A new species of miniaturized toadlet, genus Brachycephalus (Anura: Brachycephalidae), from the atlantic forest of southeastern Brazil

A new species of miniaturized froglet (genus Brachycephalus) is described from Morro Prumirim in the municipality of Ubatuba, São Paulo, southeastern Brazil. Specimens were collected from the leaf litter at approximately 800 m above sea level. The new species is distinguished from all its congeners by the combination of the following characters: snout-vent length 8.7-13.4 mm; skin on head and dorsum with dermal ossification; general color orange, with a narrow brownish vertebral stripe and belly without spots; and skull, spinal processes of sacral and pre-sacral vertebrae, and process of the fourth vertebra hyperossified. Canonical variates analysis of linear body measurement demonstrates that the new species is easily discriminated from other Brachycephalus species with which it shares an intermediate condition of hyperossification. © 2012 by The Herpetologists League, Inc.

Occurrence and natural history of Myrmelachista Roger (Formicidae: Formicinae) in the Atlantic Forest of southeastern Brazil

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Herpetofauna of Paranapiacaba: expanding our knowledge on a historical region in the Atlantic forest of southeastern Brazil

The largest area of preserved Atlantic forest is located in the southern portion of Brazil. The region of Paranapiacaba is depicted in Brazilian zoological studies as one of the first and most intensely sampled areas of the state of São Paulo.We provide a concise list of reptiles and amphibians from the Paranapiacaba Municipal Park. It represents the first comprehensive survey of the group in the area. We recorded 136 species of reptiles and amphibians from field surveys, museum collections and the literature. The anuran diversity of Paranapiacaba is greater than that of Estação Ecológica de Boracéia, which has been considered the most distinctive areas in São Paulo in terms of amphibian diversity. The rich history of herpetological research in the region, including the occurrence of the two most threatened species in Brazil, converts the area to an important conservation landmark for the Brazilian herpetofauna.

The genetic characterization of myrmelachista roger assemblages (hymenoptera: formicidae: formicinae) in the atlantic forest of southeastern Brazil

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Morphological and molecular characterization and phylogenetic relationships of a new species of trypanosome in Tapirus terrestris (lowland tapir), Trypanosoma terrestris sp nov., from Atlantic Rainforest of southeastern Brazil

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

Habitat fragmentation effects on the orchid bee communities in remnant forests of southeastern Brazil

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

Description of two new species of Ischyroceridae (Crustacea : Amphipoda) from the coast of Southeastern Brazil

Taxonomic descriptions and figures are provided for 2 new species of Ischyroceridae (Cerapus jonsoni sp. nov. and Notopoma fluminense sp. nov.) from samples of Southwestern Atlantic, between the latitudes 22 and 24 S. Cerapus jonsoni sp. nov. is easily distinguished from others species of the genera recorded in Atlantic Ocean by dacyli of pereopods 6 and 7 with 1 accessory spine. Notopoma fluminense sp. nov. is characterized by 5 setal teeth on outer plate of maxilla 1, only 1 accessory spine on pereopod 7 dactylus and pleopod 3 absent.

A new species of Pseudopaludicola Miranda-Ribeiro (Leiuperinae: Leptodactylidae: Anura) from the Cerrado of southeastern Brazil with a distinctive advertisement call pattern

A new species of Pseudopaludicola is described from the Cerrado of southeastern Brazil. The new taxon is diagnosed from the P. pusilla species group by the absence of either T-shaped terminal phalanges or toe tips expanded, and promptly distinguished from all (13) recognized taxa currently assigned to Pseudopaludicola by possessing isolated (instead of regular call series), long (117-187 ms) and non-pulsed advertisement calls.

Habitat use by Sharp-tailed Tyrant (Culicivora caudacuta), and Cock-tailed Tyrant (Alectrurus tricolor) in the Cerrado of Southeastern Brazil

Habitat use by Sharp-tailed Tyrant (Culicivora caudacuta), and Cock-tailed Tyrant (Alectrurus tricolor) in the Cerrado of Southeastern Brazil. Obligatory grassland birds are dependent on a limited set of native habitats that are disappearing almost everywhere. We examined the use of macrohabitat and microhabitat by two threatened species of flycatchers, the Sharp-tailed Tyrant, Culicivora caudacuta and the Cock-tailed Tyrant, Alectrurus tricolor in a preserved area of cerrado. We generated logistic regression models to explain the presence of these species through variables of microhabitat. Both flycatchers occurred mainly in grassland areas and favored areas with a low density of palms (Attalea geraensis) and trees. The Sharp-tailed Tyrant also favored areas with a high density of low shrubs (< 1 m) and less exposed soil. The positive relationship found between the presence of Sharp-tailed Tyrant and soil cover may indicate the importance of litter and understory vegetation for shelter and food. The conservation of both flycatcher species in the study area should benefit from controlling palm density and the maintenance of grasslands with low shrubs.

