Comportamento defensivo de Odontophrynus americanus (Duméril & Bibron, 1841) (Amphibia, Anura, Odontophrynidae)

Anurans are a common prey of various animals and some species have developed defense mechanisms against predators. One of these mechanisms is the stiff-legged, in which individuals change their posture to a flat body with stiff and stretched members. Here we report the first record of this behavior in Odontophrynus americanus, a small toad widespread in the southern portion of South America. We believe that this behavior aims to reduce the chances of being seen by the predator.Keywords: Brazil, Neotropical, frog, camouflage, defensive strategy, stiff-legged.Anuros são presas de diversos animais e algumas espécies desenvolveram mecanismos de defesa contra predadores. Um dos mecanismos de defesa é o stiff-legged, onde os indivíduos mudam sua postura ficando com o seu corpo achatado, membros rígidos e esticados. Aqui reportamos o primeiro registro desse comportamento em Odontophrynus americanus, um sapo de pequeno porte comum na porção sul da América do Sul. Acreditamos que esse comportamento tenha como objetivo reduzir as chances de ser visualizado pelo predador.Palavras-chave: Brasil, neotropical, sapo, camuflagem, estratégia defensiva

Circadian activity patterns and temporal overlap among cracids (Aves: Cracidae) within a vegetation mosaic in the Pantanal of Rio Negro, Brazil

Vertebrates, overall, present a daily activity pattern when managing their needs, such as foraging, resting or searching for sexual partners. Most of the available information regarding the circadian rhythm in birds comes from controlled laboratory conditions, and little is known about these patterns in the wild. In this study we used camera traps to describe the daily activity patterns of three cracid species in the Pantanal of Rio Negro, Brazil. We had a sampling effort of 9,617 camera trap-days along 231 days (5,544 hours) from September 2013 to May 2014. This resulted in 4,833 independent records of cracids from a total of 7,713 individuals. Crax fasciolata was the species with the most records (nrec = 3,792) and individuals (nind = 5,781), followed by Ortalis canicollis (nrec = 934; nind = 1,758) and Aburria grayi (nrec = 107; nind = 174). None of the species was uniformly distributed throughout the day, thus evidencing a periodization of their activities. The mean vectors of the activity patterns of C. fasciolata, O. canicollis and A. grayi were, respectively, mμ = 10:36 ± 04:26 (SD), mμ = 11:42 ± 03:57 and mμ = 11:44 ± 03:47. We observed a temporal overlap between A. grayi and O. canicollis, whereas C. fasciolata significantly differed from them. Because of their large home ranges, cracids are important indicators of environmental quality, and, as frugivores, they play key roles in the ecological dynamics of forests. In this sense, and given that cracids are notably more susceptible to extinction, the knowledge on their circadian activity patterns may be useful when establishing effective management and conservation strategies

Amphibia, Anura, Cycloramphidae, Proceratophrys moratoi (Jim and Caramaschi, 1980): distribution extension and new altitudinal record in state of São Paulo, Brazil

Here we present a new record of the little toad Proceratophrys moratoi for the state of São Paulo, in the municipality of Bauru. This record extends to the known distribution of P. moratoi around 80 km northwestern from its type locality and around 115 km west from other known populations of this species. It also corresponds to the lowest elevation where the species has been found, approximately 200 m altitude below the known records

The rarest of the rare: rediscovery and status of the critically endangered Belem Curassow, Crax fasciolata pinima (Pelzeln, 1870)

The Belem Curassow (Crax fasciolata pinima) is one of the most endangered birds in South America, without sightings of birds in the wild for 40 years. This subspecies is nationally and internationally classified as critically endangered and close to extinction, suffering from poaching and deforestation in its range. Here we present new records of free-living individuals made on three indigenous lands in Pará and Maranhão states: in part of Terra Indígena Mãe Maria, Bom Jesus do Tocantins, Pará; in locations within the Reserva Biológica do Gurupi/Terra Indígena Alto Turiaçu, Centro Novo do Maranhão, Maranhão; and around the Terra Indígena Rio Pindaré, Alto Alegre do Pindaré, Maranhão. We also provide recommendations to protect this bird via a dedicated conservation program which includes finding new individuals in non-sampled areas (north of BR-222), estimating population size, enhancing taxonomic and natural history knowledge, capturing wild animals in order to start urgent ex situ conservation programs, and developing environmental awareness programs with the local and indigenous populations

