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

Ninety-five veronicellid slugs identified as Phyllocaulis variegatus were collected in Puerto Iguazú, Misiones Province, Argentina. Specimens were examined for parasites. Metacercariae of the genus Brachylaima (Brachylaimidae) were recovered from the body cavity near the female genital pore. The results establish the capability of P. variegatus to act as an intermediate host of Brachylaima sp. in the area. This study represents the first record of metacercariae of Brachylaima sp. in Argentina.

The first record of Gerrhonotus lugoi from Nuevo León, Mexico is given. This is the first time the species is reported outside Coahuila, Mexico, where it is known from the San Marcos y Pinos and La Madera mountain ranges, surrounding the Cuatro Ciénegas Basin in central Coahuila.

The tropical montane cloud forest (TMCF) of central Veracruz, Mexico, predominantly grows on volcanic substrate from the Quaternary (2–0.08 Mya), but in very small areas it grows on shallow soils over limestone rock outcrops from the Cretaceous (90 Mya). Our objective was to contrast the vegetation structure and tree species composition of forest communities growing on rock outcrops (FOR) with nearby forests on prevalent volcanic soil (FOV). Results show that species richness and vegetation structure were similar between FOR and FOV. However, a clear difference was revealed by indicator species analysis (ISA), and multinomial classification model (CLAM). ISA and CLAM, respectively, identified 14 indicators and 13 specialists in FOR, whereas, they identified 7 indicators and 14 specialists in FOV. Some FOR indicators were Cercis canadensis, Clusia guatemalensis, Garrya laurifolia, Ostrya virginiana and Quercus pinnativenulosa. Some FOV indicators were Carpinus tropicalis, Clethra macrophylla, Liquidambar styraciflua and Quercus xalapensis; these species are also common in several Mexican TMCF. Our study demonstrates that the tree community on rock outcrops differs from the surrounding forest on volcanic soils; this is of particular interest because of its different species assemblage and contribution to the high beta diversity of the region.

 We captured Promops centralis and recorded its echolocation calls in Bahía de Kino, Sonora, which represents the first record of this species for the state of Sonora, Mexico. Our new record extends the distribution of P. centralis at least 1,300 km northwest from the northernmost known locality, Cuautla, Jalisco. Until now, there was no evidence of the occurrence of P. centralis in the deserts of northern Mexico. These new records are ecologically significant as they show that this species also occurs in extreme dry areas such as the Sonoran Desert. Our findings suggest that P. centralis may be more widely distributed than previously thought.

The aims of this research are to identify and describe a periphyton community of thermophilic microalgae in order to expand our knowledge onbiodiversity of a particular environment. Conspicuous biomass of thermophilic microalgae (48◦C) inhabits the cooling towers of the thermoelectricpower plant of Villa de Reyes (Central Mexico). Aggregate samples or microalgal mats were taken in three different areas of the top of a cooling tower,for identification. According to the sequencing analysis of 16S and 18S rDNA genes, the community is dominated by 3 species of Cyanoprokaryota:Chlorogloeopsis fritschii, Arthronema africanum and Chroococcidiopsis sp., previously reported as thermophiles. Also, 2 species of the Chlorophyteor green algae Scenedesmus. Finally, 12 species of diatoms comprise the microalgal community; diatoms were only microscopically identifiedwithin the mats, suggesting that the mats constitute a suitable microenvironment in thermal ambiences. The identified species are of particularinterest because their habitat represents an extreme and an artificial biotope. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of thermophiliccommunities of microalgae in Mexico from a power plant; also, this is the first report of A. africanum for the country.

