Ana Maria Paulino Telles De Carvalho-E-Silva

Feeding overlap in two sympatric species of Rhinella (Anura: Bufonidae) of the Atlantic Rain Forest

Um claro entendimento das relacoes entre sobreposicao, similaridade e competicao e necessario para entender muitas questoes sobre a estrutura e o funcionamento de uma comunidade. Rhinella icterica (Spix, 1824) e Rhinella crucifer (Wied Neuwied, 1821) sao especies simpatricas que ocorrem no Parque Nacional da Serra dos Orgaos, regiao sudeste do Brasil. O objetivo do presente estudo foi verificar a sobreposicao alimentar dessas duas especies. Foram analisados 94 estomagos e encontradas 2245 presas. Os grupos comuns foram: Hymenoptera, Coleoptera, Diptera, larva de Lepidoptera, Blattaria, Orthoptera, Hemiptera, Opiliones e Aranaea. Formigas foram as presas mais importantes na dieta, seguidas por besouros e baratas. A amplitude de nicho de R. icterica foi de 1,76 e a de R. cruicifer 1,28. A sobreposicao de nicho alimentar entre as especies foi de 98,62%. Houve relacao positiva entre a largura da mandibula e a dimensao das presas consumidas em R. icterica.

Nova espécie de Hyla Laurenti do grupo de H. microcephala Cope (Amphibia, Anura, Hylidae) do nordeste do Brasil

A new species, attributed to the group of Hyla microcephala Cope, 1886, is described. The new species is close to H. bipunctata Spix, 1824, and it is found in Quebrangulo, State of Alagoas, in Northeastern Brazil. The eggs and larvae are also described and some ecological information is added. The new species is compared with other species of the same group, and with species of closely related groups that occur in syntopy. With H. bipunctata, it shares the general form of the body, the yellow ventral coloration and the orange color of the thighs, but it is distinguished by the dorsal Paris-green coloration (beige in H. bipunctata), absence of a dorsal pattern, light red thighs, and ornamentation of the upper lip with two or three yellow stains instead of the characteristic aureolate of H. bipunctata. With H. elegans Wied-Neuwied, 1824, it also shares the general form of the body and the ventral and the thighs coloration, but it is distinguished by the smaller size, absence of a dorsal pattern and light red thighs. From H. oliveirai Bokermann, 1963, the new species is distinguished by the dorsal coloration, the ornamentation of the upper lip and larger size. From H. branneri Cochran, 1948, it differs by the presence of the stains in the upper lip (just one in H. branneri), absence of the dorsal pattern and green dorsal coloration, which is more intense. The tadpole of the new species is provided.

The diet of Scinax angrensis (Lutz) tadpoles in an area of the Atlantic Forest (Mangaratiba, Rio de Janeiro) (Amphibia, Anura, Hylidae)

Scinax angrensis (Lutz, 1973) e uma especie endemica ocorrendo em florestas de encosta de baixa altitude, no sul do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Brasil. O objetivo do presente estudo foi o de comparar a morfologia e verificar o espectro alimentar de girinos de S. angrensis de dois estagios diferenciados de desenvolvimento. A morfologia bucal dos dois estagios (27 e 37) apresentou-se similar, havendo diferenca de tamanho da abertura oral, bem como aumento das dimensoes do corpo e da cauda. A especie examinada apresentou um espectro trofico integrado por algas, protozoarios, rotiferos, microcrustaceos, nematodeos, restos de vegetais e de invertebrados, hifas de fungo e graos de areia. Foram verificadas diferencas significativas entre as dimensoes dos dois estagios, embora nao se tenha encontrado uma diferenca significativa entre as dietas, apesar de se ter observado uma preferencia diferenciada por itens planctonicos. Os resultados sugerem que a partilha de recursos alimentares esta relacionada nao so com a morfologia e ocupacao de diferentes microhabitats, mas tambem ao comportamento alimentar dos girinos. A relevância de itens importantes para a dieta natural dos girinos de S. angrensis, especialmente as algas diatomaceas e filamentosas, revela a importância da comunidade perifitica para a conservacao desta especie de anuro na Mata Atlântica.

