W. Mascarenhas, C. Oliveira, R. W. Ávila, S. C. Ribeiro
{"title":"Diet and Habitat Use of Proceratophrys ararype (Anura: Odontophrynidae), an Endemic Frog from the Chapada do Araripe, Northeastern Brazil","authors":"W. Mascarenhas, C. Oliveira, R. W. Ávila, S. C. Ribeiro","doi":"10.2994/SAJH-D-21-00035.1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2994/SAJH-D-21-00035.1","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract. Informa(on on the use of food resources and habitat are important tools for understanding trophic niche and ecological rela(onships. Many factors can influence the diet and ea(ng habits of anurans. Species of the genus Proceratophrys are important components of the leaf li:er frog communi(es in the Neotropical forests, including P. ararype, a species with restricted distribu(on in northeast Brazil. Therefore, we describe aspects of habitat use and evaluate the diet of P. ararype and compare these results with informa(on on other Proceratophrys species. We collected, dissected, and examined the gastrointes(nal tracts of 40 individuals, among which 55% contained food items, with 11 prey categories iden(fied. We also tested the rela(onship between prey item categories and sampling sites, differences between males and females, and the rela(onship between frog size and prey. The species can be characterized as generalist, and the volume of prey ingested was not related to the average size of the individuals. Addi(onally, the habitat most used by the anuran was leaf li:er; thus, it was inferred that this frog species uses the environment horizontally. The data found and comparisons with the literature suggest that the diet composi(on of P. ararype is determined by the availability of arthropods in the environment. This study demonstrates the importance of understanding habitat use, highligh(ng opportunis(c behavior, such as the pa:ern found for anuran amphibians, contribu(ng to elucidate the biology of anurans with relictual distribu(on, especially in semi-arid regions.","PeriodicalId":48691,"journal":{"name":"South American Journal of Herpetology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.9,"publicationDate":"2023-04-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46623577","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Karla P. García-Pelagio, Berenice Martínez Gutiérrez, Daniel Pérez Hernández, Nancy Puga Calva, B. Segura-Alegría, L. Ochoa-Ochoa
{"title":"Locomotion and Biomechanical Adaptations in Hind Limb Muscles of Three Mexican Anuran Species","authors":"Karla P. García-Pelagio, Berenice Martínez Gutiérrez, Daniel Pérez Hernández, Nancy Puga Calva, B. Segura-Alegría, L. Ochoa-Ochoa","doi":"10.2994/SAJH-D-21-00009.1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2994/SAJH-D-21-00009.1","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract. Anurans are anatomically built for jumping, requiring the muscles to contract to generate sufficient mechanical force to launch their bodies. A lot of energy is needed in the hind limbs, where the majority of the force is produced, whereas the front legs and both girdles serve mainly to support the frog's weight at rest as well as to absorb the shock of landing. Different species of anurans have different locomotion mechanisms, evidenced by comparing the mechanical contractile properties of hind limb muscles. In this study, we compared two muscles in arboreal (Agalychnis dacnicolor), terrestrial (Incilius marmoreus), and aquatic (Lithobates sierramadrensis) species of Mexican anurans. We performed low frequency in situ stimulations of the muscles and found that A. dacnicolor showed higher stresses than L. sierramadrensis and I. marmoreus in the two studied muscles, the cruralis and the gastrocnemius. Regarding the cruralis, the stress generated by the aquatic and terrestrial anurans was up to 23% less than that generated by the arboreal anuran. There was also a difference of up to 30% in the ratio of performance between low frequencies and twitch in L. sierramadrensis compared to the other anurans. These differences in muscle physiology suggest adaptive differences among species, although more comprehensive studies are needed to corroborate this hypothesis.","PeriodicalId":48691,"journal":{"name":"South American Journal of Herpetology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.9,"publicationDate":"2023-04-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43010203","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
María de Fuentes-Fernández, M. Suárez-Rancel, Paula de Quintana-Gómez, M. Molina-Borja
