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Over nearly 12 years, we collected ticks from free-ranging jaguars (Panthera onca) and performed statistical analyses to comprehend the vector-host relationship throughout the seasons. We evaluated the presence and number of ticks, as well as their association with weight, age, and gender of captured jaguars in the Pantanal and Amazon biomes. Out of 100 captured jaguars (comprising 72 initial captures and 28 recaptures, with 41 females and 31 males), 77 were found to be infested by different tick species. We gathered a total of 1,002 ticks, categorized by the following species in descending order of abundance: Amblyomma sculptum, Amblyomma ovale, Rhipicephalus microplus, Amblyomma triste, Amblyomma cajennense sensu stricto, Amblyomma incisum, and Amblyomma spp. larvae. Apart from weight, statistical analysis indicated that age, gender and seasonality does not significantly affect the presence of different tick species in free ranging jaguars. Notably, A. sculptum adults were more abundant in the first semester, while A. sculptum nymphs and Amblyomma spp. larvae were mainly found during dry months, aligning with their expected life cycle stages. This is the first long-term study in jaguars to correlate seasonality and host factors and also the first time an adult of A. incisum is reported infesting a jaguar.

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Inland waters are important components of the global carbon cycle as they regulate the flow of terrestrial carbon to the oceans. In this context, remote monitoring of Colored Dissolved Organic Matter (CDOM) allows for analyzing the carbon content in aquatic systems. In this study, we develop semi-empirical models for remote estimation of the CDOM absorption coefficient at 400 nm (aCDOM) in a tropical estuarine-lagunar productive system using spectral reflectance data. Two-band ratio models usually work well for this task, but studies have added more bands to the models to reduce interfering signals, so in addition to the two-band ratio models, we tested three- and four-band ratios. We used a genetic algorithm (GA) to search for the best combination of bands, and found that adding more bands did not provide performance gains, showing that the proper choice of bands is more important. NIR-Green models outperformed Red-Blue models. A two-band NIR-Green model showed the best results (R2 = 0.82, RMSE = 0.22 m-1, and MAPE = 5.85%) using field hyperspectral data. Furthermore, we evaluated the potential application for Sentinel-2 bands, especially using the B5/B3, Log(B5/B3) and Log(B6/B2) band ratios. However, it is still necessary to further explore the influence of atmospheric correction (AC) to estimate the aCDOM using satellite data.

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A new Oligochaete worm genus with a single species is described from tropical rain forests of Southern Mexico. Lacandodrilus paludosus Fragoso & Rojas gen. et sp. nov., found in sandy and acid poor swampy soils, presented a characteristic morphology of semiaquatic oligochaetes. The new taxon is holandric, with male pores and ovaries in segment 13, with genital prostatic- like lobular glands in segments 13 and 14 and with long seminal vesicles contained within ovisacs. It is also characterized by exonephric holonephridia covered by a peritoneal granular layer, septal glands and long vascular commissures in former segments. It presents a pair of spermathecae without diverticula in segment 10 and it lacks gizzards, typhlosole or esophagus glands. The new taxon is tentatively placed in family Alluroididae, waiting for additional histological studies that will clarify some characters.

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We conducted the first long-term and large-scale study of demographic characteristics and reproductive behavior in a wild jaguar (Panthera onca) population. Data were collected through a combination of direct observations and camera trapping on a study area that operates both as a cattle ranch and ecotourism destination. Jaguars exhibited two birth peaks: April/May and October/November, that are the end and the beginning of the wet season in the Pantanal, respectively. The average litter size was 1.43 ± 0.65. Single cubs made up a total of 65.7% of the births, and we found a slight predominance of females (1.15:1 ratio) in litters. The mean age at independence was 17.6 ± 0.98 months, with sex-biased dispersal, with all males (n = 27) leaving the natal home range and 63.6% of females exhibiting philopatry. The interbirth intervals were 21.8 ± 3.2 months and the mean age at first parturition was 31.8 ± 4.2 months. Our results estimated a lifetime reproductive success for female jaguars of 8.13 cubs. Our observations also indicate that female jaguars can display mating behavior during cub rearing or pregnancy, representing 41.4% of the consorts and copulations recorded. We speculate that this behavior has evolved as a defense against infanticide and physical harm to the female. To our knowledge, this is the first time that such behavior is described for this species. All aggressive interactions between females involved the presence of cubs, following the offspring-defense hypothesis, that lead to territoriality among females in mammals, regardless of food availability. In the face of growing threats to this apex predator, this work unveils several aspects of its natural history, representing a baseline for comparison with future research and providing critical information for population viability analysis and conservation planning in the long term.