Redescription of the advertisement call of Aplastodiscus arildae (Cruz & Peixoto) and description of the call of Aplastodiscus weygoldti (Cruz & Peixoto) with general notes about the genus in Southeastern Brazil (Anura, Hylidae)

The study of anuran advertisement calls is very significant for it is an important premating premating mechanism. Herein we redescribe the advertisement call of Aplastodiscus arildae from an area near type-locality and describe the advertisement call of A. weygoldti comparing them to previously described advertisement calls of species of the genus Aplastodiscus. Both advertisement calls are simple, non-modulated calls, very similar to each other, but significantly different in what matters to call duration. We describe the first distress call registered for the genus, the distress call of A. arildae, that does not have rigid form and was only recorded for one individual. Some general notes of the genus Aplastodiscus are given.

Amphibia, Anura, Hylidae, Scinax trapicheiroi: distribution extension

Scinax trapicheiroi, assigned by Faivovich et al. (2005) to the group of Scinax catharinae, is a small tree frog from the coastal mountains in the municipalities of Rio de Janeiro and Marica, and also from Ilha Grande, at the municipality of Angra dos Reis, all localities in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (Carvalho-e-Silva and Carvalho-eSilva 1994, Rico et al. 2004, Van Sluys et al. 2006) (Figure 1). The species is identified due to its size (25-30 mm), vomerine teeth in two short, rounded, almost contiguous groups between the choanae, disks very wide and short, eyes prominent, nostrils raised, snout projecting, dorsal pattern of the adults and color of concealed surfaces deeper than related species (Lutz 1954) (Figure 2).

The tadpole of Proceratophrys izecksohni (Amphibia: Anura: Odontophrynidae)

We describe the external morphology of the tadpole of Proceratophrys izecksohni Dias, Amaro, Carvalho-e-Silva & Rodrigues, 2013, its internal oral features, and chondrocranial anatomy, based on specimens collected at the type locality. The tadpole has short and oval body, spiracle with inner wall fused to the body, and oral formula 2/3(1). The oral cavity of P. izecksohni is typical of stream-dwelling tadpoles, with several papillae and pustulations. The chondrocranium is longer than wide and the suprarostral corpora are free ventromedially. The palatoquadrate has a well developed processus pseudopterygoideus. We also compare the tadpole of P. izecksohni with tadpoles those of other species of the genus, emphasizing the usage of larval morphology to assist in the systematic of the genus.

Internal Larval Morphology of Two Species of Shining Leaf Frogs (Anura: Phyllomedusidae: Phasmahyla)

Abstract. We describe the buccal cavity and chondrocranial morphology of Phasmahyla cruzi tadpoles in comparison to P. guttata. We also provide a review of some characters for larval phyllomedusids and discuss some evolutionary aspects related to the funnel-mouthed configuration. Our discussion highlights that several characters evolved independently in several taxa with umbelliform oral discs. Nevertheless, we suggest that the dorsal orientation of the suprarostral cartilage and the presence of a prenarial ridge on the buccal roof may represent synapomorphic character states for the genus Phasmahyla.

A fifth species of the genus Euparkerella (Griffths, 1959), the advertisement calls of E. robusta Izecksohn, 1988 and E. tridactyla Izecksohn, 1988, and a key for the Euparkerella species (Anura: Brachycephaloidea: Craugastoridae).

A new species of the anuran genus Euparkerella is described from a rainforest area in the state of Rio de Janeiro, southeastern Brazil. Morphologically, the species resembles E. brasiliensis and E. cochranae, but differs from them in acoustic features. Relative to its congeners, the new species is characterized by: (1) medium size; (2) slender body; (3) narrow head; (4) long Finger IV, Toes I and V; (5) tubercles of the hand and foot protuberant; (6) duration of advertisement call longer than three seconds; (7) pulse-section rate slower than two sections/second; and (8) exhibiting pulse clusters. The advertisement calls of E. robusta and E. tridactyla are described and a key based on morphological and acoustic characters is presented for species in the genus.