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We describe a new species of Amphisbaena from the Caatinga of northeastern Brazil. The new taxon is identified mainly by having 216–239 body annuli, 13–17 caudal annuli without autotomic site, 4–8 (usually six) precloacal pores without a median hiatus, 18–24 dorsal and 18–24 ventral segments at a midbody annulus, 4 supralabials, 3 infralabials, and postmalar row present. The continued discovery of new amphisbaenians from Caatinga highlights the insufficient current knowledge regarding the diversity of this group in this semiarid region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Complexes of the type trans -[PdCl 2 (HL)(PPh 3 )], where HL = pyrazole ( 1 ); 3,5-dimethylpyrazole ( 2 ); 4-nitropyrazole ( 3 ); 4-iodopyrazole ( 4 ) and PPh 3 = triphenylphosphine, were synthesized and characterized by elemental analyses, infrared and 1 H NMR spectroscopies. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction determination on 3 ·0.9 CHCl 3 and 4 showed that the coordination geometry around Pd(II) is nearly square-planar, with the chloro ligands in a trans configuration. In vitro antimycobacterial evaluation demonstrated that compound 4 displayed a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 7.61 ± 2.18 μM, being superior to the values observed for some commonly used antituberculosis drugs and other metal-based complexes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article explores the life history of teiid lizard Ameiva ameiva in northeastern Brazil, which is characterized by a semiarid climate and a remarkable seasonality in rainfall. The teiid lizard is one of the largest geographic distributions among lizards in the New World and it is commonly seen in Mexico, Central America and most of South America. The authors' study was done at the Ecological Station of the Serido and their work consisted of monthly sampling over three consecutive days from October 2008 - September 2010. They disclosed that adult A. ameiva continue to feed on small prey, which suggests competition for food among age classes.

The article provides information on a study which examined the variation in body temperature during activity and light exposure of Tropidurus (T.) hispidus and T. semitaeniatus lizards in a caatinga ecosystem in Rio Grande de Norte, Brazil. Researchers found that the body temperature of T. hispidus was not affected by the rainy and dry seasons, while the body temperature of T. semitaeniatus was higher in the rainy season. It has been noted that most body temperatures of both species were above substrate and air temperatures. It was observed that both species remained longer in cooler areas, as opposed to sun and cloudy light.

Information on gymnodactylus darwinii from Atlantic rainforest including information related to topics like its diet, the habitat in which it is found, and its physical traits is presented.

The article focuses on a study aiming to contribute knowledge regarding the reproductive biology of Bothrops erythromelas in Brazil. It discusses the number of days in captivity until parturition, offspring morphology as well as the relationship between litter size and female length. Information about the genus Bothrops is discussed.

The reproductive cycle of Squamata reptiles is often associated with environmental conditions, such as rainfall. In this respect, seasonal variations may affect the morphology of the ovarian follicles, which are associated with vitellogenesis. The present study describes histological alterations in the ovarian cycle of two lizard species, Tropidurus hispidus (Spix, 1825) and Tropidurus semitaeniatus (Spix, 1825), which inhabit a caatinga region in the state of Rio Grande do Norte. Our goal was to identify morphological differences in the ovarian follicles at each phase of vitellogenesis and to ascertain if they are associated with rainfall. Three follicular phases were identified in both species: previtellogenesis, vitellogenesis and follicular atresia. An additional phase, the luteal, was found only in T. hispidus. During the development of these phases, vitellus was deposited inside the oocyte and there were identifiable alterations in the granulosa and thecal layers. Rainfall was found to influence the gonadal cycle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]