Autecology of the lizard Colobosauroides cearensis (Squamata: Gymnophthalmidae) from Brazilian semiarid Caatinga

Autoecologia do lagarto Colobosauroides cearensis (Squamata: Gymnophthalmidae) da Caatinga semiárida brasileira. Colabosauroides cearesis é um lagarto diurno com distribuição relictual associados a habitats forestais, no domínio da Caatiga brasileira. O conhecimento da história natural desse lagarto é escasso devido o seu habito secreto. Aqui, descrevemos a dieta, reprodução, dimorfsmo sexual, uso de microhabitat e ecologia térmica de C. cearensis, com base em trabalhos de campo entre 2015–2017 no estado do Ceará, Brasil. A dieta desses lagartos é composta exclusivamente por artrópodes, sendo Formicidae a categoria de presas mais importante. A largura de nicho numérico e volumétrico foram 5,52 e 9,2, respectivamente, e a sobreposição de nicho trófco entre fêmeas e machos foi de 0,3. Os machos distinguem-se das fêmeas por apresentar maior tamanho e pela presença de poros femorais. Colobosauroides cearensis é criptozóico, habitando a serapilheira e não tendo contato direto com o solo ou radiação solar. A temperatura corporal média dos lagartos é de 30,4 ± 3,3°C, correlacionada positivamente com a temperatura do ar. Fêmeas grávidas com tamanho de ninhada fxa de dois ovos são encontradas no início da estação chuvosa. A ovipostura ocorre entre abril e maio (quando o maior número de juvenis foi observado). A maturidade sexual ocorre cedo nos machos, e o volume testicular está signifcativamente correlacionado com o tamanho do corpo.Autecology of the lizard Colobosauroides cearensis (Squamata: Gymnophthalmidae) from Brazilian semiarid Caatinga. Colobosauroides cearensis is a diurnal lizard with a relictual distribution associated with forested habitats in the Brazilian Caatinga Domain. Knowledge of the natural history of this secretive lizard is scarce. Herein, the diet, reproduction, sexual dimorphism, microhabitat use, and thermal ecology of C. cearensis are described based on feldwork in 2015–2017 in the state of Ceará, Brazil. The diet of the lizards is composed exclusively of arthropods, with Formicidae being the most important prey category. Numerical and volumetric niche breadths are 5.52 and 9.2 respectively, and trophic niche overlap between females and males is 0.3. Males are distinguished from females by the larger size of the males and the presence of femoral pores. Colobosauroides cearensis is cryptozoic, inhabiting the leaf litter and having no direct contact with the soil or solar radiation. The average body temperature of the lizards is 30.4 ± 3.3°C, which is positively correlated with the air temperature. Gravid females with fxed clutch size of two eggs are found in early rainy season. Oviposition occurs between April and May (when the highest number of juveniles are observed). Sexual maturity occurs early in males and testicular volume is signifcantly correlated with body size

Physaloptera nordestina Matias & Morais & Ávila 2020, n. sp.

