Taxonomic status of Pseudopaludicola riopiedadensis Mercadal de Barrio and Barrio, 1994 (Anura, Leptodactylidae, Leiuperinae)

Pseudopaludicola riopiedadensiswas described by Mercadal de Barrio and Barrio (1994) based on two adult females collected by Luiz Dino Vizotto in 1963 from Rio Piedade, São José do Rio Preto, São Paulo, Brazil. This taxon was differentiated from P. ternetzi based on a series of qualitative and morphometric characters. Nevertheless, the original description and the type material of P. ternetzi were not considered by Mercadal de Barrio and Barrio, and the morphological variation of P. ternetzi was not documented. This work reviews the sample collected by Vizotto in P. riopiedadensis type locality, evaluates the advertisement calls obtained from such population, the two vouchers assigned to P. riopiedadensis, and a large data set, including type specimens of P. ternetzito document the morphological variation along its known distribution. Results indicate that P. riopiedadensis was described on the basis of highly variable characters applied to a small sample and share the unique P. ternetzi autapomorphy, a robust body structure with immaculate belly. The lack of differentiation in both advertisement call and morphology rejects the status of P. riopiedadensis as distinct species, and we therefore suggest to formally consider P. riopiedadensis as junior synonym of P. ternetziFil: Cardozo, Dario Elbio. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Nordeste. Instituto de Biología Subtropical. Instituto de Biología Subtropical - Nodo Posadas; ArgentinaFil: Toledo, Luís Felipe. Universidade Estadual de Campinas. Instituto de Biologia. Museu de Zoologia "Prof. Adão José Cardoso"; Brasi

Potential worldwide impacts of sea level rise on coastal-lowland anurans

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Amphibians are the most severely threatened terrestrial vertebrates and we are witnessing a global decline phenomenon, which is even suggested to be of the same level as the historical mass extinctions. Albeit the myriad of causative stressors identified in the last decades, future sea level rise (SLR) and its impact on coastal terrestrial fauna remains essentially unreported. Even if there is no consensus on the magnitude of the future SLR, several studies suggest that it is likely to be greater than previously reported by the Fourth Assessment Report (AR4) of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Therefore, it is reasonable to expect severe impacts on the coastal terrestrial fauna at a worldwide scale. Here, we assembled a worldwide data set of coastal-lowland anuran species in an attempt to quantify the potential habitat loss caused by flooding according to different SLR scenarios. We also assessed potential habitat suitability under climate change (CC) in order to evaluate its expected effects on species' climatic niches, by building species distribution models for three future scenarios (A2a, A1b and B2a). Our results revealed that SLR has the potential to produce negative impacts on similar to 86% of the selected coastal-lowland species in different magnitudes, whereas CC is expected to produce a greater impact on the same taxa. Thus, species predicted to persist under the new climatic conditions may be exposed to effects associated with SLR. Breaking our results down to biogeographic realms, we found that Australasia harboured most amphibian species suffering the dual impacts of SLR and CC. Based on our results, we advocate for the inclusion of potential future impacts of SLR in conservation action plans, anticipating and preventing biodiversity loss.Amphibians are the most severely threatened terrestrial vertebrates and we are witnessing a global decline phenomenon, which is even suggested to be of the same level as the historical mass extinctions. Albeit the myriad of causative stressors identified12191101CNQP - CONSELHO NACIONAL DE DESENVOLVIMENTO CIENTÍFICO E TECNOLÓGICOCAPES - COORDENAÇÃO DE APERFEIÇOAMENTO DE PESSOAL DE NÍVEL SUPERIORFAPESP - FUNDAÇÃO DE AMPARO À PESQUISA DO ESTADO DE SÃO PAULOConselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)161812/2011-23855/2013- 92011/51694-7405285/2013-2302589/2013-9We thank Rafael Loyola, Jean Vitule, Faraham Ahmadzadeh, Adriele Oliveira, and Guilherme Becker for their suggestions and contributions. ISO is grateful to Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq: 161812/2011-2) and Coordenaçã

Drift fences in traps: theoretical evidence of effectiveness of the two most common arrays applied to terrestrial tetrapods

AbstractBiodiversity inventories are well acknowledged as key to conservation planning. One widely used method for sampling terrestrial fauna is traps with drift fences. Such drift fences, however, may be configured in several arrays, varying the height, length of the fence, space between conjugated traps (e.g., buckets or funnels), and it can be arranged in linear (I) or radial (Y) formats. Consequently, some criticism arose questioning which drift fence arrangement should be employed. Therefore, we made use of geometrical models to test the probability of capturing terrestrial tetrapods (as model organisms) using traps associated along with both I and Y drift fence arrays. With distances varying from 8 to 100m from the fence, the capturing rate of the I format was in average 1.16 times higher than the Y format. Besides this, we also present data that may enable field ecologists to better decide the minimum distance between two traps with drift fences, ensuring accurate statistics. Correct decisions in ecological and management studies may prevent wastes and fundament efficient conservation policies

Quantitative determination of the minimum body size for photo-identification of Melanophryniscus montevidensis (Bufonidae)

