The aim of the present study was to assess diversity in the Botryosphaeriaceae on trees and fruit of mango (Mangifera indica L.) in a semi-arid region in northeastern Brazil in which most exported fruit in the country are produced. Using morphological characteristics and DNA sequence data (ITS-1, ITS-2 and 5.8S rDNA) we confirmed the presence of Lasiodiplodia theobromae in the region, and for the first time report Fusicoccum aesculi and Neofusicoccum parvum. L. theobromae was prevalent in the Assú Valley and F. aesculi and N. parvum were in the São Francisco Valley. In fruit inoculations, L. theobromae and N. parvum were more virulent than F. aesculi.

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Abstract. The newly developed land surface scheme SUR-FEX (SURFace EXternalisée) is implemented into a limitedarea numerical weather prediction model running operationally in a number of countries of the ALADIN and HIRLAM consortia. The primary question addressed is the ability of SURFEX to be used as a new land surface scheme and thus assessing its potential use in an operational configuration instead of the original ISBA (Interactions between Soil, Biosphere, and Atmosphere) scheme. The results show that the introduction of SURFEX either shows improvement for or has a neutral impact on the 2 m temperature, 2 m relative humidity and 10 m wind. However, it seems that SUR-FEX has a tendency to produce higher maximum temperatures at high-elevation stations during winter daytime, which degrades the 2 m temperature scores. In addition, surface radiative and energy fluxes improve compared to observations from the Cabauw tower. The results also show that promising improvements with a demonstrated positive impact on the forecast performance are achieved by introducing the town energy balance (TEB) scheme. It was found that the use of SURFEX has a neutral impact on the precipitation scores. However, the implementation of TEB within SURFEX for a high-resolution run tends to cause rainfall to be locally concentrated, and the total accumulated precipitation obviously decreases during the summer. One of the novel features developed in SURFEX is the availability of a more advanced surface data assimilation using the extended Kalman filter. The results over Belgium show that the forecast scores are similar between the extended Kalman filter and the classical optimal interpolation scheme. Finally, concerning the vertical scores, the introduction of SURFEX either shows improvement for or has a neutral impact in the free atmosphere.

O Nordeste brasileiro, em destaque Pernambuco, apresenta grande variabilidade e irregularidade de chuvas, uma vez que esta é associada às oscilações das temperaturas dos oceanos Pacífico e Atlântico. Diante desta problemática, a pesquisa teve por objetivo analisar a influência dos eventos El Niño e La Niña sobre o regime de chuvas no Agreste de Pernambuco. Utilizaram-se dados mensais de precipitação pluviométrica de 30 estações localizadas no Agreste no período de 1963 a 2016, como também dados mensais do Índice Oceânico do Niño (ION). Foi realizada a climatologia mensal da região para identificar os períodos úmidos e secos da região. Em seguida, os eventos de El Niño e La Niña foram identificados e classificados de acordo com a intensidade dos fenômenos (Muito Forte, Forte, Moderado e Fraco), baseado nos valores do ION, e relacionados com a precipitação total anual. Por fim, correlacionou-se o ION com a precipitação pluviométrica trimestral, a partir do método de Pearson para identificar a influência sazonal. Verificou-se que o período chuvoso da região corresponde aos meses de março a julho, e o seco de agosto a fevereiro. Há dois padrões climáticos, um considerado úmido com maior número de anos chuvosos até o final da década de 80, e o segundo com aumento da frequência de anos secos a partir da década de 90. Os eventos de El Niño com intensidades variadas não explicam sozinhos os anos secos, assim como os eventos de La Niña não estão associados, necessariamente, a anos chuvosos. A interação desses fenômenos com os sistemas meteorológicos e o Dipolo do Atlântico é que são determinantes no regime de chuvas. Na análise sazonal, constatou-se que o ION exerce influência sobre o regime de chuvas, principalmente no período chuvoso.

Pygidiopsis macrostomum and Ascocotyle (Phagicola) pindoramensis (Digenea: Heterophyidae) parasitize guppies as intermediate hosts and, respectively, fish‐eating mammals or birds as definitive hosts. Heterophyids have zoonotic potential, and molecular studies associated with morphological and ecological aspects have helped to clarify their taxonomy and phylogeny. Poecilia vivipara naturally parasitized by metacercariae of both species (100% prevalence) exhibit no external signs of parasitism. In this work, four new sequences of P. macrostomum (18S rDNA, 28S rDNA and ITS2 rDNA) and one new sequence of A. (P.) pindoramensis (mtDNA cox‐1) are presented. Phylogeny reconstructions linked P. macrostomum to other heterophyids, but the separation of the Heterophyidae and Opisthorchiidae remains unclear. Additionally, we used indirect immunocytochemistry and the phalloidin‐fluorescence techniques allied with confocal laser scanning microscopy to describe muscular and neuronal structures of P. macrostomum. A complex arrangement of muscular fibres is associated with the tegument, suckers, gut and reproductive system. Radial fibres around the ventral sucker are thick, branched and extend to the body wall. High‐resolution confocal imaging revealed a typical digenean muscular arrangement and important heterophyid morphological traits. These data will support future control measures to reduce the parasitism in guppies reared in fish farming systems, especially for aquarium and experimental purposes.