Due to the negative consequences carried by the usage of synthetic insecticides, a global interest into finding substitutes for these chemical compounds through natural products has arisen. When yielded to external attacks, plants generally produce metabolites to defend themselves. The physicochemical characteristics of this kind of compounds have allowed their usage as potential bioinsecticides. The Hymenaea courbaril L. (algarrobo) has proven to be a plant rich in metabolites with outstanding biological activity, in such a way that some of its extracts have been tested as insecticides. The goal of this study was to know the phytochemical composition of Hymenaea courbaril L.’s resin and perform evaluations in vivo of its toxic and genotoxic effects in the biological model Drosophila melanogaster . For this, two resin extracts were prepared and both a phytochemical analysis were carried out on them, having found in the ethanolic total extract the presence of terpenes, flavonoids and coumarins, while in the partial ethanolic extract only presence of terpenes and flavonoids was found. Drosophila larvae were submitted to different concentrations of the extracts and both the survival and the sexual ratio were evaluated, finding that larvae are more sensitive to the partial ethanolic extract. Subsequently, the induction of somatic mutation and mitotic recombination (SMART) was evaluated in the flies’ eyes. The most significant affectations at a genotoxic level were found when larvae were tested with the partial extract, indicating that possibly the coumarins absence makes this insect more susceptible to damages at a genetic material level.

Background: Isopods are highly diverse organisms, however, despite of their abundance and importance in ecological dynamics have been neglected in many of the aspects of their biology. Objectives: This paper analyses E. attenuata male and female histological characteristics, especially the reproductive structures, to increase the information of the reproductive biology and help to understand the sexual characteristics of other free-living isopods to favour comparative studies with other groups and environmental conditions. Methods: Organisms sampled between July 2010 and August 2011 were fixed and processed for histological preparations; Haematoxylin-Eosin and Lendrum staining techniques were applied to differentiate structures. Microphotographies were taken and analysed. Results: The internal organography was found to be similar on both sexes. The ovaries are modified during the maturation of the oocytes, after spawning, embryos are born in the marsupium. In some cases, a cohort in initial stages of maturation is observed in the dorsal region of the body in addition of the ones seen in the marsupium. A couple of testicles, comprising three cysts and in which different cell stages of spermatogenesis can be found, are observed in males. Conclusions: Since maturation of gametes occurs during the whole year, it is concluded that E. attenuata has a continuous reproductive cycle. We describe for the first time the reproductive characteristics of this isopod, which is important as reproductive aspects of these crustaceans have been neglected, thus, it is necessary to update and extend the morphological and histological information.