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História natural dos répteis da Estação Ecológica Juréia-Itatins
... The lizard Diploglossus fasciatus (Gray, 1831), of the family Diploglossidae, is distributed from the Peruvian Amazon to the Atlantic Forest in southern Brazil (Avila-Pires, 1995;Marques & Sazima, 2004). Measuring from 105 to 170 mm snout-vent length, it is a terrestrial and diurnal species (Avila-Pires, 1995), and may also have arboreal habits (Marques & Sazima, 2004 (Figure 1). ...
... The lizard Diploglossus fasciatus (Gray, 1831), of the family Diploglossidae, is distributed from the Peruvian Amazon to the Atlantic Forest in southern Brazil (Avila-Pires, 1995;Marques & Sazima, 2004). Measuring from 105 to 170 mm snout-vent length, it is a terrestrial and diurnal species (Avila-Pires, 1995), and may also have arboreal habits (Marques & Sazima, 2004 (Figure 1). We observed the predation for 30 minutes until the D. fasciatus was completely ingested. ...
... Although D. fasciatus is best known as inhabiting forested areas, it can also be found at forest edges and urban areas (Marques & Sazima, 2004;Costa et al., 2009), and the reported predator, Salvator merianae, occurs in different environments (e.g. Schaumburga et al., 2014;Muscat et al., 2016;Goetz et al., 2021). ...
... Arboreal snakes usually rely on small prey (Greene, 1983;Henderson et al., 1979;Marques & Sazima, 2004;Pough & Groves, 1983). For instance, pit vipers of the genus Bothrops display great variation in prey types, and two of the most arboreal and slender species in the genus, B. bilineatus and B. taeniatus, feed on treefrogs, while stouter terrestrial species, such as B. alternatus, B. cotiara e B. fonsecai, feed on mammals (Martins et al., 2001;Martins et al., 2002). ...
... These frog-eating snakes are among the most conspicuous arboreal snakes in South America, due to their large body size and abundance (Dixon et al., 1993;Henderson et al., 1979). In the field, these snakes are usually found resting perched on branches at any time of day or active either on the ground or on vegetation searching for prey during daylight (Dixon et al., 1993;França & Braz, 2013;Marques et al., 2017;Marques & Sazima, 2004;Torres-Carvajal et al., 2019). ...
... Although snakes of the genus Chironius are widely recognized as climbers, it is still unclear whether the species differ in the frequency of use of each substrate in their habitat. Previous information on interspecific differences in morphology and prey consumed suggest differences in the proportion of ground and vegetation use by species (Dixon et al., 1993;Marques & Sazima, 2004), but a more detailed analysis is necessary to clarify this question. Thus, the aim of the present study is to investigate if five sympatric Chironius species from the Atlantic Forest ( Figure 1) differ in the use of forest strata. ...
The substrate use by animals may influence both their morphology and diet. Species of the genus Chironius are among the most conspicuous frog-eating, arboreal snakes in South America. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether diet and morphology relate to substrate use in five sympatric Chironius species from the Atlantic Forest. Our hypothesis is that habitat pressure is strong enough so that even closely related species will present differences. We collected morphological and diet data from specimens of C. bicarinatus, C. exoletus, C. foveatus, C. fuscus, and C. laevicollis housed in scientific collections. Information on habitat use were obtained by monitoring free-ranging animals using thread-bobbins and also from the literature. Our results demonstrate that C. foveatus is the most arboreal species, and C. laevicollis is the most terrestrial among the five studied species. Chironius foveatus is the slenderest, with one of the longest relative tail lengths, the narrowest ventral scales, the highest vertebral density, the largest eye diameter, green body color, and diet based on tree frogs (Hylidae). These traits indicate a higher arboreality for this species. On the other extreme, C. laevicollis is the stoutest species, and has the shortest tail, the largest head, the lowest vertebral density, and diet based on ground-living frogs (Leptodactylidae). These traits indicate pronounced terrestriality for this species. The other three species have traits intermediate between the extremes showed by C. foveatus and C. laevicollis. We found evidence for a close relationship between arboreality or terrestriality, morphology, and diet.
... Spilotes pullatus es una serpiente de gran tamaño de hasta 300 cm de longitud total (LT), su cola es moderada- incluso a una altura igual o mayor a los 10 m, y rara vez suele encontrarse en el suelo (Martins y Oliveira 1998. Esta serpiente se alimenta principalmente de mamíferos, aves (y sus huevos), lagartijas y ranas (Willis y Eisenmann 1979, Martins y Oliveira 1998, Robinson y Robinson 2001, Marques y Sazima 2004, Mendonça et al. 2011); estos mismos autores demuestran que estas serpientes constriñen presas grandes para someterlas antes de engullirlas y las presas pequeñas las pueden ingerir vivas. Marques et al. (2001) evidencian que S. pullatus presenta mayor abundancia en la temporada de lluvias, indicando que S. pullatus presenta un patrón de actividad estacional (reproducción, mayor forrajeo, entre otras). ...
... Marques et al. (2001) evidencian que S. pullatus presenta mayor abundancia en la temporada de lluvias, indicando que S. pullatus presenta un patrón de actividad estacional (reproducción, mayor forrajeo, entre otras). Esta especie es ovípara, su ciclo reproductivo se da en épocas de altas lluvias; el tamaño de la postura puede ser de hasta 12 huevos que se pueden desarrollar en un periodo de 101 a 117 días , Marques y Sazima 2004. Spilotes pullatus presenta una serie de despliegues entre machos como una interacción de combate, que consiste en entrelazar sus cuerpos entre ellos y mantener la cabeza lo más elevada posible, en algunos encuentros se evidencia exposición de los hemipenes, estos combates entre machos sugieren comportamientos de dominancia o defensa de territorio (Muniz-Da-Silva y Almeida-Santos 2013). ...