<i>Physaloptera nordestina</i> n. sp. <p>(Figs. 1 and 2)</p> <p> <b>Description.</b> Robust and filiform body, cuticle with transverse striations and dilated anteriorly forming a cephalic collarette (Fig. 2A). Sexual size dimorphism evident, with males smaller than females (1:0.61) and males with welldeveloped caudal alae. Longitudinal oral opening with the presence of two well-developed semicircular pseudolabia with transverse striations, with an external lateral tooth and an internal lateral tripartite tooth on each pseudolabium (Figs. 1A, 2B). Tripartite teeth composed of unequal subunits, including the two lateral ones with a rounded tip and a central one that is triangular. Four cephalic papillae in apical region and one pair of amphids (Figs 1B and 2C). Presence of a pair of deirids laterally (Figs. 1C, 2D). Esophagus long, with the muscular anterior part short and the glandular posterior part longer (Fig. 1D).</p> <p>Males based on holotype and three paratypes: body length 10.6–19.5 mm, shorter than females, width at midbody 420–637 and nerve ring 299–480. Cephalic collarette present at anterior end, highly visible, at 43.5–55.9 from anterior extremity. Body width measured at the level of the cephalic collarette 143.2–191. Esophagus length 2.7–3.9 mm, muscular esophagus approximately 385–442 long by 79.8–99.9 wide, measured at the nerve ring level, and glandular esophagus approximately 3.9 mm long by 368.1 wide at the posterior region. Proportion of esophagus total length relative to body total length approximately 1:0.2. Distance from nerve ring to anterior end approximately 299–431.9, and body width at the level of nerve ring approximately 196.4–311.7. Distance from excretory pore to anterior end approximately 304–561 and body width measured at the level of excretory pore approximately 221.4–358.5. Posterior end ventrally curved in a spiral pattern with well-developed caudal alae, ornamented with an irregular, linear texture (Fig. 2E). Cloacal aperture at 929.1 from posterior extremity. Body width measured at the cloacal level approximately 862. Spicules sub-equal in size, with left spicule of a different shape. Left spicule 257–436 long (Fig. 1F) with globular dilation at distal end and pointed end, and right spicule 195–376 long (Fig. 1G), sword shaped and slightly pointed. Spicules ratio: body total length of approximately 1:0.02. Total of 21 caudal papillae: Ten pairs of papillae plus one unpaired papilla present on tail, with four pairs stalked and six pairs sessile. Of these, two pairs of lateral stalked papillae precloacal, one pair adcloacal and last one postcloacal. One pair of papillae precloacal and one single large papilla close to cloaca. Five pairs of sessile papillae postcloacal, with one pair of phasmids between the last pair of sessile papillae, smaller than other pairs (Figs. 1H, 2D).</p> <p>Females larger than males, based on female allotype and seven paratypes: body length 16.3–32.1 mm and width at midbody 517.7–745. Cephalic collarette width 160.5–254.9, distant 52.3–75.4 from anterior extremity. Muscular esophagus 397.1–432 length and 96.4–116.1 width at the level of nerve ring, esophagus total length 288–484 and width 236.6–386. Nerve ring distant 269.7–460 from anterior extremity, with width 215.8–287.8. Excretory pore distant 397.1–588.2 from anterior extremity, with diameter of 242.9–306.4. Deirid distant 144.8–176.9 from anterior extremity. Didelphic uterus directed posteriorly, egg length 38.8–48.5 and width 21.0–25.4. Vagina muscular, with total length 778.2–985.6 and width 63.3–81.3, located at 4.3–4.8 mm from anterior extremity, without prominent lips (Fig. 1E.). Tail 399–547 long and width 406.0, distance between deirids and tail 144.8–176.9. Tail rounded.</p> <p> <b>Taxonomic summary.</b> Type host: <i>Pseudoboa nigra</i> (Duméril, Bibron & Duméril): (Squamata: Snake).</p> <p> <b>Other hosts:</b> <i>Oxybelis aeneus</i> (Wagler) and <i>Xenodon merremii</i> (Wagler): (Squamata: Snake).</p> <p> <b>Type of locality:</b> four states at Brazilian northeast: Ceará (Crato, Farias Brito, Icó and Nova Olinda municipalities), Pernambuco (Ouricuri municipality), Piauí (Piripiri municipality) Rio Grande do Norte (Ceará Mirim municipality) (Fig. 3).</p> <p> <b>Site of infection:</b> Stomach.</p> <p> <b>Voucher specimens:</b> Holotype and allotype (URCA P—1075 and URCA P- 1076) and paratypes (URCA—P 478; 482; 484; 485; 492; 498; 511; 512; 515; 519; 520) deposited in the Coleção Parasitológica da Universidade Regional do Cariri, Crato municipality and (CHIBB—8841; 8842; 8843; 8844) Coleção Helmintológica do Instituto de Biociências de Botucatu—CHIBB, São Paulo State University (UNESP), Botucatu, São Paulo State, Brazil.</p> <p> <b>Etymology.</b> The specific epithet refers to region where the hosts were collected.</p> <p> <b>Remarks.</b> The new species was assigned to the genus <i>Physaloptera</i> based on the following characters: thick cuticle with striations; the presence of two triangular, well-developed pseudolabia, each with teeth on the free edge and cephalic papillae; the presence of a cephalic collarette; a cervical papilla posterior to the nerve ring; males with ornamented caudal alae connected ventrally, anterior to the cloaca; 21 caudal papillae, including four pedunculated and 13 sessile pairs (six surrounding the cloaca and three at tail); spicules sub-equal in size and with different shape; and females with the vulva located on the anterior third of the body and two to for uterine branches (Chabaud 1975; Ortlepp 1922; Skrjabin & Sobolev 1964).</p> <p> <i>Physaloptera nordestina</i> <b>sp. n.</b> is promptly distinguished from <i>P. bainae, P. liophis</i> and <i>P. tupinambae</i>, all of them parasites of Brazilian reptiles, by the number of caudal papillae (23, 23 and 22 respectively vs 21). <i>Physaloptera bonnei, P. lutzi, P. monodens, P. obtusissima</i> and <i>P. retusa</i> each possess 21 caudal papillae, but differ in the arrangement of the stalked papillae: <i>P. bonnei, P. obtusíssima</i> and <i>P. retusa</i> have two pairs of precloacal and two postcloacal, <i>P. lutzi</i> have two adcloacal and two postcloacal, while <i>P. monodens</i> and the new species have the same number and distribution of caudal papillae. However, in <i>P. monodens</i> the precloacal papillae differ in both size and distribution from the new species in having three papillae of the same size in <i>P. monodens</i> and a pair of papillae of the same size plus one large unpaired papilla in the new species (Tables 1 and 2).</p>Published as part of <i>Matias, Cicera Silvilene Leite, Morais, Drausio Honorio & Ávila, Robson Waldemar, 2020, Physaloptera nordestina n. sp. (Nematoda: Physalopteridae) parasitizing snakes from Northeastern Brazil, pp. 173-180 in Zootaxa 4766 (1)</i> on pages 174-176, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4766.1.9, <a href="http://zenodo.org/record/3762628">http://zenodo.org/record/3762628</a&gt

Physaloptera nordestina n. sp. (Nematoda: Physalopteridae) parasitizing snakes from Northeastern Brazil

Matias, Cicera Silvilene Leite, Morais, Drausio Honorio, Ávila, Robson Waldemar (2020): Physaloptera nordestina n. sp. (Nematoda: Physalopteridae) parasitizing snakes from Northeastern Brazil. Zootaxa 4766 (1): 173-180, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4766.1.