A persistent organic pollutant related with unusual high frequency of hermaphroditism in the neotropical anuran Physalaemus cuvieri Fitzinger, 1826

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Flexible feeding kinematics of a tropical carnivorous anuran tadpole

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Breeding sites of the leaf frog phyllomedusa tetraploidea (hylidae, phyllomedusinae) in a forest remnant in southern Brazil

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

High Levels of Diversity Uncovered in a Widespread Nominal Taxon: Continental Phylogeography of the Neotropical Tree Frog Dendropsophus minutus

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Ontogenia condrocraniana de Rhinella schneideri

Os estudos sobre ontogenia e heterocronia geram dados importantes para análises filogenéticas, taxonômicas, ecológicas e evolutivas das espécies. Neste trabalho foi realizada a descrição da ontogenia condrocraniana de Rhinella schneideri, que pertence à grande e cosmopolita família Bufonidae (GAUDIN, 1978). Foram utilizados girinos já coletados e tombados na Coleção CFBH (Departamento de Zoologia, Instituto de Biociências, UNESP, Rio Claro, SP) em diferentes estágios de desenvolvimento, classificados pela tabela Gosner (1960). Esses indivíduos foram diafanizados seguindo a técnica de Taylor & Van Dyke (1985) modificada, analisados sob o uso de estereomicroscópios e quando necessário foram desarticulados, fotografados e desenhados. A descrição do condrocrânio do girino de R. schneideri foi feita em estágio 29 de desenvolvimento e foram realizadas comparações morfológicas deste semaforonte escolhido com os demais membros do gênero e da família, além de comparações mais generalizadas dentro de Anura. Foi descrita em detalhes a ontogenia das cartilagens e ossos cranianos indicando o estágio de aparecimento do osso, localização e formato dos centros de ossificação, além da direção de crescimento destes centros. Além disto, foram analisadas heterocronias da espécie R. schneideri através de comparações de desenvolvimento ontogenético entre indivíduos de outras espécies do gênero e família. Com estas descrições e análises além de se ampliar o conhecimento sobre a espécie R. schneideri, os dados e hipóteses gerados a partir deste estudo influenciarão determinantemente no status taxonômico e filogenético da espécie

Anurans from the Serra da Bocaina National Park and surrounding buffer area, southeastern Brazil

Here, we review the species of anuran amphibian from the Serra da Bocaina National Park and its buffer area, in the Atlantic Forest of southeastern Brazil, comparing the data from a recent survey with museum records. We surveyed adult and larval anurans in ponds, marshes, and streams discontinuously from May 2008 to January 2011. In total, 63 anuran species were previously known to occur at the Park and its surrounding buffer area. In our survey, we recorded 46 species, of which five represented new records, and 22 appeared only in the historical list. Seven topotypic populations were not found in the present study. We suggest that conservation strategies for anurans in the Serra da Bocaina should also consider the surrounding areas that are subjected to anthropogenic pressure, due to the high diversity recorded, high altitudinal variation in species distribution, and various vegetation formations.

Amphibians of grasslands in the state of Paraná, southern Brazil (Campos Sulinos)

Amphibian conservation depends on knowledge about species composition and distribution. This emphasizes the need for inventories, especially in poorly sampled areas. This is the case of Southern grasslands (Campos Sulinos) associated with Araucaria forest in the state of Paraná, southern Brazil. We sampled amphibians in 105 environments from 2004 to 2013 using transect sampling, active search and surveys at breeding sites. We found 61 anuran species and two caecilians. This is the first comprehensive list of amphibian species inhabiting grasslands in Paraná. This landscape deserves high conservation priority before these natural grasslands vanish.

Carrying progeny on the back: reproduction in the Brazilian aquatic frog Pipa carvalhoi

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Anuran skin and basking behavior: the case of the treefrog Bokermannohyla alvarengai (Bokermann, 1956)

We investigated the morphology of the skin and the biochemistry of the lipids in the skin secretion of Bokermannohyla alvarengai, a montane treefrog that is known to bask regularly, motionless in full sunlight for extended periods of time. Our primary goal was to identify structural and biochemical modifications that might assist this frog species to accommodate the conflicting demands for heat exchange and water balance while basking. The modulation of heat exchange in basking B. alvarengai involves changes in skin coloration. We found that this response was supported by a prominent monolayer of large iridophores, whose light reflectance property is adjusted by the response of intervening melanophores. Mucosubstances and lipid compounds, mainly consisted of saturated fatty acids and presumably secreted from granular glands, were detected on the skin of B. alvarengai. These compounds formed an extra-epidermal layer over the animal's dorsal surface that might assist in the prevention of excessive water loss through evaporation. Additionally, we found well-developed skin folds at the ventral region of the frogs that lead to an increment of surface area. This feature combined with the extensive hypervascularization, also noticed for the skin of B. alvarengai, may play an important role in water reabsorption. The suite of structural and biochemical modifications identified for the integument of B. alvarengai seems to conjugate aspects relevant to both, heat exchange and water balance, allowing for this species to explore basking as an efficient thermoregulatory strategy. J. Morphol. 276:1172-1182, 2015. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Investimento materno em anfíbios anuros: a questão da variação no tamanho do ovo

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)