Este é o primeiro estudo de longo prazo e em grande escala de características demográficas e de comportamento reprodutivo em uma população selvagem de onças-pintadas (Panthera onca). Os dados foram coletados por meio de uma combinação de observações diretas e armadilhamentos fotográficos em uma área de estudo que atua tanto como fazenda de pecuária quanto como destino ecoturístico. As onças-pintadas apresentaram dois picos de nascimento: abril/maio e outubro/novembro, que são o final e o início da estação chuvosa no Pantanal, respectivamente. O tamanho médio da ninhada foi 1.43 ± 0.65. Filhotes únicos representaram um total de 65.7% dos nascimentos, e encontramos uma ligeira predominância de fêmeas (proporção 1.15:1) nas ninhadas. A idade média de independência foi de 17.6 ± 0.98 meses, com uma dispersão sexo-assimétrica, com todos os machos (n = 27) deixando a área natal e 63.6% das fêmeas apresentando filopatria. O intervalo entre ninhadas foi de 21.8 ± 3.2 meses e a idade média da primeira cria foi de 31.8 ± 4.2 meses. Nossos resultados estimaram um sucesso reprodutivo médio ao longo da vida para onças-pintadas fêmeas de 8.13 filhotes. Nossas observações também indicam que as onças-pintadas fêmeas podem apresentar comportamento de acasalamento durante a criação dos filhotes ou da gestação, representando 41.4% das cortes e cópulas registradas. Especulamos que esse comportamento tenha evoluído como uma defesa contra infanticídio e danos físicos à fêmea. Segundo nosso conhecimento, está é a primeira vez que tal comportamento é descrito para esta espécie. Todas as interações agressivas entre fêmeas envolveram a presença de filhotes, seguindo a hipótese de defesa da prole, que levam à territorialidade entre fêmeas em mamíferos, independentemente da disponibilidade de alimento. Diante das crescentes ameaças a este predador de topo, este trabalho revela vários aspectos de sua história natural, representando uma base de comparação com pesquisas futuras e fornecendo informações críticas para a análise de viabilidade populacional e planejamento de conservação em longo prazo.

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The Pantanal wetland harbours the second largest population of jaguars in the world. Alongside climate and land-use changes, the recent mega-fires in the Pantanal may pose a threat to the jaguars' long-term survival. To put these growing threats into perspective, we addressed the reach and intensity of fires that have affected jaguar conservation in the Pantanal ecoregion over the last 16 years. The 2020 fires were the most severe in the annual series, burned 31% of the Pantanal and affected 45% of the estimated jaguar population (87% of these in Brazil); 79% of the home range areas, and 54% of the protected areas within home ranges. Fires consumed core habitats and injured several jaguars, the Pantanal's apex predator. Displacement, hunger, dehydration, territorial defence, and lower fecundity are among the impacts that may affect the abundance of the species. These impacts are likely to affect other less mobile species and, therefore, the ecological stability of the region. A solution to prevent the recurrence of mega-fires lies in combating the anthropogenic causes that intensify drought conditions, such as implementing actions to protect springs, increasing the number and area of protected areas, regulating fire use, and allocating fire brigades before dry seasons.

