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Birds -- particularly long-lived species -- have special adaptations for preventing tissue damage caused by reactive oxygen species. The objective of the present study was to analyse the fatty acid composition and non-enzymatic lipid peroxidation of mitochondria and microsomes obtained from liver, heart and brain of quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica), a short-lived bird. Fatty acids located in total lipids of rat liver, heart and brain mitochondria and microsomes were determined using gas chromatography and lipid peroxidation was evaluated using a chemiluminescence assay. The unsaturated fatty acid content found in mitochondria and microsomes of all tissue examined was approximately 50 and 40%, respectively with a prevalence of C18:1 n9. The C18:2 n6 content in brain mitochondria was significantly lower as compared to liver and heart mitochondria. Whereas the C20:4 n6 content in mitochondria from all tissues examined and brain microsomes was approximately 6%, liver and heart microsomes exhibited lower values. C22:6 n3 was absent in liver mitochondria, very low content in liver microsomes and heart organelles (between 0.5 and 1%) and high content in brain organelles, with mitochondria having the highest value (11%). Whereas liver and heart organelles were not affected when subjected to lipid peroxidation, brain mitochondria were highly affected, as indicated by the increase in chemiluminescence and a considerable decrease of C20:4 n6 and C22:6 n3. These results indicate that a low degree of fatty acid unsaturation in liver and heart organelles of quail, a short-lived bird, may confer advantage by decreasing their sensitivity to lipid peroxidation process.

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While conducting field survey on agricultural pests in Argentina in areas of Lincoln and Magdalena (northwest and east of Buenos Aires Province, respectively) we found adults of Gryllodes laplatae Sauss (Orthoptera: Gryllidae) parasitized by two different Rhabditida species, belonging to the families Diplogasteridae and Rhabditidae. A Diplogasteridae found in Magdalena was Cephalobium magdalensis n. sp. and a Rhabditidae found in Lincoln was Cruznema lincolnensis n. sp.; both species are here described. MATERIALS AND METHODSAdults of G. laplatae (n = 57) were hand collected and put in individual vials. According to Poinar's (1975) technique, the insect were placed at 5°C for 10 min and then disected in Petri dishes with distilled water under stereoscope microscope. The nematodes (males and females) were found in the stomodeo intestinal; they were killed in distilled water at 60ºC for 2 min. Posteriorly they were put in 50% TAF solution in water for 48 hr, finaly we finished the fixed in pure TAF.Fixed specimens were used for drawings and measurements using a camera lucida microscope, and a micrometer in a Zeiss compound microscope. Measurements are for the holotype male and allotype female and for paratypes the range is in parenthesis.

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