Book review

Los manglares son reconocidos por los servicios ecológicos que proveen a muchas especies de peces. Estudios previos sobre restauración ecológica han pasado por alto estas funciones, generalmente enfocándose a la restauración de cobertura vegetal. El objetivo fue determinar las funciones de los manglares como zonas de refugio y alimentación para peces, evaluando la composición y abundancia en sitios con diferente tiempo de restauración. Se realizaron 2 muestreos en 4 sitios de manglar en restauración en Yucatán —Celestún 1, Celestún 2, Yucalpetén, Progreso—, en donde se registraron 22 especies de peces. Celestún 2 fue el sitio con mayor riqueza y diversidad (Gambusia yucatana, Poecilia velifera, Mugil cephalus y Anchoa mitchilli las más abundantes). Progreso registró la diversidad más baja y alta dominancia de G. yucatana (> 90%). El sitio con mayor tiempo de restauración presentó organismos juveniles detritófagos y zoobentófagos. Los resultados demuestran la función del manglar como zona de crianza y alimentación para especies marinas que intervienen en la transferencia de energía y nutrientes con sistemas adyacentes, también demuestran gran dominancia de G. yucatana, una especie endémica y característica del ecosistema de manglar en Yucatán.

Most pollinators prefer the sugars present in the nectar they consume, so it has been hypothesized that they have molded nectar trait evolution. However, nectar-feeding bats do not exhibit preferences for the sugars present in their diet. We analyzed the role that biochemical and ecological factors could play in shaping the nectar traits of chiropterophilic plants. We studied nectar traits and flower production in 49 plant species. We evaluated the relationship between nectar concentration and sugar composition using phylogenetically independent contrasts and if nectar traits were related to flower production using a Manova. We found that 42 species produced high hexoses nectars, and 7 species produced sucrose rich nectars. Phylogenetically independent contrasts showed that nectar concentration was negatively related to glucose content, positively related to fructose content, and was not related to sucrose content. A negative relationship was found from glucose and fructose contents to sucrose content, and glucose content was negatively related to fructose content. Finally, we did not found any relationship between nectar traits and the plants’ flowering strategies. We conclude that bat physiology and the relative low evolutionary time of the interaction between plants and bats may determine the lack of pattern in the nectar characteristics of chiropterophilic plants.

En la leyenda de la tabla 3 hay un error. Donde dice “= nivel de significación; IVI: índice de valor de importancia, riquezaespecífica, diversidad, dominancia y equidad” debería decir “= nivel de significación; IVI: índice de valor de importancia.”

Con el fin de identificar la mejor variedad de banderita (Bouteloua curtipendula) con el mayor potencial de establecimiento y productividad, se evaluaron cinco variedades comerciales usadas en rehabilitación de pastizales: Niner (Ni), Vaughn (Va), El Reno (Re), Kansas-6107 (K-07) y Kansas-6113 (K-13). Se realizaron dos pruebas bajo condiciones de invernadero con una duración de 77 días. Las variables evaluadas en la prueba unos fueron: emergencia (% EM), densidad de plantas, altura de planta, materia seca del primer corte, altura de rebrote, materia seca de rebrote y supervivencia (% SV). Las variables evaluadas en la prueba dos fueron: longitud de raíz, altura de biomasa aérea y proporción radícula-biomasa aérea. Los datos se analizaron mediante componentes principales, conglomerados y un MANOVA en SAS. Las gráficas de dispersión y dendograma se obtuvieron con MINITAB. Los dos primeros componentes explicaron el 77 % de la variación. Se presentaron diferencias (P<0.05) en la mayoría de las variables, solo % EM y % SV no tuvieron significancia. El CP 2 presentó correlación (r= 85.1 %; P<0.0001) con % SV. El análisis de conglomerados integró tres grupos (G): G-1 (Ni y Va) G-II (Re) y G-III (K-07 y K-13). De acuerdo al análisis multivariado, se clasificaron las variedades por importancia productiva: Ni y Va no presentaron diferencia, pero éstas fueron superiores (P<0.05) al resto de las variedades. Las variedades Vaughn y Niner presentaron el más alto potencial forrajero, El Reno presentó un comportamiento intermedio, y las variedades Kansas-6107 y Kansas-6113 fueron las de menor productividad.