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Cytauxzoonosis is an acute and highly lethal tick-borne disease of wild and domestic cats, and is widely distributed in Africa, Asia, Europe, the USA and Brazil. So far, only two tick species present on the USA are experimentally confirmed in Cytauxzoon transmission however, in Brazil and other continents, the epidemiology of the disease remains unknown. Evidences points to Panthera onca as a possible reservoir, but there is no evidence to point the vector. Therefore, this study evaluates the presence of Cytauxzoon spp. in wild felids from areas with and without records of Amblyomma sculptum this ixodid for comparison. Overall, 53 blood samples of P. onca, Puma concolor, and Leopardus pardalis from the Midwest region (MR; region with A. sculptum) and 143 blood and/or spleen samples from Leopardus geoffroyi, Leopardus wiedii, Leopardus munoai, Leopardus guttulus, Herpailurus yagouaroundi, L. pardalis, and P. concolor from Rio Grande do Sul State (RS; without A. sculptum). Only one feline sample was negative for Cytauxzoon sp. from MR; no samples from RS were positive. In total, 507 ticks were identified from MR felids, with predominance of A. sculptum (69.23%). In RS, there were 93 ixodids, of which 90.32% were Amblyomma aureolatum. The difference in the tick fauna of the two regions studied (presence/absence of A. sculptum) reflects the results found. This study highlighted A. sculptum as a possible vector since this hemoparasite was abundantly observed in areas where it occurs, also, there was no evidence of Cytauxzoon spp. where it was absent. Additionally, the study supported the suggestion that P. onca is the reservoir for the agent in MR.

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Although the single threshold is still considered a suitable and easy-to-do technique to extract water features in spatiotemporal analysis, it leads to unavoidable errors. This paper uses an enumerative search to optimize thresholds over satellite-derived modified normalized difference water index (MNDWI). We employed a cross-validation approach and treated accuracy as a random variable in order to: (a) investigate uncertainty related to its application; (b) estimate non-optimistic errors involving single thresholding; (c) investigate the main factors that affect the accuracy's model, and (d) compare satellite sensors performance. We also used a high-resolution digital elevation model to extract water elevations values, making it possible to remove topographic effects and estimate non-optimistic errors exclusively from orbital imagery. Our findings evidenced that there is a region where thresholds values can vary without causing accuracy loss. Moreover, by constraining thresholds variation between these limits, accuracy is dramatically improved and outperformed the Otsu method. Finally, the number of scenes employed to optimize a single threshold drastically affects the accuracy, being not appropriate using a single scene once it leads to overfitted threshold values. More than three scenes are recommended.

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Worldwide, two of the most harmful invasive ants typical of disturbed sites are Solenopsis geminata (Fabricius) and Wasmannia auropunctata (Roger). Both are natives of the Neotropics and are widely distributed all over the tropics. Within its original geographic range, there are few data on its abundance and potential damage to natural ecosystems. In this study, we recorded their abundance and relationships to diversity and richness of soil ant communities in two localities with different amount of forested area (López Mateos, LM 77% and Venustiano Carranza, VC 27%), at Los Tuxtlas reserve. In each locality, four land use systems (LUS) were sampled: tropical rain forests, agroforestry plantations, annual crops, and pastures. Data were gathered from 360 ant samples obtained from litter squares, pitfall traps, and soil monoliths in 40 sampling points (20 per locality, and five per LUS). Solenopsis geminata was more abundant in LM than in VC; the opposite trend was observed for W. auropunctata. In LM, S. geminata was more abundant in crops than in the other LUS, whereas W. auropunctata tended to have higher abundances in less managed sites of both localities. Abundance and species richness of ant communities were higher in LM than in VC. At regional and local levels, we found negative relationships between the abundance of S. geminata and species richness; the inverse pattern was found for W. auropunctata. We conclude that at Los Tuxtlas, W. auropunctata can be considered as a typical dominant native species, whereas S. geminata is the common exotic invasive ant.