... Existen registros de endoparásitos (nematodos) y ectoparásitos (garrapatas) para S. pullatus (Barrella et al. 2010, Verbel-Vergara et al. 2019, así como casos de depredación por parte del halcón Buteogallus urubitinga, donde los individuos son llevados al nido (Gerhardt et al. 1993) e intento de depredación por parte de la serpiente Drymarchon melanurus, donde un individuo D. melanurus mordía la cola de un individuo adulto de S. pullatus, sin embargo, no se registró el éxito de depredación (Oakley y Theodorou 2020). En S. pullatus se presentan una variedad de comportamientos defensivos, como elevar la cabeza e inflar el cuello para exponer su piel de tonalidades oscuras; además, posicionar el cuerpo en forma de "S" y la emisión de sonidos emulando silbidos (Martins y Oliveira 1998, Marques y Sazima 2004, Muscat y Rotenberg 2016. ...
Ficha herpetológica de la serpiente Patoco (víbora nariz de cerdo) del pacifico en el norte de Sudamérica. (Porthidium nasutum).
Herpetological note of the hognose pitviper from the Pacific in northern South America. (Porthidium nasutum).
... Spilotes pullatus es una serpiente de gran tamaño de hasta 300 cm de longitud total (LT), su cola es moderada- incluso a una altura igual o mayor a los 10 m, y rara vez suele encontrarse en el suelo (Martins y Oliveira 1998. Esta serpiente se alimenta principalmente de mamíferos, aves (y sus huevos), lagartijas y ranas (Willis y Eisenmann 1979, Martins y Oliveira 1998, Robinson y Robinson 2001, Marques y Sazima 2004, Mendonça et al. 2011); estos mismos autores demuestran que estas serpientes constriñen presas grandes para someterlas antes de engullirlas y las presas pequeñas las pueden ingerir vivas. Marques et al. (2001) evidencian que S. pullatus presenta mayor abundancia en la temporada de lluvias, indicando que S. pullatus presenta un patrón de actividad estacional (reproducción, mayor forrajeo, entre otras). ...
... Marques et al. (2001) evidencian que S. pullatus presenta mayor abundancia en la temporada de lluvias, indicando que S. pullatus presenta un patrón de actividad estacional (reproducción, mayor forrajeo, entre otras). Esta especie es ovípara, su ciclo reproductivo se da en épocas de altas lluvias; el tamaño de la postura puede ser de hasta 12 huevos que se pueden desarrollar en un periodo de 101 a 117 días , Marques y Sazima 2004. Spilotes pullatus presenta una serie de despliegues entre machos como una interacción de combate, que consiste en entrelazar sus cuerpos entre ellos y mantener la cabeza lo más elevada posible, en algunos encuentros se evidencia exposición de los hemipenes, estos combates entre machos sugieren comportamientos de dominancia o defensa de territorio (Muniz-Da-Silva y Almeida-Santos 2013). ...
... Existen registros de endoparásitos (nematodos) y ectoparásitos (garrapatas) para S. pullatus (Barrella et al. 2010, Verbel-Vergara et al. 2019, así como casos de depredación por parte del halcón Buteogallus urubitinga, donde los individuos son llevados al nido (Gerhardt et al. 1993) e intento de depredación por parte de la serpiente Drymarchon melanurus, donde un individuo D. melanurus mordía la cola de un individuo adulto de S. pullatus, sin embargo, no se registró el éxito de depredación (Oakley y Theodorou 2020). En S. pullatus se presentan una variedad de comportamientos defensivos, como elevar la cabeza e inflar el cuello para exponer su piel de tonalidades oscuras; además, posicionar el cuerpo en forma de "S" y la emisión de sonidos emulando silbidos (Martins y Oliveira 1998, Marques y Sazima 2004, Muscat y Rotenberg 2016. ...
Ficha Herpetologica de la serpiente Patoco (víbora nariz de cerdo) en el norte de America del Sur. (Porthidium lansbergii).
Herpetological note of the hognose pitviper in the northern South America. (Porthidium lansbergii).
... Spilotes pullatus es una serpiente de gran tamaño de hasta 300 cm de longitud total (LT), su cola es moderada- incluso a una altura igual o mayor a los 10 m, y rara vez suele encontrarse en el suelo (Martins y Oliveira 1998. Esta serpiente se alimenta principalmente de mamíferos, aves (y sus huevos), lagartijas y ranas (Willis y Eisenmann 1979, Martins y Oliveira 1998, Robinson y Robinson 2001, Marques y Sazima 2004, Mendonça et al. 2011); estos mismos autores demuestran que estas serpientes constriñen presas grandes para someterlas antes de engullirlas y las presas pequeñas las pueden ingerir vivas. Marques et al. (2001) evidencian que S. pullatus presenta mayor abundancia en la temporada de lluvias, indicando que S. pullatus presenta un patrón de actividad estacional (reproducción, mayor forrajeo, entre otras). ...
... Marques et al. (2001) evidencian que S. pullatus presenta mayor abundancia en la temporada de lluvias, indicando que S. pullatus presenta un patrón de actividad estacional (reproducción, mayor forrajeo, entre otras). Esta especie es ovípara, su ciclo reproductivo se da en épocas de altas lluvias; el tamaño de la postura puede ser de hasta 12 huevos que se pueden desarrollar en un periodo de 101 a 117 días , Marques y Sazima 2004. Spilotes pullatus presenta una serie de despliegues entre machos como una interacción de combate, que consiste en entrelazar sus cuerpos entre ellos y mantener la cabeza lo más elevada posible, en algunos encuentros se evidencia exposición de los hemipenes, estos combates entre machos sugieren comportamientos de dominancia o defensa de territorio (Muniz-Da-Silva y Almeida-Santos 2013). ...
... Existen registros de endoparásitos (nematodos) y ectoparásitos (garrapatas) para S. pullatus (Barrella et al. 2010, Verbel-Vergara et al. 2019, así como casos de depredación por parte del halcón Buteogallus urubitinga, donde los individuos son llevados al nido (Gerhardt et al. 1993) e intento de depredación por parte de la serpiente Drymarchon melanurus, donde un individuo D. melanurus mordía la cola de un individuo adulto de S. pullatus, sin embargo, no se registró el éxito de depredación (Oakley y Theodorou 2020). En S. pullatus se presentan una variedad de comportamientos defensivos, como elevar la cabeza e inflar el cuello para exponer su piel de tonalidades oscuras; además, posicionar el cuerpo en forma de "S" y la emisión de sonidos emulando silbidos (Martins y Oliveira 1998, Marques y Sazima 2004, Muscat y Rotenberg 2016. ...
Nota herpetológica para la Verrugosa chocoana de Colombia: Lachesis acrochorda.
Herpetological note for the chocoan bushmaster from Colombia: Lachesis acrochorda.
... Most seem to be aimed at visually oriented predators (being "flatten body" most frequent among them, used by 70% of the species), but cloacal discharge had the same frequency (used by 70% of the species in the region, considering field observations and data from the literature). The numbers indicate field observations and an "X" indicates data from the literature (Hoge 1953, Marques and Sazima 2004, Menezes et al. 2015. ...
... Only one individual was found, in the peach palm plantation, on the vegetation at 0.5 m above the ground, during the day, in November. The available information indicates that it is semi-arboreal and diurnal (França andAraújo 2006, Martins et al. 2008, this study), but forage mainly on the forest ground where it feeds primarily on hylid frogs (Sazima 1992, Dixon et al. 1993, França and Araújo 2006, Rodrigues 2008Marques and Sazima 2004;. Its fecundity ranges from 4-12 eggs (Dixon et al. 1993, Bernarde andAbe 2006). ...
... One juvenile was found while crossing a paved road close to the urban area of Sete Barras, during the day. The available information indicates that it is diurnal and semi-arboreal, but forage mainly on the ground of the forests (Martins and Oliveira 1998, Marques and Sazima 2004 where it feeds primarily on leptodactylid frogs (Strüssmann and Sazima 1993, Martins and Oliveira 1998, Marques and Sazima 2004. At Etá farm, it was found during most of the year, with a higher incidence of juveniles from April to June. ...
Approximately 140 snake species are known to occur in the Atlantic Forest with nearly half being endemic to this ecoregion. However, the Atlantic forest is one of the most threatened tropical ecoregions, with only 16% of its original area remaining as forest. This extensive habitat loss must have had a negative effect on its snake fauna. Indeed, 53% of the threatened snakes of Brazil occur in the Atlantic forest. Therefore, basic natural history information that can potentially contribute to the conservation of Atlantic forest snakes are urgently needed. Here the natural history of a snake assemblage at Etá Farm region, Sete Barras municipality, south-eastern Brazil is described, and a visual guide and an identification key provided that can be used by researchers and local people to identify snakes from this region. Most of the species found in the field use both open areas and forests, are primarily terrestrial, present diurnal activity, and include frogs in their diet. A higher number of enlarged follicles, eggs, and/or embryos were recorded during the warm and rainy season. Seventeen different types of defensive tactics were recorded in the species found in the field. This study provides useful information for understanding the structure of snake assemblages of the Atlantic Forest and is potentially useful for conservation assessments and for designing conservation plans
... Most seem to be aimed at visually oriented predators (being "flatten body" most frequent among them, used by 70% of the species), but cloacal discharge had the same frequency (used by 70% of the species in the region, considering field observations and data from the literature). The numbers indicate field observations and an "X" indicates data from the literature (Hoge 1953, Marques and Sazima 2004, Menezes et al. 2015. ...
... Only one individual was found, in the peach palm plantation, on the vegetation at 0.5 m above the ground, during the day, in November. The available information indicates that it is semi-arboreal and diurnal (França andAraújo 2006, Martins et al. 2008, this study), but forage mainly on the forest ground where it feeds primarily on hylid frogs (Sazima 1992, Dixon et al. 1993, França and Araújo 2006, Rodrigues 2008Marques and Sazima 2004;. Its fecundity ranges from 4-12 eggs (Dixon et al. 1993, Bernarde andAbe 2006). ...
... One juvenile was found while crossing a paved road close to the urban area of Sete Barras, during the day. The available information indicates that it is diurnal and semi-arboreal, but forage mainly on the ground of the forests (Martins and Oliveira 1998, Marques and Sazima 2004 where it feeds primarily on leptodactylid frogs (Strüssmann and Sazima 1993, Martins and Oliveira 1998, Marques and Sazima 2004. At Etá farm, it was found during most of the year, with a higher incidence of juveniles from April to June. ...
... Most seem to be aimed at visually oriented predators (being "flatten body" most frequent among them, used by 70% of the species), but cloacal discharge had the same frequency (used by 70% of the species in the region, considering field observations and data from the literature). The numbers indicate field observations and an "X" indicates data from the literature (Hoge 1953, Marques and Sazima 2004, Menezes et al. 2015. ...
... Only one individual was found, in the peach palm plantation, on the vegetation at 0.5 m above the ground, during the day, in November. The available information indicates that it is semi-arboreal and diurnal (França andAraújo 2006, Martins et al. 2008, this study), but forage mainly on the forest ground where it feeds primarily on hylid frogs (Sazima 1992, Dixon et al. 1993, França and Araújo 2006, Rodrigues 2008Marques and Sazima 2004;. Its fecundity ranges from 4-12 eggs (Dixon et al. 1993, Bernarde andAbe 2006). ...
... One juvenile was found while crossing a paved road close to the urban area of Sete Barras, during the day. The available information indicates that it is diurnal and semi-arboreal, but forage mainly on the ground of the forests (Martins and Oliveira 1998, Marques and Sazima 2004 where it feeds primarily on leptodactylid frogs (Strüssmann and Sazima 1993, Martins and Oliveira 1998, Marques and Sazima 2004. At Etá farm, it was found during most of the year, with a higher incidence of juveniles from April to June. ...
