45 cm in length growing from its base. These leaves are generally shed before the production of the inflorescence (flower-stem), also from the base of the plant. This is 20-45 cm in length and bears 2-10 fragrant yellow or yellow-green flowers 40-45 mm in width.

Male flowers from three specimens of the Catasetum telespirense showing different colours and lip forms. Adarilda Petini-Benelli in Petini-Benelli & Soares-Lopes (2015).

Catasetum telespirense was observed in the wild only at the Teles Pires Power Plant site, which is now lost to development. However discussions with Orchid collectors in Guarantã and Paranaíta Counties in Mato Grosso State and Jacareacanga County in Pará State revealed that many had specimens of this plant, which most claimed had been collected from sites designated for development, in order to protect the plants, though one collector did admit collecting specimens from an unthreatened site. Clearly both urban development and unregulated collecting of the plants have implications for the conservation of Catasetum telespirense, and Petini-Benelli & Soares-Lopes suggest that the Orchid should be listed as Endangered under the terms of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species, due to the limited known range of the species, the low number of specimens recorded within this area, and the threats posed to the species by human activity.

Catasetum telespirense, general view of the plant flowering and without leaves, male flowers. Alexandre da Silva Medeiros in Petini-Benelli & Soares-Lopes (2015).

Monday, 9 March 2015

A new species of Titi Monkey from the Amazon Rainforests of Brazil.

Titi Monkeys, Callicebus spp., are a large group of New World Monkeys distributed throughout much of the Amazonian and Atlantic Rainforests of South America. View on their taxonomy have varied considerably since the discovery of the group in 1903, though it is now accepted that the group is divided into a large number of species with limited distributions. Boundaries between species are generally determined by rivers, as Titi Monkeys do not swim, and are not fond of flooded forests.

In a paper published in the Papéis Avulsos de Zoologia of the Museu de Zoologia da Univeridade de São Paulo on 31 December 2014, Julion César Dalponte of the Instituto para a Conservação dos Carnívoros Neotropicais at Parque Edmundo Zanoni, Filipe Ennes Silva of the Instituto de Desenvolvimento Sustentável Mamirauá and José de Sousa e Silva Junior of the Coordenação de Zoologia at the Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi describe a new species of Titi Monkey from the Amazon Rainforests of Brazil.

The new species is named Callicebus miltoni, in honour of Milton Thiago de Mello for his numerous contributions to primatology, and in particular his participation in the creation of the Brazilian Primatology Society and of the Latin American Primatology Society, and the foundation of a specialized primatology program at the Universidade de Brasília in the 1980s, which has contributed to most currently active primatologists in Brazil and many overseas.

Family group of Callicebus miltoni in the undercanopy of the ombrophilous forest at Panelas, right bank of the Roosevelt River, northwestern Mato Grosso, Brazil. Adriano Gambarini in Dalponte et al. (2014).

Callicebus miltoni has a distinctive coat, with ab agouti-grey pelt on the back and sides, crown, base of the tail and outer sides of the limbs, lighter grey or white in a band across the forehead, ears and on the hands and feet with the ears also having white rims and a white tuft. The sides of the face, belly, insides of the limbs and most of the tail are dark ochre of orange brown, the eyelids are beige.

The coat of Callicebus miltoni. Stephen Nash in Dalponte et al. (2014).

Callicebus miltoni is distributed between the Roosevelt and Aripuanã rivers to the south of the Amazon as far south as the base of the Dardanelos Plateau, and area known as the Roosevelt-Aripuanã Depression, which covers parts of Mato Grosso, Amazonas and Rondônia. About 25% of this area is covered by conservation units including sustainable use preserves and fully protected areas. A further 32% of this area is covered by land designated for use by indigenous peoples, with the remaining 43% either under private ownership or in areas assigned for settlement. 86% of deforestation currently occurring within this region occurs within one of the protected areas, the Reserva Extrativista Guariba-Roosevelt, though deforestation is clearly a threat in other parts of the area, particularly the mosaic reserves of the Áreas de Proteção Permanente. The potential future damming of the Roosevelt River is also a possible future threat to the Monkeys. The species is not currently hunted, though this could occur in the future, particularly in indigenous use areas, where Amazonian communities traditionally capture infant Monkeys for use as pets, and sometimes trade these with other communities and outsiders.

Geographic distribution of Callicebus miltoni. Dalponte et al. (2014).

