Karyological study of Ololygon tripui (Lourenço, Nascimento and Pires, 2009), (Anura, Hylidae) with comments on chromosomal traits among populations

To increase the number of cytogenetic characters used in Ololygon tripui systematics, we applied some cytogenetic techniques such as Giemsa, C- and NOR-banding, and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) with 18S rDNA and repetitive microsatellite DNA probes to the study of four populations from Minas Gerais State (southeastern Brazil). All populations showed 2n = 24 and FN = 48, and chromosomal formula 8m + 10sm + 6st. Nucleolar organizing regions (NORs) were located on chromosome pair 6 in all populations, although in the Tripuí locality additional markings were observed on one homologue of chromosome pair 3. These patterns were partially congruent with results obtained using the 18S rDNA FISH probe. The microsatellites repetitive DNA (GA) 15 and (CAT) 10 probes accumulated predominantly in the terminal region of all chromosomes. Chromosome morphology and Ag-NOR were conserved among populations, a conserved pattern in Ololygon Fitzinger, 1843. Repetitive DNA FISH probes patterns were similar among populations, but they revealed species-specific differences when compared with other species of the genus Ololygon, suggesting that molecular cytogenetics are potentially more informative in karyologically conservative taxa

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

Distribution pattern of anurans from three mountain complexes in southeastern Brazil and their conservation implications

Biogeographic tools support spatial distribution pattern hypotheses and help to determine priority areas for conservation. Our aim was to verify biogeographic patterns for anurans in three mountain complexes in southeastern Brazil, as well as to discuss the status of species conservation recorded and the biogeographical units evaluated. We selected 16 areas distributed in the Serra da Mantiqueira complex, south of Serra do Espinhaço and Serra da Canastra. We used the occurrence (geographic coordinates) of each species in the localities to determine areas of endemism applying the Endemicity Analysis method. We also tested whether similarity between areas was explained by geographic distance (Multiple Regression on distance Matrices-MRM). The Serra do Itatiaia, Serra da Canastra, Plateau of Poços de Caldas and Serra do Cipó were the areas that presented the highest number of species restricted to them. Through the Endemicity Analysis, we identified four areas of endemism with higher scores. The MRM revealed that the geographic distance explained 41% of species dissimilarity between areas. Most of the endemic species from these areas have inaccurate conservation statuses (data deficient or unevaluated). These results highlight the need for greater research efforts towards understanding species restricted by distribution, as well as the priority in conserving these endemic areas

Fish and macroinvertebrate assemblages reveal extensive degradation of the world's rivers

Rivers suffer from multiple stressors acting simultaneously on their biota, but the consequences are poorly quantified at the global scale. We evaluated the biological condition of rivers globally, including the largest proportion of countries from the Global South published to date. We gathered macroinvertebrate- and fish-based assessments from 72,275 and 37,676 sites, respectively, from 64 study regions across six continents and 45 nations. Because assessments were based on differing methods, different systems were consolidated into a 3-class system: Good, Impaired, or Severely Impaired, following common guidelines. The proportion of sites in each class by study area was calculated and each region was assigned a Köppen-Geiger climate type, Human Footprint score (addressing landscape alterations), Human Development Index (HDI) score (addressing social welfare), % rivers with good ambient water quality, % protected freshwater key biodiversity areas; and % of forest area net change rate. We found that 50% of macroinvertebrate sites and 42% of fish sites were in Good condition, whereas 21% and 29% were Severely Impaired, respectively. The poorest biological conditions occurred in Arid and Equatorial climates and the best conditions occurred in Snow climates. Severely Impaired conditions were associated (Pearson correlation coefficient) with higher HDI scores, poorer physico-chemical water quality, and lower proportions of protected freshwater areas. Good biological conditions were associated with good water quality and increased forested areas. It is essential to implement statutory bioassessment programs in Asian, African, and South American countries, and continue them in Oceania, Europe, and North America. There is a need to invest in assessments based on fish, as there is less information globally and fish were strong indicators of degradation. Our study highlights a need to increase the extent and number of protected river catchments, preserve and restore natural forested areas in the catchments, treat wastewater discharges, and improve river connectivity

Integrating life-history traits and amphibian upland habitat use in a Neotropical hotspot

Effective management of semi-aquatic animals requires detailed information on upland habitat use around aquatic habitats. Quantifying the amount of habitats needed to sustain local animals’ populations is a crucial criterion when setting protective buffers to water bodies, especially for amphibians, which depend on these upland habitats for breeding and development. Differences in upland habitat use can emerge among amphibian species with distinct life-history traits, including reproductive-strategy (pond-breeding vs. non-pond breeding anurans), life-stage (adults vs. juveniles), and sex (males vs. females). To date there has been no quantitative study of upland habitat use in the Neotropics, which can provide a baseline for quantifying the amount of upland forested habitats needed to sustain local amphibian populations. We monitored three ponds for over two sampling year using drift fences with pitfall traps to investigate how reproductive-strategy, life-stage, and sex affect anuran upland habitat use in a forest remnant in the Atlantic Forest hotspot. We found no differences in upland habitat use between adult and juvenile anurans. However, we found that although the species richness of pond-breeding and non-pond breeding anurans was similar near wetlands, there was greater abundance of pond-breeding compared to non-pond breeding anurans. We also found a strong difference between the sexes in pond-breeding anurans, with males remaining closer to wetlands than females. Thus, the sex ratio of amphibian populations can be strongly skewed toward males if only small protective terrestrial buffers (50-m) are enforced during land development. Our findings also point to the inadequacy of current Brazilian policies to protect small wetlands and the fauna that depend on them. We recommend that policymakers adjust regulatory criteria to set hierarchical protective buffers around wetlands allowing different levels of land-use intervention

