We studied the reproductive biology of the endangered glassfrog Centrolene peristictum in a cloud forest of the Northwest slopes of the Ecuadorian Andes (15 December 2009–16 April 2010). During this season, 78 males were detected, most of which were calling from the underside of leaves of riverine vegetation at night. Their call was recorded and analyzed, and it resembles a cricket chirp. Each call has one pulsed note with a duration of 0.036–0.087 s and a dominant frequency of 6,470.7–7,278.2 Hz. Females placed the egg clutches mostly on the underside of leaves (92%), and eggs are guarded by males. Through a male removal experiment, we show that clutches without parental care have a significantly lower hatching rate than control clutches, and prolonged developmental time. Clutch mortality was mainly because of desiccation, with 64% of death in the removal group and 18% in control (P = 0.001, n = 60); other important causes of mortality of the egg clutches involved predation and parasitism.

The herbicide glyphosate is widely used on Brazilian crops and commonly found in water bodies. Despite its usefulness in controlling pests and increasing agricultural production, improper use of this environmental contaminant might accelerate the decline of species, especially frogs. The aim of this study was to evaluate the genotoxic and mutagenic effects of glyphosate Roundup Original^® in tadpoles of Dendropsophus minutus by comet assay and micronucleus test. Fourteen egg masses were collected in two permanent ponds in Chapada dos Veadeiros National Park in Alto Paraíso de Goiás, Brazil. Acute exposure was conducted with 180 tadpoles maintained for 99 d in a storage tank until developmental stages 26–31. During acclimation, tadpoles were distributed among 36 tanks and exposed to the following concentrations of the active ingredient (ai) glyphosate Roundup Original^®: 0.28 mg ai/L, 1.0 mg ai/L, 2.0 mg ai/L, 4.0 mg ai/L of, negative control (0 mg ai/L), and positive control (10 mg ai/L mitomycin C). After 96 h of exposure, the tadpoles were euthanized with 5% benzocaine and submitted to comet assay and micronucleus test. In the comet assay, a significant increase in DNA damage was observed in response to the 0.28 mg ai/L concentration for tail length, % DNA in the tail, and Olive tail moment. There was no dose-response effect at other concentrations. For the micronucleus test, we did not find a statistically significant increase in micronuclei in erythrocytes of D. minutus after 96 h of exposure to glyphosate. Therefore, in the present study we found that tadpoles of D. minutus are extremely sensitive to low concentrations of glyphosate, demonstrating the importance of amphibian tadpoles in studies of genotoxicity and mutagenicity.

We studied size, age, and growth in Chacophrys pierottii, a fossorial amphibian inhabiting the arid region of Gran Chaco, in northern Argentina. We provide the first detailed demographic data for this cryptic species using skeletochronology. We observed female-biased sexual size dimorphism but no differences in age parameters between the two sexes. Chacophrys pierottii has a short life span of up to 5 a, both males and females reaching sexual maturity after 1 a. Our results suggest that the rapid growth to maturity followed by a relatively short reproductive lifespan is a response to the constraints posed by arid environments. The life history parameters in the studied population of C. pierottii are in line with the observed patterns of other anurans inhabiting xeric habitats. Our study provides conservation managers with basic data required for the accurate assessment of the species status and the adoption of proper conservation strategies.

Amphisbaena bahiana was described by Vanzolini in 1964 on the basis of a single specimen from Villa Nova municipality (now Senhor do Bonfim), Bahia state, Brazil. The holotype was obtained approximately 100 years ago, and only three additional specimens have been mentioned in the literature subsequently. We report two additional specimens of A. bahiana collected recently at Antônio Gonçalves, Bahia, Brazil near the type locality in the northern Espinhaço Range. On the basis of this new material, we provide data on morphological variation, natural history, and phylogeny. Amphisbaena bahiana was recovered as the sister species of A. uroxena, also from the Espinhaço Range.