{"title":"Season, Body Condition, and Sex Variation of Ectoparasite Abundance in Tarentola delalandii (Squamata: Phyllodactylidae) from Two Ecologically Contrasting Populations of Tenerife (Canary Islands)","authors":"María de Fuentes-Fernández, M. Suárez-Rancel, Paula de Quintana-Gómez, M. Molina-Borja","doi":"10.2994/SAJH-D-20-00025.1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2994/SAJH-D-20-00025.1","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract. Individual parasite load depends on several factors such as sex, body size or climatic conditions. In turn, parasites may produce several short- and long-term pathologies. Herein, we analyze the ectoparasite load of the Geckobia mite in two ecologically contrasting populations (north and south of Tenerife) of the gecko Tarentola delalandii. For this purpose, we performed random transects to capture geckos under rocks in each population and counted all mites found on any part of each gecko's body. A generalized linear model showed no significant effect on mite abundance of site, season, sex (within population), condition index, or temperature of the refuges. However, there were significant effects of the interactions between season by condition index and season by sex (nested within population). Parasitism was higher in individuals with lower body index values in autumn–winter than those with higher body condition in spring–summer. Moreover, females of the northern population were more heavily parasitized than males and juveniles in the year's cooler months. We discuss several potential explanations for these results.","PeriodicalId":48691,"journal":{"name":"South American Journal of Herpetology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.9,"publicationDate":"2023-04-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49185600","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Tail Bifurcation Incidence in Liolaemus Lizards Assessed through Citizen Science and Naturalist Notes","authors":"Darko D. Cotoras, Marcela A Vidal","doi":"10.2994/SAJH-D-21-00013.1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2994/SAJH-D-21-00013.1","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract. Tail bifurcation in lizards is caused by an anomalous regeneration process after tail autotomy. A recent review shows that nearly half of the records came from social media and one of the less represented families was Liolaemidae (one case). The genus Liolaemus is mostly distributed along countries in the southern Andes, which have low numbers of tail bifurcation reports. Is the low incidence of tail bifurcation in Liolaemus a real biological phenomenon, or just a sampling artifact? Due to the lack of targeted searches and the large number of species on this group, we expect that an extensive survey will significantly increase the number of cases. We reviewed the scientific literature, internet sites, and social media (Instagram, Facebook, Flickr, and iNaturalist, 2020) using search terms in Spanish, Portuguese, and English. We found 16 tail bifurcation events corresponding to seven species, including a novel field observation. All bifurcations occur on the distal half of the tail congruently with described trends. Liolaemus tenuis was the most commonly recorded species, which could be explained by its presence in urban and natural areas. The same oversampling bias might affect the geographic distribution of all records. Our field observation might correspond to the first documented re-sight of a lizard with bifurcated tail. With the majority of records from social media, this study exemplifies the relevance of citizen science to document rare events. But, at the same time, it is a warning call for the need of more academic validation of the natural history and museum-based work.","PeriodicalId":48691,"journal":{"name":"South American Journal of Herpetology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.9,"publicationDate":"2023-04-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48003679","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
S. Poe, J. L. Pérez-González, J. Barnett, L. A. Rueda-Solano
{"title":"Anolis paravertebralis Bernal-Carlo and Roze, 2005 and A. umbrivagus Bernal-Carlo and Roze, 2005 are Junior Synonyms of A. solitarius Ruthven, 1916 (Squamata: Dactyloidae)","authors":"S. Poe, J. L. Pérez-González, J. Barnett, L. A. Rueda-Solano","doi":"10.2994/SAJH-D-20-00060.1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2994/SAJH-D-20-00060.1","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract. The Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta of northern Colombia is home to several endemic species. Here we show that the names of two purported endemic lizard species, Anolis umbrivagus and A. paravertebralis, are junior synonyms of Santa Marta endemic A. solitarius. We present morphological evidence for this inference and photographs of A. solitarius in life.","PeriodicalId":48691,"journal":{"name":"South American Journal of Herpetology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.9,"publicationDate":"2023-04-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44288810","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Cover and Masthead","authors":"","doi":"10.2994/sajh-26-00000.1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2994/sajh-26-00000.1","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":48691,"journal":{"name":"South American Journal of Herpetology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.9,"publicationDate":"2023-04-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45967518","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
G. Cardozo, S. Naretto, Cecilia S. Blengini, M. Chiaraviglio
