Multiple connections between Amazonia and Atlantic Forest shaped the T phylogenetic and morphological diversity of Chiasmocleis Mehely, 1904 (Anura: Microhylidae: Gastrophryninae)

Chiasmocleis is the most species-rich genus of Neotropical microhylids. Herein, we provide the first comprehensive multilocus phylogeny for the genus, including all but 3 of the 34 recognized species and multiple individuals per species. We discuss cryptic speciation, species discovery, patterns of morphological evolution, and provide a historical biogeographic analysis to account for the current distribution of the genus. Diversification of Chiasmocleis from other New World microhylids began during the Eocene, app. 40 mya, in forested areas, and current diversity seems to be a product of recurrent connections between the Atlantic Forest and Amazonia. Small-sized species evolved independently three times in Chiasmocleis. Furthermore, the extremely small-bodied (i.e. miniaturized) species with associated loss of digits, phalanges, and pectoral girdle cartilages evolved only once and are restricted to Amazonia. Using the phylogeny, we recognized three subgenera within Chiasmocleis: Chiasmocleis Méhely, 1904, Relictus subg. nov., and Syncope Walker, 1973. The recognition of the subgenus Syncopeinforms future research on patterns of miniaturization in the genus, and the subgenus Relictus highlights isolation of an endemic and species-poor lineage to the Atlantic Forest, early (about 40 mya) in the history of Chiasmocleis

Amphibians of Santa Teresa, Brazil: The Hotspot Further Evaluated

A checklist of the amphibians of Santa Teresa municipality, in southeastern Brazil is presented based on fieldwork, examination of specimens in collections, and a literature review. This new amphibian list of Santa Teresa includes 108 species, of which 106 (~98%) belong to Anura and two (~2%) to Gymnophiona. Hylidae was the most represented family with 47 species (43%). Compared to the previous amphibian lists for Santa Teresa, 14 species were added, 17 previously reported species were removed, and 13 species were re-identified based on recent taxonomic rearrangements. Of the 14 species added, 11 (79%) were first recorded during our fieldwork and specimen examination. It is also the first list of caecilians for Santa Teresa. This list suggests that Santa Teresa has 0.16 species per km2 (i.e., 108 species/683 km2), one of the highest densities of amphibian species in the world at a regional scale. This richness represents 78% of the 136 anurans from Espírito Santo state and 10% of the 1,080 amphibians from Brazil. We highlight the need for long-term monitoring to understand population trends and develop effective conservation plans to safeguard this remarkable amphibian richness

The Advertisement Calls and Distribution of Two Sympatric Species of \u3cem\u3eChiasmocleis\u3c/em\u3e (Méhely 1904) (Anura, Microhylidae, Gastrophryninae) from the Atlantic Forest

The advertisement calls of Chiasmocleis cordeiroi and C. crucis are described for populations from the municipalities of Igrapiúna and Camacan, respectively, state of Bahia, Brazil. Both calls consist of multipulsed notes produced in series. Differences between the two calls are: dominant frequency, higher in C. cordeiroi (range 4500-4898 Hz; C. crucis range 4069-4435 Hz); note rate, higher in C. cordeiroi (range 6.20--7.46 s/note; C. crucis range 5.17-5.59 s/note); pulse rate, higher in C. cordeiroi (151.82-194.83 s/note; C. crucis range 125.30- 142.12 s/note); and the structure of the modulation patterns of the notes. Moreover, the advertisement calls of C. crucis and C. cordeiroi are more similar than the calls of all syntopic congeners. Furthermore, the current distribution of both species was extended

Photography-based taxonomy is inadequate, unnecessary, and potentially harmful for biological sciences

The question whether taxonomic descriptions naming new animal species without type specimen(s) deposited in collections should be accepted for publication by scientific journals and allowed by the Code has already been discussed in Zootaxa (Dubois & Nemésio 2007; Donegan 2008, 2009; Nemésio 2009a–b; Dubois 2009; Gentile & Snell 2009; Minelli 2009; Cianferoni & Bartolozzi 2016; Amorim et al. 2016). This question was again raised in a letter supported by 35 signatories published in the journal Nature (Pape et al. 2016) on 15 September 2016. On 25 September 2016, the following rebuttal (strictly limited to 300 words as per the editorial rules of Nature) was submitted to Nature, which on 18 October 2016 refused to publish it. As we think this problem is a very important one for zoological taxonomy, this text is published here exactly as submitted to Nature, followed by the list of the 493 taxonomists and collection-based researchers who signed it in the short time span from 20 September to 6 October 2016

