-Melipona stingless bee species of Central America and Mexico are important ecologically, culturally, and economically as pollinators and as a source of food and medicine. Despite their importance, however, information on their distribution patterns is limited. We propose potential distribution models for 11 Melipona species in the region. Our main findings support previous data which suggest a revision of the taxonomic status of some species (e.g., M. yucatanica ), and set a baseline on the conservation status of other species, challenging previous reports (e.g., M. beecheii ). Our models show that 20 % or less of the areas of predicted presence are under protection, with large proportions corresponding to low-intensity cropland, offering conservation alternatives in disturbed landscapes. This information will assist further studies on potential conservation strategies, and will aid in analyzing and formulating hypotheses regarding the biogeography of these species.

En este estudio se analizaron los hábitos alimenticios de la comunidad de murciélagos frugívoros del bosque subtropical húmedo de Yaxhá, Petén, mediante el análisis de heces. Para tal efecto, se realizaron capturas mensuales de murciélagos en sitios con tres diferentes tipos de cobertura vegetal (bosque alto, bosque inundable y áreas sucesionales) a lo largo de 11 meses (febrero a diciembre 1999). El objetivo del estudio fue determinar las relaciones funcionales entre los murciélagos mediante un análisis de nicho alimentario, además de proveer una lista de las plantas que utilizan como alimento. Los resultados mostraron que existe una selectividad de los géneros de murciélago por cierto género o familia de planta. Existe una repartición de recursos con base a la ecología y morfología de los murciélagos, y es entre las especies ecológica y morfológicamente similares donde se da un mayor solapamiento de nicho alimentario.

BackgroundThe Zika AIRS Project, a USAID-funded initiative worked across the Latin America and Caribbean regions from 2016 to 2019, as an emergency to contain the spread of the Zika virus. All entomological records in the target countries showed wide distribution and high abundance of Aedes aegypti populations, however the susceptibility profiles of these insects to insecticides commonly employed by vector control campaigns were in most cases incomplete or inexistent. In close collaboration with the Ministries of Health of individual countries, Zika-AIRS teams conducted insecticide susceptibility testing of an array of insecticides in A. aegypti populations of each country. Procedures applied met the standard international protocols instructed by the World Health Organization and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Methodology and main findingsThe insecticides tested were selected under categories such as pyrethroids, organophosphates and carbamate. Results showed A. aegypti populations displaying high and widely distributed resistance to all pyrethroids across countries, tolerance to organophosphates and full susceptibility to a carbamate. Key inconsistencies between testing methods are presented and discussed. Additionally, four kdr mutations were analyzed to detect molecular mechanisms of insecticide resistance. The screening for kdr mutations suggested the widespread nature of V1016I mutation, linked to pyrethroid resistance in A. aegypti populations distributed and sampled in the above mentioned regions.Conclusions and perspectivesThis multi-country study contributes with updated information to the public health decision-makers across Central America and the Caribbean. This study provided training and established technical networks for more effective and sustainable insecticide surveillance programs. Most but not all records of insecticide resistance in A. aegypti were consistent between methodologies, thus inconsistent issues are discussed here to call for further improvement in procedures and convey more practical guidelines for surveillance teams in countries where Aedes-borne diseases are endemic.Author summaryAt the forefront of the fight against arboviruses transmission is the insecticide-based vector control. All countries in the Latin American and Caribbean region invest valuable resources from their limited budget to acquire and implement insecticide-based tools, with non-existent or weak insecticide resistance monitoring programs. Hence, the USAID-funded Zika AIRS Project (ZAP) collaborated with the Ministries of Health of multiple countries to update the profile of susceptibility to insecticides in Aedes aegypti populations. We found widespread resistance to pyrethroid and organophosphate insecticides, which account to almost 100% of the products available to control adult mosquitoes. As we used both of World Health Organization and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention standard methods, we found many similarities and some inconsistencies in the susceptibility profiles obtained for the very same vector populations. Additionally, we obtained insight on potential molecular mechanisms of resistance across the countries, finding the kdr mutation V1016I possibly involved in loss of susceptibility.This study is the biggest cross-country update of insecticide resistance for Aedes aegypti in years, and it should be used as evidence for improving the selection of insecticides in these countries and a call for further support to maintain insecticide resistance monitoring programs.

Este catálogo contiene un inventario actualizado de las especies del género Bombus que han sido citadas para Guatemala. Se presentan los datos taxonómicos, incluyendo sinonimias, de un total de 13 especies. Además, para cada especie se indica su distribución geográfica y las regiones bióticas de Guatemala en las que se ha recolectado. Este trabajo es la base para la posterior revisión del género Bombus en Guatemala.