Effect of substrate on the locomotion behaviour of the South American iguanian lizard Polychrus acutirostris

Arboreal and terrestrial habitats impose different constraints on tetrapod locomotion. We studied Polychrus acutirostris, a tree-dwelling lizard that also moves on the ground, in order to evaluate the effects of support incline and diameter on locomotion parameters. Limb movements of six specimens were filmed to quantify kinematic variables (velocity, stride frequency, stride length, and limb coordination) on distinct perch diameters (4.0, 1.5, 0.8 cm) and inclines (90, 45, and on level ground). The results show a notable slowness in arboreal habitat combined with a relatively fast locomotion when using the ground as temporary habitat. These animals developed walking trots mainly using lateral sequence. Non-symmetrical trots adopted at the highest velocities on the ground indicate difficulties of ""accommodation"" to the constraints imposed by this condition. Velocity generally decreases with the decreasing diameter, and with increasing incline, of the supports. Slowness, gaits favouring the body stability, elective role of the stride frequency in the modulation of the speed, and the role of the hindlimb in the force exchange to propel the body, constitute the main features of the locomotion pattern of P. acutirostris.

Scale architecture of the palmar and plantar epidermis of Polychrus acutirostris Spix, 1825 (Iguania, Polychrotidae) and its relationship to arboreal locomotion

In tetrapod squamates, the diversity of micro-ornamentations of the epidermis of the contact areas of hands and feet is generally associated with constraints and modalities related to locomotion. Polychrus acutirostris is a medium-sized lizard that occurs in open heterogeneous habitats in South America, such as the cerrados, caatingas, and fallow lands. It progresses slowly on branches of various diameters in its arboreal environment. It can also move more rapidly on the ground. The hands and feet are prehensile and may be considered an adaptation for grasping and climbing. Epidermal surfaces from the palmar and plantar areas of the hands and feet of P. acutirostris were prepared for SEM examination, and studied at various magnifications. They show three major levels of complexity: (1) scale types, organized in gradients of size and imbrication, (2) scalar ornamentations, organized by increasing complexity and polarity, and (3) presence of Oberhautchen showing typically iguanian honeycomb micro-ornamentations. The shape and surface structure of the scales with their pattern of micro-ornamental peaks, which improve grip, and the grasping hands and feet indicate that P. acutirostris is morpho-functionally specialized for arboreality. (C) 2009 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

Status of Early 19th-Century Names Authored in Parallel by Wied and Schinz for South American Reptiles and Amphibians, with Designations of Three Nomina Protecta

Prince Maximilian zu Wied's great exploration of coastal Brazil in 1815-1817 resulted in important collections of reptiles, amphibians, birds, and mammals, many of which were new species later described by Wied himself The bulk of his collection was purchased for the American Museum of Natural History in 1869, although many ""type specimens"" had disappeared earlier. Wied carefully identified his localities but did not designate type specimens or type localities, which are taxonomic concepts that were not yet established. Information and manuscript names on a fraction (17 species) of his Brazilian reptiles and amphibians were transmitted by Wied to Prof. Heinrich Rudolf Schinz at the University of Zurich. Schinz included these species (credited to their discoverer ""Princ. Max."") in the second volume of Das Thierreich ... (1822). Most are junior objective synonyms of names published by Wied. However, six of the 17 names used by Schinz predate Wied's own publications. Three were manuscript names never published by Wied because he determined the species to be previously known. (1) Lacerta vittata Schinz, 1822 (a nomen oblitum) = Lacerta striata sensu Wied (a misidentification, non Linnaeus nec sensu Merrem) = Kentropyx calcarata Spix, 1825, herein qualified as a nomen protectum. (2) Polychrus virescens Schinz, 1822 = Lacerta marmorata Linnaeus, 1758 (now Polychrus marmoratus). (3) Scincus cyanurus Schinz, 1822 (a nomen oblitum) = Gymnophthalmus quadrilineatus sensu Wied (a misidentification, non Linnaeus nec sensu Merrem) = Micrablepharus maximiliani (Reinhardt and Lutken, ""1861"" [1862]), herein qualified as a nomen protectum. Qualifying Scincus cyanurus Schinz, 1822, as a nomen oblitum also removes the problem of homonymy with the later-named Pacific skink Scincus cyanurus Lesson (= Emoia cyanura). The remaining three names used by Schinz are senior objective synonyms that take priority over Wied's names. (4) Bufo cinctus Schinz, 1822, is senior to Bufo cinctus Wied, 1823; both, however, are junior synonyms of Bufo crucifer Wied, 1821 = Chaunus crucifer (Wied). (5) Agama picta Schinz, 1822, is senior to Agama picta Wied, 1823, requiring a change of authorship for this poorly known species, to be known as Enyalius pictus (Schinz). (6) Lacerta cyanomelas Schinz, 1822, predates Teius cyanomelas Wied, 1824 (1822-1831) both nomina oblita. Wied's illustration and description shows cyanomelas as apparently conspecific with the recently described but already well-known Cnemidophorus nativo Rocha et al., 1997, which is the valid name because of its qualification herein as a nomen protectum. The preceding specific name cyanomelas (as corrected in an errata section) is misspelled several ways in different copies of Schinz's original description (""cyanom las,"" ""cyanomlas,"" and cyanom""). Loosening, separation, and final loss of the last three letters of movable type in the printing chase probably accounts for the variant misspellings.

Helminths from Seven Species of Lizards (Reptilia: Squamata) at the Cerrado of Mato Grosso do Sul State, Brazil

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

Levantamento das espécies de répteis da área da Escola do Meio Ambiente, Botucatu/SP

No Brasil, o estado de São Paulo se destaca como sendo um dos principais centros de estudos sobre a herpetofauna. A fauna de anfíbios da região de Botucatu é, talvez, uma das melhores conhecidas do Brasil, devido ao grande número de estudos realizados. Por outro lado, pouco se conhece sobre a fauna de répteis dessa região. A realização de um trabalho com esse grupo mostra-se de fundamental importância para o conhecimento da fauna local, bem como das relações das espécies com o ambiente. Buscando preencher essa lacuna, o presente trabalho teve como objetivo caracterizar a fauna de répteis em uma área de mosaico vegetacional, quanto a composição, riqueza e aos padrões de distribuição sazonal e espacial das espécies registradas. O trabalho foi realizado na Escola do Meio Ambiente/EMA (22º55’23”S e 48º27’28”W), localizada no município de Botucatu, SP. A área apresenta remanescentes de mata (Floresta Estacional Semidecidual, Floresta Paludosa) e uma pequena área de formação campestre (campo sujo). O período de estudo foi entre os meses de Março de 2010 e Fevereiro de 2011, com visitas quinzenais, com duração de quatro dias cada, totalizando noventa e seis dias de amostragem. O levantamento foi realizado utilizando-se três métodos: busca ativa, armadilhas de interceptação e queda e encontro ocasional. Dados adicionais foram obtidos a partir do exame em coleções científicas e no acervo de imagens da escola. Quatorze espécies foram inventariadas, sendo sete lagartos, seis serpentes e um anfisbenídeo distribuídos em nove famílias: Amphisbaenidae (Amphisbaena alba), Polychrotidae (Polychrus acutirostris), Leiosauridae (Enyalius perditus), Tropiduridae (Tropidurus torquatus), Gekkonidae (Hemidactylus mabouia), Teiidae (Tupinambis merianae), Gymnophthalmidae (Cercosaura ocellata), Scincidae (Mabuya dorsivitatta), ...(Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo)