Food habits of carnivores in a coastal Atlantic Forest of southeastern Brazil

o TEXTO COMPLETO DESTE ARTIGO, ESTARÁ DISPONÍVEL À PARTIR DE AGOSTO DE 2015.60349950

Feeding habits of the crab-eating fox, Cerdocyon thous (Carnivora, Canidae), in a suburban area of southeastern brazil

o TEXTO COMPLETO DESTE ARTIGO, ESTARÁ DISPONÍVEL À PARTIR DE AGOSTO DE 2015.60114714

Reproductive cycle of a population of the Guaru, Phallocerus caudimaculatus (Poeciliidae), in Southeastern Brazil

The reproductive cycle, size/fecundity relationships and seasonality in the reproduction of the poeciliid Phallocerus caudimaculatus were studied in Southeastern Brazil. There was a positive correlation between the monthly proportion of females with offspring and the day length and between female's size and offspring number. The reproductive period starts in November, when most of the females carry embryos. From January to March a decrease was observed in the number of females carrying eggs and an increase in the number of the non-reproductive females. Greater microhabitat availability, food supply and warmer temperatures may provide optimal conditions for growth of juvenile P. caudimaculatus in the wet-warm season.371151

Diversity and abundance of titter frogs in a montane forest of southeastern Brazil: Seasonal and altitudinal changes

We sampled litter frogs in an 1800-ha mid-elevation seasonal forest in southeast ern Brazil. One hundred 8 x 8-m plots were sampled during the dry/cold season and wet/warm season (unburned areas); we also examined the effects of fire in recently burned areas. A total of 267 frogs (305 g), belonging to 16 species (4 families) were caught. A single species comprised 78.5 percent of the individuals in the dry/cold season and 54.3 percent in the wet/warm season. The density of individuals did not change significantly with season, biomass did. Density and biomass of frogs were positively correlated with altitude. A Mantel test indicated chat biological data (species and their abundance) were significantly associated with environmental parameters. The burned areas showed low values in richness, density and biomass of frogs. Harsh seasonal climate and a history of human disturbance may produce the low observed diversity values. The greater densities of frogs in sites of higher elevation may primarily result from mist-generated humidity, which diminishes the harshness of the dry/cold season in relation to lower sites.31466967

DESCRIÇÃO DO PLEXO BRAQUIAL DO CACHORRO-DO-MATO (Cerdocyon Thous LINNAEUS, 1766)

The Cerdocyon thous is a canid that has a wide distribution in South America and, besides some general aspects, its morphology is little known in the literature, especially regarding the nervous system. With the aim of elucidating the anatomical composition of brachial plexus, we studied three male specimens from Paragominas-PA, donated to the Morphological Laboratory of Animal Research (LaPMA), Federal Rural University of Amazonia (UFRA), after death by trampling. The animals were fixed in an aqueous solution of 10% formaldehyde for bilateral dissection of the origin of the brachial plexus. The brachial plexus of C. thous is derived from the last three cervical nerves and the first thoracic nerve (C6-T1). The main nerves that compose it, with their respective origins were the suprascapular nerve, subscapular nerve and musculocutaneous nerve (C6-C7), axillary nerve (C7-C8), radial nerve (C7-T1 and C7-C8), median nerve, ulnar nerve, thoracodorsal and thoracic lateral nerve (C8-T1). We conclude that the brachial plexus of C. thous is similar to that described for the domestic dogs, showing small differences in the composition of some nerves

Domestic dogs in a fragmented landscape in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest: abundance, habitat use and caring by owners

This study aimed at estimating the population size and attitudes of residents towards caring for domestic dogs, through questionnaire surveys, as well as the frequency of these animals in different habitats (anthropic and forest patch), using scent stations. The study was conducted in a severely fragmented area of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. A large number of unrestricted dogs was recorded, averaging 6.2 ind/km². These dogs have owners and are regularly fed. Dog records decreased from the anthropogenic matrix to the forest patch edge, which suggests that dogs act as an edge effect on forest patches. Encounters between domestic dog and wild animals can still be frequent in severely fragmented landscapes, mainly at the forest edges. However the fact that most dogs have an owner and are more frequent in the anthropic habitat suggests that their putative effects are less severe than expected for a carnivore of such abundance, but the reinforcement of responsible ownership is needed to further ameliorate such effects