Anurans in a forest remnant in the transition zone between cerrado and atlantic rain forest domains in southeastern Brazil

This study presents the species richness, temporal distribution and reproductive activity of anurans from the Uaimií State Forest (Floresta Estadual do Uaimií – FLOE Uaimií), situated in the Quadrilátero Ferrífero region, municipality of Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais state, Brazil. Field activities were performed monthly from September 2009 to August 2010. We recorded 36 anurans species, distributed in 10 families. The greatest richness of the sampled sites corresponds to a permanent rivulet in a secondary forest. The majority of anuran species presented seasonal vocalization activity pattern, mainly in the rainy season. The anuran species composition of FLOE Uaimií is similar to others studied areas from the Quadrilátero Ferrífero region

Considera\ue7\uf5es taxon\uf4micas sobre Thoropa miliaris (Spix, 1824), com revalida\ue7\ue3o e redescri\ue7\ue3o de Thoropa taophora (Miranda-Ribeiro, 1923) (Amphibia, Anura, Leptodactylidae)

Volume: 64Start Page: 41End Page: 6

Leptodactylus cupreus Caramaschi, Feio & São-Pedro, 2008, sp. nov.

Leptodactylus cupreus sp. nov. (Figures 1–3) Holotype: MNRJ 47752. Adult male (Figure 1). Lagoa das Bromélias (20 o 25 ’S, 43 o 29 ’W, 1,227 m above sea level), Parque Estadual da Serra do Brigadeiro, District of Careço, Municipality of Ervália, State of Minas Gerais, Southeastern Brazil. Collected by R.N. Feio and V.A. São­Pedro, on 0 8 October 2006. Paratypes: Seven adult males: MNRJ 47753–47754, collected with the holotype; MNRJ 50436–50438, MZUFV 8015–8016, collected at the type locality by R.N. Feio, V.A. São­Pedro, and P.S. Silva, on 24 October 2007. Diagnosis: A species belonging to the L. fuscus group and related to the L. mystaceus complex by having two distinct dorsolateral folds, a distinct light lip stripe, a distinct longitudinal light stripe on the posterior surface of the thighs, posterior surface of tarsus smooth or with few tubercles, and sole of foot with prominent light tubercles. The new species is characterized by: (1) size large for the group (SVL 50.1–55.1 mm in males); (2) head slightly wider than long, HL 96 % of HW, HL 34 % of SVL, HW 35 % of SVL; (3) general color copper on dorsal surfaces of body and limbs; (4) lateral head black stripe defined, broad, extending from the tip of the snout and passing over the eye and tympanum; (5) lateral head with white stripe defined, delimited above and below by black stripes, extending from tip of snout to insertion of the forelimb; (6) a large bucal white gland found posterior to the jaw articulation and to the tympanum; (7) dorsum without spots, dorsal surface of thighs and tibiae not distinctly barred; (8) dorsolateral folds broad, from the anterior third of the body to groin, light in color and defined by black markings below and above (only in its posterior part); (9) urostyle stripe present, anal region with many large white tubercles; (10) advertisement call not pulsed, call rate about 12 calls/s, dominant frequency between 2,800 and 3,058 Hz. Comparisons with other species: Leptodactylus cupreus sp. nov. is distinguished from L. didymus, L. elenae, L. mystaceus, L. notoaktites, and L. spixi by the larger size (SVL 50.1–55.1 mm in males of L. cupreus sp. nov.; combined SVL 42.7–50.8 mm in males of the other species, see Heyer 1978 and Heyer et al. 1996); head slightly wider than long (HL 34 % of SVL, HW 34.2 % of SVL in L. cupreus sp. nov.; HL 36.8–39.8 % of SVL, HW 33.6–35.2 % of SVL in the other species, see Heyer 1978 and Heyer et al. 1996); general color copper on dorsal surfaces of body and limbs (general color brown to greyish brown in the other species); lateral head has a black, clearly defined, broad stripe, passing on the eye and tympanum (lateral head stripe less defined, thinner, grey to dark grey, passing under the eye and over the tympanum in the other species); lateral head with a white, defined stripe, delimited above and below by black stripes (poorly defined and poorly delimited in the other species); presence of a large, white gland behind the jaw articulation (absent or small, poorly developed, in the other species); dorsum without spots, dorsal surface of thighs and tibiae not distinctly barred (dorsum spotted, dorsal surface of thighs and tibiae distinctly barred in the other species); dorsolateral folds broad, from the anterior third of the body to groin (dorsolateral folds thin, from the eye to groin in the other species); urostyle stripe present, anal region with many large white tubercles (urostyle stripe absent or indistinct, anal region without or with indistinct tubercles in the other species). Moreover, L. cupreus sp. nov. is distinguished from: (1) the all other species in the complex by an outer metacarpal tubercle divided and smaller than the inner metacarpal tubercle (outer tubercle entire, rounded or somewhat triangular, larger than the inner tubercle in the other species); (2) from L. didymus, L. elenae, L. mystaceus, and L. notoaktites by a smooth dorsal surface of the tibiae (with many small horny spines in these species); and (3) from L. didymus, L. mystaceus, and L. notoaktites by a tarsus and foot with few tubercles (sole of foot and tarsus with many tubercles in these species). Additionally, L. cupreus sp. nov. is distinguished from L. mystacinus (a species not included in the L. mystaceus complex, but with two dorsolateral folds and sometimes with a copper color pattern) by the wider head and longer legs, lateral head black broad stripe passing on the eye and tympanum (passing under the eye and not covering the tympanum in L. mystacinus), the thin white stripe on lip (wide in L. mystacinus), the presence of clear dorsolateral stripes (absent in L. mystacinus), dark bars on dorsal surface of thighs, tibiae, and feet poorly defined, fragmented (defined, continuous in L. mystacinus), presence of a distinct light stripe on the posterior surface of thighs (absent in L. mystacinus) and surface of tarsus and foot with tubercles (distinct white tubercles present only on the tarsus in L. mystacinus). Leptodactylus cupreus sp. nov. has the fastest call rate in the assemblage, with about 12 calls/s (combined call rate ranging from 1.0 to 2.3 calls/s in L. didymus, L. elenae, L. mystaceus, L. notoaktites, and L. spixi) and a higher dominant frequency (between 2,800 and 3,058 Hz in L. cupreus sp. nov., ranging from 470 to 2,033 Hz in other species); additionally, L. cupreus sp. nov. may be promptly separated from L. mystaceus by having unpulsed advertisement call (pulsed in L. mystaceus). Additionally, the new species is distinguished from L. mystacinus by the fast call rate (12 calls/s in L. cupreus sp. nov.; 5–6.5 calls/s in L. mystacinus) and a higher dominant frequency (between 2,800 and 3,058 Hz in L. cupreus sp. nov.; 2,200 to 2,500 Hz in L. mystacinus). Description of the holotype: Robust build; head slightly wider than long, HL 96 % of HW, HL 34 % of SVL, HW 35 % of SVL. Snout sub­elliptical viewed from above (Fig. 2 A), protruding with distinct shelf in profile (Fig. 2 B); canthus rostralis indistinct, rounded; loreal