About
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Introduction
I’ve been teaching in Brazil since 1976-mostly ecology and various areas of zoology. My research has been on numerous aspects of ecology, animal behaviour and taxonomy. Now I’m retired. I’m tidying up a few manuscripts for publication and writing books. At the moment I’m not directly involved in any research project.
Additional affiliations
August 1998 - September 2011
September 1976 - August 1998
September 1976 - August 1998
Education
January 1971 - December 1975
September 1963 - June 1966
Publications
Publications (69)
I should like to know what information is available on this subject for the non-specialist.
The 35 species of social wasps surveyed in an 8 ha plot in the Cabeça de Veado valley near Brasilia (1979 and 1997) averaged 17.9 species per survey. From 1/3 to ½ of the species disappeared between consecutive surveys and only two were present in every survey. On average, 43% of the 40 species known to inhabit the valley were recorded on each surv...
Collection of pollen was verified in 248 samples of the material on the hind tibial scopae of the solitary bee, Epicharis rustica (Olivier, 1879) captured on their return to the nest. Of the total, 54% (133) of the samples had material on the scopae, 48 of then had only oil and 85 (64%) had both oil and pollen. For seven weeks, almost all (91%) of...
The aim of the present work was to discover how many species inhabit the environs of Brasília. Being an approximate rectangle in the middle of the Cerrado biome, the Federal District of Brasília is a representative “quadrat” to sample the biome’s fauna.
The researcher must write papers, but more manuscripts received by biological journals are rejected because they are poorly written than those rejected on scientific grounds.
There is no short cut to writing well. It takes organization, practice and constructive criticism from your peers. This book helps in the organization from the first ideas to...
John Frank Raw (1904-1989) was a self-taught naturalist. He kept a diary (1928-1938) about the natural history around Cleveland, Yorkshire with records of abundant and rare species and decreases of once common species. He identified three factors responsible for the losses: expansion of the town, the private car, and exotic species. Species that ar...
Species richness and seasonal abundance of solitary bees were investigated in rocky, montane grassland (campo rupestre) (1180 m asl) and cerrado sensu stricto (680 m asl) in the Biribiri State Park, Diamantina, state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. Three hundred nineteen nest traps of bamboo canes and black cardboard tubes were monthly inspected at each s...
A colheita de uma aceroleira durante doze meses foi muito alta. Parece foi resultado da presença de um número suficiente de polinizadores, a aplicação constante de fertilizante e colheitas freqüentes para reduzir os ataques de pássaros nas flores e frutos. Sugere-se que os métodos atuais de cultivo devam ser examinados para avaliar esses fatores. V...
The pollinators, fruit yield, attacks by birds on the fruits of a single acerola tree over twelve months were studied. Various other observations are reported on topics related to flower and fruit production. It is suggested that current methods of husbandry be examined to evaluate these factors.
Resumo. Em abril de 2009 uma biópsia confirmou que tinha câncer de próstata. Como sou pesquisador, registrei o progresso da minha condição diligentemente. Sofri a radioterapia de intensidade modulada que foi um sucesso e meu PSA continua baixo. Mudei minha dieta e estilo de vida. Espero que as seguintes páginas ajudarão outros que enfrentam o mesmo...
An occupied nest of Epipona media Cooper was discovered and collected in a cabruca (cocoa plantation with native tree cover). This is the first record of E. media from Bahia State. We described the nest structure and compared the adults with the closely related species Epipona tatua Cuvier.
Megachile is treated here as a single genus combining Megachile with Chalicodoma. In the Americas the genus occurs from Alaska and Canada to southern Chile and Argentina, and is well represented in the tropics. Despite their economic and ecological importance as pollinators, the biology of few species has been studied in detail largely because they...
A new subgenus, Austrosarus, and three new species of Megachile from central Brazil are described. Austrosarus shares some characteristics with the subgenera Austromegachile, Chrysosarus and Sayapis. M. frankieana occurs in the Federal District of Brasília, in Goias and Minas Gerais states and in eastern and southern Mato Grosso, while M. diasi and...
