Search

Copyright of Austral Ecology is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Biota Neotropica (Edicao em Iingles) is the property of Biota Neotropica and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

In this study, we report additional cannibalism and predation events in Tropidurus hispidus and, by reviewing our data with that found in the literature, we quantify the relative importance of vertebrate categories as prey for T. hispidus. In addition, we provide an ethogram for events related to territoriality, courting and copulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Biota Neotropica (Edicao em Iingles) is the property of Biota Neotropica and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

In this study, we report new dietary data about the South American dipsadine snake Philodryas nattereri in the Caatinga ecoregion of northeastern Brazil. Our observations in the wild include predation on a large-sized lizard, an adult bird, venomous toads, a snake, bird chicks inside nests, and a mammal. Besides that, we compared the diet composition of P. nattereri between the Caatinga and the Cerrado ecoregions of Brazil, by pooling our original data with all available literature records. We found a significant difference in the diet of P. nattereri between these two regions: lizards comprise the predominant prey category for P. nattereri in the Caatinga, whereas mammals stand out as the most reported prey in the Cerrado. Our results evidence generalist and opportunistic feeding habits of P. nattereri, one of the most common snake species in Brazil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses cannibalism in the species Leptodactylus Vastus and Physalaemus Cuvieri. It mentions that cannibalism among tadpoles can be advantageous, eliminating potential competitors and providing a higher rate of development and growth, thus increasing survival in relation to non-cannibalistic individuals. It states that competition, due to the high population density of L. vastus tadpoles in the artificial tank may have been the cause for their cannibalistic behavior.

The article focuses on Amphisbaena alba, a limbless fossorial lizard, and reports a novel avian predator, the Cariama cristata (Red-legged Seriema), preying on an adult A. alba in Brazil.

Whereas the external larval morphology of some species of Adenomera has been described, their internal morphology remains poorly studied. In this work, we provide information on the reproductive features and larval morphology of populations of Adenomera from northeastern Argentina and southwestern Brazil, including the first description of the chondrocranium and hyobranchial apparatus for a member of the genus Adenomera. We found that, morphologically, the buccal cavity of A. diptyx is more similar to that of the species of the Leptodactylus fuscus group than to that of A. marmorata, the only species of Adenomera whose buccal cavity is known. Adenomera diptyx shares with the species of the L. fuscus group a semicircular crest in the prenarial region, two pairs of infralabial papillae, four lingual papillae, and few papillae on the roof and the floor of the cavity. The chondrocranial morphology of A. diptyx exhibits all the characters that characterise all members of the genus Leptodactylus and several characters that are shared with the L. fuscus group: wide suprarostrals with U-shaped corpora in frontal view, long and narrow cornua, long and finger-like processi anterolaterali on the otic capsules, a posterior curvature of the palaquadrate at the level of the point of attachment of the processus ascendens of the orbital cartilage, a processus ascendens that is almost perpendicular to the main axis of the body, a connection between the processus ascendens and the orbital cartilage just posterior to the oculomotor foramen, and a processus branchialis that is open between ceratobranchials II and III. Considering that the phylogenetic relationships between Adenomera and Leptodactylus are still discussed and that information on the larval morphology of Adenomera species is scarce, new studies are necessary for a more exhaustive analysis, including further data about the internal larval morphology of Adenomera species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Traditionally, the evolution of terrestrial reproduction in anurans from ancestors that bred in water has been accepted in the literature. Still, the existence of intermediate stages of water dependency, such as species that lay eggs close to water (e.g., in burrows) instead of in bodies of water, supports the hypothesis of an ordered and gradual evolution in the direction of a more terrestrial form of reproduction. However, this conventional view has recently been challenged for some anurans groups. Leptodactylinae frogs are a remarkable example of anurans with an outstanding diversity in terms of reproductive features, with distinct water dependency among lineages. Here, we tested the hypothesis of a gradual and ordered tendency towards terrestriality in Leptodactylinae, including the existence of obligatory intermediate stages, such as semi-terrestrial reproductive strategies. We also addressed the association between reproductive modes and the morphological and ecological features. Results: An ancestral reconstruction analysis indicated that even though shifts from aquatic to terrestrial breeding occurred throughout the history of Leptodactylus and Adenomera, shifts from terrestrial to aquatic reproduction happened at almost the same frequency. Our results also demonstrated that reproductive modes for semi-terrestrial tadpoles were not necessarily an intermediate form between aquatic and terrestrial breeds. Correlations among reproductive modes and other life-history traits suggested that tadpole environment, clutch size, nuptial spines, and egg pigmentation were co-evolving and driven by water dependency. Conclusions: Our results found no evidence of evolutionary tendencies toward terrestriality in Leptodactylinae. We found reversals from terrestrial to aquatic tadpole development and no evidence of obligatory intermediate stages, such as semi-terrestrial reproductive strategies. We also found correlations between reproductive modes and other life-history traits driven by water dependence. Aquatic reproductive modes are associated with higher clutch sizes, lentic waters, and the presence of nuptial spines and egg pigmentation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the diet of Pseudoboa nigra, a nocturnal and terrestrial snake that is widely distributed throughout Brazil.

The article presents a study on Dipsas variegata snakes' aberrant coloration. It reports that color anomalies, although unusual, are reported for many animals, including snakes. It mentions that most current studies on animals with anomalies in coloration classify them as partial leucism, leucism, albinism and melanism.

The article offers information on snake specie Dendrophidion atlantica. It mentions that the same is restricted to some remnants of Atlantic Forest in northeastern Brazil, more specifically, in the states of Alagoas. It also mentions that Dendrophidion atlantica has diurnal activity and terrestrial habits but can be found on low vegetation.

In this work, we record the first occurrence of Hyalinobatrachium mondolfii from the state of Acre. It is the second record from Brazil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rhinella poeppigii, member of the Rhinella marina group, which currently consists of 11 species, inhabits primarily cloud forests in the central Andes of Peru, Ecuador, and Bolivia, reaching lowlands adjacent to the Andes, at elevations of 260-1800 m. This work presents the first record of R. poeppigii in Brazil, from the municipality of Assis Brasil, in the state of Acre. This record extends the distribution of the species 242 km northeast of the nearest record in Explorer's Inn, Madre de Dios province, Peru. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]