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Subtropical coastal shallow lakes (SCSL) are sensitive ecosystems. The lake-skin-water temperature (LSWT) is an average lake temperature proxy and responds to changes in surroundings, affecting biological and physical lake processes. In this study, M*D11A1 products are used to develop daytime and nighttime LSWT time series for 20 SCSL in South America. The influence of climatic (air temperature, surface net solar radiation, wind speed, and wind direction) and non-climatic (latitude, lake area, perimeter, width, length, and morphology) factors are evaluated from 2001 to 2017. Pearson's coefficients (ρ) and auto- and cross-correlations are used to establish the relation between LWST and the selected factors. We identify that the dynamic of LSWT is sensitive to geomorphological factors (latitude and lake width) throughout the year, especially in summer. In winter, the LSTW regime is mainly affected by wind direction (ρ = -0.66, p value < 0.01). Linear models are fitted to the temperature series to check the trend changes in the inflection points and the warming or cooling trend for LSWT. Considering the complete series, the maximum warming rate of LSWT is 0.25 °C per decade (°C/dec). The analysis of the identified sub-periods reveals that warming and cooling can occur (significantly) in shorter periods. The average trends within sub-periods for skin temperature-daytime (± 0.0105 °C/dec), skin temperature-nighttime (0.0041 °C/dec), and air temperature (- s0.006 °C/dec; 0.007 °C/dec) are estimated. Our approach has the potential to be applied in future studies due to the expansion of knowledge about the behavior of SCSL and the understanding of the current and potential effects of climate change in association with physical and geomorphological traits.

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Dermatobia hominis is a parasite widely distributed in neotropical regions. The parasitic phase of the cycle is characterized by the formation of a subcutaneous nodule in the host, which can promote infestation by other dipterans and skin infections. The aim of this report is to register parasitism by D. hominis in free-ranging Panthera onca captured in the Brazilian wetland and to determine significant biological and meteorological factors that are likely to influence the presence of larval parasitism in captured wild jaguars. Between 2011 to 2020, 34 jaguars were captured and examined manually by searching for lesions characteristic of myiasis. By manual compression in the subcutaneous nodules, larvae morphologically identified as D. hominis (first and third instars) were collected from 13 jaguars. A multinomial logistic regression showed that adult jaguars had 16.49-fold higher odds of being parasitized than subadults. Thus, jaguars captured in the season of July-September have 34.01- and 11.42-fold higher odds of being parasitized compared to the seasons of October-December and April-June, respectively, which is associated with high total monthly precipitation in the previous season. The present study is the first to describe parasitism by D. hominis larvae in jaguars.

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Abstract Dermatobia hominis is a parasite widely distributed in neotropical regions. The parasitic phase of the cycle is characterized by the formation of a subcutaneous nodule in the host, which can promote infestation by other dipterans and skin infections. The aim of this report is to register parasitism by D. hominis in free-ranging Panthera onca captured in the Brazilian wetland and to determine significant biological and meteorological factors that are likely to influence the presence of larval parasitism in captured wild jaguars. Between 2011 to 2020, 34 jaguars were captured and examined manually by searching for lesions characteristic of myiasis. By manual compression in the subcutaneous nodules, larvae morphologically identified as D. hominis (first and third instars) were collected from 13 jaguars. A multinomial logistic regression showed that adult jaguars had 16.49-fold higher odds of being parasitized than subadults. Thus, jaguars captured in the season of July-September have 34.01- and 11.42-fold higher odds of being parasitized compared to the seasons of October-December and April-June, respectively, which is associated with high total monthly precipitation in the previous season. The present study is the first to describe parasitism by D. hominis larvae in jaguars.

Resumo Dermatobia hominis é um parasito amplamente distribuído nas regiões neotropicais. A fase parasitária do ciclo é caracterizada pela formação de um nódulo subcutâneo no hospedeiro, que pode promover infestação por outros dípteros e infecções cutâneas. O objetivo deste relato é registrar o parasitismo por D. hominis em Panthera onca de vida livre, capturado no pantanal brasileiro e determinar fatores biológicos e meteorológicos significativos que podem influenciar a presença de parasitismo larval em onças-pintadas selvagens capturadas. Entre 2011 e 2020, 34 onças-pintadas foram capturadas e examinadas manualmente em busca de lesões características de miíase. Por compressão manual nos nódulos subcutâneos, larvas classificadas morfologicamente como D. hominis (primeiro e terceiro instares) foram coletadas de 13 onças-pintadas. Uma regressão logística multinomial mostrou que onças-pintadas adultas tinham chances 16,49 vezes maiores de serem parasitadas do que subadultos. Assim, onças-pintadas capturadas na temporada de julho a setembro têm probabilidade 34,01 e 11,42 vezes maior de serem parasitadas em comparação com as temporadas de outubro a dezembro e de abril a junho, respectivamente, o que está associado à alta precipitação total mensal na temporada anterior. O presente estudo é o primeiro a descrever parasitismo por larvas de D. hominis em onças-pintadas.

