http://dx.doi.org/10.5007/1807-0221.2016v13n24p198Neste relato de experiência são apresentadas atividades realizadas no ano de 2015 por um grupo de alunos extensionistas do Instituto Federal Farroupilha, que montaram e distribuíram caixas entomológicas em escolas públicas de municípios da região noroeste do estado do Rio Grande do Sul. Essa atividade foi motivada pela deficiência observada nos laboratórios de ciências das escolas em relação à falta de material para ser utilizado em aulas práticas de entomologia. Ao final do projeto de extensão, foram gerados benefícios para os alunos extensionistas, que puderam vivenciar uma realidade escolar diferente da sua, e para as escolas, que tiveram um incremento de material didático para ser utilizado em aulas práticas na área de ciências biológicas.

Eichhornia azurea and E. crassipes are morphologically easy to distinguish, however, their seeds are similar and differentiated only by size, which makes their identification difficult, especially when collected directly from the seedbank. We identified characters for distinguish seeds of these species through macrosculpture analyzes of the seed coat (size, shape, epidermal pattern, the structure of the primary and secondary microsculpture, funiculum, hilum, micropyle, raphe), using scanning electron microscopy. The species differ mainly by the secondary sculpture pattern, with perforated in E. azurea and wrinkled with micropapillae in E. crassipes; the external tissue of seed with smooth aspect in E. azurea and irregularly wrinkled in E. crassipes; and raphide crystals in E. crassipes. Our results contribute to taxonomy of the tribe Eichhornieae and future studies on the microsculpture analyzes of the macrophytes seed coat, in a comparative approach to understand ecological and evolutionary aspects.

Bamboo internodes can serve as a breeding ground for a diverse mosquito fauna, some with relative epidemiological importance. The goal of this study is to determine the mosquitoes´ species found in the bamboo internodes at the northwestern region of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. From September 2016 to August, 2017 immature forms of mosquitoes were collected from bamboos (Bambusa sp.), in the quarterly intervals (ten plants per collection) through 0.5 cm in diameter perforations on 40 internodes sides. After 30 days, the perforated internodes were cut out and their contents were taken to the laboratory where the immature forms of mosquitoes developed to adult stage were identified. A total of 367 immature forms of Culicidae were collected, however only 158 (43.1%) have developed to adult stage and were identified at a specific level. Eight species were identified: Onirium personatum (Lutz, 1904), Sabethes aurescens (Lutz, 1905), Sa. intermedius (Lutz, 1904), Sa. purpureus (Theobald, 1907), Shannoniana fluviatilis (Theobald, 1903), Trichoprosopon pallidiventer (Lutz, 1905), Wyeomyia limai (Lane & Cerqueira, 1942) and Wyeomyia serratoria (Dyar & Nuñez Tovar, 1927). Thus, the study showed the importance of this type of breeding in order to maintain the mosquito fauna in the wild areas in the studied region. The finding of the species On. personatum and Sh. fluviatilis was also reported for the first time in the State. KEY WORDS: Fitotelmata; Onirium; Sabethini; Shannoniana; bamboo; mosquitoes.