Efeitos do fogo sobre comunidades de aves no Pantanal Mato-Grossense

Pantanal is the largest wetland on the planet and supports a considerable portion of the South American biodiversity. Throughout its history of human occupation, fire was widely used as the main method of soil management, and currently is one of the main threats to the ecosystem. The present study evaluated the impact of fire on birds and on the vegetation of three physiognomies of Pantanal (two dry forests ‐ acurizal and tabocal; and a floodplain forest – cambarazal), and determined how the vegetation structure influenced the bird assemblage of these plant formations pre and post‐fire. The study was conducted at the RPPN SESC Pantanal, located in north Pantanal. In each forest, the bird assemblage was sampled in two areas, one area burned in 2005 and an unburned one. A third area, burned in 2010, was sampled in cambarazal. Birds were sampled between 2011‐2013 by point counts and mist netting. In each sampling point, parameters associated with the vegetation structure were estimated and correlated with bird assemblage. Fire reduced the number of species and the total bird abundance in acurizal, while in tabocal and cambarazal, no significant differences were found. More birds were affected in acurizal (31%), while in tabocal and cambarazal, this proportion was lower (15 and 10%). Specialist insectivores and frugivores were the most affected groups in the three habitats. Proportionally, few species benefited by the fire, mainly generalist birds and typical of more open areas, while most were significantly different among treatments. The fire burned large trees and changed several structures in the habitat, that in turn affected the bird assemblage of each type of forest differently. Thus, the fire was a defining factor in the bird assemblage of the tree forests examined. However parameters such as richness and abundance did not provide a clear picture of these effects. In future management actions, mature forests should ...O Pantanal é a maior área úmida do planeta e responsável por deter uma porção representativa da biodiversidade da América do Sul. Ao longo do seu processo histórico de ocupação humana, o fogo foi intensamente utilizado como a principal forma de manejo dos solos, e atualmente representa uma das principais ameaças para o ecossistema. O presente estudo avaliou o impacto do fogo sobre as aves e sobre a vegetação em três fitofisionomias florestais do Pantanal (duas matas secas ‐ acurizal e tabocal; e uma mata inundável ‐ cambarazal), e determinou como a estrutura da vegetação influenciou a avifauna dessas formações antes e depois do fogo. O estudo foi realizado na RPPN SESC Pantanal, situada na porção norte do Pantanal. Em cada floresta foram selecionadas duas áreas de amostragem da avifauna, uma queimada em 2005 e outra sem ação do fogo. Uma terceira área foi amostrada no cambarazal, queimada em 2010. As aves foram amostradas entre 2011‐2013 pelo método de pontos de contagem e capturas com redes‐ornitológicas. Em cada ponto amostral, parâmetros relacionados à estrutura da vegetação foram estimados e relacionados com a avifauna. O fogo promoveu a redução do número de espécies e da abundância total de aves no acurizal, enquanto no tabocal e no cambarazal não houve diferenças significativas. Mais aves foram prejudicadas pelo fogo no acurizal (31%), enquanto no tabocal e no cambarazal essa proporção foi menor (15 e 10%). Insetívoros especialistas e frugívoros foram os grupos mais prejudicados nos três ambientes. Proporcionalmente, poucas espécies foram beneficiadas pelo fogo, na sua maioria aves generalistas e características de áreas mais abertas, enquanto a maioria diferiu significativamente entre os tratamentos. O fogo promoveu a mortalidade de árvores grandes e alterações em diversas estruturas do ambiente, que por sua vez influenciaram de maneira distinta ...Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES

Occurrence of Oxyruncus cristatus (Swainson, 1821), Sharpbill (Aves, Oxyruncidae), in the Belem area of endemism and first records from Maranhão, Brazil

We document the first record of Oxyruncus cristatus Swainson, 1821, Sharpbill, in the Brazilian state of Maranhão. This represents the first documented occurrence of this species in the Bélem area of endemism. The species was monitored in a fragment of lowland forest where it remained throughout the year, contradicting the altitudinal migrations described for the Amazonian subspecies, O. c. tocantinsi Chapman, 1939. It is possible that migratory movements are facultative in O. cristatus, or even that extensive deforestation can suppress migratory behavior, based in scattered records

First records of Buff-fronted Owl, Aegolius harrisii (Cassin, 1849) (Aves, Strigiformes), from the state of Maranhão, northeastern Brazil, and the northernmost record for the Cerrado domain

We present the first record of Aegolius harrisii (Cassin, 1849) from the state of Maranhão, extending the known distribution of the species 283 km to the west in the Brazilian Northeast. This record also represents the northernmost locality of the species within the Cerrado phytogeographic domain, which coincides with the ecotone between the Cerrado, Caatinga, and Amazon domains. Given the considerable gaps in the data on the occurrence of this owl in the Brazilian Northeast, we would recommend more surveys in specific areas with similar phytophysiognomies