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Dermatobia hominis is a parasite widely distributed in neotropical regions. The parasitic phase of the cycle is characterized by the formation of a subcutaneous nodule in the host, which can promote infestation by other dipterans and skin infections. The aim of this report is to register parasitism by D. hominis in free-ranging Panthera onca captured in the Brazilian wetland and to determine significant biological and meteorological factors that are likely to influence the presence of larval parasitism in captured wild jaguars. Between 2011 to 2020, 34 jaguars were captured and examined manually by searching for lesions characteristic of myiasis. By manual compression in the subcutaneous nodules, larvae morphologically identified as D. hominis (first and third instars) were collected from 13 jaguars. A multinomial logistic regression showed that adult jaguars had 16.49-fold higher odds of being parasitized than subadults. Thus, jaguars captured in the season of JulySeptember have 34.01- and 11.42-fold higher odds of being parasitized compared to the seasons of OctoberDecember and AprilJune, respectively, which is associated with high total monthly precipitation in the previous season. The present study is the first to describe parasitism by D. hominis larvae in jaguars.(AU)

Dermatobia hominis é um parasito amplamente distribuído nas regiões neotropicais. A fase parasitária do ciclo é caracterizada pela formação de um nódulo subcutâneo no hospedeiro, que pode promover infestação por outros dípteros e infecções cutâneas. O objetivo deste relato é registrar o parasitismo por D. hominis em Panthera onca de vida livre, capturado no pantanal brasileiro e determinar fatores biológicos e meteorológicos significativos que podem influenciar a presença de parasitismo larval em onças-pintadas selvagens capturadas. Entre 2011 e 2020, 34 onças-pintadas foram capturadas e examinadas manualmente em busca de lesões características de miíase. Por compressão manual nos nódulos subcutâneos, larvas classificadas morfologicamente como D. hominis (primeiro e terceiro instares) foram coletadas de 13 onças-pintadas. Uma regressão logística multinomial mostrou que onças-pintadas adultas tinham chances 16,49 vezes maiores de serem parasitadas do que subadultos. Assim, onças-pintadas capturadas na temporada de julho a setembro têm probabilidade 34,01 e 11,42 vezes maior de serem parasitadas em comparação com as temporadas de outubro a dezembro e de abril a junho, respectivamente, o que está associado à alta precipitação total mensal na temporada anterior. O presente estudo é o primeiro a descrever parasitismo por larvas de D. hominis em onças-pintadas.(AU)

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Pontoscolex corethrurus (Müller, 1857) is an invasive tropical earthworm, globally distributed. It reproduces through parthenogenesis, which theoretically results in low genetic diversity. The analysis of the population structure of P. corethrurus using molecular markers may significantly contribute to understanding the ecology and reproductive system of this earthworm species. This work assessed the genetic diversity and population structure of P. corethrurus with 34 polymorphic inter simple sequence repeat markers, covering four populations in tropical and temperate pastures from Veracruz State. Nuclear markers distinguished two genetic clusters, probably corresponding to two distinct genetic lineages. The number of clones detected in the AC population was lower than expected for a parthenogenetic species. Also, the apparent lack of differences in population structures related to the geographic region among the populations studied may indicate that human-mediated transference is prevalent in these areas. Still, most individuals apparently belong to lineage A, and only a few individuals seem to belong to the lineage B. Thus, the admixture signatures found among the four populations of P. corethrurus may have facilitated a successful invasion by directly increasing fitness. In summary, addressing the genetic variation of P. corethrurus with ISSR markers was a suitable approach, as it evidenced the genetic diversity and relationships in the populations evaluated.

