Morphological variation in Leptodactylus lutzi (Anura, Leptodactylidae) with description of its advertisement call and notes on its courtship behavior

Prior to this study, Leptodactylus lutzi was known only from three localities in west-central Guyana. We refer here to a series of 60 additional specimens of L. lutzi collected in Kaieteur National Park, Mount Ayanganna, Mount Wokomung and the Merume Mountains in the Pakaraima Mountains region, substantially extending the known distribution of the species. We provide a revised diagnosis and an expanded description of L. lutzi discussing the extent of color-pattern variation in the species. Additionally, we describe its advertisement call and provide data on its reproductive biology

Morphological variation in Leptodactylus lutzi (Anura, Leptodactylidae) with description of its advertisement call and notes on its courtship behavior

Prior to this study, Leptodactylus lutzi was known only from three localities in west-central Guyana. We refer here to a series of 60 additional specimens of L. lutzi collected in Kaieteur National Park, Mount Ayanganna, Mount Wokomung and the Merume Mountains in the Pakaraima Mountains region, substantially extending the known distribution of the species. We provide a revised diagnosis and an expanded description of L. lutzi discussing the extent of color-pattern variation in the species. Additionally, we describe its advertisement call and provide data on its reproductive biology

Riqueza, abundância relativa e hábitat de reprodução de espécies de anuros terrestres na região do Triângulo Mineiro, bioma Cerrado, sudeste do Brasil

Based on field observations and pitfall sampling, we determined the species richness, relative abundance, and reproductive habitat of terrestrial frogs in three municipalities in the Triângulo Mineiro region, south Cerrado biome, in southeastern Brazil. We found thirty-two species of terrestrial frogs, belonging to the families Brachycephalidae, Bufonidae, Cycloramphidae, Dendrobatidae, Leiuperidae, Leptodactylidae and Microhylidae. Most of the species were found in open areas and reproduced in human-generated environments, such as artificial lakes (10 species) and ponds (14 species). Dominance was high, with Physalaemus cuvieri Fitzinger, 1826 (Leiuperidae) representing 48% of sampled frogs. A larger number of individuals was captured in the wet season, when most of the species were reproducing. Compared to other areas of Cerrado biome, the Triângulo Mineiro sites presented a larger number of species, which may be attributed to the larger sampled area and greater sampling effort, lower altitude and presence of human generated habitats. The richness of terrestrial frogs was also larger than that in some forested localities in southeastern Brazil, indicating that the number of species cannot be explained only by precipitation and type of vegetation cover. The greater abundance of individuals during the wet season may be related to a greater movement of adults to breeding sites and to juvenile recruitment/dispersion. The heterogeneity of environments in the Cerrado biome, including its several isolated highlands, contributes to its high (local and regional) diversity of frogs.Neste estudo foram determinados a riqueza, abundância relativa e hábitat de reprodução de anuros terrestres em três municípios do Triângulo Mineiro, sul do Bioma Cerrado, sudeste do Brasil, baseados em observações de campo e armadilhas de interceptação e queda. Foram encontradas 32 espécies pertencentes às famílias Brachycephalidae, Bufonidae, Cycloramphidae, Dendrobatidae, Leiuperidae, Leptodactylidae e Microhylidae. Muitas dessas espécies foram encontradas em áreas abertas e se reproduziram em ambientes artificiais gerados por ação antrópica, tais como lagos (10 espécies) e poças (14 espécies). Physalaemus cuvieri Fitzinger, 1826 (Leiuperidae) foi a espécie dominante, representando 48% do total amostrado. Um grande número de indivíduos de diferentes espécies foi capturado na estação chuvosa, quando muitas das espécies estavam reproduzindo. As áreas amostradas na região do Triângulo Mineiro apresentaram um maior número de espécies quando comparadas com outras áreas do bioma Cerrado, o que pode ser atribuído à maior área amostrada, ao maior esforço de coleta, baixa altitude e presença de hábitats gerados por ação antrópica. A riqueza de anuros terrestres também foi maior do que àquela encontrada em localidades florestadas no sudeste do Brasil, indicando que o número de espécies não pode ser explicado somente pela precipitação e tipo de cobertura vegetal da área. A grande abundância de indivíduos durante a estação chuvosa pode estar relacionada ao maior movimento de adultos para hábitats de reprodução e ao recrutamento e dispersão de juvenis. A heterogeneidade dos ambientes no bioma Cerrado, incluindo algumas de suas áreas com maiores altitudes, contribui para a alta diversidade (local e regional) de espécies de anuros