Approximately 140 snake species are known to occur in the Atlantic Forest with nearly half being endemic to this ecoregion. However, the Atlantic forest is one of the most threatened tropical ecoregions, with only 16% of its original area remaining as forest. This extensive habitat loss must have had a negative effect on its snake fauna. Indeed, 53% of the threatened snakes of Brazil occur in the Atlantic forest. Therefore, basic natural history information that can potentially contribute to the conservation of Atlantic forest snakes are urgently needed. Here the natural history of a snake assemblage at Etá Farm region, Sete Barras municipality , southeastern Brazil is described, and a visual guide and an identification key provided that can be used by researchers and local people to identify snakes from this region. Most of the species found in the field use both open areas and forests, are primarily terrestrial, present diurnal activity, and include frogs in their diet. A higher number of enlarged follicles, eggs, and/or embryos were recorded during the warm and rainy season. Seventeen different types of defensive tactics were recorded in the species found in the field. This study provides useful information for understanding the structure of snake assemblages of the Atlantic Forest and is potentially useful for conservation assessments and for designing conservation plans. A peer-reviewed open-access journal Bruno F. Fiorillo et al. / ZooKeys 931: 115-153 (2020) 116
... The specimens collected during this study were deposited in two zoological collections: Coleção Herpetológica Alphonse Richard Hoge of Instituto Butantan (IBSP), São Paulo, SP, Brazil and in Museu de Zoologia João Moojen (MZUFV), Viçosa, MG, Brazil. Areas used for the analysis of similarity between snake assemblages.The following snake assemblages were included in the analyzes: São Paulo State: 1 Parque Estadual Turístico do Alto Ribeira (Araújo et al. 2010) 2 Ilha da Cananéia (Cicchi et al. 2007) 3 Parque Estadual Ilha do Cardoso 4 Fazenda Etá (Fiorillo 2016) 5 Ilha Comprida (Cicchi et al. 2007) 6 Estação Ecológica Juréia-Itatins (Marques and Sazima 2004) 7 Parque Estadual Carlos Botelho (Forlani et al. 2010) 8 Municipalities of Tapiraí and Piedade (Condez et al. 2009) 9 São Sebastião (Centeno et al. 2008) 10 Ilhabela (Centeno et al. 2008) 11 Parque Municipal de Paranapiacaba (Trevine et al. 2014) 12 São Paulo (Barbo et al. 2011) 13 Parque Estadual da Serra do Japi (Sazima and Haddad 1992) 14 São Vicente Island (Cicchi et al. 2007) 15 Santo Amaro Island (Cicchi et al. 2007) (Silveira et al. 2010) 31 Estação Ambiental de Peti (Bertoluci et al. 2009). ...
... Specimens identified as Thamnodynastes sp. by Salles and Silva-Soares (2010) belong to Thamnodynastes nattereri (Mikan, 1820) (Franco and Ferreira 2002), as well as the specimens cited as Thamnodynastes cf. nattereri by Marques and Sazima (2004) Silveira et al. (2010), Vrcibradic et al. (2011), Moura et al. (2012) and Citeli et al. (2016). Specimens considered as Chironius flavolineatus (Jan, 1863) by Condez et al. (2009), São Pedro and Pires (2009), Forlani et al. (2010 and Silveira et al. (2010) were described as Chironius brazili Fernandes, 2015 (Hamdan andFernandes 2015). ...
... Natural history notes. A large species (n = 1), with semi-arboreal habits, and diurnal activity (Marques et al. 2001, Marques andSazima 2004). Both of our records were made in the same place, during the day (12:00 and 12:10 h), in September and October, respectively, indicating that it may be the same individual. ...
The Serra da Mantiqueira is one of the least inventoried physiographic areas of southeastern Brazil. There is great potential for detection of endemic species for which little or nothing is known about basic aspects of natural history. The Parque Estadual da Serra do Papagaio (PESP) within the Serra da Mantiqueira is an area of extreme biological importance because it houses mixed formations of grasslands, ombrophilous forests, and enclaves of Araucaria forests (mixed ombrophilous forest). Currently, the mixed ombrophilous forest covers less than 5% of its original range and areas occupied by this forest type, and associated ecosystems constitute refuges, housing several endemic, high altitude species. Between September 2015 and April 2016, field samplings were performed in the PESP using four distinct methods. The objective was to determine the composition and natural history of snakes from an isolated, high altitude area of the Serra da Mantiqueira. In PESP and surrounding areas, 80 individuals representing 24 species, 19 genera, and three families were recorded. Data are presented on abundance, habitat, daily activity, diet, reproduction, and defense. Comparison of the PESP snake assemblage with 30 other Atlantic Forest areas in southeastern Brazil indicate the Serra da Mantiqueira presents particular characteristics regarding snake composition.
... In the coastal mainland areas, in the Parque Estadual da Serra do Mar, Pincinguaba nucleus, Ubatuba municipality in the northern coast of São Paulo, 24 snake species were found (Hartmann et al., 2009), whereas in the Estação Ecológica Juréia-Itatins, located in the southern coast of São Paulo, 25 species were recorded (Marques and Sazima, 2004). In these two areas, species richness was similar to that found on the richer islands from the coastal region in the state of São Paulo. ...
... Due to intrinsic differences among snake dispersal ability, it is expected that different subsets of species will colonize islands at different distances from the mainland. In comparison to mainland communities along the coast of São Paulo (Marques and Sazima, 2004;Hartmann et al., 2009), we observed the absence of both terrestrial species (e.g., Echinanthera cyanopleura) and arboreal species (e.g., Philodryas olfersii) on the islands. This suggests that habitat use does not appear to be a determining factor in island occurrence. ...
Islands biogeography theory establishes that species richness and composition in islands result from ecological and evolutionary processes, such as immigration/emigration rate and the balance between speciation and extinction. Islands’ geographic distribution, area, and distance from the mainland are important features in structuring communities of different taxonomic groups. Here, we aimed to evaluate the influence of geographic predictors on the variation of snakes’ community composition. The study area encompassed 17 oceanic islands in the state of Sã Paulo, southeast Brazil. We recorded 40 species of snakes, with an average of 8.53 ± 8.11 species per island. We observed that islands closer to the mainland are more similar in snake composition, and more distant islands have a greater variation in composition among themselves. We verified a positive correlation between beta diversity and distance from the mainland, turnover component and distance from the mainland, nested component and distance among islands, and nestedness and island area. So, we conclude that the spatial pattern of island snake composition seems to be related to species dispersal. However, it can also be a relictual fauna pattern due to the isolation of populations due to rising sea level and the subsequent formation of the studied islands. Our results reinforces the pivotal role of geographic factors in shaping spatial patterns of insular communities.
... Although studies comprising snake communities from Atlantic Forest are scarce to allow comparative panoramas (e.g. Marques and Sazima 2004;Pontes et al. 2008;Pontes et al. 2009;Costa et al. 2010), the predominance of species belonging to the Dipsadidae family is observed in other Atlantic Forest areas previously studied both in Rio de Janeiro (Pontes et al. 2009;Salles and Silva-Soares 2010;Martins et al. 2012;Rocha et al. 2018) and in the Atlantic forest (Marques et al. 2000;Moura et al. 2012), which seems to be a pattern for Neotropical environments (Zug et al. 2001). Concerning the lizards found in the study area, Tropidurus torquatus, Ameiva ameiva, and Brasiliscincus agilis were the most representative species. ...