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Mammalian carnivores are considered a key group in maintaining ecological health and can indicate potential ecological integrity in landscapes where they occur. Carnivores also hold high conservation value and their habitat requirements can guide management and conservation plans. The order Carnivora has 84 species from 8 families in the Neotropical region: Canidae; Felidae; Mephitidae; Mustelidae; Otariidae; Phocidae; Procyonidae; and Ursidae. Herein, we include published and unpublished data on native terrestrial Neotropical carnivores (Canidae; Felidae; Mephitidae; Mustelidae; Procyonidae; and Ursidae). NEOTROPICAL CARNIVORES is a publicly available data set that includes 99,605 data entries from 35,511 unique georeferenced coordinates. Detection/non‐detection and quantitative data were obtained from 1818 to 2018 by researchers, governmental agencies, non‐governmental organizations, and private consultants. Data were collected using several methods including camera trapping, museum collections, roadkill, line transect, and opportunistic records. Literature (peerreviewed and grey literature) from Portuguese, Spanish and English were incorporated in this compilation. Most of the data set consists of detection data entries (n = 79,343; 79.7%) but also includes non‐detection data (n = 20,262; 20.3%). Of those, 43.3% also include count data (n = 43,151). The information available in NEOTROPICAL CARNIVORES will contribute to macroecological, ecological, and conservation questions in multiple spatio‐temporal perspectives. As carnivores play key roles in trophic interactions, a better understanding of their distribution and habitat requirements are essential to establish conservation management plans and safeguard the future ecological health of Neotropical ecosystems. Our data paper, combined with other largescale data sets, has great potential to clarify species distribution and related ecological processes within the Neotropics. There are no copyright restrictions and no restriction for using data from this data paper, as long as the data paper is cited as the source of the information used. We also request that users inform us of how they intend to use the data.

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Three new Acanthodrilinae species from the states of Oaxaca, Tabasco and Chiapas in southern Mexico are described, Diplotrema oaxacana sp. nov., Diplotrema tabascensis sp. nov., and Diplotrema kaxyebensis sp. nov., respectively. D. oaxacana sp. nov. is characterized by the presence of genital setae in segments 8 and 9, a spermathecal ampulla transversally connected to the duct and paired seminal vesicles in 11 and 12. D. tabascensis sp. nov. is separated from all Diplotrema species by genital setae in segment 16. The singleton D. kaxyebensis sp. nov. is characterized by a single pair of seminal vesicles in 12, genital setae in 8 and by a particular arrangement of spermathecal duct-ampulla-diverticulum connections. It is discussed that the neotropical Diplotrema species lineage does probably not belong to the southern hemisphere Diplotrema lineage, which indeed contains the majority of species; its taxonomic separation, however, should wait until more information is obtained on the molecular relationships among neotropical Acanthodrilinae. Finally the topic of describing new earthworm species on singletons is discussed; a decision table is provided to help earthworm taxonomists to decide about this aspect. This paper is dedicated to Dr. Pietro Omodeo for his important contribution to the fields of taxonomy and biogeography of earthworms, on the occasion of his 100th birthday.

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Two acanthodriline new species from the states of Tabasco and Chiapas in southern Mexico are described, Diplotrema chajulensis sp. nov. and Lavellodrilus sheylae sp.nov. Diplotrema chajulensis sp. nov. has spermathecae where the ampulla inserts at a right angle from the duct and the diverticulum continues the main axis; it is distinguished from other neotropical Diplotrema species that share this character by the pattern of genital marks and the type of penial setae. Lavellodrilus sheylae sp. nov. is unique in the genus Lavellodrilus by the unpaired condition of the mesial spermathecae; variation in the number of spermathecal diverticula (one or two) was considered a polymorphism. Finally we discuss reasons to maintain one of the new species in an austral genus (Diplotrema) in spite of some morphological differences observed among the Mexican-Cuban-Central American (MX-CA) worms and the austral species. A short esophagus in all the holoic and meroic acanthodriline earthworms from MX-CA and a mid-ventral position of spermathecal pores in Lavellodrilus are interpreted as ancestral characters that evolved and were fixed in the worms that inhabited an ancient Laurasian block, probably in response to the semi-aquatic conditions that prevailed in this region during millions of years.

