Sistema Regional de Información
en línea para Revistas Científicas de América Latina,
el Caribe, España y Portugal

Polygyra cereolus (Megerle von Mühlfeld, 1816) is a small air-breathing snail originating in Florida, which is considered as an invasive species and is reported from a wide area in the south of the United States to Mexico and in some in some Caribbean Islands, Hawaii, Spain and the Arabian peninsula. Here we report the observation of this species in Puerto Rico.

The present study will show how, in Herodotus’ account of the Persian wars, proper names have a key narrative function and are also part of his method of historical exposition. Herodotus uses nomina loquentiato insert micro-narratives that affect the processes of meaning-making in the main story and, sometimes, even in the general historical account. After some considerations regarding the origins of philology in the Histories and the ways in which etymological wordplay is a prolongation and an addition to the historian’s philological activities, four cases of nomina loquentia will be presented in which names function as capsules of meaning that allow the historian to articulate and offer an interpretation of different contrasting narratives of a historical event. 

In this paper we focus on significant examples of the dialogue between the uruguayan poet Ida Vitale and the Roman World. We explore her reception of Rome through Latin Language and Roman Literature, Religion, Society, History and Archaeology. These elements are linked to the search of an accurate expression. The lack of studies on Ida Vitale, especially on Classical tradition, and the contextualization in her Poetics justify our contribution itself.

Since the beginning of the new century, several studies on the culicid fauna of Hispaniola have increased the knowledge of this group of arthropods, very relevant from the medical and veterinary point of view. Regarding the diversity of the Culicidae family, the most recent findings have been made in the municipality of Jarabacoa, Dominican Republic. In order to deepen the diversity of the culicids in this mountainous locality of El Cibao, a survey of mosquito breeding sites, mainly natural, was conducted from January 2018 to June 2019. The identification of the specimens was carried out using magnifying glass and binocular microscope, with the help of taxonomic keys. Six new species are reported for Jarabacoa, on which questions such as their bioecology and their role in the transmission of pathogens, among others, are analyzed. The presence of Culex interrogator Dyar and Knab, 1906, a mosquito species recorded for the first time from Hispaniola, and for the second time in the insular Caribbean, is noteworthy. Although this culicid has not been implicated in the transmission of pathogens to humans to date, others species found in this study such as Anopheles crucians Wiedemann, 1828, Aedes scapularis (Rondani, 1848) and Psorophora confinnis (Lynch Arribálzaga, 1891) should be taken into account in surveillance and control programmes, in view of their medical relevance.

The mosquitoes are one of the most important medical groups because of their preponderant role in the transmission of diseases to man and animals. The relentless search for new forms of control is of vital importance for integrated pest programs. The plants, due to their background in the fight against insects, constitute a viable alternative to study.The objective that this work was proposed was evaluate the biopesticidal activity of the essential oils of, Piper aduncum subsp. ossanum, and Ocimum basilicum against Aedes (Stegomyia) aegypti (Linnaeus, 1762), Aedes (Stegomyia) albopictus (Skuse, 1894) y Culex (Culex) quinquefasciatus Say, 1823. The larvicidal and, adulticidal, activity was evaluated following standardized methodologies. All oils evaluated showed significant larvicidal activity in the mosquito populations studied. The mean lethal concentrations calculated were less than 100 mg/L. The evaluated oils showed adulticidal activity using bottles and impregnated papers, the concentrations that favoured 100 % knock-down of the individuals exposed at 30 minutes, ranged between 10 and 60 mg/mL. The results obtained with both essential oils against these three species of mosquitoes are the first reports in the region of the Americas including The Caribbean. These results showed that the evaluated essential oils can be considered promising candidates for the control of mosquitoes of medical importance.