... Concerning reptiles, lizard species registered in fieldwork were primarily found in leaf litter or sand (see Results and Table 5). Such use of microhabitat are in accordance with those previously reported for the species Atlantic Forest areas (Rocha and Bergallo 1997;Marques and Sazima 2004;Pontes and Rocha 2008). ...
This study analyzes four different restinga fragments in Parque Estadual da Costa do Sol, Southeastern Brazil, gathering data on the composition, abundance, diversity, richness, microhabitat use and natural history of the herpetofauna community, as well as how the abiotic factors influence this community. We also provide secondary data of the herpetofauna composition based on historical registers from specimens housed in three collections. Field work was carried out throughout 2012 and 2013, using time and distance, and time delimited transects. The relative abundance of amphibians was 1.4 individuals/100 m 2 or 2.3 individuals/h, and of reptiles 0.7 individuals/100 m 2 or 1 individuals/h. We registered 75 amphibian and 62 reptile species considering sampling and secondary data. This study emphasizes the need of bromeliads conservation since they represent crucial sites for amphibian and reptile survival. Our results also highlight the importance of conservation of the studied areas in order to ensure the viability of the populations found therein.
... O objetivo deste capítulo é avaliar, por meio de critérios de enquadramento jurídico, a violação do princípio do não retrocesso como consequência da recategorização do Mosaico Jureia-Itatins, especificamente quanto a RDS. A região é caracterizada por altos índices de biodiversidade ) e números razoáveis de populações de répteis Sazima, 2004). Os levantamentos socioambientais indicam a presença de comunidades tradicionais que, predominantemente, vivem da pesca e do turismo (Oliveira, 2004). ...
... Sazima 1991, Sazima, 1992Martins et al., 2002). Bothrops are an important group of predators that feeds mainly on frogs as juveniles (Marques & Sazima, 2004;Martins et al., 2002;Sazima, 1992). Juvenile pitvipers preying upon Hylodes frog species are reported by Hartmann et al. (2003), who concluded that the presence and diurnal hunting of young pitvipers along streams are related to the habits of torrent frogs (Reinert, 1993;Sazima, 1992). ...
Vocalization, visual and chemical signals are courtship behaviours of anurans that may expose them to the risk of predation. Here, we described a predation event in which a population of the torrent frog Hylodes cardosoi was in intense courtship behaviour and one individual was caught by a specimen of the pitviper Bothrops jararaca. The predation event was recorded in a region of Atlantic Forest, Paraná, Brazil. We hypothesized that the pitviper was ambush hunting and captured a female frog that was attracted by the vocalization of a nearby male. Predatory interactions are important ecological factors driving the evolution and population size of both prey and predator. This report increases the prey richness described for B. jararaca and also extends the known geographic distribution of H. cardosoi. Our observation contributes to knowledge of the natural history of the species involved.
... According to our statistical analyses D. neuwiedi showed the opposite pattern (females having longer tails), a result different from that described in previous studies of the same species, which could indicate population variation related to the tail size (Pizzatto et al., 2008;Parnazio and Vrcibradic, 2018). Considering that D. neuwiedi has a semi-arboreal habit, this pattern could also indicate intraspecific divergence in the use of microhabitats, with females using vegetation more frequently, which would explain their greater tail length (Peters, 1960;Marques and Sazima, 2004;Pizzatto et al., 2008). Tail-related sexual dimorphism is almost always biased towards males, being explained mainly by three hypotheses: 1) the extra space needed to accommodate the hemipenis and retractor muscles; 2) natural selection favoring greater reproductive success in females, resulting in an increase in body size and secondary tail reduction; and 3) the use of the tail in courtship, mating or reproductive aggregation interactions, which would have favored the evolution of larger tails in males (Klauber, 1943;Clark, 1967;Kaufman and Gibbons, 1975;Semlitsch and Gibbons, 1982). ...
Sexual dimorphism in snakes is generally described in association with body or tail size and scale counts, with relatively few studies addressing intrasexual divergence in the skull. Here, we analyzed sexual dimorphism in the size and shape of skull and body in three malacophagous dipsadine snakes, Dipsas mikanii, Dipsas neuwiedi and Dipsas turgida, as well as allometric effect on these components. We used linear and geometric analysis to assess: (1) if there is sexual dimorphism in cranial components; (2) if there are differences between the sexes regarding body and tail size, number of ventral and subcaudal scales; (3) whether there is covariation between cranial components and body size; (4) if there are changes in cranial shape associated with increased size; and (5) whether there is an allometric relationship between body and tail size. Our results showed that all three species are dimorphic in cranial shape and size (except D. turgida for cranial size), with females having longer and thinner skulls than males. In the three species, the female skull was negatively allometric, whereas the male skull was isometric. Allometry related to cranial shape was significant only in males of D. turgida, which showed greater snout robustness and eye size associated with enlargement of the skull. Females of D. mikanii and D. neuwiedi were significantly larger than males. Only males of D. neuwiedi showed positive allometry for the tail, while dimorphism related to scale counts followed the pattern found in most snakes, with females having a greater number of ventrals and males subcaudals (except D. neuwiedi in the latter case). Based on our results, we hypothesize that patterns of sexual dimorphism and skull allometry in malacophagous snakes may be explained both by aspects related to diet and reproduction. Meanwhile, patterns associated with body size reflect advantages related to fecundity favoring greater reproductive success of females.
... Adults are terrestrial and use similar hunting strategies as rattlesnakes to prey on mammals. Juveniles are semi-arboreal and use the sitand-wait strategy and caudal luring to attract ectothermic vertebrates, mainly anurans (Sazima, 1991(Sazima, , 1992(Sazima, , 2006Marques and Sazima, 2004). We hypothesized that the differences in behavior and niche occupied by juveniles and adults of B. jararaca might be associated with rearrangements of the retinal architecture according to specific visual needs. ...