{"title":"Reproductive Strategies in Relation to Maternal Phenotype in a Model Lizard (Salvator merianae)","authors":"G. Cardozo, S. Naretto, Cecilia S. Blengini, M. Chiaraviglio","doi":"10.2994/SAJH-D-20-00010.1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2994/SAJH-D-20-00010.1","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract. Reproductive strategies can be characterized according to how often and when females reproduce, how much they invest, and how reproductive investment is distributed. Plasticity can lead to changes in reproductive strategies associated with some age/size classes. Therefore, elucidating associations between maternal morphological traits and reproductive investment over the lifespan will contribute to the understanding of the meaning of female phenotypic variability. Lizards have been an interesting model group for studying reproductive strategies from an ecological and evolutionary perspective in recent decades due to their life-history diversity. The aim of this work was to elucidate variations in the reproductive investment of females according to their multivariate morphology in order to understand if the expression of phenotypic variability is accompanied by variability in reproductive strategies of females in Salvator merianae. We found an annual-biennial pattern of reproduction dependent on female phenotype. Fat storage and follicle development were plastic traits that varied with female body size. Moreover, multiple phenotypic traits other than body length were signs of the reproductive value of a female; tail and abdominal perimeter were related to potential clutch mass and clutch size, respectively. Oviductal traits varied among females of different body length and were determinant of clutch size. Mass of total clutch and individual eggs varied independently of the number of offspring and were inversely related to interlimb length. Therefore, the variability found in the different reproductive traits associated to morphological traits indicates that variability in reproductive strategies is related to multivariate maternal phenotype, although the species does not exhibit discrete phenotypic differences. Resumen. Las estrategias reproductivas pueden ser caracterizadas de acuerdo a: cuán frecuente y cuándo las hembras se reproducen, cuánto invierten y de qué manera su inversión reproductiva es distribuida en las camadas. La plasticidad de los caracteres puede conducir a cambios en las estrategias reproductivas asociados con las clases de tamaño/edad. Por lo tanto, elucidar las asociaciones entre rasgos morfológicos maternos y la inversión reproductiva a lo largo de la vida contribuirá al entendimiento del significado de la variabilidad fenotípica de las hembras. Los lagartos han sido un interesante grupo modelo para el estudio de las estrategias reproductivas en las décadas recientes, tanto desde una perspectiva ecológica como evolutiva, debido a la diversidad de sus historias de vida. El objetivo de este trabajo fue elucidar variaciones en la inversión reproductiva de las hembras de acuerdo a su morfología multivariada para comprender si la expresión de la variabilidad fenotípica está acompañada de variabilidad en las estrategias reproductivas de hembras de Salvator merianae. Nosotros encontramos un patrón de reproducción anual-bi","PeriodicalId":48691,"journal":{"name":"South American Journal of Herpetology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.9,"publicationDate":"2023-04-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48684082","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Wendoline Gómez Franco, Geoffrey R. Smith, J. Lemos‐Espinal
{"title":"The Role of Aquatic and Terrestrial Factors in Influencing the Abundance of Adult and Larval Dryophytes plicatus (Hylidae) Along the Arroyo Los Axolotes","authors":"Wendoline Gómez Franco, Geoffrey R. Smith, J. Lemos‐Espinal","doi":"10.2994/SAJH-D-20-00046.1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2994/SAJH-D-20-00046.1","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract. The ridged treefrog, Dryophytes plicatus, is currently categorized as threatened by the Mexican government. Unfortunately, relatively little is known about the ecology or the conservation threats confronting D. plicatus. Here, we examine how aspects of the terrestrial (proportion of visits with evidence of livestock, distance to nearest trees) and aquatic (proportion of visits with water, dissolved oxygen, total dissolved solids, water temperature, stream width, water depth, bank height, water velocity) habitat affects the distribution of D. plicatus along the Arroyo del Axolotes, a stream in the mountains surrounding Mexico City. The distribution of adult D. plicatus was positively related to the proportion of visits during which a study reach had water. The distribution of larval D. plicatus was negatively related to the proportion of visits with evidence of livestock and water velocity, and positively related to stream width. In conclusion, the extent of current anthropogenic impacts on the distribution of D. plicatus along the Arroyo los Axolotes is currently limited; however, the effects of humans on this relatively unspoiled stream is likely to increase.","PeriodicalId":48691,"journal":{"name":"South American Journal of Herpetology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.9,"publicationDate":"2023-04-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48428400","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
A. Marín, K. I. Sanchez, Mariana Morando, L. Avila
