Cryptic lineages and Pleistocene population expansion in a Brazilian Cerrado frog

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

The breathing pattern and the ventilatory response to aquatic and aerial hypoxia and hypercarbia in the frog Pipa carvalhoi

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

Seasonal metabolic changes in a year-round reproductively active subtropical tree-frog (Hypsiboas prasinus)

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

Helminth component community of the paradoxal frog Pseudis platensis Gallardo, 1961 (Anura: Hylidae) from south-eastern Pantanal, Brazil

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Giardia agilis: Ultrastructure of the Trophozoites in the Frog Intestine

Intestine samples of Bufo sp. tadpoles with parasitism confirmed for Giardia agilis were studied by transmission electron microscopy. The G. agilis trophozoites were long and thin. The plasma membrane was sometimes undulated and the cytoplasm, adjacent to the dorsal and ventral regions, showed numerous vacuoles. The two nuclei presented prominent nucleoli. The cytoplasm was electron-dense with free ribosomes, glycogen and rough endoplasmic reticulum-like structures. Polyhedral inclusions were observed in the cytoplasm and outside the protozoan; some of these inclusions exhibited membrane disruption. The flagella ultrastructure is typical, with the caudal pair accompanied by the funis. Next to the anterior pair, osmiophilic material was noticed. The ventro-lateral flange was short and thick, supported by the marginal plates that penetrated into its distal extremity; only its distal portion had adjacent osmiophilic filament. The G. agilis trophozoites showed the general subcellular feature of the genus. However, the ventro-lateral flange ultrastructure was an intermediate type between G. muris and G. duodenalis.

An explanatory mechanism for the different decline in limb strength in older women

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

A new species of torrent frog genus Hylodes (Anura : Leptodactylidae) from southeastern Brazil

We describe a new species of Hylodes from Parque Estadual do Ibitipoca, Conceicao do Ibitipoca, Municipality of Lima Duarte, State of Minas Gerais, southeastern Brazil. The new species is a member of the Hylodes lateristrigatus group, and it is characterized by small size, snout rounded in dorsal view and protruding in lateral view, presence of vocal slits and sacs, upper surface of finger discs without well developed scutes, dorsum light brown to gray with dark blotches, and details of the advertisement call. Descriptions of the tadpole, vocalizations, and information on natural history are provided. The tadpole has a ventral depression anterior to the coiled intestine, as in other species of the genus. Hylodes meridionalis (Mertens), previously considered a member of the H. nasus species group, is transferred to the H. lateristrigatus species group.

The inguinal macroglands of the frog Physalaemus nattereri (Leptodactylidae): structure, toxic secretion and relationship with deimatic behaviour

Amphibian skin is characterized by the presence of mucous glands, related to cutaneous breathing, reproduction and water balance, and granular glands, related to the production of toxins used in defence. In some species the granular glands can form accumulations in certain regions of the body. This is the case for inguinal macroglands of the leptodactylid frog Physalaemus nattereri, where these structures form a pair of black discs associated with deimatic behaviour. The morphology of the inguinal macroglands and their secretion were studied in this species and correlated to deimatic behaviour. The inguinal macroglands are formed from elongated granular glands that, in contrast with the granular glands of the rest of the skin, have small spherical granules with a proteinic content. In the dermis of the whole body, except for the inguinal macroglands and the inguinal region, a well-developed calcified dermal layer is observed. During deimatic behaviour these macroglands discourage a potential predator from attacking, but if visual cues are insufficient and the predator persists in the attack, atoxic secretion is eliminated in its mouth. This elimination is favoured by the absence of a calcified dermal layer in the macroglands, which makes the dermal region softer than the rest of the dorsal skin.

Comparative cytogenetic analysis on four tree frog species (Anura, Hylidae, Hylinae) from Brazil

A comparative cytogenetic analysis was carried out on four Hylinae tree frogs from Brazil (Aparasphenodon brunoi, Corthomantis greeningi, Osteocephalus langsdorffi and Scinax fuscovarius) using Giemsa staining, BrdU replication banding, Ag-NOR staining, C-banding, DAPI and CMA(3) fluorochrome staining, and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) with an rDNA probe. All the species share closely similar 2n = 24 karyotypes, almost indistinguishable by standard staining. The technique of BrdU incorporation allowed the identification of each pair of homologs and the establishment of extensive homeology for the great majority of the chromosomes, mainly of A. brunoi, C greeningi, and O. langsdorffii. Despite highly conserved replication banding patterns, the use of the other banding techniques disclosed some minor differsences, which reinforces the importance of extensive cytogenctic analyses for the karyotypic characterization of Anuran species. The present cytogenctic data confirm the closer proximity of A. brunoi, C greeningi, and O. langsdorfjii, whereas S. fuscovarius is phylogenetically more distant. Copyright (C) 2003 S. Karger AG, Basel

A new frog of the genus Hylodes (Amphibia : Leptodactylidae) from Minas Gerais, Brazil

A new species of leptodactylid frog is described from Parque das Mangabeiras, in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, south-eastern Brazil. The new species is a member of the Hylodes lateristrigatus group, and is characterized by medium size, snout rounded in dorsal view and protruding in lateral view, presence of vocal slits and sacs, upper surface of finger and toe discs with well-developed scutes, a weakly developed stripe on the upper lip, dorsum, arm, leg, and foot dark brown with small irregular brown and black dots, and absence of red and yellow spots in live specimens. The descriptions of the tadpoles and vocalizations, and information on natural history are provided. Hylodes perplicatus (Miranda-Ribeiro), previously considered a member of the H. nasus species group, is transferred to the H. lateristrigatus species group.

Habitat split and the global decline of amphibians

The worldwide decline in amphibians has been attributed to several causes, especially habitat loss and disease. We identified a further factor, namely habitat split- defined as human- induced disconnection between habitats used by different life history stages of a species- which forces forest- associated amphibians with aquatic larvae to make risky breeding migrations between suitable aquatic and terrestrial habitats. In the Brazilian Atlantic Forest, we found that habitat split negatively affects the richness of species with aquatic larvae but not the richness of species with terrestrial development ( the latter can complete their life cycle inside forest remnants). This mechanism helps to explain why species with aquatic larvae have the highest incidence of population decline. These findings reinforce the need for the conservation and restoration of riparian vegetation.

Geographical variation in genetic structure of an Atlantic Coastal Forest frog reveals regional differences in habitat stability

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

A new species of casque-headed tree frog, genus Aparasphenodon Miranda-Ribeiro (Amphibia: Anura: Hylidae), from the Atlantic Rainforest of southern Bahia, Brazil

A new species of Aparasphenodon is described from patches of arboreal restinga within the Atlantic Forest Biome, in a region known as Baixo Sul in southern Bahia, northeastern Brazil. Aparasphenodon arapapa sp. nov. is promptly diagnosed from other Aparasphenodon mainly by having small size (male snout-vent length 57.4-58.1 mm), loreal region flattened and wide, and canthus rostralis rounded and poorly elevated. The wide and flattened snout resembles that found in Triprion and Diaglena, and possibly is a parallelism (homoplasy) related to the phragmotic behavior of casque-headed tree frogs to their microhabitat usage. The decision to allocate the new species in the genus Aparasphenodon is discussed in detail, as the single morphological synapomorphy of the genus, the presence of a prenasal bone, is insufficient to morphologically relate the new species to Aparasphenodon, Triprion, or Diaglena.

An experimental assessment of landscape configuration effects on frog and toad abundance and diversity in tropical agro-savannah landscapes of southeastern Brazil

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