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Two earthworm species from central Mexico are described: Protozapotecia acaxetlensis sp. nov. and Protozapotecia oya-metlensis sp. nov. Delimitation of species was supported by morphological and molecular evidence. The two new species differ from the other species of Protozapotecia by the position of the prostates in segments 18 and 20. This morphological characteristic relates them to the genus Diplocardia, from which they differ by the presence of two gizzards separated by a muscular septum (Protozapotecia), instead of two gizzards fused as one, separated by a thin membranous septum in intersegment 5/6 (Diplocardia).

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Three new species of the earthworm genus Zapatadrilus are described from Tamaulipas, Mexico: Zapatadrilus aurelius sp. nov., Zapatadrilus huastecus sp. nov., and Zapatadrilus montezumensis sp. nov. Delimitation of the new species was supported by morphological and molecular (genetic distances) evidence. Diagnostic characters of the three new species include: tubulo-racemose prostates in segments 18 and 20, penial setae absent, typhlosole present and intestine beginning in 17/18. Z. montezumensis sp. nov. is separated by its metandric condition, Z. aurelius sp. nov. by the last hearts in 13 and Z. huastecus sp. nov. by the shape of the spermathecae and patterns of genital markings.

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A new acanthodriline earthworm species, Lavellodrilus notosetosus sp. nov., is described from tropical rain forests of southern Mexico. The new species is placed within the genus Lavellodrilus by the presence of mesial spermathecal pores. It is separated from other species of the genus by the dorsal location of setae cd in most of the body, last hearts in segment 13, first intestinal segment in 20 and genital setae in segment 12. A preliminary morphological revision of all genera and species of Acanthodrilinae was undertaken in order to: i) evaluate if the mesial spermathecal pores justify the status of Lavellodrilus, ii) determine how common (expressed as percentages of species having the character) the diagnostic characters of the new species are in the subfamily, iii) clarify if these characters exhibit a geographical pattern, and iv) contribute towards a comprehensive analysis of the Acanthodrilinae. In this revision, species were separated in nine geographical regions: USA, northern Mexico, southern Mexico, Caribbean Islands (northern hemisphere), and South America, South Africa, Madagascar, Australia, New Zealand, New Caledonia and Antarctic Islands (southern hemisphere). As a result of the revision it was found that among the 511 recognized species of Acanthodrilinae only 11 species have a mesial location of the spermathecal pores, in two cases probably representing monophyletic groups (Lavellodrilus and a group of South African Parachilota species). It was also found that the distinguishing characters in L. notosetosus sp. nov., notably the location of last hearts, genital setae and the first intestinal segment, are uncommon characters in the acanthodriline earthworm fauna of southern Mexico and Central America, but more frequent in North America, the Caribbean, and the southern hemisphere. We conclude that the acanthodrilines from the northern hemisphere are morphologically more similar to those from Australia, New Zealand, and New Caledonia than to those of South Africa and South America.

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A pterosaur bone bed with at least 47 individuals (wing spans: 0.65-2.35 m) of a new species is reported from southern Brazil from an interdunal lake deposit of a Cretaceous desert, shedding new light on several biological aspects of those flying reptiles. The material represents a new pterosaur, Caiuajara dobruskii gen. et sp. nov., that is the southermost occurrence of the edentulous clade Tapejaridae (Tapejarinae, Pterodactyloidea) recovered so far. Caiuajara dobruskii differs from all other members of this clade in several cranial features, including the presence of a ventral sagittal bony expansion projected inside the nasoantorbital fenestra, which is formed by the premaxillae; and features of the lower jaw, like a marked rounded depression in the occlusal concavity of the dentary. Ontogenetic variation of Caiuajara dobruskii is mainly reflected in the size and inclination of the premaxillary crest, changing from small and inclined (∼ 115°) in juveniles to large and steep (∼ 90°) in adults. No particular ontogenetic features are observed in postcranial elements. The available information suggests that this species was gregarious, living in colonies, and most likely precocial, being able to fly at a very young age, which might have been a general trend for at least derived pterosaurs.

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