region oblique, slightly concave. Nostrils closer to tip of snout than to eyes; internarial distance slightly larger than eye to nostril distance and smaller than eye diameter. Eye to nostril distance smaller than eye diameter and larger than upper eyelid width, interorbital distance, and tympanum diameter. Upper eyelid width smaller than interorbital distance and tympanum diameter. Tympanum circular, annulus distinct; tympanum largely separated from eye, its diameter smaller than eye diameter, TD 84 % of ED. Upper eyelid, head, and dorsal skin smooth; a supratympanic fold from the posterior corner of eye, arching downwards posteriorly to tympanum, delimiting the well developed shoulder blade and reaching the arm articulation; a large, longitudinally elongated, jaw articulation gland present; a pair of dorsolateral folds, from the anterior third of the body to groin; flanks barely rugose, a weak dermal fold and sparse tubercles present; ventral skin smooth, belly disk fold distinct; a granular seat patch under thighs; anal region with many rounded tubercles; dorsal surface of tibiae with many small and horny tubercles. Vocal sac poorly developed, subgular; a pair of distinct, developed, lateral vocal folds. Vocal slits present; vomerine teeth in two transverse, almost contacting medially, slightly arched series, located between and just posterior to the choanae. Tongue large, free, slightly notched behind. Hand (Fig. 2 C) with fingers slender, not webbed, tips rounded, not expanded; weak lateral ridges on fingers II and III, absent on the others; fingers lengths IV <II <III <I, first finger much longer than second; subarticular tubercles rounded, with proximal tubercles more developed than distal ones; few supranumerary tubercles present; outer metacarpal tubercle large, longitudinally divided, the most outer part about three times the inner part; inner metacarpal tubercle two times larger than outer one, elliptical; no spine or asperities on thumbs, no prepollex visible; no tubercles or crests on forearm. Legs robust, tibia length slightly larger than the thigh length; sum of tibia and thigh lengths about 97.5 % of SVL. Foot large (Fig. 2 D), foot length larger than tibia and thigh lengths, 75.3 % of SVL. Toes slender, not webbed, nor fringed; toes lengths I <II <V <III <IV; toe tips slightly pointed; subarticular tubercles large, rounded; sole of foot with distinct, approximately aligned tubercles; outer metatarsal tubercle very small, elliptical, flat; inner metatarsal tubercle large, elliptical, slightly elevated; sole of tarsus with few tubercles; inner tarsal fold distinct, approximately equal to the length of the tarsus. Measurements of the holotype: SVL 51.8; HL 17.4; HW 18.1; IND 4.6; END 4.5; ED 5.0; UEW 3.8; IOD 4.4; TD 4.2; HAL 12.2; THL 24.0; TL 26.5; FL 39.0. Color: In life, overall dorsal coloration uniformly copper; two dorsolateral stripes clear copper, from the anterior third of the body to groin, bounded above and below by black stripes. A light copper stripe on the urostyle. A wide black stripe from the tip of snout, passing over the naris, subcanthal region, inferior three fourth of eye, tympanum, and posteriorly bending towards the shoulder, bordering the shoulder blade inferiorly; below and along this black stripe, a golden, well defined stripe is visible; below the golden stripe, the upper and lower lips are dark grey. Bucal post­commissural gland distinctly golden. Flanks, below the black dorsolateral stripe, copper above and grey copper below, with scattered clear copper spots and flecks. Forelimbs copper above, with a black stripe on anterior and posterior sides of arms and black stains on forearms; fingers clear grey with small yellow flecks above. Legs copper above; the anterior dorsolateral side of thighs with black spots that sometimes fuse with each other; a clear cream longitudinal line runs along the lower limit of the posterior surface of thighs and delimits the granulose seat pad; dorsum of tibiae and outer surface of feet with scattered black stains, without forming defined pattern of bars; toes clear grey with scattered clear copper flecks. Venter and ventral surfaces of forelimbs and legs whitish grey with scattered clear cream, undefined stains; gular region clear pink. Anal region with distinct white tubercles. Eyes copper on superior one third and black below. In preservative, the copper color surfaces become clear brownish grey; the dorsolateral and urostyle stripes become cream, the lateral head stripe become clear cream, almost white, and the black stripes on lateral head, dorsolateral body, arms, and legs are maintained; bucal post­commissural gland becomes white; the longitudinal stripe on posterior side of thighs becomes white. Venter greyish white; gular region clear grey; tubercles on anal region white. Variation: Examined specimens are congruent among them respecting the morphological characters and color. Range, mean, and standard deviation of the measurements of eight males are in Table 1. Advertisement call (Fig. 4): Calls emitted irregularly in a variably long and fast sequence of peeps; call rate about 12 calls/s; call not pulsed, modulated, composed of three harmonics at 3,005 Hz, 5,770 Hz, and 8,527 Hz; fundamental and dominant frequency between 2,800 and 3,058 Hz. Geographic distribution: The new species is known only from type locality, associated to the northern part of the Mantiqueira Mountain Range Complex, locally called Serra do Brigadeiro. Habitat and habits: The type locality of L. cupreus is essentially the same as recently described for Chiasmocleis mantiqueira (Anura, Microhylidae; see Cruz et al. 2007). The Parque Estadual da Serra do Brigadeiro, in the Atlantic Rain Forest biome, is a conservation unit managed by the Instituto Estadual de Florestas of the State of Minas Gerais. The 13,000 ha of the Parque involve the highest portions of a set of mountains integrating the Mantiqueira Mountain Range Complex, with maximum of 1,985 m above sea level. The Lagoa das Bromélias (local name meaning Bromeliads’ Lake) is a temporary pond at 1,227 m altitude, that completely dryes­ up during the dry season (April to September), but with about 250 m 2 of water surface in the wet season (October to March). This pond is found in a forest fragment with especially rich epiphitic flora mainly represented by the Bromeliaceae and Orchidaceae plants families. Males of L. cupreus were found calling at night in densities of up to 20 individuals, only during the early month of the wet season (October), when the dryed pond ground is totally covered by herbaceous vegetation. The males call under these plants, inside small burrows excavated in the soil. Females, egg clutches, and tadpoles are unknown. Etymology: The specific epithet, “ cupreus ”, is a Latin adjective referred to the copper general color pattern of the new species.Published as part of Caramaschi, Ulisses, Feio, Renato N. & São-Pedro, Vinícius A., 2008, A new species of Leptodactylus Fitzinger (Anura, Leptodactylidae) from Serra do Brigadeiro, State of Minas Gerais, Southeastern Brazil, pp. 44-54 in Zootaxa 1861 on pages 45-51, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.18369