FIGURE 1 in A new species of Pseudopaludicola (Anura, Leptodactylidae) from northern Brazil

FIGURE 1. — Dorsal view of the holotype (ZUEC 6088) of Pseudopaludicola canga sp. n .. Male, 15.9 mm SVL

New dietary records and geographic variation in the diet composition of the snake Philodryas nattereri in Brazil

In this study, we report new dietary data about the South American dipsadine snake Philodryas nattereri in the Caatinga ecoregion of northeastern Brazil. Our observations in the wild include predation on a large-sized lizard, an adult bird, venomous toads, a snake, bird chicks inside nests, and a mammal. Besides that, we compared the diet composition of P. nattereri between the Caatinga and the Cerrado ecoregions of Brazil, by pooling our original data with all available literature records. We found a significant difference in the diet of P. nattereri between these two regions: lizards comprise the predominant prey category for P. nattereri in the Caatinga, whereas mammals stand out as the most reported prey in the Cerrado. Our results evidence generalist and opportunistic feeding habits of P. nattereri, one of the most common snake species in Brazil.Asociación Herpetológica Argentin

Seasonality, age structure and reproduction of Leptodactylus (Lithodytes) lineatus (Anura, Leptodactylidae) in Rondônia state, southwestern Amazon, Brazil Sazonalidade, estrutura etária e reprodução de Leptodactylus (Lithodytes) lineatus (Anura, Leptodactylidae) no estado de Rondônia, Brasil

Leptodactylus(Lithodytes) lineatus (Schneider, 1799) is an Amazonian leaf litter frog considered rare or uncommon in several studies on anuran communities. Despite being a widely distributed frog in Amazonian forests, knowledge of the biology and ecology of this species is relatively scarce. This species has been reported to live in association with leaf-cutter ant nests (Atta spp.) during the breeding period. In this paper we present data on the seasonality of this species and some reproductive information gathered at a locality of Rondônia state, northwestern Brazil. Field work was carried out between April 2001 and March 2002, with the use of pitfall traps with drift fences as a survey method. Leptodactylus (L.) lineatus had a higher capture frequency in this locality compared to that of other studies carried out in other Amazonian localities, possibly because this species has secretive habits, such as calling and breeding from nests of leaf-cutting ants, and are difficult to find during visual encounter surveys. The breeding period occurs between October and March. Calling males and egg-bearing females were found between September and February and juvenile recruitment occurred mainly from the end of the rainy season to the beginning of the dry season (February to June). Males and females show sexual dimorphism in SVL, females being significantly larger than males. The number of ovarian eggs per female varies from 110 to 328 and analyses indicate that there is a significant correlation with SVL.<br>Leptodactylus(Lithodytes) lineatus (Schneider, 1799) é uma espécie de anuro amazônico considerado raro ou incomum em diversos estudos de comunidades de anfíbios. Embora apresente ampla distribuição na Floresta Amazônica, conhecimento sobre a sua biologia e ecologia são escassos. Esta espécie tem sido relatada por viver em associação com ninhos de formigas cortadeiras (Atta spp.) durante o período reprodutivo. Neste trabalho, nós apresentamos dados de sazonalidade e reprodução desta espécie em uma localidade do estado de Rondônia, noroeste do Brasil. Trabalhos de campo foram conduzidos de abril de 2001 a março de 2002, com o uso de armadilhas de queda com rede direcionadora. Leptodactylus (L.) lineatus teve uma alta taxa de captura nesta localidade, quando comparada com outros estudos em outras localidades na Amazônia, possivelmente devido a esta espécie possuir hábitos crípticos, como vocalizar e reproduzir dentro de ninhos de formigas, e ser dificilmente encontrada durante procura visual ativa. O período reprodutivo ocorre entre outubro e março. Machos vocalizando e fêmeas ovuladas foram encontrados entre setembro e janeiro e o recrutamento de juvenis ocorreu principalmente no final do período chuvoso. Machos e fêmeas apresentaram dimorfismo sexual quanto ao comprimento rostro-cloacal (CRC), sendo as fêmeas maiores que os machos. O número de folículos ovarianos por fêmea variou de 110 a 328 e análises indicaram que existe uma correlação significativa entre este número e o CRC