Snakes of the Viperidae family have retinas adapted to low light conditions, with high packaging of rod-photoreceptors containing the rhodopsin photopigment (RH1), and three types of cone-photoreceptors, large single and double cones with long-wavelength sensitive opsins (LWS), and small single cones with short-wavelength sensitive opsins (SWS1). In this study, we compared the density and distribution of photoreceptors and ganglion cell layer (GCL) cells in whole-mounted retinas of two viperid snakes, the lancehead Bothrops jararaca and the rattlesnake Crotalus durissus , and we estimated the upper limits of spatial resolving power based on anatomical data. The ground-dwelling C. durissus inhabits savannah-like habitats and actively searches for places to hide before using the sit-and-wait hunting strategy to ambush rodents. B. jararaca inhabits forested areas and has ontogenetic changes in ecology and behavior. Adults are terrestrial and use similar hunting strategies to those used by rattlesnakes to prey on rodents. Juveniles are semi-arboreal and use the sit-and-wait strategy and caudal luring to attract ectothermic prey. Our analyses showed that neuronal densities were similar for the two species, but their patterns of distribution were different between and within species. In adults and juveniles of C. durissus , cones were distributed in poorly defined visual streaks and rods were concentrated in the dorsal retina, indicating higher sensitivity in the lower visual field. In adults of B. jararaca , both cones and rods were distributed in poorly defined visual streaks, while in juveniles, rods were concentrated in the dorsal retina and cones in the ventral retina, enhancing sensitivity in the lower visual field and visual acuity in the upper field. The GCL cells had peak densities in the temporal retina of C. durissus and adults of B. jararaca , indicating higher acuity in the frontal field. In juveniles of B. jararaca , the peak density of GCL cells in the ventral retina indicates better acuity in the upper field. The estimated visual acuity varied from 2.3 to 2.8 cycles per degree. Our results showed interspecific differences and suggest ontogenetic plasticity of the retinal architecture associated with changes in the niche occupied by viperid snakes, and highlight the importance of the retinal topography for visual ecology and behavior of snakes.
... Datum WGS84; approximately 600 m above sea level), an adult T. torquatus male was observed on the rocks near the visitors' parking lot. The lizard had in its mouth a juvenile Erythrolamprus miliaris (Linnaeus, 1758) individual ( Figure 1A), a medium-sized Dipsadidae snake (average SVL of 101.5 cm; Marques et al. 2004) widely distributed in South America (Wallach et al. 2014, Nogueira et al. 2020. The snake was still alive and was writhing trying to escape. ...
Although ophiophagy is not a well-known event among neotropical lizards, occasional snake predation events have been reported for some species. For Tropidurus torquatus only one record of predation on Phalotris matogrossensis is currently known. Here we report the second record of ophiophagy in Tropidurus torquatus, adding a new prey item to its known diet, and we provide a review of vertebrate prey consumed by this enigmatic lizard species. Although when compared to other lizard species, T. torquatus has a substantial number of records documenting the predation of small vertebrates, these records are occasional and are likely the result of opportunistic events.
... Ilustraciones: Maribel Rojas-Montoya.incluso a una altura igual o mayor a los 10 m, y rara vez suele encontrarse en el suelo(Martins y Oliveira 1998, Marques et al. 2014. Esta serpiente se alimenta principalmente de mamíferos, aves (y sus huevos), lagartijas y ranas(Willis y Eisenmann 1979, Martins y Oliveira 1998, Robinson y Robinson 2001, Marques y Sazima 2004, Mendonça et al. 2011, Marques et al. 2014); estos mismos autores demuestran que estas serpientes constriñen presas grandes para someterlas antes de engullirlas y las presas pequeñas las pueden ingerir vivas.Marques et al. (2001) evidencian que S. pullatus presenta mayor abundancia en la temporada de lluvias, indicando que S. pullatus presenta un patrón de actividad estacional (reproducción, mayor forrajeo, entre otras). Esta especie es ovípara, su ciclo reproductivo se da en épocas de altas lluvias; el tamaño de la postura puede ser de hasta 12 huevos que se pueden desarrollar en un ...
... One female collected in January (MRCM 424) had five ovarian follicles (LOF = 7.6 mm). The available information indicates that its fecundity varies from three to eight eggs and it has a continuous reproductive cycle, with vitellogenesis throughout the entire year; however, ovarian follicles (including eggs) are larger during the wet season(October-April;Marques 1996;Marques and Sazima 2004). It reaches sexual maturity with at least 635 mm SVL in females and 430 mm in males(Marques 1996). ...
Citation: Fiorillo BF, Maciel JH, Martins M (2021) Composition and natural history of a snake community from the southern Cerrado, southeastern Brazil. ZooKeys 1056: 95-147.
... One female collected in January (MRCM 424) had five ovarian follicles (LOF = 7.6 mm). The available information indicates that its fecundity varies from three to eight eggs and it has a continuous reproductive cycle, with vitellogenesis throughout the entire year; however, ovarian follicles (including eggs) are larger during the wet season(October-April;Marques 1996;Marques and Sazima 2004). It reaches sexual maturity with at least 635 mm SVL in females and 430 mm in males(Marques 1996). ...
The natural history of a cerrado snake community in a protected area in southeastern Brazil (Santa Bárbara Ecological Station; SBES) is described. A visual guide and an identification key are also provided to assist researchers and local people in identifying snakes in that region.
Sampling was performed through pitfall traps, time-constrained search, accidental encounters, and observations by local people for two years, which corresponded to 240 days of sampling. Among the 388 individuals found in the field, 33 snake species belonging to 21 genera of seven families were recorded. Most species were restricted or found at least once in non-forest vegetation types (campo sujo, campo cerrado, and cerrado sensu stricto) and a few were restricted to forest habitats (cerradão). Our results show that most species (1) occupy open areas; (2) present both diurnal and nocturnal activity; (3) are primarily terrestrial; (4) include lizards, mammals and/or anurans in the diet; (5) present seasonal reproductive activity; and (6) use mainly visually oriented defensive tactics. Despite its small size (3,154 ha), the SBES harbours preserved habitats and a rich and typical Cerrado snake fauna, including threatened species. Furthermore, most of the SBES snakes occur in non-forest environments (54%) and some species are sensitive to habitat disturbance.