Scinax cosenzai Lacerda, Peixoto & Feio, 2012, sp. nov.

&lt;i&gt;Scinax cosenzai&lt;/i&gt; sp. nov. &lt;p&gt;(Figs 1, 2, 3)&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;b&gt;Holotype.&lt;/b&gt; MNRJ 75462, adult male, collected at Lage das Brom&eacute;lias, Serra do Brigadeiro (20&ordm;43&rsquo;13.5&acute;&acute; S and 42&ordm;28&rsquo;48.7&acute;&acute; W; 1385 m above sea level), Municipality of Araponga, state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. Collected by J.V.A. Lacerda, B. Assis and J.S. Dayrell on October 28, 2007.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;b&gt;Paratopotypes.&lt;/b&gt; MZUFV 3895, adult male collected by Feio, R.N. and Santos-Filho, J.B, on 0 3 September 1999; MZUFV 6653, adult male collected by R.N. Feio, E.F. Oliveira and J.S. Dayrell, on 0 5 December 2005; MZUFV 8275, adult male collected by J.V.A. Lacerda and B. Assis, on 29 January 2008; MNRJ 75463&ndash; 64, adult males collected by Feio, R.N. and Santos-Filho, J.B, on 0 3 September 1999; MNRJ 75465, adult male collected by R.N. Feio, E.F. Oliveira, H.C. Costa and L.L. Moraes, on 22 September 2005; MNRJ 75466, adult male collected by C.S. Cassini and R.N. Feio, on 21 February 2006.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;b&gt;Referred specimens.&lt;/b&gt; &lt;i&gt;Scinax cosenzai&lt;/i&gt; &lt;b&gt;sp. nov.&lt;/b&gt;: BRAZIL: State of Minas Gerais: Municipality of Araponga (topotypes): MZUFV 4956, 6654, 7682, 7779, 8029, 8092, 8093, 8567, 8568, 11458&ndash;11463, 11470&ndash;11473); Municipality of Erv&aacute;lia: Distrito do Care&ccedil;o (20&deg;51&rsquo;9.24&rsquo;&rsquo; S and 42&deg;31&rsquo;5.56&rsquo;&rsquo; W; 980 m above sea level): MZUFV 11532&ndash;11537, 11541&ndash;11543.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;b&gt;Diagnosis.&lt;/b&gt; &lt;i&gt;Scinax cosenzai&lt;/i&gt; &lt;b&gt;sp&lt;/b&gt;. &lt;b&gt;nov&lt;/b&gt;. belongs to the &lt;i&gt;S. perpusillus&lt;/i&gt; group based on the use of bromeliads for reproduction and reduced webbing between toes II and III. The new species is characterized by: (1) moderate-size within the group (males 17.54&ndash;20.97 mm SVL, females 22.65&ndash;24.02 mm SVL); (2) snout protruding in lateral view and slightly acuminated in dorsal view; (3) snout with a distinct medial process, defined by Silva and Alves- Silva (2008) as a protuberance caused by the cartilaginous medial prenasal process of the nasal tectum under the skin; (4) medium-sized, elliptical choanae; (5) vomerine teeth in two arc shape series between choanae; (6) head longer than wide; (7) protruding eye; (8) canthus rostralis distinct; (9) loreal region concave; (10) tympanum round and pigmented, with diameter less than half the diameter of the eye; (11) thigh plus tibia length shorter than SVL; (12) webbing lacking between toes I and II and vestigial between II and III; (13) few tubercles scattered throughout the dorsal surface, including the head; (14) ventral skin granulated, more intensively near the cloacal region; (15) dorsum different tones of gray with transversal dark bars originating on each inguinal region and converging on the third portion of the dorsum in an inverted V-shaped figure; (16) lateral dark stripe, from the region of the eye to the anterior margin of the inguinal region; (17) head with an interocular dark transversal bar; (18) transversal dark bars along the anterior and posterior members; (19) discreet nuptial glandular pads on the base of thumb; (20) gular region with irregular dark pigmentation; (21) in life, hidden portion of the thigh and tibia region with some irregular bright yellow colored patches (Fig. 3); (22) a distinct vocalization with heterogeneous multipulsed notes (2&ndash;14 notes/call, call duration 177.62&ndash;2066.75 ms, 1&ndash;33 pulses/note and dominant frequency of 3375.91&ndash;4571.21 Hz).&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;b&gt;Advertisement call.&lt;/b&gt; We analyzed a total of 45 calls recorded at the type locality belonging to three call series emitted by three individuals that were not collected. We were unable to observe direct interaction of these males with other males and females during the recordings. The duration of the call series was 34.4, 55.1 and 68.9 s, with 11, 16 and 18 calls/call series, call rate of 0.25, 0.29 and 0.32 calls/sec and interval between calls of 2.78 s (1.9&ndash;4.32; SD=0.64; n=42 intervals). Calls are constituted by 2&ndash;14 multipulsed notes with duration of 177.62&ndash;2066.75 ms and dominant frequency of 3375.91&ndash;4571.21 Hz (Table 1). Note duration of 36.15 ms (1.81&ndash;111.56; SD=23.94; n=236 notes), 10.53 pulses/note (1&ndash;33; SD=7.08; n=236 notes) and rate of 315.12 pulses/ second (58.60&ndash;571.42; SD=103.08; n=236 notes). Notes are heterogeneous in duration, number of pulses and amplitude. Figure 4 shows the sonogram of the call series with 11 calls emitted by a single male and sonograms and spectrograms of each of these calls.