A new species, belonging to the Hypsiboas polytaenius clade, is described from the Parque Estadual do Cerrado (24°10′S, 49°40′W, 659 m elevation), Municipality of Jaguariaíva, State of Paraná, Southern Brazil. Hypsiboas jaguariaivensis sp. nov. is characterized by its medium size (SVL 23.9–28.8 mm in males), head width about 29% of SVL, snout rounded in dorsal and lateral views, supra-cloacal crest and calcar absent, webbing poorly developed between fingers, moderately developed between toes, and dorsal color pattern composed of two pale brown longitudinal stripes extending from the snout to the end of body with a longitudinal sinuous, thin, dark brown stripe between them at mid-body and three pale brown, thin stripes laterally to them; delimiting the dorsal surface and flanks, a conspicuous white stripe extending from the snout, passing over the outer edge of the upper eyelid, to the end of body, delimited dorsally and ventrally by a dark brown line; laterally, a wide, dark brown stripe extending from the snout to the groin, passing over the eye and tympanum; below this wide stripe, a white stripe from the tip of snout, passing over the maxillary border, below the tympanum, and reaching the middle of the flank. The dorsal color pattern separates the new species from all others of the H. polytaenius clade.

Herein, we report on direct and indirect evidence of tail luring by the golden lancehead, Bothrops insularis (Viperidae), a threatened snake species endemic to a small island off the coast of South-eastern Brazil. Tail luring was recorded for a juvenile male in nature and circumstantial evidence indicates that it was directed to ectothermic prey. Indeed, B. insularis juveniles feed on small lizards and frogs and tail luring is probably an important hunting strategy of this species. Adult golden lanceheads prey mostly on birds. A frequently seen characteristic ambush posture, coiled with the conspicuous tail tip exposed close to the head, indicates that they use tail luring as well. Lured birds may peck at a snake's tail, and the high frequency of tail tip injuries in B. insularis (20.9%) compared to a continental sister species that rarely preys on birds (B. jararaca, 7.3%) strengthens the view that B. insularis adults lure birds.

The rock frog (Thoropa taophora) dwells from rocky seashores to rocky outcrops within the Atlantic rainforest on coastal areas of the state of São Paulo, southeastern Brazil. In this study, we provide data on the food habits of a rock frog population focusing on ontogenetic, sexual, and seasonal variation. The study was based on the examination of 356 individuals (154 adults, 82 juveniles and 120 froglets). A total of 26 invertebrate types were found in the diet of T. taophora. The commonest prey types in the three size classes (adults, juveniles and froglets) of rock frogs were ants, both in frequency and number. Prey composition differed significantly among size classes, except for beetles and spiders. Prey composition of males and females also differed significantly: females had a high proportion of marine isopods, caddisfly nymphs, and orthopterans in the diet, whereas males had a high proportion of ants and caterpillars. Seasonal changes in diet (all significant) in the three size classes include froglets eating more springtails and less mites in the dry season, juveniles eating more marine isopods during the wet season (similar difference for adult males), and adult females eating more ants during the wet season.

A new species of blindsnake is described from the gallery forests of the Brazilian Cerrado. The new species differs from all other known Brazilian species of Leptotyphlopidae by a combination of scale counts, the shape of the snout in lateral view, and color pattern. The new species most closely resembles Epictia tenella, from which it can be distinguished by the lack of contact between the supraocular and first labial scales, a higher number of mid-dorsal scales, and a sloped snout.

We describe a new species of Ischnocnema from Santa Teresa, in the Atlantic Rainforest of the State of Espírito Santo, Brazil. Ischnocnema abdita sp. nov. is a member of the Ischnocnema lactea species series; it differs from other Ischnocnema mainly by presenting small size (adult male SVL 15.7 ±0.49 mm; range 15.0–16.8 mm); small discs on fingers I and II, and elliptical, wider than long, moderate sized discs on fingers III and IV; and finger I slightly smaller than finger II. The new species closely resembles Ischnocnema bolbodactyla, differing from it by presenting upper and lower margins of iris red in life; inguinal region with many yellow blotches in life; posterior region of belly and ventral surfaces of thighs, shanks, and feet roughly marbled with large pale yellow blotches; and hidden dorsal area of thighs dark brown with few large pale yellow blotches.