Callicebus miltoni was found living in areas of ombrophilous alluvial forest (expand) with four distinct layers of vegetation. The canopy, with an average height of 30 m, comprises Seringueira (Hevea spp.), Jatobá (Hymenaea intermedia), Roxinho (Peltogyne catingue), Garapeira (Apuleia molaris), Copaíba (Copaifera spp.), Jutaí (Dialium guianense), Sucupira-preta (Diplotropis racemosa), Cumaru-champanhe (Dipteryx odorata), Tento (Ormosia nobilis) and Faveira (Parkia sp.) trees with an open distribution. Beneath this an undercanopy layer with an average height of 15 m comprises Matamatámirim (Eschweilera wachenheimii), Aquaricara (Geissospermum urceolatum) and Tachi (Tachigali alba) trees as well as Patauá (Oenocarpus bataua), Sete-pernas (Sochratea exorrhiza) and Açaí (Euterpe precatoria) Palms. Beneath this is a ‘tree’ layer with an open distribution and an average height of 2 m comprising Miconia sp. and Psychotria sp., and lower still a sparse and scattered ‘shrub’ layer reaching 10-50 cm and comprising Olyra cf. latifolia, Selaginella conduplicata and Calthea altissima.

Open ombrophilous alluvial forest at the right bank of the Roosevelt River, habitat of Milton’s Titi Monkey, Callicebus miltoni. Adriano Gambarini in Dalponte et al. (2014).

Callicebus miltoni was observed in the canopy and undercanopy layers of this forest, where it was seen to feed on fruits of Ingá (Inga sp.), Embaúba (Cecropia sp.) and Cacauí (Theobroma speciosum). The Monkeys appeared to be in groups comprising two to five individuals, though more may have been present in the dense canopy and have gone unobserved, as they were extremely cautious of Humans and tended to flee once they realized they were being watched. Like other Titi Monkeys, Callicebus miltoni groups engage in bouts of communal calling, particularly in the mornings and in the rainy season. These calls are thought to help maintain group cohesion and mark out territory; the more intensive calling in the rainy season is thought to be connected to a greater need to defend trees when they are in fruit. Playing back recorded group calls led to the Monkeys investigating, facilitating the location of groups being studied.

Adult male Callicebus miltoni. Jorge Lopes in Dalponte et al. (2014).

Tuesday, 1 July 2014

A new species of Tapir from South America.

Tapirs are forest dwelling Perissodactyls (even-toed ungulates, the group of Mammals that also includes Horses and Rhinos) currently found in India, South and Central America. They are thought to have originated in North America, and subsequently dispersed across Eurasia; both areas having large numbers of fossil taxa but no living species. Tapirs reached South America during the Great American Faunal Interchange, which followed the closure of the Panama Seaway, and subsequently survived the end-Pleistocene extinction in South America, where they were the largest terrestrial Mammals to do so. All Tapir species are currently classed as either Vulnerable or Endangered under the Terms of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species.

In a paper published in the Journal of Mammalogy in December 2013, a team of scientists led by Mario Cozzuol of the Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais describe a new species of Tapir from South America. This is the first new species of living Perissodactyl described for over a century, and the first new living Tapir species since 1865.

The new species is named Tapirus kabomani, which derives from ‘Arabo kabomani’ a name for Tapir in the Paumarí language, which is indigenous to the area where the first specimens were collected. Tapirus kabomani is distinct from all other Tapir species both physically and genetically, and is notably smaller and shorter than any other living Tapir or fossil South American Tapir.

Camera-trap photos of 2 specimens of Tapirus kabomani in southern Amazonas State from Brazil. Lateral view of the head and anterior body of a male (right) and female (left) specimens. Cozzuol et al. (2013).

Tapirus kabomani was found in Amazonas, Rondônia, and Mato Grosso states in Brazil and in Amazonas Department in Columbia; it is also thought to live along the Guiana Shield, in southern French Guiana and Amapá State in Brazil. This gives it a range that overlaps that of the previously described Tapirus terrestris, the first time two living species of Tapir have been shown to have overlapping ranges.

The species is described from ten specimens, the oldest of which was collected by Theodore Roosevelt in 1912. Roosevelt was apparently informed by local hunters that his specimen was a different kind of Tapir, and returned it to the United States for analysis, only to have is rejected as a local variation of Tapirus terrestris.