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;b&gt;Comparison with other species.&lt;/b&gt; Adult individuals of &lt;i&gt;Scinax cosenzai&lt;/i&gt; &lt;b&gt;sp&lt;/b&gt;. &lt;b&gt;nov&lt;/b&gt;. may be distinguished from other species of the &lt;i&gt;Scinax perpusillus&lt;/i&gt; group by a combination of traits. The new species differs from &lt;i&gt;S. alcatraz&lt;/i&gt; by its smaller size (SVL 19.7&ndash;24.4 mm in males and 27.0&ndash; 29.8 mm in females of &lt;i&gt;S. alcatraz&lt;/i&gt;; Brasileiro &lt;i&gt;et al&lt;/i&gt;. 2007a) and by lacking inguinal glands (easily visible in &lt;i&gt;S. alcatraz&lt;/i&gt;; Faivovich &lt;i&gt;et al&lt;/i&gt;. 2010). &lt;i&gt;Scinax cosenzai&lt;/i&gt; &lt;b&gt;sp. nov.&lt;/b&gt; can be distinguished from &lt;i&gt;S. arduous&lt;/i&gt; by its smaller size [19.3&ndash;22.7 mm (x=21.0; SD=0.8; n=20) in males of &lt;i&gt;S. arduous&lt;/i&gt;], slender body, less protruding eyes, more evident canthus rostralis, loreal region more concave, THL + TBL shorter than SVL (longer in &lt;i&gt;S&lt;/i&gt;. &lt;i&gt;arduous&lt;/i&gt;) and a distinct advertisement call. It differs from &lt;i&gt;S. atratus&lt;/i&gt; by the larger size of the female (maximum SVL of females of &lt;i&gt;S. atratus&lt;/i&gt; 20.0 mm; Peixoto 1988b) and by its dorsal color pattern typical of the &lt;i&gt;S. perpusillus&lt;/i&gt; group (melanic in &lt;i&gt;S. atratus&lt;/i&gt;; Peixoto 1988b). The new species is promptly distinguished from &lt;i&gt;S. belloni&lt;/i&gt; by not possessing dorsum of body and limbs densely covered by prominent granules, having trace of markings on dorsum, inguinal region and hidden surfaces of hind limbs, lacking inguinal glands and by the smaller size (19.8&ndash;23.0 mm SVL in males and 26.3&ndash;29.2 in females of &lt;i&gt;S. belloni&lt;/i&gt;; Faivovich &lt;i&gt;et al.&lt;/i&gt; 2010). It differs from &lt;i&gt;S. faivovichi&lt;/i&gt; by its larger SVL (SVL 16.2&ndash;18.0 mm in 23 males of &lt;i&gt;S. faivovichi&lt;/i&gt; and 18.6&ndash;21.7 mm in six females; Brasileiro &lt;i&gt;et al&lt;/i&gt;. 2007b), furthermore &lt;i&gt;S. faivovichi&lt;/i&gt; has brown undersurface of tarsus and foot (not brown in the other species of the &lt;i&gt;S. perpusillus&lt;/i&gt; group; Brasileiro &lt;i&gt;et al&lt;/i&gt;. 2007b). &lt;i&gt;Scinax cosenzai&lt;/i&gt; &lt;b&gt;sp. nov.&lt;/b&gt; is promptly distinguishable from &lt;i&gt;S. insperatus&lt;/i&gt; by the presence of a yellow flash color on inguinal region and hidden surfaces of thigh and tibia (absence of yellow markings in the inguinal region and hidden surfaces of limbs in &lt;i&gt;S. insperatus&lt;/i&gt;; Silva &amp; Alves-Silva 2011) and by its smaller SVL (18.5&ndash;21.9 mm in males of &lt;i&gt;S. insperatus&lt;/i&gt;; Silva &amp; Alves-Silva 2011). The new species differs from &lt;i&gt;S. littoreus&lt;/i&gt; by lacking inguinal glands (easily visible in &lt;i&gt;S. littoreus&lt;/i&gt;; Faivovich &lt;i&gt;et al&lt;/i&gt;. 2010), by the less pronounced eyes, dorsal color pattern, snout profile and width of the head (dorsum brownish colored, rounded snout profile and wider head in &lt;i&gt;S. littoreus&lt;/i&gt;). It differs from &lt;i&gt;S. melloi&lt;/i&gt; by its larger size (maximum SVL in males of &lt;i&gt;S. melloi&lt;/i&gt; 17.00 mm and 18.7 mm in females; Peixoto 1988b) and by its dorsal color pattern typical of the &lt;i&gt;S. perpusillus&lt;/i&gt; group (marble dorsal pattern in &lt;i&gt;S. melloi&lt;/i&gt;; Peixoto 1988b). &lt;i&gt;Scinax cosenzai&lt;/i&gt; &lt;b&gt;sp. nov.&lt;/b&gt; can be distinguished from &lt;i&gt;S. peixotoi&lt;/i&gt; by having tibia larger than thigh (tibia same size as thigh in &lt;i&gt;S. peixotoi&lt;/i&gt;; Brasileiro &lt;i&gt;et al&lt;/i&gt;. 2007a), slender body and by the distinct advertisement call. It differs from &lt;i&gt;S. perpusillus&lt;/i&gt; by its slender body, less pronounced eyes, snout more acuminated and a distinct advertisement call. The new species is distinguishable from &lt;i&gt;S. tupinamba&lt;/i&gt; by the larger size [SVL of 17.8 mm in &lt;i&gt;S. tupinamba&lt;/i&gt; (16.1&ndash;19.2; SD=0.9; n=21); Silva &amp; Alves- Silva 2008], loreal region less concave and by the absence of a yellow stripe on the head of the tadpoles of the new species (the tadpole of &lt;i&gt;S. tupinamba&lt;/i&gt; has a distinct, large, and bright yellow stripe between the eyes and the nostrils; Silva &amp; Alves-Silva 2008). &lt;i&gt;Scinax cosenzai&lt;/i&gt; &lt;b&gt;sp. nov.