The tadpole of Ranitomeya variabilis is described based on preserved specimens from captive breed specimens. The tadpole of R. variabilis is similar to other dendrobatid tadpoles regarding tooth row formula, body shape, location of the spiracle, vent tube, and oral disc. It differs from other dendrobatid species, e.g., Allobates, Oophaga, and Phyllobates, in various aspects such as the absence of submarginal papillae, the shape of the jaw sheath, interorbital distance, and total length. Ranitomeya variabilis tadpoles undergo ontogenetic changes in the number of marginal papillae, the presence of jaw sheath serrations, jaw sheath keratinization, and tail color. The facultative cannibalistic feeding behavior of R. variabilis is discussed with respect to the species feeding ecology.

Species richness is central to ecological theory, with practical applications in conservation, environmental management and monitoring. Several techniques are available for measuring species richness and composition of amphibians in breeding pools, but the relative efficacy of these methods for sampling high-diversity Neotropical amphibian fauna is poorly understood. I evaluated seven studies from south and south-eastern Brazil to compare the relative and combined effectiveness of two methods for measuring species richness at anuran breeding pools: acoustic surveys with visual encounter of adults and dipnet surveys of larvae. I also compared the relative efficacy of each survey method in detecting species with different reproductive modes. Results showed that both survey methods underestimated the number of species when used separately; however, a close approximation of the actual number of species in each breeding pool was obtained when the methods were combined. There was no difference between survey methods in detecting species with different reproductive modes. These results indicate that researchers should employ multiple survey methods that target both adult and larval life history stages in order to accurately assess anuran species richness at breeding pools in the Neotropics.

Knowledge of the calls and reproductive biology of the anurans inhabiting Venezuelan lowlands is scarce. The advertisement calls and calling habits of 17 anuran species (Bufonidae, Hylidae, Leiuperidae, Leptodactylidae and Microhylidae) from a locality in the Central Llanos of Venezuela are described here. Advertisement calls were recorded in the field and analyzed. The abundance of active males was estimated through call surveys performed in natural and anthropogenic habitats and ecotones; the microhabitat at calling positions was also described. Calls were divided into pulsed and non-pulsed frequency modulated. There was substantial variation in call traits between species, thus acoustic segregation was well defined. Patterns of acoustic similarity among pulsed calls were related to call duration, number of notes per call and pulse duration, and to modulation type (downward or upward) and rate of modulation among non-pulsed frequency modulated calls. The most abundant species in the community were Physalaemus fischeri, Pseudis paradoxa and Engystomops pustulosus. Temporal (monthly) segregation was not evident. Engystomops pustulosus was the most generalist species, occupying both anthropogenic and natural habitats. Leptodactylus bolivianus and Dendropsophus minusculus were habitat specialists. Moderately flooded grassland (herbaceous bajío) was the most diverse habitat and the sand hill was the least diverse. Analysis of acoustic characteristics and habitat preferences indicated that call similarity in some traits was opposed by segregation in others, and also by habitat and/or microhabitat segregation. Qualitatively, the results showed a pattern found by several previous studies on anuran communities in the tropics.

The tadpole of Proceratophrys renalis is described based on specimens from Maceió, State of Alagoas, northeastern Brazil. At stage 35 the body is slightly dorso-ventrally depressed, ovoid in lateral, dorsal, and ventral views. Oral disc is ventral with lateral emarginations, surrounded by a single row of marginal papillae with a large gap on the upper labium. Labial tooth row formula is 2(2)/3(1). The analysis of internal oral anatomy revealed two possible characters that readily distinguish P. renalis from P. boiei, supporting the recent ressurection of P. renalis. Comparisons with available descriptions of the larvae for other species in the genus are provided.

The tadpoles of Physalaemus albifrons used in this description were obtained from a pair collected in a permanent pond in Brotas de Macaúbas, state of Bahia, Brazil. The external morphological features are similar to those of other members of the P. albifrons species group, differing by the presence of interruptions in the row of the marginal papillae of the lower lip. Labial tooth row formula is 2(2)/3(1, 2). The internal oral morphology of P. albifrons differed from those of P. marmoratus, P. santafecinus and P. biligonigerus by the presence of three lingual papillae.