Paulo Sawaya

Oxygen uptake by Typhlonectes compressicaudus related to the body weight

1. 1. Oxygen consumption by Typhlonectes compressicaudus has been determined in aerial conditions and under obligatory submersion at 25°C. 2. 2. The O2 uptake by skin and lungs can be expressed as related to the body weight according to the equation: Vo2(ml/hr) = 0.120 W0.782. The correlation coefficient is 0.932. 3. 3. In animals submersed in O2 satured tapwater the relationship between O2 uptake and body weight can be determined by the equation: Vo2(ml/hr) = 0.118 W0.496. The correlation coefficient is 0.972. 4. 4. T. compressicaudus, is a typical aquatic Gymnophiona. In spite of a predominant aerial respiration, it can resist up to 40 min submersed in the aquaria, under normal conditions, and up to 120–150 min in the Schliepers respirometer.

Reencontro de Balanoglossus gigas Fr. Muller no litoral brasileiro

Re-finding of Balanoglossus gigas FR. MUULLER on the brasilian sea shore. Balanoglossus gigas, the giant Enteropneusta, has been described for the first time by Fritz Muller in his notes collected and published by Dr. HERMANN VON IHERING (1898, pg. 35). FR. MULLER found the Balanoglossus on the coats of the State of Santa Catarina in 1884. Once again in 1885 several specimens of that animal were captured by FR. MULLER in the same place. Since that time up to now no references on the occurrence of this animal have been found in the zoological bibliography. During the spring of 1948 Prof. W. BESNARD, Director of he Instituto Paulista de Oceanografia saw some signals indicating the existence of Balanoglossus at the beach of Sao Sebastiao, State of Sao Paulo. From 1948 to now several attempts have been made to catch the animal alive and complete. On the last September during a shorts visit to the beach of Sao Sebastiao one Balanoglossus was captured and brought to the Department of General and Animal Physiology in good conditions. The animal measured 1.80 m in length. It seems to be the largest Balanoglossus known. According to the descriptions of SPENGEL (1893, pg. 158), and VAN DER HORST (1939) pg. 717) it was possible to identify this Enteropneusta as Balanoglossus gigas FR. MULLER, refound at the Brazilian coast sixty six years after its discovery by FR. MULLER.

Effects of hypo-osmotic conditions on haemolymph glucose concentration in Callinectes danae Smith, 1869 (Crustacea, Decapoda, Portunidae)

Abstract 1. 1. No relationship was observed between weight, morphometric data and glucose levels in either sex, or in adult and young Callinectes danae , in phase C of the moulting cycle, at 34%. salinity (S). 2. 2. In this salinity non-ovigerous adult females show higher glucose levels than adult males, the young of both sexes and ovigerous adult females. 3. 3. In 17 and 8%. S, adult females clearly exhibited high variability in glucose levels, however, adult males did not demonstrate a clear tendency in response. 4. 4. Young animals show haemolymph glucose levels lower than adults in all salinities considered. 5. 5. At 34%. S, adult and young males do not demonstrate differences in mean glucose level but young males at 17 and 8%. S show clear decreases in glucose concentration. 6. 6. Although adult females show significant differences in mean glucose levels when transferred from 34 to 17 and 8%. S, young females do not show evidence of responsiveness to this treatment. 7. 7. The observation that the animals submitted to lower salinities show a parallel decrease in glucose levels suggests that hypo-osmotic adjustment by this species is made through the utilization of glucose for energy consumption since this is an active process. 8. 8. The analysis of young C. danae males and females in pre-moult stages showed that the values of haemolymph glucose levels increase from intermoult phase C to the pre-moult phases D 0 , D 1 and is higher in D 2 .