&lt;/b&gt; differs from &lt;i&gt;S. v-signatus&lt;/i&gt; by its smaller SVL [21.4&ndash;23.5 mm (x=22.4; SD=0.7; n=20) in males of &lt;i&gt;S. v-signatus&lt;/i&gt;], less rugose dorsal skin texture, canthus rostralis less evident, loreal region less concave and with less tubercles. Besides, &lt;i&gt;S. v-signatus&lt;/i&gt; has a dark pigmentation on the gular region organized in the form of a Y or V (Lutz 1973; Peixoto 2002), and has a distinctive orange-flash color on the foot, lower leg, thigh, inguinal region, and armpit (H. R. da Silva, pers. com.). &lt;i&gt;Scinax cosenzai&lt;/i&gt; &lt;b&gt;sp. nov.&lt;/b&gt; has irregular dark pigmentation on the gular region and presents a yellow-flash color only on inguinal region and hidden surfaces of thigh and tibia, lacking on armpits and foot.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; The advertisement call of &lt;i&gt;S. peixotoi&lt;/i&gt; (3&ndash;5 notes and duration of 146&ndash;232 ms; Brasileiro &lt;i&gt;et al&lt;/i&gt;. 2007a) is shorter than that of the new species (the calls of &lt;i&gt;Scinax cosenzai&lt;/i&gt; &lt;b&gt;sp. nov.&lt;/b&gt; with 3&ndash;5 notes have duration of 512.75&ndash;941.81 ms). The advertisement call of &lt;i&gt;S. arduous&lt;/i&gt; (4&ndash;6 notes and duration of 198&ndash;328 ms; Pombal &amp; Bastos 2003) is shorter than that of the new species (the calls of &lt;i&gt;Scinax cosenzai&lt;/i&gt; &lt;b&gt;sp. nov.&lt;/b&gt; with 4&ndash;6 notes have duration of 812.25&ndash;1395.75 ms). The territorial call of &lt;i&gt;S. arduous&lt;/i&gt; differs from the vocalization of the new species in having only one note (Pombal &amp; Bastos 2003) (the vocalization of &lt;i&gt;Scinax cosenzai&lt;/i&gt; &lt;b&gt;sp. nov.&lt;/b&gt; has at least 2 notes). The advertisement call of &lt;i&gt;S. perpusillus&lt;/i&gt; (3&ndash;6 notes and duration of 92&ndash;174 ms; Pombal &amp; Bastos 2003) is shorter than that of the new species (the calls of &lt;i&gt;Scinax cosenzai&lt;/i&gt; &lt;b&gt;sp. nov.&lt;/b&gt; with 3&ndash;6 notes have duration of 512.75&ndash;1395.75 ms). Pombal and Bastos (2003) described a second type of call of &lt;i&gt;S. perpusillus&lt;/i&gt;, also shorter than that of the new species, with 6&ndash;12 notes and duration of 314&ndash;400 ms (the calls of &lt;i&gt;Scinax cosenzai&lt;/i&gt; &lt;b&gt;sp. nov.&lt;/b&gt; with 6&ndash;12 notes have duration of 892.81&ndash;2066.75 ms). These authors also mentioned the existence of a third type of call with only one note and duration of 185s, 435s and 508s (the calls of &lt;i&gt;Scinax cosenzai&lt;/i&gt; &lt;b&gt;sp. nov.&lt;/b&gt; have at least two notes).&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;b&gt;Description of holotype.&lt;/b&gt; (Figs. 1, 2) Male; body slender; head longer than wide; snout protruding in lateral view and acuminated in dorsal view; nostrils rounded; prominent medial process between the nostrils; canthus rostralis distinct; loreal region concave; eye slightly protuberant; tympanum distinct; discrete subgular vocal sack; tongue round and large; vomerine teeth in two arc shape series between choanae; medium-sized, elliptical choanae.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Arms slender; forearms slightly robust; fingers slender and medium-sized, relative lengths I&lt;IV&lt;II&lt;III (Fig. 1 E); fingers not webbed; discs elliptical, slightly wider than long; outer metacarpal tubercle large, bifid; inner metacarpal tubercle elliptical, weakly developed; subarticular tubercles evident, rounded, single; subarticular tubercle in the fourth finger more developed than others.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Legs moderately robust; tibia longer than thigh; sum of thigh and tibia size smaller than SVL; toe disks elliptical, faintly wider than long, about the size of the finger disks; toes with relative lengths I&lt;II&lt;V&lt;III&lt;IV (Fig. 1 D); feet with round metatarsal tubercles (inner more developed than outer); subarticular tubercles evident, rounded and single; numerous tubercles on the posterior skin of the feet and tarsus. Webbing formula I &ndash; II 2 + &ndash; 3+ III 2 &ndash; 3 + IV 3 &ndash; 2 V; dorsal skin with a few tubercles; ventral skin rugose; belly and chest granular.