{"title":"Phenotypic and Geographic Variation in Two Co-Distributed Patagonian Lizard Clades (Squamata, Liolaemini)","authors":"A. Marín, K. I. Sanchez, Mariana Morando, L. Avila","doi":"10.2994/SAJH-D-20-00059.1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2994/SAJH-D-20-00059.1","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract. Selective pressures vary throughout the range of a species distribution, thus favoring different phenotypes. Climate gradients in particular exert selection on the ecological and physiological performance of organisms, which often promotes morphological variation. In Patagonia, a region with harsh climatic conditions, the sister genera Phymaturus and Liolaemus include several widely co-distributed clades. One example is the Liolaemus bibronii complex and the Phymaturus patagonicus clade; these lineages differ in both morphological characteristics and life-history strategies. Co-distributed species may be similarly affected by shared environmental variables that predominate in their distributions, including patterns of morphological variation. In this study we identify and compare patterns of morphological variation in relation to geographical distribution. We used body size and head shape of species of the L. bibronii complex and the P. patagonicus clade throughout their distributions in Patagonia, and quantified the relationships between morphological variables with latitude and climatic variables. The results showed co-variation of body size and head shape between latitude and climatic variables in both clades, but these do not follow an evident pattern of morphological variation in co-distributed representatives of sister clades with different life histories and evolutionary characteristics.","PeriodicalId":48691,"journal":{"name":"South American Journal of Herpetology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.9,"publicationDate":"2022-12-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42838911","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
J. A. López, R. Ghirardi, M. F. Gutierrez, C. Antoniazzi, A. Lifschitz, L. Mesa
{"title":"Tadpoles select ivermectin-free substrates","authors":"J. A. López, R. Ghirardi, M. F. Gutierrez, C. Antoniazzi, A. Lifschitz, L. Mesa","doi":"10.2994/SAJH-D-20-00053.1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2994/SAJH-D-20-00053.1","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract. Ivermectin (IVM) is an antiparasitic widely used in veterinary medicine around the world, and cattle injection with IVM is a common practice in wetlands of the Middle Paraná River. Approximately 45% of administered IVM is eliminated in livestock feces. Immediately after injection, cattle enter wetland for feeding and drinking, incorporating feces with IVM into aquatic systems, where it accumulates in the substrate, especially in sediments rich in organic matter. Thus, our objective was to experimentally assess the habitat selection of nektonic (Boana pulchella) and benthic (Physalaemus albonotatus) tadpoles between patches of substrate with and without IVM. The experimental units consisted of quadrangular plastic trays with the bottom divided into four internal quadrants, two filled to 1 cm depth with IVM-free substrate and the other two with substrate containing IVM (nominal IVM concentrations were 3000 ng/g substrate fresh weight), filled to 3 cm depth with water. We placed one tadpole in the center of each tray (B. pulchella: n = 22; P. albonotatus: n = 50) and visually recorded its position (IVM-free or IVM quadrants) every 1 h during the first 10 h, with a final observation at 24 h. The recovery concentration of IVM in the IVM quadrant substrate was 73.95% (percentage of target concentration) and was not detectable in the IVM-free quadrant. The frequency of observations of tadpoles was significantly higher in IVM-free quadrants than in IVM quadrants (B. pulchella: 57%; P. albonotatus: 58%), and this pattern did not differ between nektonic and benthic tadpoles. Thus, tadpoles of both species selected the quadrants free of IVM. The response of tadpoles to IVM merits investigation in a wider spectrum of species and different concentrations to better understand the effects of this emergent pollutant on amphibians. Resumen. La ivermectina (IVM) es un antiparasitario muy utilizado en medicina veterinaria en todo el mundo. Aproximadamente el 45% de la IVM administrada se elimina por las heces del ganado. En los humedales del río Paraná Medio, la inyección de IVM al ganado es una práctica común. Inmediatamente después de la inyección, el ganado ingresa al humedal para alimentarse y beber, incorporando heces con IVM a los sistemas acuáticos, donde se acumula en el sustrato, especialmente en sedimentos ricos en materia orgánica. Bajo este contexto, nuestro objetivo fue evaluar experimentalmente la selección de hábitat de renacuajos nectónicos (Boana pulchella) y bentónicos (Physalaemus albonotatus) entre parches de sustrato con y sin IVM. Las unidades experimentales consistieron en bandejas cuadrangulares de plástico con el fondo dividido en cuatro cuadrantes internos, dos de ellos llenos de 1 cm de profundidad con el sustrato libre de IVM y los otros dos llenos del sustrato con IVM (las concentraciones nominales de IVM fueron 3000 ng/g-1 peso fresco del sustrato) y llenas de agua (3 cm de profundidad). Colocamos un renacuajo en el centro de","PeriodicalId":48691,"journal":{"name":"South American Journal of Herpetology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.9,"publicationDate":"2022-12-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47415921","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}