Morphological variation and geographical distribution of Luetkenotyphlus brasiliensis (Gymnophiona: Siphonopidae).

A distribuição geográfica de Luetkenotyphlus brasiliensis érevisada com base em dados de literatura e análise de espécimes recentemente coletados no Brasil. Informações inéditas sobre a variação do diastema vomeriano, dados merísticos e morfométricos para L. brasiliensis são fornecidas a partir da análise dos espécimes brasileiros.The geographical distribution of Luetkenotyphlus brasiliensis is reviewed based on data from the literature and examination of specimens recently collected in Brazil. We also provide new information on variation of the vomerine diastema, and meristic and morphometric data for L. brasiliensis based on Brazilianspecimens

Reptilia, Squamata, Amphisbaenidae, Anops bilabialatus: distribution extension, meristic data, and conservation

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Records of predation on Ophiodes striatus (Spix, 1824) (Squamata: Diploglossidae) by Oxyrhopus petolarius (Linnaeus, 1758) (Squamata: Dipsadidae) in the northern Atlantic Forest, Brazil

Information on basic aspects of the natural history of many snake species based on naturalistic observations is still scarce. Here we report Oxyrhopus petolarius, a medium-sized false coral snake with terrestrial habits, feeding on Ophiodes striatus, a medium-sized lizard with cylindrical and elongated body, with vestigial posterior limbs and absence of anterior ones. The snake was registered ingesting an individual of O. striatus and upon inspecting of its stomach contents, the presence of two other individuals of O. striatus in different stages of digestion was found.Asociación Herpetológica Argentin

Identification key for anuran amphibians in a protected area in the northeastern Atlantic Forest

The identification of anuran amphibians is still a challenge in megadiverse assemblages. In the Neotropics, the Atlantic Forest harbors more than 600 anuran species, and many studies in this ecoregion report anuran assemblages surpassing 30 species. Taxonomic keys facilitate the identification of biological diversity, however only a few are available for anuran assemblages in the Atlantic Forest. Herein we present an identification key for 40 anuran species distributed across 20 genera and nine families, occurring in the Environmental Protection Area of Catolé and Fernão Velho, northeastern Atlantic Forest. Thirty-five morphological characteristics were used in the key, all of which can be easily observed in living and museum specimens. This pioneer study provides the first identification key for an amphibian assemblage in the northeastern Atlantic Forest and this baseline information acts as the starting point for the development of evolutionary and ecological research in this conservation unit

Amphibia, Anura, Leptodactylidae, Leptodactylus paraensis Heyer, 2005: distribution extension, new state record, and geographic distribution map

This note reports the presence of Leptodactylus paraensis at the municipality of Cláudia, state of Mato Grosso, central Brazil. This is the first recorded for this species in Mato Grosso

Karyological study of Amphisbaena ridleyi (Squamata, Amphisbaenidae), an endemic species of the Archipelago of Fernando de Noronha, Pernambuco, Brazil

The karyotype of Amphisbaena ridleyi, an endemic species of the archipelago of Fernando de Noronha, in State of Pernambuco, Brazil, is described after conventional staining, Ag-NOR impregnation and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) with a telomeric probe. The diploid number is 46, with nine pairs of macrochromosomes (three metacentrics, four subtelocentrics and two acrocentrics) and 14 pairs of microchromosomes. The Ag-NOR is located in the telomeric region of the long arm of metacentric chromosome 2 and FISH revealed signals only in the telomeric region of all chromosomes. Further cytogenetic data on other amphisbaenians as well as a robust phylogenetic hypothesis of this clade is needed in order to understand the evolutionary changes on amphisbaenian karyotypes.Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)CNPqCoordenacao de Aperfeicoamento de Pessoal de Nivel Superior (CAPES

The Genus \u3cem\u3eOdontophrynus\u3c/em\u3e (Anura: Odontophrynidae): A Larval Perspective

The genus Odontophrynus consists of 11 species of medium-sized frogs distributed across south and east South America. This study examines and describes the chondrocrania and oral cavities of 0. americanus, 0. maisuma, 0. carvalhoi, and 0. cu/tripes, and reviews current knowledge about the larval external morphology of the genus. Twenty-one tadpoles were cleared and double-stained for chondrocranium description and five tadpoles were dissected for analysis in a scanning electron microscope. The presence of a tectum parientale may be considered here as a putative synapomorphy of the genus. The 0. americanus and 0. cu/tripes species groups were partially differentiated by the length of the processus pseudopterigoideus, shape of divergence of the hypobranchial plates, number of postnarial papillae, and number of projections of the lateral ridge papillae. The larvae of 0. occidentalis species group, in tum, differed from others by presenting a greater total length

Extensive introgression at late stages of species formation: Insights from grasshopper hybrid zones

The process of species formation is characterized by the accumulation of multiple reproductive barriers. The evolution of hybrid male sterility, or Haldane's rule, typically characterizes later stages of species formation, when reproductive isolation is strongest. Yet, understanding how quickly reproductive barriers evolve and their consequences for maintaining genetic boundaries between emerging species remains a challenging task because it requires studying taxa that hybridize in nature. Here, we address these questions using the meadow grasshopper Pseudochorthippus parallelus, where populations that show multiple reproductive barriers, including hybrid male sterility, hybridize in two natural hybrid zones. Using mitochondrial data, we infer that such populations diverged some 100,000 years ago, at the beginning of the last glacial cycle in Europe. Nuclear data show that contractions at multiple glacial refugia, and post-glacial expansions have facilitated genetic differentiation between lineages that today interact in hybrid zones. We find extensive introgression throughout the sampled species range, irrespective of the current strength of reproductive isolation. Populations exhibiting hybrid male sterility in two hybrid zones show repeatable patterns of genomic differentiation, consistent with shared genomic constraints affecting ancestral divergence or with the role of those regions in reproductive isolation. Together, our results suggest that reproductive barriers that characterize late stages of species formation can evolve relatively quickly, particularly when associated with strong demographic changes. Moreover, we show that such barriers persist in the face of extensive gene flow, allowing future studies to identify associated genomic regions