Toads of the genus Melanophryniscus possess unique color patterns on the belly, which allows for individual recognition. Photo-identification has proven to be an efficient non-invasive technique to identify individuals for this genus. However, such color patterns are absent in newly metamorphosed individuals. We studied the development of the ventral coloration pattern and evaluated its persistence in Melanophryniscus montevidensis to determine the minimum size and age at which use of the color pattern is a trustworthy (i.e., as stable as in adults) identification method for this species. From spawns raised in the field, we obtained eight metamorphs and maintained them in semi-natural conditions to photograph their bellies. We visually analyzed the images to establish the stabilization point of the color pattern. Using the software Wild-ID, we calculated the similarity score between the images from the stabilization point with sets of images before and after stabilization. Similarity scores of adults from previous studies did not differ significantly from the scores of juveniles after the pattern stabilized, but they did differ significantly from the scores of juveniles compared to themselves at least 70 d before stabilization. The color pattern developed progressively and stabilized at a median of 220 d after metamorphosis, with a maximum snout-vent length of 13.2 mm, which we considered the minimum size for photo-identification purposes. Although we observed ontogenetic and individual variation, the pattern remained unchanged since just before the first year of age. Taking into account the threshold size we determined, photo-identification is a suitable method for ecological studies of this species

Redescription of the advertisement call of five species of Thoropa (anura, Cycloramphidae), including recordings of rare and endangered species

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)Frogs of the genus Thoropa comprise six endemic Brazilian species on the Eastern side of the country. Little is known about their natural history, especially about their acoustic communication. Therefore, aiming to provide an overview of their vocalizations, we analyzed and redescribed male advertisement calls of three living and two possibly extinct species. The Smaller species, T. petropolitana and T. lutzi, produce simple calls (one single note) with a higher frequency range than the remaining larger ones. On the other hand, the larger species present complex calls, with more than one note: T. megatympanum calls have three notes, T. taophora calls have four notes, and T. miliaris calls varies from three to six notes. Population snout-vent length negatively correlated with peak of dominant frequency as expected. However, highlighted differences between two populations of T. lutzi, which could indicate need of further taxonomic evaluation of those lineages. Peculiar morphology, such as the absence of vocal sacs and slits, may have contributed to their call variation and highly banded frequency structure. If the observed population differences reflect species-level differences, T. lutzi may be classified as a critically endangered species, as T. petropolitana. Furthermore, we provided a suggestion to an unusual behavior in frogs: calling with the mouth open in the Smaller species of the genus.Frogs of the genus Thoropa comprise six endemic Brazilian species on the Eastern side of the country. Little is known about their natural history, especially about their acoustic communication. Therefore, aiming to provide an overview of their vocalizatio119112FAPESP - FUNDAÇÃO DE AMPARO À PESQUISA DO ESTADO DE SÃO PAULOCNQP - CONSELHO NACIONAL DE DESENVOLVIMENTO CIENTÍFICO E TECNOLÓGICOCAPES - COORDENAÇÃO DE APERFEIÇOAMENTO DE PESSOAL DE NÍVEL SUPERIORFundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)2014/23388-72013/09964-2405285/2013-2302589/2013-9306732/2015-7SEM INFORMAÇÃOWe thank to Pedro CarvalhoRocha for helping with the analysis of the calls of T. lutzi, we also thank Rogério P. Bastos and Rafael Márquez for valuable comments in the last version of this manuscript. This work was funded by: São Paulo Research Foundatio

Notes on courtship, egg-laying site, and defensive behavior of Epipedobates flavopictus (Anura, Dendrobatidae) from two mountain ranges of central and southeastern Brazil

Notes on courtship, egg-laying site, and defensive behavior of Epipedobates flavopictus (Anura, Dendrobatidae) from two mountain ranges of central and southeastern Brazi

A lizard acting as carrier of the amphibian-killing chytrid Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis in southern Brazil

Fungal infections are causing widespread population declines and extinctions in all vertebrate classes. Among them, an important fungal disease chytridiomycosis, caused by the pathogenic chytrid Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd). With an aquatic infectious phase, Bd does not survive desiccation for long, but may be transported by non-amphibian carriers. Such mechanism is key to understand amphibian-chytrid dynamics and may contribute to local amphibian conservation action plans. Therefore, we surveyed Bd in reptiles from two different Brazilian rainforests, looking for possible Bd carriers. We sampled 35 individuals belonging to 11 squamate families, five from the Atlantic Forest and 30 from the Amazon. We detected Bd in one adult lizard, Placosoma glabellum. This lizard feeds, shelters, and breeds in the leaf-litter, and moves between Atlantic Forest streams. Hence, it may be carrying Bd from stream to stream, and also spreading the pathogen to direct-developing amphibians, which have no contact with water bodies and are more susceptible to chytridiomycosis than aquatic species. This is the first record of a non-amphibian chytrid carrier in South America. We suggest that additional field and museum samplings will contribute to understand whether Bd can actually infect reptiles, and how reptile carriers can affect chytrid dynamics in the wild

Climate change and its impacts on Brazilian amphibians

A alteração das condições climáticas do planeta terá consequências diretas sobre animais ectotérmicos tais como os anfíbios. Neste estudo, realizamos um exercício de modelagem correlativa baseada em nicho climático para prever mudanças na distribuição de alguns anfíbios dos principais biomas brasileiros, assim como uma espécie de ampla distribuição (Eupemphix nattereri), face às alterações climáticas esperadas para os próximos 90 anos. Apresentamos e discutimos observações que revelam outras formas de influência do aquecimento global sobre o sucesso reprodutivo, qualidade de micro-hábitats, e interações entre anfíbios e seus patógenos.Global climate change is expected to strongly affect ectotherms species such as amphibians. Based on climate-based correlative models of species distribution, we predict range shifts in some of the main Brazilian biomes, as well as in a widely distributed species (Eupemphix nattereri), assuming climatic projections for the next 90 years. We also present and discuss observations that reveal other ways in which global warming can impact amphibian recruitment success, microhabitat quality, and host-pathogen interactions