... Despite the great testicular activity among the individuals, at the population level, the reproductive cycle of T. dorsatus can be considered seasonal semi-synchronous with a peak of spermiogenesis activity in the hot season, and discontinuous at the individual level based on Mathies (2011), similar to that reported for other neotropical snakes (Marques & Sazima 2004, Rojas et al. 2013, and corroborating the studies carried out by Bizerra (1998) and Loebens et al. (2020). In this study, the spermiogenesis phase peaked in the hot season and early cold season, coinciding with the time when the females of T. dorsatus were vitellogenic and the period of mating (Bizerra et al. 2005). ...
The morphology of the male reproductive tract of Tomodon dorsatus was described in the austral seasons of the year considering macroscopic and microscopic variables. For this purpose, 56 specimens from the herpetological collection of the “Instituto Butantan” were used. Fragments of the testes, kidneys and ductus deferens were collected and submitted to histological routine. The peak of the testicular volume was observed in the summer and the epithelium of the seminiferous tubules had higher height in the summer (p=0.001). The testes were active throughout the year, however, the spermiogenesis peaked in the summer. There were spermatozoa in the lumen of the ductus deferens in all seasons of the year. Renal length was higher in autumn (p=0.027), and renal width did not show a significant increase (p=0.237). The diameter and epithelial height of the sexual segment of the kidney (SSK) showed hypertrophy in winter and spring, coinciding with the mating period. Based on findings of this study, we can suggest that, at the population level, the reproductive cycle of T. dorsatus can be considered seasonal semi-synchronous, due to the peak of spermiogenic activity in the hot season, and discontinuous at the individual level.
... Two of the three most abundant snakes recorded during our surveys were members of the family Viperidae (B. jararaca and B. jararacussu), whose representatives are common in areas of mainland Atlantic Forest (Marques & Sazima 2004, Pontes et al. 2009). The Dipsadidae Thamnodynastes cf. ...
The Parque Nacional da Tijuca in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, is considered to be one of the world’s largest urban forests, however no systematic inventory of its herpetofauna is available. In the present study, we surveyed the amphibians and reptiles of this park to assess its species composition (including secondary data) and obtain estimates of species richness and abundance. We conducted active searches (460 hours) between January 2013 and December 2015. We identified the taxa endemic to either the Atlantic Forest or Rio de Janeiro state, and verified the conservation status of each species in the international, Brazilian, and state red lists. We also estimated the species richness and sampling sufficiency by rarefaction curves and Bootstrap richness estimator, and analyzed the distribution of the species abundance in Whittaker plots. We recorded 3,288 individuals over 36 months, representing 24 species of amphibians and 25 reptiles. The cumulative species curves, rarefaction, and the richness estimated indicated that sampling effort was adequate. Species abundance adjusted to the log-series model in both amphibians and reptiles. The four most abundant amphibians represented 70% of the individuals recorded in this group, while the two most abundant reptiles represented 60% of the total individuals. The inclusion of the secondary data raised the number of amphibian species to 38, and the number of reptiles to 36. Approximately 80% of the amphibian species and 28% of the reptile species recorded are endemic to the Atlantic Forest, and six of the amphibian species are endemic to Rio de Janeiro state. Six amphibian species and one reptile species are classified under some threat of extinction, and two reptile species were exotic. The considerable diversity of the herpetofauna of the Parque Nacional da Tijuca, which includes endemic and threatened species, reflects the effectiveness of the reforestation of this protected area and emphasizes the importance of its conservation.
... Two of the three most abundant snakes recorded during our surveys were members of the family Viperidae (B. jararaca and B. jararacussu), whose representatives are common in areas of mainland Atlantic Forest (Marques & Sazima 2004, Pontes et al. 2009). The Dipsadidae Thamnodynastes cf. ...
The Parque Nacional da Tijuca in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, is considered to be one of the world’s largest urban forests, however no systematic inventory of its herpetofauna is available. In the present study, we surveyed the amphibians and reptiles of this park to assess its species composition (including secondary data) and obtain estimates of species richness and abundance. We conducted active searches (460 hours) between January 2013 and December 2015. We identified the taxa endemic to either the Atlantic Forest or Rio de Janeiro state, and verified the conservation status of each species in the international, Brazilian, and state red lists. We also estimated the species richness and sampling sufficiency by rarefaction curves and Bootstrap richness estimator, and analyzed the distribution of the species abundance in Whittaker plots. We recorded 3,288 individuals over 36 months, representing 24 species of amphibians and 25 reptiles. The cumulative species curves, rarefaction, and the richness estimated indicated that sampling effort was adequate. Species abundance adjusted to the log-series model in both amphibians and reptiles. The four most abundant amphibians represented 70% of the individuals recorded in this group, while the two most abundant reptiles represented 60% of the total individuals. The inclusion of the secondary data raised the number of amphibian species to 38, and the number of reptiles to 36. Approximately 80% of the amphibian species and 28% of the reptile species recorded are endemic to the Atlantic Forest, and six of the amphibian species are endemic to Rio de Janeiro state. Six amphibian species and one reptile specie are classified under some threat of extinction, and two reptile species were exotic. The considerable diversity of the herpetofauna of the Parque Nacional da Tijuca, which includes endemic and threatened species, reflects the effectiveness of the reforestation of this protected area and emphasizes the importance of its conservation.
... The genus Dipsas Laurenti, 1768 (Squamata: Colubridae: Dipsadinae) comprises 53 species worldwide and 14 of them occur in Brazil [32,33]. One of the species, D. mikanii (Schlegel, 1837), is nocturnal, with terrestrial or semi-arboreal habits [34,35]. Interestingly, this neotropical snake feeds primarily on land snails and slugs, specialising on slugs of the Veronicellidae [36]. ...