Five species of Megachile are placed in their correct subgenera, raising the total number of correctly placed species of this genus to 519 in the Americas. Megachile (Dasymegachile) mitchelli new name is proposed for Cressoniella (Chaetochile) golbachi Schwimmer, in Mitchell, 1980.
The taxonomic positions of 284 names on the genus Megachile (sensu Michener et al. 1994) of the Americas are clarified. A total of 166 types (164 holotypes and 2 cotypes) were examined. In 24 cases specimens determined by specialists were used and in 17 the published descriptions were analysed. The subgenera of 175 species are indicated for the fir...
Raw, Anthony (2002): New combinations and synonymies of leafcutter and mason bees of the Americas (Megachile, Hymenoptera, Megachilidae). Zootaxa 71: 1-43, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.155887
The holotype female, allotype male and nest are described of a new species of social wasp, Mischocyttarus (Kappa) santacruzi (Hymenoptera, Vespidae) from Atlantic coastal forest, Bahia, State, eastern Brazil. Morphologically the species is close to M. (Kappa) adolphi Zikán.
Native bees are eective pollinators of hot pepper plants, Capsicum annuum. In four gardens in south-central Brazil
(Patos de Minas and BrasõÂlia) ¯owers of three cultivars received visits from 16 species of bees in eight genera: Hylaeus
(Colletidae), Dialictus, Halictus, Augochlora, Augochloropsis and Ceratalictus (Halictidae), Exomalopsis and Bom...
The females and nests are described of two new species of social wasps (Hymenoptera, Vespidae) from dry evergreen forest on the Ilha de Maraca, Roraima, Brazil. Mischocyttarus (Monocyttarus) maracaensis sp.n. closely resembles M. flavicornis Zikan, 1935 in morphology and coloration. Polybia (Myrapetra) roraimae sp.n. is a member of the P. occidenla...
https://www.bfn.de/fileadmin/MDB/images/themen/bestaeuber/agr-pollinator-rpt.pdf
Document prepared as a contribution for the implementation of Decision III/11 of the Convention on
Biological Diversity which established a work program on the conservation and sustainable use of
agricultural biological diversity. 66 pp.
An important aspect of the hunting strategy of neotropical social wasps (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) is where they hunt. Three species used two behavioural components in their selection of a place to search for prey. The wasps uti lizcd the odour of freshly damaged leaves as cues (which could be synomones) to select which leaves to inspect and also they...
Phyllostomide bats are the most important consumers of Piper fruits in the Neotropics (Heithaus et al. 1975) and, in particular, Carollia perspicillata and Glossophaga soricina are the species which demonstrate distinct preferences for these fruits (Charles-Dominique 1991, Fleming 1981, Fleming et al. 1977, Marinho-Filho 1991, Palmeirim el al. 1989...
At a locality near Brasilia the sizes of hunting areas and of colonies of 13 species of social wasps varied greatly. Size of the hunting area varied 152 fold and was strongly related to the number of adult wasps per colony which varied 400 fold. The total number of adults of the 13 species was estimated at 182.9/ ha (range 7.1 fold among the specie...
In four habitats studied on the Ilha de Maracá, 36 species of social wasps (Hymenoptera, Vespidae) were identified of which 22 were recorded for the first time for Roraima, bringing the total for the State to 42 species. Individual wasp species were largely restricted to particular habitats (forest floor, small forest clearings, forest edge and sav...
Two widespread bats Carollia perspicillata and Glossophaga soricina were the main consumers of Piper arboreum fruits in a gallery forest near Brasilia. The success of their specialization relates with the bats' hih efficiency to locate ripe fruits, which occur at low densities. The relatively long fruiting season enabled the bats to specialize on t...
Estimates are given of the numbers of termitaria and termite colonies in areas of the Federal District and in the entire region of the Brazilian Cerrados. Densities of termitaria were measured in six vegetation types at 18 localities which ranged from 46o 20' to 57o 15'W and from 14o 30' to 21o 30' S and are considered to be representative of the c...