Within the semiarid Caatinga of Brazil, a biome dominated by a xeric arboreal-arbustive vegetation, many lizards are restricted to forest remnants associated with highlands. Although critical for conservation, data to understand the constraints on the distribution of those potential climate relicts are almost nonexistent. Here, we studied aspects of the ecology of the relict forest lizard Colobosauroides carvalhoi (Gymnophthalmidae) in the Caatinga of southern Piauí, northeastern Brazil. We combined data obtained through active sampling with voluntary thermal maximum (VTM) and measurements of environmental temperatures made in different habitats, microhabitats, and seasons to test the prediction that thermal constraints explain the local distribution and abundance of this species. In four field trips, we captured 22 individuals in pitfall traps and 93 in active searches, all in canyon-like valleys covered with semi-deciduous forests. Using plot sampling, we observed that density decreased as distance from rock cliffs increased. Density did not differ among sampling localities but varied among seasons. Field body temperatures were similar to soil temperatures under the leaf litter and lower than air and surface temperatures. Environmental temperatures in forests were lower than the VTM estimated for C. carvalhoi, especially under the leaf litter. Nevertheless, environmental temperatures usually exceeded the VTM at forest borders and in caatingas, in which the species was absent. Our results confirm that C. carvalhoi is spatially constrained to patches of semi-deciduous forests and suggest that its low thermal tolerance likely prevents it from occurring or dispersing through xeric habitats that predominates in Caatinga.

Allobates paleovarzensis is a diurnal leaf-litter anuran of the Dendrobatoidea superfamily inhabiting Amazonian forests. Based on behavioral field observations, conducted between 2008–2017 at three localities, we describe the courtship, mating, parental care behavior and territoriality of the species. Vocal activity is more intense in the morning and during the rainy season. Resident males respond aggressively to other males that invade their territories, whereas females are not territorial. Females are attracted by the advertisement call of males and enter their territories to breed. The male courtship call has a lower frequency than the advertisement call, indicating that males can modulate the frequency characteristics of their vocalizations. Amplexus stimulates the release of oocytes by females. Males attend multiple egg clutches within their territories and transport tadpoles on their backs to aquatic habitats. Males carry up to 60 tadpoles on a single transport event—the largest number ever recorded for Allobates. We did not record male nor female cannibalism of tadpoles. In summary, we found that Allobates paleovarzensis is a polygamous species with uniparental care performed by the male, complex courtship behavior, high fecundity, and territoriality related to male competition for space and females.

On the basis of morphological and molecular evidence, we describe a new species of lizard of the genus Pholidobolus, previously conflated with P. vertebralis, from a paramo ecosystem in the northern Cordillera Central of Colombia. Our results support the recognition of the new species and suggest it is not closely related to P. vertebralis. Morphologically, the new species is distinguished from its congeners by coloration pattern, scutelation and hemipenial morphology. In light of the new evidence, we discuss the validity of available names, putative synapomorphies and the biogeography of the genus Pholidobolus in its northern distribution.

We present a molecular phylogeny of Rhinatrematidae on the basis of three mitochondrial and four nuclear genes and describe two new species of Rhinatrema from the Guianan region of Brazil, both of which were previously conflated with R. ron. Our phylogenetic results show that at least one species of Epicrionops is nested within the Rhinatrema clade. Although our taxon sampling is limited, we reallocated E. niger in the genus Rhinatrema in order to avoid paraphyly. The phylogeny supports our new species described here. One of the new species is closely related to R. bivittatum in a clade that also includes R. shiv. The other new species is sister to all other sampled Rhinatrema and is morphologically similar to R. ron but differs in number of annuli and in the condition of the oral mucosa. The known distribution of R. ron is now restricted to the type locality.

Snakes of the tribe Dipsadini feed mostly on annelids, slugs, and snails. Some species that feed exclusively on snails are able to de-shell their prey prior ingestion. On the basis of dissection of preserved specimens from museums, we report the dietary habits of three species of Sibynomorphus from Brazil. Eighteen to 26% of the snakes had stomach contents, varying from 1–8 items, and the number of prey was not correlated with snake size. Prey mass was positively correlated with snake mass, but relative prey mass decreased with increasing snake size. Prey mass represented less than 5% of the predator mass for all species. Sibynomorphus neuwiedi and S. mikanii only had Veronicellidae slugs in their digestive tract, whereas S. ventrimaculatus also included snails in their diet. Sibynomorphus mikanii ingested most prey rear-first, but there was no difference in direction of prey ingestion by the other two species. Snake morphology differed among species and provided insights into habitat use and feeding habits. Sibynomorphus neuwiedi was the largest species and had the longest tail. Its eyes were also larger than those of S. mikanii, which, together with tail size, suggests more arboreal habits. Sibynomorphus ventrimaculatus had the largest head relatie to the body, which might facilitate ingestion of snails. In summary, the three species of Sibynomporphus are slug specialists. Like other goo-eaters, these snakes feed on very small and low caloric prey, which might require them to feed frequently. This hypothesis is supported by the larger number of prey ingested by these snakes compared to non-goo-eater species of Dipsadini.