The new Hesperophasmatini–genus Sigaruphasma gen. nov. from Hispaniola is described and illustrated. It is remarkable for violating several of the previously stated diagnostic features of the tribe Hesperophasmatini Bradley and Galil, 1977. It is well characterized by the cylindrical, cigar–like body of females, proportionally very short legs, strongly broadened profemora of females, lacking sensory–areas on the probasisternum and profurcasternum as well as the smooth egg–capsule. Two new species are described from the Dominican Republic, both from the males, females and eggs. S. bouladoui sp. nov. occurs in the eastern portion of Hispaniola (Monseñor Nouel, San Cristóbal, San José de Ocoa and Samaná provinces) and has fully winged males. S. armatum sp. nov. occurs in the southern and southeastern Dominican Republic (Barahona, La Vega, San José de Ocoa, Elías Piña, Santiago provinces) and has apterous males with a strong body spination. Both species show a remarkable range of intraspecific variability and polymorphism, which is described and illustrated.

The Cuban Gnatcatcher (Polioptila lembeyei) is endemic to Cuba and has a restricted distribution. Little is known of this species beyond a few aspects of its natural history. This research was carried out in southeastern Cuba in areas where the species is relatively abundant. At present, the characteristics of its distribution are unknown, which makes it difficult to implement effective conservation actions. We studied gnatcatchers in the 377 km long x 10 km wide coastal strip between Cabo Cruz and Punta de Maisí, Cuba. We sampled a total of 141 localities using variable radius point counts combined with play-back, and obtained reports of the species at 85 localities. Cuban Gnatcatcher was found at an altitude nearly 400 m and at the distance of more than the 8000 m from the coastline. The specie was observed in nine plant cover, 88 % of the locality’s whit presence were grouped in coastal desert scrub, coastal and precoastal evergreen forest, compact wed without thorns and artificial grasses. A deductive model was made based on field observations, published literature and the expert’s experience. The presence´s area cover 1063 km2 and are fragmented in 274 patches of the suitable habitat. The validation values were good for the statistical test Kappa and True Skill Statistic (TSS). The model predicted the Cuban Gnatcatcher presence in smaller area than the considered in the literature. The results indicate that the small patches of suitable habitat present in the southeastern Cuba are vulnerable to transformation to the human effects and the climate change, which could interrupt the connectivity between the largest suitable habitat patches.

A new species in the family Hydrophilidae, Berosus elsae is described, in a highly polluted hydro-ecological system on the Araya Peninsula. The dorsal habitus, genital organs and other sclerites of diagnostic interest are illustrated and the anpogeno microhabitat where the described species was collected is described. Berosus elsae sp. nov., represents the first record of the genus Berosus Leach, for the northeastern region of Venezuela, being also the first species of the genus reported for the Caribbean strip of South America. Due to its habitat and geographic distribution, Berosus elsae sp. nov. would be more related to Central American and Caribbean species than to the Berosus species described for South America. Satellite images of the locality and photographs of the anpogeno microhabitat are included.

The checklist of land vertebrates of four localities from National Park “Desembarco del Granma”, Niquero municipality, Granma province is reported. The birds showed the highest richness of species (54) and the reptiles the highest degree of endemism at species or subespecies level (79 %). In the case of amphibians, is reported Eleutherodactylus tonyi, endemic and threatened species, and the taxonomic status of the population of E. cf. varians from Cabo Cruz is discuted. In the reptiles, Hemidactylus angulatus, exotic and invasive species, is reported for the first time; and the conservation status of the population of Anolis ruibali, a local endemic, is discuted. For birds is recommend to extend the sampling to another seasons in the year, with the aim to register the entrance of migratory species. In the mammals, Monophyllus redmani, Chilonatalus macer, Mormoops blainvillei and Pteronotus parnelli are reported in this locality for the first time. The presence of a hot cave in Morlotte-Fustete path, provides an additional value from ecological viewpoint and it will deserve to redefines conservation plans and managements for the area.

The correct identity and occurrence of the introduced armored catfish, locally known as “devil fish” or “pleco” in the Dominican Republic, is briefly described. Specimens were collected from six sites in the Dominican Republic. Several meristic and morphometric characters, as well as other external features including coloration, were examined. Results were compared with existing literature on fishes of the family Loricariidae. Examination revealed that specimens of the armored catfish, unofficially reported as Hypostomus plecostomus, actually belongs to the species Pterygoplichthys pardalis (Castelnau, 1855). It is inferred that this fish is established in Dominican inland waters, also the possibe occurrence of more than one species of Pterygoplichthys is discussed. This is the first report of this invasive species in the island of Hispaniola.