Duets are highly coordinated acoustical displays produced by two individuals. Studying the structure of duet songs and its causes is essential to understand the ecological role and evolution of this form of communication. Our goals in this study were to describe the structure of the duet of the Large-footed Finch, the temporal synchronization of each individual, and to test the effect of provoked (playback) duets. We recorded birds at Cerro de la Muerte, Costa Rica and simulated territory intrusions using playback trials. The duet of this species consisted of overlapping notes between both members of a mated pair, which were emitted either randomly or periodically. Temporal synchronization was similar between both individuals in a mated pair. Both partners adjust the silent intervals between notes in response to the duration of its partner's note. The high frequency of the second part of the duet of this species decreased with time and the second individual, in duetting this part, not only synchronized its notes temporally with the first individual, but also synchronized the high frequency. The high frequency of the first note the second individual sung was a bit lower than the previous note sung by the first individual. Finally, birds responding to provoked duets produced duets with higher frequency and higher rate of notes compared to unprovoked duets. Our results provide information on the temporal and frequency synchronization in duets of an endemic emberizid and provide new information about a less reported vocal behaviour in bird duets, the acoustic frequency coordination.

Galling insects are specialist herbivorous that have the ability of manipulating plant tissue to form complex biological structures called galls. Even though different organisms have the ability to induce galls in plants, insect galls have the highest degree of structural complexity. The main goal of this study was to obtain a preliminary systematic record of plant gall morphotypes from the Guanacaste Conservation Area in Costa Rica and integrate the information into a biological database. Plant gall morphotypes were recorded, characterized and deposited into a specialized herbarium established as a reference for the inventory. Moreover, organisms associated with gall morphotypes were included in the inventory when it was possible to obtain and identify them. Galls were collected in the rainy season over a period of three years. In total, we recorded forty-four families, seventy genera, and eighty-seven host plant species. One hundred thirty-one morphotypes of plant galls were identified in the Guanacaste Conservation Area. The family with the highest number of gall morphotypes was Fabaceae (8.4%). Leaves were the organ with the largest number of galls (71%), followed by stems (17.6%), and apical buds (6.9%). The predominant gall shape was globular (25.2%), followed by discoid (18.3%). Fifty-nine percent of the galls had a glabrous texture, which was most common on leaves, with 77%. One hundred twenty of our field records (91.6%) of plant galls were new morphotypes not only for Costa Rica but also the world. As a consequence of this research and considering the prospect of future increases in new gall records (and associated organisms), we proposed having the biological entities resulting from the inventory placed in a cecidiarium. This repository represents a standardized and comprehensive way to manage the data and biological materials associated with the plant galls. We also suggest a nomenclature for standardizing gall morphotype registries and identifications. This work is the first and most detailed inventory of plant galls carried out thus far in the Guanacaste Conservation Area.

Introducción. El camote (Ipomoea batatas) es un cultivo muy susceptible a las enfermedades virales, las cuales se han asociado con una disminución del rendimiento del cultivo mayor al 50 %. En las plantaciones de camote costarricenses se ha reportado la presencia del virus del moteado plumoso (SPFMV), el virus del enanismo clorótico (SPCSV) y el virus del enrollamiento de la hoja (SPLCV); para el desarrollo de programas adecuados de control de estos virus, es necesaria la detección e identificación temprana mediante el uso de técnicas sensibles y eficientes. Objetivo. El objetivo de esta investigación fue estimar la incidencia del SPFMV, el SPCSV y el SPLCV en plantaciones de camote mediante qPCR. Materiales y métodos. En el 2018 se recolectaron muestras de tejido foliar de ochenta plantas con síntomas de infección viral en veinticinco plantaciones de camote distribuidas en cuatro provincias de Costa Rica. La detección de los tres virus se llevó a cabo mediante qPCR con el empleo de imprimadores y sondas de hidrólisis específicos. Resultados. En el 92 % de las plantaciones analizadas se encontró la presencia de virosis. La enfermedad viral del camote (SPVD), definida como la infección combinada del SPFMV y el SPCSV, fue la que se detectó con más frecuencia. Las plantaciones ubicadas en las localidades de Sabanilla, El Cacao y La Guácima de Alajuela fueron las únicas en presentar los tres virus estudiados. El virus SPLCV solamente fue detectado en las provincias de Limón y Alajuela. Conclusión. Es posible realizar una detección temprana de tres de los virus más frecuentes en camote con el empleo de qPCR, lo que contribuiría con los programas de producción de semilla certificada.

Absence of IgG antibodies against Schmallenberg virus in ruminant sera (bovine, goat and sheep) Abstract Schmallenberg virus affects ruminants, which causes significant economic losses. The virus is transmitted through vectors of the genus Culicoides; however, other studies do not rule out the possibility of sexual transmission due to its presence in semen. For this reason, the National Service of Animal Health of Costa Rica (SENASA) imposed restrictions on the import of semen from animals from the European Union in 2013. Consequently, SENASA conducted a study to determine the presence or absence of antibodies against this virus in bovine, ovine and caprine samples. As a result, no antibodies against this virus were detected in the 748 samples tested. It was concluded that Schmallenberg virus was not circulating in Costa Rican ruminants during the tested period.Keywords: Ruminants, SENASA, Schmallenberg virus, Costa Rica, serology. ResumenEl virus de Schmallenberg afecta a rumiantes produciendo pérdidas económicas importantes, el cual se transmite a través de artrópodos del género Culicoides, sin embargo, no se descarta la posibilidad de transmisión sexual debido a la presencia del virus en semen, razón por la cual, el Servicio Nacional de Salud Animal de Costa Rica (SENASA), estableció restricciones a la importación de semen de rumiantes procedentes de la Unión Europea en el 2013. En consecuencia, el SENASA realizó un estudio para determinar la presencia o ausencia de anticuerpos contra este virus en muestras de bovinos, ovinos y caprinos. Como resultado de este estudio no se encontró la presencia anticuerpos contra el virus de Schmallenberg en ninguna de las 748 muestras evaluadas, por lo que se concluye que este virus no está circulando en los rumiantes de Costa Rica.Palabras claves: Rumiantes, SENASA, virus Schmallenberg, Costa Rica, serología.Rev. Ciencias Veterinarias, Vol. 35, N° 2,[103][104][105][106][107][108][109][110][111][112] IntroductionReports of emerging and re-remerging viral diseases have increased over the last decade. Some of these etiological agents produce diseases that concern health authorities and professionals worldwide because of the unpredictable effects and impact of these agents (Ruiz-Fons 2012).Diseases transmitted by arthropods that affect human and animal populations are causing serious local and international health problems, especially in underdeveloped countries. Schmallenberg virus (SBV) is a clear example of these emerging diseases (Alarcón-Elbal & Lucientes 2012). This epizootic disease began in the summer of 2011 in northwestern Germany and the eastern region of the Netherlands. In October 2011, the virus was identified by researchers of the Friedrich Loeffler Institut (FLI), Federal Research Institute for Animal Health in Germany (Bilk et al. 2012). Schmallenberg disease was characterized by clinical signs such as fever, diarrhea, and decreased milk production (Gariglinany et al. 2012). The acute disease in pregnant females was followed by an epidemic of stillbirths an...