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Dorsum light-gray with an evident interorbital dark bar; discreet dark line on the canthus rostralis; dark longitudinal stripe originating at edge of each eye and running towards and nearly reaching the inguinal region; transversal dark bars originating on each inguinal region and converging on the third portion of the dorsum in an inverted V-shaped figure; transversal dark bars along arms and legs until the tips of fingers and toes; gula region with some irregular dark patches; ventral surfaces white, but darker on the undersurfaces of tibia, tarsus, feet and cloacal region. In life, the hidden portion of thigh, calf and inguinal region with some irregular bright yellow colored patches. In preservative, these patches become white.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;b&gt;Measurements of the holotype (mm)&lt;/b&gt;. SVL 19.34, HEL 7.05, HW 6.94, THL 8.87, TBL 10.01, FL 7.27, HL 5.18, ED 2.53, TD 1.05, IOD 2.25, END 2.42, IND 1.95.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; nant frequency of &lt;i&gt;Scinax cosenzai&lt;/i&gt; &lt;b&gt;sp. nov.&lt;/b&gt;. *One of the calls with one pair of merged notes **Two of the calls with one pair of&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;merged notes.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;b&gt;7&lt;/b&gt; (3)* 1338.48 (1247.06&ndash;1428.63; 183.68 (30.00&ndash;372.93; 4027.82 (3877.77&ndash;4316.09;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;SD=90.79) SD=121.72; n=17) SD=249.72)&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;b&gt;10&lt;/b&gt; (2)** 942.75; 1132.19 68.53 (13.75&ndash;210.75; 3949.33; 4135.09 SD=54.74; n=16)&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;b&gt;11&lt;/b&gt; (3)* 1380.33 (1062.75&ndash;1580.25; 88.07 (18.18&ndash;403.43; 3984.85 (3941.26&ndash;4070.48;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;SD=278.09) SD=98.73; n=29) SD=74.16)&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;b&gt;12&lt;/b&gt; (3)* 1748.08 (1266.12&ndash;2066.75; 106.81 (10.37&ndash;443.25; 4568.52 (4563.14&ndash;4571.21;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;SD=242.26) SD=125.22; n=32) SD=4.66)&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;b&gt;13&lt;/b&gt; (1) 1790.50 94.24 (23.37&ndash;487.81; 4175.47 SD=134.43; n=12)&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;b&gt;14&lt;/b&gt; (1) 1784.69 87.16 (10.00&ndash;381.87; 4127.01 SD=109.69; n=13)&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;b&gt;Variation.&lt;/b&gt; In preservative, as in life, coloration of dorsum varies from clear-gray to dark-gray (Fig. 2). Interorbital and dorsal bars are not evident in some individuals. Webbing formulae varies among specimens I &ndash; II 2 &ndash; 3 + III (2+ &ndash; 2-) &ndash; (3+ &ndash; 3) IV 3 + &ndash; 2 V. Females are larger than males. Range, mean and standard deviation of the measurements of 30 males and seven females are given in Table 2.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;b&gt;Character Male (N=30) Female (N=7)&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;b&gt;Natural history notes.&lt;/b&gt; Calling activity was more common during the rainy season at night. As observed in others species from the &lt;i&gt;S. perpusillus&lt;/i&gt; group (Oliveira &amp; Navas 2004; Brasileiro &lt;i&gt;et al&lt;/i&gt;. 2007a), &lt;i&gt;Scinax cosenzai&lt;/i&gt; &lt;b&gt;sp&lt;/b&gt;. &lt;b&gt;nov&lt;/b&gt;. was more frequently found in clustered bromeliads. We observed a few spawnings, with one or two eggs each, stuck to lateral leaves (as also reported for other species of the group by Alves-Silva &amp; Silva 2009) a few centimeters above the water accumulated by the bromeliad. Tadpoles were also observed in the water of bromeliads and frequently two individuals were observed sharing the same leaf axil. When we were noticed by the tadpoles they usually dived to the bottom of the accumulated water, as also reported for &lt;i&gt;Scinax tupinamba&lt;/i&gt; by Silva and Alves- Silva (2009).&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;b&gt;Distribution&lt;/b&gt;. The new species seems to be abundant in &lt;i&gt;Alcantarea extensa&lt;/i&gt; (Bromeliaceae), a ground bromeliad commonly found in the rocky outcrops from Parque Estadual da Serra do Brigadero&mdash;PESB (Fig. 5), a conservation unit with approximately 13,000 ha from the Atlantic Rain Forest biome managed by Instituto Estadual de Florestas&mdash;IEF, in the northern part of the Mantiqueira Mountain Range Complex, State of Minas Gerais (Cruz &lt;i&gt;et al&lt;/i&gt;. 2007; Caramaschi &lt;i&gt;et al&lt;/i&gt;. 2008). We collected specimens from two rocky outcrops: the type locality, located in the PESB, and another outcrop, located in the surroundings of the PESB (Fig. 5). As &lt;i&gt;Alcantarea extensa&lt;/i&gt; is commonly found in others rocky outcrops from the Zona da Mata region in the State of Minas Gerais (Versieux &amp; Wendt 2006), we believe that the new species may also occur in some of these other rocky outcrops and may not be in danger of extinction.