Utricularia breviscapa C.Wright ex Griseb. belongs to the Lentibulariaceae, a family of carnivorous plants with many aquatic species. We report new record U. in perennial wetland along São João River, Lowland Forest within Atlantic biome. This is first this species from state Rio de Janeiro, southeastern Brazil. differs its congeners South America by presence whorl 3&n...

Alpha-amylases are ubiquitously distributed throughout microbials, plants and animals. It is widely accepted that omnivorous crustaceans have higher α-amylase activity and number of isoforms than carnivorous, but contradictory results have been obtained in some species, and carnivorous crustaceans have been less studied. In addition, the physiological meaning of α-amylase polymorphism in crusta...

  Neogobius caspius is an endemic species of the Caspian Sea which plays an important role in food chain as a predatory fish. The main aim of this study was to investigate selected feeding characteristics of Neogobius caspius in the south west coasts of the Caspian Sea. Monthly sampling was carried out using a bottom trawler at three stations (Astara, Anzali and Chabuksar) in three depths (0-5,...

Relative gut length, Zihler’s index, and relative gut mass were measured in four species of prickleback fishes and the effects of ontogeny, diet, and phylogeny on these gut dimensions were determined. Of the four species, Cebidichthys violaceus and Xiphister mucosus shift to herbivory with growth (>45 mm SL), whereas X. atropurpureus and Anoplarchus purpurescens remain carnivores. A. purpuresce...

Plant and animal population sizes inevitably change following habitat loss, but the mechanisms underlying these changes are poorly understood. We experimentally altered habitat volume and eliminated top trophic levels of the food web of invertebrates that inhabit rain-filled leaves of the carnivorous pitcher plant Sarracenia purpurea. Path models that incorporated food-web structure better pred...

Figure 1. Carnivorous plants. When we chew and then swallow meat, we stimulate glands (pancreatic acinar cells) to secrete hydrochloric acid and proteases. Amino acids released into the human stomach by the acidic lytic sap are forwarded to and taken up by the intestine. When compared with the human endocrine system, the Venus flytrap also operates as a mouth, stomach and intestine, all combine...

The fourth instar larva and pupa of Bezzia blantoni Spinelli & Wirth (1989) are described, illustrated and photomicrographed by using phase-contrast microscopy and Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). The larva, which shows features typical to carnivorous larvae, is compared with that of B. roldani Spinelli & Wirth. The species is recorded for the first time from the Martín García island, locate...