Carlos R. Vilela

Preliminary data on the geographical distribution of Drosophila species within morphoclimatic domains of Brazil. III. The cardini group

A reanalysis, based on museum specimens, of our previously published data on the geographical distribution of the species of Drosophila belonging to the cardini group in Brazil is presented and discussed. As previously recorded in several papers, including ours, the following four species were recognized: D. cardini, D. cardinoides, D. neocardini, and D. polymorpha. However, it was realized that most of the flies we have previously identified as Drosophila cardinoides belong in fact to Drosophila cardini. To facilitate the proper identification of these four near-sibling species, their holotypes were analyzed and their terminalia were described and illustrated. A key to the four species is also provided.

The invasive spotted-wing Drosophila (Diptera, Drosophilidae) has been found in the city of São Paulo (Brazil)

The invasive spotted-wing Drosophila (Diptera, Drosophilidae) has been found in the city of Sao Paulo (Brazil). Drosophila suzukii (Matsumura, 1931), the cherry fly or spotted-wing Drosophila, a pest species from the Oriental and southeastern Palaearctic regions belonging to the melanogaster group, invaded the Nearctic and western countries of the Palaearctic regions late last decade (2008) and, more recently (2013), the southern Brazilian states of Rio Grande do Sul and Santa Catarina. Early in 2014 it was reared from blueberries produced in Sao Joaquim, state of Santa Catarina, that were bought at a Sao Paulo city grocery store. Despite being a cold-adapted species, after having arrived to the southeastern state of Sao Paulo, this invasive fly will probably expand its territory to other Brazilian states and South American countries through trade of cultivated soft skin small fruits, such as blueberries and strawberries, as well as naturally through the use of small wild fruits as breeding sites.

Breeding sites of Neotropical Drosophilidae (Diptera): IV. living and fallen flowers of Sessea brasiliensis and Cestrum spp. (Solanaceae)

As fenologias de floracao de quatro especies de Solanaceae (Sessea brasiliensis, Cestrum amictum, C. schlechtendalii e C. sendtnerianum) presentes em um fragmento de Floresta Atlântica de planalto, encravado na cidade de Sao Paulo, foram determinadas por observacoes realizadas entre julho de 1993 e junho de 1995. Durante esses dois anos foram coletadas 33.955 flores das quais emergiram 11.021 moscas pertencentes a cinco especies de Drosophila do grupo flavopilosa (D. cestri, D. cordeiroi, D. hollisae, D. incompta e D. mariaehelenae) e 1.244 moscas pertencentes a quatro especies Zygothrica (Z. dispar, Z. vittimaculosa, Z. vittinubila e Z. aff. vittipunctata). Adicionalmente, das flores de S. brasiliensis e Cestrum spp. amostradas emergiram pelo menos outros dez taxons menos abundantes de Drosofilideos e 1.073 microimenopteros parasitoides (Braconidae, Eucoilidae e Pteromalidae). Flores de Cestrum amictum, C. sendtnerianum e Sessea brasiliensis sao registradas pela primeira vez como plantas hospedeiras para as especies neotropicais de Drosophila pertencentes ao grupo flavopilosa. Os resultados aqui apresentados elevam de nove para onze o numero de especies de Cestrum previamente conhecidas como sitios de desenvolvimento larval dessas moscas. Inclui-se ainda uma lista completa das especies de Solanaceae que ja foram registradas nas regioes sudeste e sul do Brasil como plantas hospedeiras de seis especies de Drosophila do grupo flavopilosa e de quatro especies de Zygothrica.

Drosophila angustibucca Duda sensu Frota-Pessoa is an undescribed species (Diptera, Drosophilidae)

Drosophila nappae sp. nov. , belonging to the subgroup I of the Drosophila tripunctata species group of the subgenus Drosophila, is described from flies of one strain established from several females collected from July 1994 through April 1995 at Morro Santana, Porto Alegre, state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. This species has been misidentified during the past fifty years as Drosophila angustibucca (sensu Frota-Pessoa, 1954; non Duda, 1925, described from Costa Rica). Illustrations of male and female terminalia are also provided.

On Marta Breuer and some of her unpublished drawings of Drosophila spp. male terminalia (Diptera, Drosophilidae)

A short illustrated biography of Marta Erps Breuer (1902-1977), designer and lab technician at the University of Sao Paulo (Universidade de Sao Paulo), and a former Bauhaus student, is presented. Additionally, twenty fine China ink drawings of the male terminalia of twenty species of Neotropical Drosophila, made by her between October 4th, 1951, and March 24th, 1959, and currently deposited in the archives of the Department of Genetics and Evolutionary Biology of the Institute of Biosciences of the University of Sao Paulo (Departamento de Genetica e Biologia Evolutiva, Instituto de Biociencias, Universidade de Sao Paulo), Sao Paulo, State of Sao Paulo, Brazil, are included. All illustrated species but one are members of one of the following seven groups of the subgenus Drosophila: annulimana, canalinea, cardini, coffeata, dreyfusi, repleta, and tripunctata. Besides being depicted in the same position, the illustrations are so precise that we believe they will be extremely useful for those interested in Drosophila spp. identification. A comprehensive list of her scientific papers is included among the references.

A New Species of Rhinoleucophenga (Diptera: Drosophilidae) From the Brazilian Cerrado Biome Associated With Extrafloral Nectaries of Qualea grandiflora (Vochysiaceae)

ABSTRACT Rhinoleucophenga myrmecophaga sp. nov., a Drosophilidae species associated with extrafloral nectaries of Qualea grandiflora Mart. (Vochysiaceae) and whose larvae are mostly predaceous on ants, is described from specimens collected in the Cerrado biome of Itirapina, state of São Paulo, Brazil. Illustrations of imagos, male terminalia, and immatures are also included. This is the first evidence of dipteran larvae that are closely associated with extrafloral nectaries and that feed on visiting ants.

