Rodrigo Castellari Gonzalez

State University of Ceará

Boa constrictor is a large boid snake whose length may exceed 2 m with a wide range through much of South America, including much of Brazil, from humid forests to xeric environments (Bonny, 2007; Reynolds and Henderson, 2018; Nogueira et al., 2019). Like other members of the family, these snakes are very muscular and subdue their prey by constricti...

Although hissing is a common strategy of defence used by snakes, especially of the Phytonidae and Boidae families, few studies have described in detail the acoustics components of this behaviour. Here we gathered eight recordings from six different boas from Brazil and extracted acoustic measurements from their hissing sounds. We also examined the...

Rattlesnakes (genera Crotalus and Sistrurus) are venomous serpents from the Viperidae family, encompassing over 50 species globally. They inhabit regions from the United States to Argentina, excluding Chile and Ecuador. Only one species, the South American Rattlesnake (Crotalus durissus cascavella), is found in Brazil, primarily in biomes such a...

This study explores anomalous color patterns in caecilians, specifically Siphonops annulatus and Siphonops paulensis, documenting the first cases of piebaldism in Gymnophiona. The research delves into the diverse functions of color patterns. Although uncommon in nature, anomalous color patterns provide intriguing insights into genetic mechanisms an...

The South American bushmaster Lachesis muta is currently considered a valid taxon with no recognized subspecies. However, its wide distribution with discontinuous populations, the restricted sampling of molecular data in previous studies, and the inherent difficulty in obtaining diagnostic data, preclude a detailed evaluation of the taxonomic statu...

We approached spatial ecology with ecological considerations for conservation of two snake species with resembling distributions along fragmented landscapes of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest, Gomesophis brasiliensis and Ptychophis flavovirgatus. Both are Neotropical snakes with allopatric groups, showing intriguing geographic distribution patterns w...

Snakes of the genus Boa are outstanding elements of the New World biota with a broad sociological influence on pop culture. Historically, several taxa have been recognized in the past 300 years, being mostly described in the early days of binomial nomenclature. As a rule, these taxa were recognized based on a suite of phenotypic characters mainly t...

In this short note we report a new prey item for Amphisbaena vermicularis. The specimen was encountered feeding upon a common roach (Periplaneta americana) in a backyard of a house.

Report on an unusual color pattern for Oxyrhopus guibei.

Corallus hortulana presents a large array of tones and color pattern variability throughout its distribution (= polychromatism), which trigged the description of several taxa now considered to be primary synonyms. Linnaeus described two of these (Boa enydris and Boa hortulana) on the same page of the 10th Edition of the Systema Naturae. However, bo...

Ontogenetic shifts in the snake heart topography are mostly associated with their life habits and physiological adaptations due to modifications of complex functional-adaptative and developmental constraints. However, such studies are incipient for scolecophidians, and the presence of shifts putatively related to physiological mechanisms are still...

Popular species names have always been based on human relationships with things around them, usually reflecting species' external morphology , behavior or even the habitat they inhabit. In Brazil, the high number of popular names, in many cases for the same species, makes it difficult to comprehensively recognize these names, hampering communicatio...

Popular species names have always been based on human relationships with things around them, usually reflecting species' external morphology , behavior or even the habitat they inhabit. In Brazil, the high number of popular names, in many cases for the same species, makes it difficult to comprehensively recognize these names, hampering communicatio...

Micrurus ortonii (Schmidt, 1953) (Serpentes, Elapidae) is a coral snake in the M. hemprichii complex, traditionally classified as a subspecies of M. hemprichii (Silva-Jr. et al., 2016). Recently, Valencia et al. (2016) proposed elevating it to specific status, a recommendation that was followed by Bernarde et al. (2018) but which has not yet been r...

We assessed the current knowledge on non-avian reptile species composition in the state of Rio de Janeiro (RJ), southeastern Brazil. We used published data in indexed journals and verified voucher specimens housed in two herpetological collections of the Museu Nacional (UFRJ), and the Laboratory of Reptiles (ZUFRJ). We also confirmed vouchers from...

Accurate and detailed species distribution maps are fundamental for documenting and interpreting biological diversity. For snakes, an ecologically diverse group of reptiles, syntheses and detailed data on distribution patterns remain scarce. We present the first comprehensive collection of detailed, voucher-based, point-locality, range maps for all...

RESUMO: (Predação da cobra d'água Erythrolamprus miliaris (Serpentes: Dipsadidae) pelo cachorro-do-mato Cerdocyon thous (Carnivora: Canidae)). O cachorro-do-mato Cerdocyon thous (Carnivora: Canidae) e a cobra d'água Erythrolamprus miliaris (Serpentes: Dipsadidae) são duas espécies amplamente distribuídas na América do Sul, que podem ser encontradas...

Little is known about the feeding habits and prey items of many snake species, with very few works identifying vertebrate prey at the minor taxonomic level. Here are presented two new species of birds not previously recorded as preys of the tree boa (Corallus hortulanus) - the Gonden-Chevroned Tanager (Tangara ornata) and the Pale-Breasted Thrush (...

Micrurus decoratus (Jan, 1858) is a poorly known species of coral snake, with a controversial history concerning its geographical range. The lack of consensus among researchers, since its original description, is largely due to the reporting of erroneous localities in publications. Herein we present the geographical range for the species based on t...

Gomesophis and Ptychophis are both monotypic, poorly known genera. They are small, viviparous, opisto-glyphous snakes with a semi-aquatic lifestyle. They belong to the tribe Tachymenini and occur in the highlands of south-ern and southeastern Brazil. Here we present a redescription of their holotypes and expand the species' diagnoses. We report on...

A compreensão da biodiversidade local torna-se cada vez mais essencial para a implantação de ações futuras como estratégias conservacionistas e planos de manejo de espécies ameaçadas. Este estudo teve como objetivo apresentar uma lista de espécies de anuros e répteis do Parque Municipal Mário Covas ‒ PMGMC, localizado no município de Sorocaba, São...