Foraminifera as indicators of marine pollutant contamination on the inner continental shelf of southern Brazil

Analyses of living foraminiferal and environmental parameters near an outfall at Mar Grosso Beach (Laguna, SC, Brazil) demonstrate its usefulness as indicators of domestic sewage pollution. The low species diversity may be due to sand accumulation in the central part. Higher diversity was noted closer to the mouth of Laguna estuarine system where reduced salinity and higher temperatures indicate freshwater influence, suggesting a relationship between increased diversity and greater availability of terrestrial food. On the basis of foraminiferal diversity and average coliform count the higher values are closer to the mouth of the estuarine system and under the influence of the outfall. Due to the effect of local hydrodynamics, the particulate organic waste derived from the outfall does not settle down locally, and thus, do not accumulate nearby. Our hypothesis is that the fine material derived from the outfall is accumulating on the southwestern and northwestern parts of the beach.

Terrestrial non-volant small mammals in agro-silvicultural landscapes of Southeastern Brazil

The area covered by Eucalyptus plantations is significantly increasing in Brazil for economic reasons. However, the impact of such land use change is still unknown. In this study we evaluated the spatial-temporal distribution and abundance of terrestrial non-volant small mammals on a recently converted landscape whose matrix is formed by Eucalyptus plantations up to 3 years of age. From August 2007 to July 2009 we carried out monthly sampling campaigns over a grid of 30 sampling units, formed by pitfall traps covering both the landscape matrix of Eucalyptus plantations (n = 18) and legal conservation areas of native vegetation (n = 7) and abandoned pastures (n = 5). A total of 1640 individuals from 14 species of the orders Didelphimorphia (4 spp.) and Rodentia (10 spp.) were captured. However, only three species of rodents (Olygorysomys flavescens, Oligoryzomys nigripes and Calomy tener) represented 81.8% of the total amount. Eucalyptus plantations had a lower species richness and abundance than the abandoned pasture and the remaining fragments of native vegetation. Although the present species are predominantly generalists, there is clear distinction among environments in terms of their species composition and relative abundance, which also present a pronounced time variation. The assemblage found in this study suggests that silvicultural landscapes still have some conservation value, with species that seem to be resident at the Eucalyptus plantations. Moreover, the presence of the native and abandoned pastures patches imbibed in the Eucalyptus plantation matrix may increase the carrying capacity of such a silvicultural system and these landscapes may play a role in maintaining local biodiversity. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The distribution and abundance of small mammals in agroecosystems of southeastern Brazil

The conservation of biodiversity in agricultural landscapes depends on information about the ways in which species are affected by the conversion of native habitats into novel anthropogenic environments and the strategies that the species use to persist in these altered ecosystems. Here, we investigate how small mammals occupy the different agroecosystems of an agricultural landscape in the state of Sao Paulo, Brazil. From August 2003 through January 2005, we surveyed small mammals using Sherman traps at 16 sampling sites in each of the four predominant environments of the local agricultural landscape: remnant fragments of semideciduous forest, Eucalyptus plantations, sugarcane plantations, and pastures. With a total effort of 23,040 trap-nights and a capture success of 0.8%, we captured 177 rodents and marsupials belonging to eight species. The assemblage represented by these mammals is essentially composed of generalist species, which are common in degraded areas. Sugarcane plantations had the highest abundance, whereas pastures had the lowest species richness. Our results suggest that the loss of forest species can be related to the loss of native forest. The results also indicate that to improve the conservation value of agricultural landscapes, native forest fragments should be conserved, extensive monocultures should be avoided and agricultural impacts should be mitigated.

Habitat Fragmentation Effects on the Orchid Bee Communities in Remnant Forests of Southeastern Brazil

The effect of habitat fragmentation on the structure of orchid bee communities was analyzed by the investigation of the existence of a spatial structure in the richness and abundance of Euglossini species and by determining the relationship between these data and environmental factors. The surveys were carried out in four different forest fragments and one university campus. Richness, abundance, and diversity of species were analyzed in relation to abiotic (size of the area, extent of the perimeter, perimeter/area ratio, and shape index) and biotic characteristics (vegetation index of the fragment and of the matrix of each of the locations studied). We observed a highly significant positive correlation between the diversity index and the vegetation index of the fragment, landscape and shape index. Our analysis demonstrated that the observed variation could be explained mainly by the vegetation index and the size of the fragment. Variations in relative abundance showed a tendency toward an aggregated spatial distribution between the fragments studied, as well as between the sampling stations within the same habitat, demonstrating the existence of a spatial structure on a small scale in the populations of Euglossini. This distribution will determine the composition of species that coexist in the area after fragmentation. These data help in understanding the differences and similarities in the structure of communities of Euglossini resulting from forest fragmentation.

Fishes of the Atlantic Rainforest of Boraceia: testimonies of the Quaternary fault reactivation within a Neoproterozoic tectonic province in Southeastern Brazil

The upper portion of the Rio Guaratuba, located in the Serra do Mar coastal range of Southeastern Brazil, shows biological and geological evidences of being captured and diverted away from its original course in the direction of the Parana River Basin to become a coastal river due to the Quaternary activity of NW-trending faults. Despite draining directly to the Atlantic Ocean, the upper portion of the Guaratuba still maintains an ichthyofauna that is typical of the adjoining Parana River Basin rather than the characteristic fish fauna of the Brazilian coastal drainages. The fish fauna of the upper Guaratuba is an evident testimony of the tectonic process that allowed the faunal interchange between the upland basins and the coastal drainages that probably has been taking place in Southeastern Brazil throughout the long geological history of the passive Brazilian continental margin.

Natural Host Relationships and Genetic Diversity of Rodent-Associated Hantaviruses in Southeastern Brazil

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