Developmental Sites of Neotropical Drosophilidae (Diptera): V. Inflorescences of Calathea cylindrica and Calathea monophylla (Zingiberales: Marantaceae)

ABSTRACT In December 2006, 495 drosophilids belonging to 19 species were aspirated from inflorescences of Calathea monophylla (Vellozo) Körn at a forest reserve in the city of São Paulo, state of São Paulo, and 42 specimens belonging to three species of Drosophila were aspirated from those of Calathea cylindrica (Roscoe) Karl Schumann in an urban forest in the city of Rio de Janeiro, state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. In addition, 20 inflorescences of C. monophylla and 14 inflorescences of C. cylindrica were collected and observed for the emergence of flies in the laboratories. In total, 137 drosophilids belonging to Zygothrica dispar (Wiedemann, 1830) plus five species of Drosophila (Drosophila griseolineata Duda and four undescribed species) emerged from C. monophylla inflorescences, and a total of 22 specimens, all belonging to two undescribed species of Drosophila, emerged from those of C. cylindrica. Drosophila calatheae sp. nov., ungrouped but related to both the xanthopallescens Pipkin and the bromeliae Patterson & Stone species groups, is described based on both aspirated and emerged flies from C. monophylla inflorescences from São Paulo city. This new species was also reared in the laboratory with a new medium recipe, thus providing larvae for chromosomal studies.

Species of Drosophila (Diptera: Drosophilidae) attracted to dung and carrion baited pitfall traps in the Uruguayan Eastern Serranías

This study investigates the species richness and abundance of Drosophila Fallen, 1823 attracted to dung and carrion baited pitfall traps in natural areas with heterogeneous habitats at the Sierra de Minas, Eastern Serranias, southeastern Uruguay. Collecting was carried out on a monthly basis (May 2002 through April 2003). Drosophilids accounted for 0.84% (n = 131) and 3.61% (n = 158) of the Diptera collected from dung (n = 15,630) and carrion (n = 4,382) pitfall traps, respectively. A total of 12 species were identified, 11 of which belong to the subgenus Drosophila (the richest) and one to the subgenus Sophophora Sturtevant, 1939. Over 90% of the Drosophila specimens collected belong to five species of the subgenus Drosophila, namely D. gaucha Jaeger & Salzano, 1953, D. immigrans Sturtevant, 1921, D. mediovittata Frota-Pessoa, 1954, D. aff. nappae Vilela, Valente & Basso-da-Silva, 2004, and D. ornatifrons Duda, 1927. Drosophila cardini Sturtevant, 1916 is recorded for the first time from Uruguay. Drosophila abundance and species richness in the four habitats sampled in the Uruguayan Eastern Serranias, namely woodlands sierra, riparian forest, pine plantation and grazing grassland, were considered to be a function of habitat conservation. Diversity indices were low in all habitats. Different habitats supported particular coprophilous and necrophilous Drosophila species. The woodland sierra represents the most preserved habitat, and contributed with the highest species richness observed. Drosophila ornatifrons was the dominant species, with a restricted habitat distribution. On the other hand, grazed grassland, an environment modified by livestock management, had the lowest species richness: only a few specimens of D. repleta Wollaston, 1858. Regarding species composition, significant differences were found in some pairwise comparisons of groups of Drosophila species that included D. ornatifrons. Fly attraction to dung can be exploited as an alternative and/or complementary collecting method in ecological studies of Drosophila assemblages in natural areas.

Crossing over does occur in males of Drosophila ananassae from natural populations

Spontaneous crossing over in males of Drosophila ananassae has been well demonstrated using F(1) individuals from crosses between marker stocks and wild type strains. However, the question of its occurrence in males from natural populations remained open. Here we present the cytological evidence that crossing over does occur in males of D. ananassae from two Brazilian populations, sampled nearly 21 years apart, and in two recently sampled populations, one from Indonesia and one from Okinawa, Japan. Cytological analysis of meiosis in males collected from nature and in sons of females from the same population inseminated in nature revealed the presence of chiasmata, inversion chiasmata, and isosite chromosome breakages in the diplotene cells in all sampled populations. These data demonstrate that reciprocal and nonreciprocal exchanges and chromosome breakages, previously reported as related events of male crossing over, do occur at variable frequencies among males from natural populations.

Polytene chromosomes and phylogenetic relationships in ten Drosophila species of the annulimana group (Diptera, Drosophilidae)

Polytene chromosomes banding patterns of ten of the 16 species of the Neotropical annulimana group of Drosophila were used to propose phylogenetic relationships among species. Drosophila annulimana chromosomes were used as the standard sequence and the most parsimonious series of changes (paracentric inversions) were considered. In some cases, intermediate hypothetical rearrangements were proposed to explain the sequences present in a given species. A total of 47 paracentric inversions were detected, most of them (44.7%) in chromosome 4. Three subgroups, partially coincident with those previously proposed based on morphological and karyotypical analyses, were classified as: 1) annulimana subgroup (Drosophila annulimana, D. aracataca, D. aragua, and D. arauna), 2) gibberosa subgroup (D. ararama, D. gibberosa, D. pseudotalamancana, and D. schineri), and 3) arassari subgroup (D. arapuan, and D. arassari).