A new species of termite, Orthognathotermes heberi, is described and the soldiers illustrated. It is similar in morphology and the structure of its nests to O. gibberorum from Mato Grosso. The soldiers are strongly dimorphic, 14% being minor soldiers whose heads are only 59% the length of those of the major ones. No such dimorphism has been recorde...
From calculations based on cell lengths and the locations of cells in nests it was estimated that failures in fertilization of eggs of the solitary bee Osmia rufa resulted in 6% more adult males in the population. After adjustment the sex ratio was almost exactly par.
The prepupa (post-defaecating larva) of Crossocerus (Cuphopterus) dimidiatus (Fabr.) is described and larval morphology is compared with that ctescribed by previous authors for other species of crabronid wasps. Information is given on the nest structure and the dipterous prey. The choice of nest site and prey is discussed.
Exomalopsis globosa (F) was more numerous during the winter, whereas E. similis Cresson was more so during the spring. These differences were explained from comparison of the bees' daily foraging activities and flight ranges with the seasonal and daily rainfall patterns. The types of pollen collected by the two species during the year did not accou...
I. Most O. rufa males make general searches for females near nests and flowers. 2. A few males spend most of their time in the nesting area and defend individual resting places from other males. 3. Males detect females more readily the closer the latter are to nests, but they pounce on other males and insects of similar size as well. 4. Males can m...
Thesis submitted 1975. Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of the West Indies, Mona, Jamaica, (1976). Includes bibliographical references (leaves 198-208).
Numerous wasps (Polistes crinita Felt) visited male and female coconut flowers for nectar, but carried little pollen on their bodies, especially when visiting female flowers. Many wasps foraged for several hours on only one or two female flowers, repelling other wasps or honeybees that tried to visit them; hence their behaviour discouraged cross-po...
1. The behaviour of males of the three Jamaican Centris (Centris) species searching for females showed a gradation. (a) C. fasciata hovered often around food plants, but did not deposit scent. (b) C. decolorata hovered less often and scented less often a little in territories near nests. (c) C. dirrhoda hovered little and scented often in territori...
Examination of pollen from nests of Osmia rufa (L.), O. leaiana (Kirby) and O. coerulescens (L.) showed that when O. rufa and either one of the others nested simultaneously and at the same locality 94% or more of the pollen they collected was from different taxa. Over 90% of the pollen collected by O. rufa was from Ranunculus and Quercus producing...
Questions
Questions (7)
I collected some interesting material in and around Goiás State, but it's all in Curitiba.
The best was from around Goiás Velho and Pirenópolis
I wonder you didn't mention my paper. It's cited on Reserchgate. Raw, A. and C. O’Toole. 1979. Errors in the sex of eggs laid by the solitary bees
Recent news is worrying. Caterpillars of the wax moth Galleria mellonella digest artificial plastics (Bombelli et al 2017) and it has been suggested that they might be produced en masse to help consume the vast amounts of waste plastic that have accumulated worldwide. One can imagine that releasing large numbers of the caterpillars could pose a serious problem for honeybee colonies.
With some types of beer my blood pressure rises rather badly after drinking a single bottle. This is due to my having a problem of sodium retention. Does anyone know of any research comparing the salt contents of different brands of beer ? It would be a fairly simple exercise. I am particularly interested in Brazilian beers, though I believe many people elsewhere must suffer with the same problem that I do – and especially those who drink more than one bottle.
I've checked several sites and none has a satisfactory answer.
Something intrigues me about how many unrelated species of birds happily eat the hottest of hot peppers. It leads me to think it might be an ancient adaptation. But, capsaicin is restricted to Capsicum whose origin is the Neotropics. That should rule out a very early link. So how do so many non-neotropical species eat them so avidly - like the domestic chicken which is originally Indian?
Have innumerable species of birds independently evolved to eat capsaicin and, if so, why haven’t mammals taken the same path? The fruits are bright red clearly to attract birds, but they are also very aromatic which mammals would easily notice.
