ABSTRACT:We succinctly review and document new cases of diseases of the skin and the skeletal system and external traumata in cetaceans from Ecuador, Colombia, Peru, Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil, and Venezuela. The survey revealed 590 cases diagnosed with a significant pathology, injury or malformation on a total of 7635 specimens of 12 odontocete species examined or observed in . Tattoo skin disease (TSD), lobomycosis-like disease (LLD) and cutaneous diseases of unknown aetiology seem to be emerging in several populations. TSD was confirmed in eight species from the SE Pacific and SW Atlantic. LLD affected only inshore Tursiops truncatus but was found in four tropical countries, namely Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Brazil. Lobomycosis was confirmed by histology in one male from the Tramandaí estuary, southern Brazil. All LLD-affected specimens were encountered in the vicinity of major ports and cities and a possible association with chemical or organic water pollution is suspected. Whitish velvety cutaneous marks associated with scars occurred in inshore T. truncatus, Sotalia guianensis and Pseudorca crassidens. Large, rounded lesions were seen in a Cephalorhynchus eutropia calf and a C. commersonii. Cutaneous wounds and scars as well as body traumata possibly related to net entanglements and boat collisions were observed in 73 delphinids and Phocoena spinipinnis. Traumatic injuries resulted in the partial or complete amputation and other disfiguring scars of appendages in 17 cases. Fractures of the skull, ribs and vertebrae thought to be caused by fisheries-related interactions or boat collisions were seen in single individuals of Delphinus capensis, Lagenorhynchus obscurus, T. truncatus, S. guianensis and Ziphius cavirostris. Prevalence of osteopathology in small cetaceans from Peru, Brazil and Venezuela ranged widely, from 5.4% to 69.1%. In four species from Peru, lytic cranial lesions were the most frequently observed disease (5.4%-42.9%), followed by hyperostosis and ankylosing spondylitis in offshore (31%, n=42) and inshore (15.4%, n=26) T. truncatus. Fractures and other bone traumata were present in 47.2% of 53 axial skeletons of S. guianensis from the northern Rio de Janeiro state (Brazil) in 1987-1998. A high prevalence (48.4%, n=31) of, apparently congenital, malformations of cervical vertebrae, observed in a 2001-2006 sample, may be explained by a hypothetical genetic bottleneck in this population. Malformations with deficient ossification would clearly increase susceptibility for fractures. This study demonstrates the utility of a continent-wide analysis to discern epizootiological trends more readily than any local study could provide. Secondly, it underscores the need for focussed research on the effects of human activities on the spread of diseases in cetaceans, particularly in near-shore populations that utilize highly degraded coastal habitats. RESUMEN:En este trabajo revisamos y documentamos brevemente nuevos casos de enfermedades de piel y de esqueleto, y traumas externos en cetáceos de Ec...

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The present paper aims to describe the material (puparia and adult fragments) of Ophyra capensis (Wiedemann, 1818) (Diptera, Muscidae) recently found inside the esophagus of a mummified body from the XIX century, in Lisbon (Portugal). Illustrations of the material and a brief discussion are presented. Third larvar stadium, pupa and adult of O. capensis and O. ignava are presented.

Carcaças de botos-cinza Sotalia guianensis (van Bénéden, 1864) foram recuperadas entre 20 de agosto de 2001 e 13 de fevereiro de 2006, na costa centro-norte fluminense. A maior parte delas (85%) entre Barra de São João (22º35'S 41º59'W) e Quissamã (22º06'S 41º28'W). Foram estudadas as colunas vertebrais dos 20 exemplares que apresentavam mais de 60% das vértebras presentes. A coleção é formada por 75% de animais imaturos, e todos os esqueletos mostram alterações tafonômicas mínimas. Duas categorias de anomalias congênitas foram diagnosticadas, ambas relacionadas ao desenvolvimento do mesoderma paraxial. A sétima vértebra cervical (C7) foi a única afetada, as costelas cervicais e o não fechamento do arco neural atingiram 15 (75%) dos indivíduos analisados, dos quais três (15%) apresentam ambas as anomalias. Nove (45%) indivíduos apresentaram costelas cervicais uni ou bilateral, e nove (45%) indivíduos apresentaram não fechamento do arco neural; em todos os casos as vértebras contíguas eram normais. A ocorrência de anomalias nesta série do Rio de Janeiro é maior do que as referidas na literatura brasileira para outras séries de Sotalia do Amazonas, Ceará e Santa Catarina. A série de Sotalia descrita vem de uma região do litoral muito limitada e provavelmente representa uma população local. As costelas cervicais são geneticamente determinadas e podem estar concentradas por uma condição de grande proximidade biológica entre os animais; o não fechamento do arco pode ter também um componente ambiental, a ser investigado futuramente.

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