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Vallissiana universitaria Pereira & Arévalo, a new genus and species of leaf-miner moth (Gracillariidae: Gracillariinae) is described and illustrated with the aid of optical and scanning electron microscopy, including adults, larva, pupa and the mine. Its monophyletic status is confirmed within the subfamily based on a DNA barcode CoI tree. The immature stages are associated with Erythroxylum argentinum O. E. Schulz (Erythroxylaceae) and four larval instars are found, all forming a round blotch mine from the beginning of ontogeny. The first two instars are sap-feeders, using only the epidermal cells, whereas the last two are tissue-feeders, mining the parenchyma cells. Pupation occurs inside the leaf mine within a flimsy, silk-made cocoon. This is the third endemic genus of gracillariid moths described from the Atlantic Forest of Brazil and the first associated with Erythroxylum P. Browne. Characteristics found on the forewing and in the last abdominal segments of the adult were determinant for the proposition of the new genus. The CoI tree indicated that it is closely related to Aspilapteryx, while this genus was recovered as polyphyletic in the analyses. Morphological evidence supports this polyphyly. Consequently, Sabulopteryx Triberti, 1985, stat. nov. is considered a valid genus.

Larvae of many-plumed moths (Alucitidae), especially in the world-wide genus Alucita Linnaeus, 1758 are known as borers or gall-inducers on flowers, fruits and shoots of a few dicotyledonous families, including Bignoniaceae, Caprifoliaceae and Rubiaceae. However, there is no study available on the biology of the monotypic, Neotropical genus Prymnotomis Meyrick, 1931 except for its original description that was based on a single male, the holotype of Prymnotomis crypsicroca Meyrick, 1931 from Espirito Santo, Brazil. We describe here a second species for this genus, Prymnotomis cecidicola sp. nov. whose larvae induce galls on Cordiera elliptica (Cham.) Kuntze (Rubiaceae), a dioecious plant with dimorphic inflorescences found in the Brazilian Cerrado, Planaltina City, Federal District. Adults, larvae, pupae and galls are illustrated under light and scanning electron microscopy. Galls are green, spherical, unilocular and develop individually on C. elliptica flower buds.During development they look like fruits in shape and colour but are larger, do not have style scars when on female plants, and are induced also in male inflorescences. Pupation occurs outside the gall within a silk cocoon, presumably in the litter.A preliminary analysis of DNA barcode sequences including putative members of other alucitid lineages and Neotropical BINs (Barcode Index Number) supports Prymnotomis cecidicola sp. nov. as an independent phylogenetic unit, with 12 to 18% divergence. Its nearest-neighbour was the BIN cluster 5 (BOLD:AAA0842) that includes specimens from Costa Rica.

ResumoEste estudo teve como objetivo estimar a quantidade média de sementes de Erythrina falcata consumida por larvas de Agathodes designalis (Guenée, 1854), Liopasia ochracealis (Walker 1865) e Terastia meticulosalis (Guenée, 1854) (Lepidoptera, Crambidae) que predam suas sementes. As larvas de lepidópteros foram coletadas de vagens de E. falcata em ambiente natural, individualizadas em placas de Petri e alimentadas com sementes imaturas. O número médio de sementes predadas variou de duas, para A. designalis a cinco para L. ochracealis. O parasitismo de Macrocentrus sp. (Hymenoptera, Braconidae) em larvas de T. meticulosalis, é relatado pela primeira vez. Os resultados demonstram que a ação do parasitoide é um dos fatores que influencia nas taxas de predação de sementes de E. falcata por larvas de lepidópteros no ambiente natural. Palavras-chave:Interação inseto-planta; Mata Atlântica; Macrocentrus; Terastia meticulosalis AbstractPredation of Erythrina falcata Benth. (Fabaceae, Faboideae) seeds by larvae of three species of Lepidoptera (Crambidae) and the effect of parasitoids on the predation. This study aimed to estimate the average number of seeds of Erythrina falcata eaten by larvae of Agathodes designalis (Guenée, 1854), Liopasia ochracealis (Walker 1865) and Terastia meticulosalis (Guenée, 1854) (Lepidoptera, Crambidae), which prey on the seeds of this species. The lepidopteran larvae were collected in the field from fruits of E. falcata, isolated in Petri dishes, and fed with immature seeds. The average number of seeds preyed upon by the larvae ranged from two (A. designalis) to five (L. ochracealis). This work is also the first report of the parasitism of Macrocentrus sp. (Hymenoptera, Brachonidae) on larvae of T. meticulosalis. The results demonstrate that this parasitism is one of the factors that influence the rates of seed predation of E. falcata by lepidopteran larvae in the natural environment.

Este trabalho determinou quais espécies de insetos predam as sementes de Cassia leptophylla, durante os períodos pré e pós-dispersivo, em uma área de preservação, localizada no município de Reserva do Iguaçu, Paraná, Brasil. Foram avaliados parâmetros de abundância e sazonalidade e o índice de predação de sementes, com duas hipóteses sendo apresentadas: se a predação de sementes por insetos é contínua durante ambos os períodos dispersivos; e se mesma guilda de insetos efetua a predação. Três espécies foram encontradas predando as sementes de C. leptophylla; na pré-dispersão, Pygiopachymerus lineola, Sennius leptophyllicola e Cydia tonosticha. Houve exceção da presença de S. leptophyllicola no período de pós-dispersão. O resultado evidencia a importância do recurso alimentar proporcionado pelas sementes, para os insetos predadores, os quais predaram 42% das sementes viáveis ao final de um ciclo de frutificação da planta. As diferenças na abundância de indivíduos entre os períodos dispersivos relacionam-se provavelmente a características bionômicas e ecológicas intrínsecas, podendo evidenciar maior especialização das espécies com relação à capacidade de explorar nichos distintos.