Sazonalidade climática e os efeitos na helmintofauna parasita de Dendropsophus nanus (Anura: Hylidae) da RPPN Foz do rio Aguapeí, município de Castilho, São Paulo

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Helminto fauna de anfíbios da família Leptodactylidae em três fisionomias de Cerrado

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Diversidade cariotípica e molecular de Leptodactylus (Anura, Leptodactylidae) e obtenção de sondas cromossomo-específicas de anfíbio por citometria de fluxo

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Diversificação de anuros no Chaco Sul-Americano

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Efeitos da alta temperatura na pigmentação visceral e no epitélio germinativo masculino em Physalaemus nattereri e Leptodactylus fuscus (Anura)

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Recria de Rã touro (Rana catesbeiana) em tanques-rede alojados em viveiros de tilápia

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

Influência da escala espacial na diversidade beta de anuros considerando diferentes ecoregiões da Mata Atlântica

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

A maldição de Eva: vozes femininas nos romances A dança dos cabelos, Sombras de julho e O vestido, de Carlos Herculano Lopes

Pós-graduação em Estudos Literários - FCLAR

Biology and Impacts of Pacific Island Invasive Species. 5. Eleutherodactylus coqui, the Coqui Frog (Anura: Leptodactylidae)

The nocturnal, terrestrial frog Eleutherodactylus coqui, known as the Coqui, is endemic to Puerto Rico and was accidentally introduced to Hawai‘i via nursery plants in the late 1980s. Over the past two decades E. coqui has spread to the four main Hawaiian Islands, and a major campaign was launched to eliminate and control it. One of the primary reasons this frog has received attention is its loud mating call (85–90 dB at 0.5 m). Many homeowners do not want the frogs on their property, and their presence has influenced housing prices. In addition, E. coqui has indirectly impacted the floriculture industry because customers are reticent to purchase products potentially infested with frogs. Eleutherodactylus coqui attains extremely high densities in Hawai‘i, up to 91,000 frogs ha-1, and can reproduce year-round, once every 1–2 months, and become reproductive around 8–9 months. Although the Coqui has been hypothesized to potentially compete with native insectivores, the most obvious potential ecological impact of the invasion is predation on invertebrate populations and disruption of associated ecosystem processes. Multiple forms of control have been attempted in Hawai‘i with varying success. The most successful control available at this time is citric acid. Currently, the frog is established throughout the island of Hawai‘i but may soon be eliminated on the other Hawaiian Islands via control efforts. Eradication is deemed no longer possible on the island of Hawai‘i.

Evaluation of the in vitro Activity of Dermaseptin 01, a Cationic Antimicrobial Peptide, against Schistosoma mansoni

Schistosomiasis is a neglected tropical disease that remains a considerable public health problem worldwide. Since the mainstay of schistosomiasis control is chemotherapy with a single drug, praziquantel, drug resistance is a concern. Here, we examined the in vitro effects of dermaseptin 01 (DS 01), an antimicrobial peptide found in the skin secretion of frogs of the genus Phyllomedusa, on Schistosoma mansoni adult worms. DS 01 at a concentration of 100 mg/ml reduced the worm motor activity and caused the death of all worms within 48 h in RPMI 1640 medium. At the highest sublethal concentration of antimicrobial peptide (75 mg/ml), a 100% reduction in egg output of paired female worms was observed. Additionally, DS 01 induced morphological alterations on the tegument of S. mansoni, and a quantitative analysis carried out by confocal microscopy revealed extensive destruction of the tubercles in a dose-dependent manner over the concentration range of 50-200 mu g/ml. It was the first time that an anthelmintic activity towards schistosomes has been reported for a dermaseptin.

A new species of Trachycephalus (Amphibia, Anura, Hylidae) from the State of Goias, Brazil

A new species of Trachycephalus is described for the Cerrado biome of Goias, Brazil. Trachycephalus mambaiensis sp. nov. is distinguished from the other ten species of the genus by the skin co-ossified with the skull, heavy cranial ossification, frontoparietal that fails to articulate with squamosal, absence of a crista occipitalis and secreting glands of milky and viscous substances. The skull of the new species shows an intermediary condition between species of Trachycephalus with a well ossified skull (Casque-headed frogs) and those without cranial ossification.