A brief inventory of sand flies (Diptera, Psychodidae) from the National Forest of the Rio Preto, state of the Espírito Santo, southeastern Brazil

The inventories on sand flies are usually conducted for a long period in leishmaniasis-endemic regions. Thus, there is little data on the sand fly fauna in areas where no leishmaniasis cases have been reported. Therefore, we conducted an inventory to study the sand fly fauna in the National Forest of Rio Preto (NFRP). We carried out a brief inventory by using four CDC light traps in 2009 during winter and summer. We collected 1,403 sand flies belonging to 11 genera and 22 species. As expected, we did not find in the NFRP region sand flies species that have been reported as vectors of Leishmania. However, we found some species of sand flies with few records and that rarely have been reported in southeastern Brazil. Nevertheless, the diversity and species richness of the sand flies in NFRP were similar to those reported in other Atlantic Forest conservation areas. Hence, we drew the following conclusions: (i) it is necessary to carry out inventories not only in leishmaniasis-endemic areas but also in areas with no records of this disease; and (ii) brief inventories can be useful in describing the sand fly fauna in such areas

Data from: Fully-sampled phylogenies of squamates reveal evolutionary patterns in threat status

Macroevolutionary rates of diversification and anthropogenic extinction risk differ vastly throughout the Tree of Life. This results in a highly heterogeneous distribution of Evolutionary distinctiveness (ED) and threat status among species. We examine the phylogenetic distribution of ED and threat status for squamates (amphisbaenians, lizards, and snakes) using fully-sampled phylogenies containing 9574 species and expert-based estimates of threat status for ~ 4000 species. We ask whether threatened species are more closely related than would be expected by chance and whether high-risk species represent a disproportionate amount of total evolutionary history. We found currently-assessed threat status to be phylogenetically clustered at broad level in Squamata, suggesting it is critical to assess extinction risks for close relatives of threatened lineages. Our findings show no association between threat status and ED, suggesting that future extinctions may not result in a disproportionate loss of evolutionary history. Lizards in degraded tropical regions (e.g., Madagascar, India, Australia, and the West Indies) seem to be at particular risk. A low number of threatened high-ED species in areas like the Amazon, Borneo, and Papua New Guinea may be due to a dearth of adequate risk assessments. It seems we have not yet reached a tipping point of extinction risk affecting a majority of species; 63% of the assessed species are not threatened and 56% are Least Concern. Nonetheless, our results show that immediate efforts should focus on geckos, iguanas, and chameleons, representing 67% of high-ED threatened species and 57% of Unassessed high-ED lineages

squam_shl_new_Posterior_9755.7000

Seventh 1000 fully-sampled squamate trees

squam_shl_new_Posterior_9755.1000

First 1000 fully-sampled squamate trees

Non-volant tetrapods from Reserva Biológica de Duas Bocas, State of Espírito Santo, Southeastern Brazil

Reserva Biológica de Duas Bocas (2,910 ha) is one of the largest Atlantic forest remnants in the State of Espírito Santo, Southeastern Brazil. We recorded non-volant tetrapods in this area from May 2007 through April 2008, using pitfalls, live traps, camera traps, and diurnal and nocturnal opportunistic searches. In addition, we compiled available museum and literature records from this area. We documented 52 species of amphibians, 24 species of non-avian reptiles, and 39 species of non-volant mammals. Out of these 115 species, 47 are new records for this area and six other species had their geographic ranges expanded with the present study. Furthermore, we present the record of predation of the tree frog Hypsiboas faber by the snake Chironius bicarinatus. Out of the species listed, five species are listed as threatened with extinction in the State of Espírito Santo, and many others have uncertain conservation status. Reserva Biológica de Duas Bocas is an important wildlife refuge, especially considering the expansion of urban areas in its surroundings