Stridulations reveal cryptic speciation in neotropical sympatric ants.

The taxonomic challenge posed by cryptic species underlines the importance of using multiple criteria in species delimitation. In the current paper we tested the use of acoustic analysis as a tool to assess the real diversity in a cryptic species complex of Neotropical ants. In order to understand the potential of acoustics and to improve consistency in the conclusions by comparing different approaches, phylogenetic relationships of all the morphs considered were assessed by the analysis of a fragment of the mitochondrial DNA cytochrome b. We observed that each of the cryptic morph studied presents a morphologically distinct stridulatory organ and that all sympatric morphs produce distinctive stridulations. This is the first evidence of such a degree of specialization in the acoustic organ and signals in ants, which suggests that stridulations may be among the cues used by these ants during inter-specific interactions. Mitochondrial DNA variation corroborated the acoustic differences observed, confirming acoustics as a helpful tool to determine cryptic species in this group of ants, and possibly in stridulating ants in general. Congruent morphological, acoustic and genetic results constitute sufficient evidence to propose each morph studied here as a valid new species, suggesting that P. apicalis is a complex of at least 6 to 9 species, even if they present different levels of divergence. Finally, our results highlight that ant stridulations may be much more informative than hitherto thought, as much for ant communication as for integrative taxonomists.

Indutores de resistência à mosca-branca Bemisia tabaci Biótipo B (GENN., 1889) (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) em soja / Resistance inducers to the whitefly Bemisia tabaci Biotype B (GENN., 1889) (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) in soybeans

Objetivou-se, neste trabalho, avaliar o efeito da aplicação de indutores na resistência de duas cultivares de soja à mosca-branca Bemisia tabaci biótipo B. O experimento foi conduzido no Departamento de Entomologia - UFLA. As sementes de soja, cultivar IAC-19 e MONSOY-8001, foram previamente tratadas com o fungicida captan. Foram testados os seguintes tratamentos: T1- irrigação no solo, ao redor das plantas de cada vaso, de 250 mL de solução de ácido silícico a 1 por cento; T2- pulverização das plantas, até o ponto de escorrimento, com solução a 0,3 por cento de acibenzolar-s-methyl; T3- pulverização das plantas, até o ponto de escorrimento, com calda a 0,24 por cento de pyraclostrobin+epoxiconazole e T4- testemunha. As plantas foram infestadas com 100 adultos da mosca-branca por vaso que liberados oito dias após a aplicação dos tratamentos. Avaliaram-se o número de ovos na face abaxial de cada folha, que foi marcada para posterior avaliação de ninfas; teores de taninos e de lignina; peso seco das raízes e da parte aérea. Não houve diferença para número de ovos e ninfas entre as cultivares de soja, porém, a viabilidade média de B. tabaci foi menor a cultivar IAC-19. O cultivar de soja IAC-19 demonstrou moderada resistência ao biótipo B de B. tabaci. A aplicação de silício ou acibenzolar-s-methyl induz um aumento no teor de lignina na cultivar de soja IAC-19.

The objective of this paper was to evaluate the effect of the application of inducers on the resistance of two soybean cultivars to the whitefly B. tabaci Biotype B. The experiment was carried out at the Entomology Department - UFLA. The soybean seeds of cultivars IAC-19 and MONSOY-8001 were previously treated with Captan fungicide. The following treatments were tested: T1- irrigating the soil around the plants of each pot with 250 mL of solution of 1 percent silicic acid; T2- spraying of the plants, to the 'point of dripping', with a solution of 0.3 percent acibenzolar-s-methyl; T3- spraying of the plants, to the 'point of dripping', with a solution of 0.24 percent pyraclostrobin+epoxiconazole, and T4- control. The plants were infested with 100 adult whiteflies that were released eight days after applying the treatments. The number of eggs on the abaxial face of each leaf, which was marked for further evaluation of nymphs, tannin and lignin contents, dry weight of the aerial parts and roots, was evaluated. There was no difference for the number of eggs and nymphs among the soybean cultivars. Nevertheless, the average survival rate of B. tabaci was lower on cultivar IAC-19. The application of silicon or acibenzolar-s-methyl induces an increase in lignin content in the soybean cultivar IAC-19.