Molecular phylogeny and morphometric analyses reveal deep divergence between Amazonia and Atlantic Forest species of Dendrophryniscus

Dendrophryniscus is an early diverging clade of bufonids represented by few small-bodied species distributed in Amazonia and the Atlantic Forest. We used mitochondrial (414 bp of 12S, 575 bp of 16S genes) and nuclear DNA (785 bp of RAG-1) to investigate phylogenetic relationships and the timing of diversification within the genus. These molecular data were gathered from 23 specimens from 19 populations, including eight out of the 10 nominal species of the genus as well as Rhinella boulengeri. Analyses also included sequences of representatives of 18 other bufonid genera that were publically available. We also examined morphological characters to analyze differences within Dendrophryniscus. We found deep genetic divergence between an Amazonian and an Atlantic Forest clade, dating back to Eocene. Morphological data corroborate this distinction. We thus propose to assign the Amazonian species to a new genus, Amazonella. The species currently named R. boulengeri, which has been previously assigned to the genus Rhamphophryne, is shown to be closely related to Dendrophryniscus species. Our findings illustrate cryptic trends in bufonid morphological evolution, and point to a deep history of persistence and diversification within the Amazonian and Atlantic rainforests. We discuss our results in light of available paleoecological data and the biogeographic patterns observed in other similarly distributed groups. (C) 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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.

A revision of species diversity in the Neotropical genus Oreobates (Anura: Strabomantidae), with the description of three new species from the Amazonian slopes of the Andes

We revisit species diversity within Oreobates (Anura: Strabomantidae) by combining molecular phylogenetic analyses of the 16S rRNA amphibian barcode fragment with the study of the external morphology of living and preserved specimens. Molecular and morphological evidence support the existence of 23 species within Oreobates, and three additional candidate species (Oreobates sp. [Ca JF809995], Oreobates sp. [Ca EU368903], Oreobates cruralis [Ca EU192295]). We describe and name three new species from the Andean humid montane forests of Departamento Cusco, southern Peru: O. amarakaeri New Species from Rio Nusinuscato and Rio Mabe, at elevations ranging from 670 to 1000 m in the Andean foothills; O. machiguenga, new species, from Rio Kimbiri (1350 m), a small tributary of the Apurimac River, in the western versant of Cordillera Vilcabamba; and O. gemcare, new species, from the Kosnipata Valley at elevations ranging from 2400 to 2800 m. The three new species are readily distinguished from all other Oreobates by at least one qualitative morphological character. Three species are transferred to Oreobates from three genera of Strabomantidae: Hypodactylus lundbergi, Pristimantis crepitans, and Phrynopus ayacucho (for which the advertisement call, coloration in life, and male characteristics are described for first time). Oreobates simmonsi is transferred to the genus Lynchius. Hylodes verrucosus is considered a junior synonym of Hylodes philippi. In addition, H. philippi is removed from the synonymy of O. quixensis and considered a nomem dubium within Hypodactylus. The inclusion of Phrynopus ayacucho in Oreobates extends the ecological range of the genus to the cold Andean puna. Oreobates is thus distributed from the Amazonian lowlands in southern Colombia to northern Argentina, reaching the Brazilian Atlantic dry forests in eastern Brazil, across an altitudinal range from ca. 100 to 3850 m.

Effects of atrazine and picloram on grass carp: acute toxicity and histological assessment

The aim of this study was to evaluate the acute toxicity of atrazine and picloram separately to grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella). Firstly, fingerlings were exposed to nominal concentrations of these herbicides to determine the lethal concentration (LC50) (96 h). After this, the animals were treated with sub-acute concentrations of the herbicides to measure the effects on gill histology. The LC50 (96 h) of the atrazine and picloram were, respectively, 37mg L-1 and 4.4 mgL(-1). Four types of alterations were found in gills exposed to atrazine, which were epithelial lifting, partial cell proliferation, lamellar fusion, and aneurysm. Nominal concentrations of picloram caused epithelial lifting, partial cell proliferation, and lamellar fusion.