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;b&gt;Etymology.&lt;/b&gt; The specific name honors the biologist Braz Ant&ocirc;nio Pereira Cosenza for his contributions to the studies of flora and fauna of Serra do Brigadeiro.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;b&gt;Additional remarks.&lt;/b&gt; As observed by Silva and Alves-Silva (2008), species from the &lt;i&gt;Scinax perpusillus&lt;/i&gt; group from outside the geographic limits sampled by Peixoto (1987), usually referred to as &lt;i&gt;Scinax perpusillus&lt;/i&gt;, &lt;i&gt;Scinax&lt;/i&gt; aff. &lt;i&gt;perpusillus&lt;/i&gt; or &lt;i&gt;Scinax&lt;/i&gt; gr. &lt;i&gt;perpusillus&lt;/i&gt; (see Heyer &lt;i&gt;et al&lt;/i&gt;. 1990; Pombal &amp; Gordo 2004; Oliveira &amp; Navas 2004; Carvalho-e-Silva &lt;i&gt;et al&lt;/i&gt;. 2008; Feio &lt;i&gt;et al&lt;/i&gt;. 2008; Bertoluci &lt;i&gt;et al&lt;/i&gt;. 2009; Lacerda &lt;i&gt;et al&lt;/i&gt;. 2009), may represent species not yet recognized and described. In spite of such problematic taxonomy, the advertisement call of only five species has been somewhat described (&lt;i&gt;Scinax arduous, S. insperatus, S. peixotoi, S. perpusillus&lt;/i&gt; and &lt;i&gt;S. v-signatus&lt;/i&gt;). However, the vocalization of these species has been described in two different manners: Heyer &lt;i&gt;et al&lt;/i&gt;. 1990, Pombal and Bastos (2003) and Brasileiro &lt;i&gt;et al.&lt;/i&gt; 2007a described each call of a call series while Alves-Silva and Silva (2009) and Silva and Alves-Silva (2008) referred to the entire call series as a single call, referring to notes and pulses what previous studies considered respectively as single calls and notes. We agree with Silva and Alves-Silva (2011) in believing that these previous studies did not consider the social interactions during vocalizations and that the described vocalization probably represents only a part of the entire call (herein referred to as call series). We did not compare the vocalization of &lt;i&gt;S. cosenzai&lt;/i&gt; &lt;b&gt;sp. nov&lt;/b&gt;. to those described for &lt;i&gt;S. insperatus, S. perpusillus&lt;/i&gt; and &lt;i&gt;S. v-signatus&lt;/i&gt; presented by Alves-Silva and Silva (2009) and Silva and Alves-Silva (2011) because these studies described only duets, or calls emitted when a female approached the male, while the recorded vocalizations from &lt;i&gt;S. cosenzai&lt;/i&gt; &lt;b&gt;sp. nov.&lt;/b&gt; were emitted by isolated males. We agree with Alves-Silva and Silva (2009) and Silva and Alves-Silva (2011) in considering further investigation necessary in order to establish the universality of call structure for the species from the &lt;i&gt;S. perpusillus&lt;/i&gt; group.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; As observed in Figure 6, the type localities of &lt;i&gt;Scinax alcatraz&lt;/i&gt;, &lt;i&gt;S. faivovichi&lt;/i&gt; and &lt;i&gt;S. peixotoi&lt;/i&gt; are associated to coastal islands from the state of S&atilde;o Paulo (until now, considered endemic to these islands). &lt;i&gt;Scinax littoreous, S.&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;i&gt;perpusillus&lt;/i&gt; and &lt;i&gt;S. tupinamba&lt;/i&gt; have type localities associated to lowland coastal areas in the state of Rio de Janeiro. &lt;i&gt;Scinax arduous&lt;/i&gt; and &lt;i&gt;S. belloni&lt;/i&gt; have distribution associated to mountain regions in the state of Esp&iacute;rito Santo, while &lt;i&gt;S. insperatus&lt;/i&gt;, &lt;i&gt;S. melloi&lt;/i&gt; and &lt;i&gt;S. v-signatus&lt;/i&gt; are found in the state of Rio de Janeiro and &lt;i&gt;S. atratus&lt;/i&gt; in the state of S&atilde;o Paulo. &lt;i&gt;Scinax cosenzai&lt;/i&gt; &lt;b&gt;sp. nov.&lt;/b&gt; is the first species belonging to the &lt;i&gt;S. perpusillus&lt;/i&gt; group described in the State of Minas Gerais.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; Bertoluci &lt;i&gt;et al&lt;/i&gt;. 2009 provided the record of specimens

Amphisbaena mertensii (Squamata: Amphis-baenidae): Notes on natural history, distribution, and morphology

Amphisbaena mertensii is a worm lizard species from South America. Because of its subterranean life-style, data on its biology are scarce. In this paper, we present the first record of A. mertensii as prey of a bird, the wood rail Aramides cajaneus. We also review the geographic range of this species, reporting it for 114 localities from west-central Brazil to northeastern Argentina. We update the range of precloacal pores in A. mertensii from 5–8 to 4–8, and report the largest individual of this species with a 458 mm snout-vent length