PurposeSpecies of Hepatozoon Miller, 1908 (Hepatozoidae) are blood protozoans with a cosmopolitan distribution and are reported to parasitize a range of vertebrate hosts including mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians. The present study aimed to describe a new species of Hepatozoon (Apicomplexa: Adeleorina: Hepatozoidae) found infecting the sleep snake Dipsas mikanii (Schlegel, 1837) (Squamata: Colubridae: Dipsadinae).Methods
The snake was collected in 2017 at the municipality of Britânia, Goiás State, Brazil. Blood smears were made in order to find blood gametocytes and PCR was performed targeting the 18S rRNA gene.ResultsMicroscopy screening of blood smears revealed the presence of intraerythrocytic gamont stages of Hepatozoon sp. in the peripheral blood with a parasitemia of 0.25%. Furthermore, meronts and monozoic cysts were observed in histological sections of the liver from the infected individual. The interspecific divergence of 18S rRNA sequences fragments isolated from D. mikanii had differences (2.39–11.3%) as compared to other sequences of species of Hepatozoon from snakes.Conclusions
Based on morphological and molecular data, a new species of Hepatozoon infecting D. mikanii from Brazil is described.
... Most snake species found in the PEC mainly use soil as substrate, as well as snakes in other regions of Brazil, such as the Caatinga , Atlantic Forest (Marques et al. 2017b), Cerrado (França and Braz 2013), Pantanal (Strussmann and Sazima 1993) and Amazon Oliveira 1998, Bernarde andAbe 2006). However, PEC also harbours a great variety of semi-arboreal and arboreal species, which is a characteristic of forest biomes, such as the Atlantic Forest and Amazon (Martins and Oliveira 1998, Argôlo 2004, Marques and Sazima 2004, Bernarde and Abe 2006. ...
The Atlantic Forest is one of the largest and richest tropical rainforests on the planet, being one of the 25 world priorities for conservation. The Atlantic Forest portion located north of the São Francisco River corresponds to the Pernambuco Endemism Center (PEC). We describe the snake composition of the PEC, providing information about the diversity, natural history and geographical distribution of the species, based on records from five scientific collections and additional information from the literature. A total of 78 species of snakes distributed in eight families was registered in the Pernambuco Endemism Center. The Caatinga is the Brazilian biome that most shares species with the PEC, followed by Cerrado. On the other hand, seven species are considered endemic of this region. Most of the snake species in the PEC have been registered in forest (94.8%), followed by "Brejos Nordestinos" (46.1%), Tabuleiros (43.5%), Restingas (14.1%) and Mangroves (5.1%). The PEC snake fauna includes mainly terrestrial species (60.2%) and cryptozoic and/or fossorial species (21.7%), but also presents a high richness of semi-arboreal and arboreal species (29.5%). Vertebrates are the main food item consumed by the species (78% of species), among the main prey are mammals, lizards, and amphibians. Most species show a strictly nocturnal activity period (50%), followed by strictly diurnal (38%). The PEC is the most degraded and least known region of the A peer-reviewed open-access journal Rafaela C. França et al. / ZooKeys 1002: 115-158 (2020) 116 Atlantic Forest, yet it has revealed a high richness of snake species, including seven endemic species. It is emphasized that regional conservation efforts need to be intensified, because few forests in the region are formally protected, and the majority consist of small and poorly protected fragments, which means that many species in the region may be in risk of extinction.
... A stress value was used as a representative measure of the groupings, and values <0. Information concerning habits, activity periods and continental distributions of the species recorded at the RPPN Fazenda Almas (see Table 2) was obtained from the literature (see Duellman 1978, Dixon & Soini 1986, Zimmerman & Rodrigues 1990, Cadle & Greene 1993, Argôlo 2004, Martins & Oliviera 1998, Giraudo 2004, Marques & Sazima 2004, Santos et al. 2005, Zanella & Cechin 2006, Santana et al. 2008, França et al. 2008, Pereira-Filho et al. 2017, Guedes et al. 2018, Sampaio et al. 2018. ...
This study aimed to provide information on composition, abundance, and estimated snakes richness in an area of arboreal Caatinga (seasonally dry tropical forest) and analyze patterns of faunistic similarity between assemblages of snakes in the semiarid region of northeastern Brazil. The snakes found within the Fazenda Almas Natural Private Reserve (RPPN Fazenda Almas) were sampled during a 10-year period, with monthly monitoring, employing time constrained search, pitfall traps with drift fences, and donations from local collectors. Twenty-two snake species were recorded, with a predominance of terrestrial species with diurnal-nocturnal activity patterns. The species accumulation curves reached its asymptote, indicating that all possible species in the study area had been recorded. Our results indicated that the snake fauna in the study area is similar to other snake assemblages in localities with Caatinga vegetation in the Sertaneja Depression (“Depressão Sertaneja”) drylands, and that those assemblages constitute faunistic units typical of the interior of northeastern Brazil.
... In Serra do Mendanha, in Rio de Janeiro state, for example, B. jararaca is relatively rare, with only 10 records being obtained in a 62-month study (Pontes and Rocha 2009), whereas in the Juréia-Itatins Ecological Station, in São Paulo state, the species was relatively abundant, with 60 records being collected during a 15-month study (Marques and Sazima 2004). In the MONAST, Bothrops jararaca was more abundant (N = 47 records in 30 days of sampling) than all the other snake species combined (N total = 42). ...
Data on the composition of local reptile assemblages in several Brazilian ecosystems can still be considered relatively restricted in scope in most cases. In this study, we conducted surveys in the Serra das Torres Natural Monument, located in the municipalities of Atílio Vivacqua, Muqui, and Mimoso do Sul, using the Rapid Assessments method (RAP) during 30 days in the rainy season of 2018. We sampled actively for approximately 1320 hours with a 6-10 person crew, supplemented by 720 hours of passive sampling (30 bucket-days) using pitfall traps with drift fences. We recorded 34 reptile species during our sampling method (2 amphisbaenid, 11 lizards, and 21 snakes) and an occasional encounter, after the end of sampling, that added a chelonian species to the list, Hydromedusa maximiliani, totaling 35 reptile species. The Dipsadidae was the family with the greatest snake species richness and, the Gymnophtalmidae had the greatest lizard species richness. The species richness recorded in the Serra das Torres Natural Monument (Ntotal = 35) represents ca. 27% of all reptile species found in the state of Espírito Santo (N = 130). The most abundant lizard species was Leposoma scincoides followed by Ecpleopus gaudichaudii and, the most abundant snake species was Bothrops jararaca being markedly higher than that recorded in similar studies. Twenty-seven percent of the reptile species recorded in our study are endemic to the Atlantic Forest and 30% (N = 10) have been recorded less than five times previously in the Brazilian state of Espírito Santo. Our study reinforces the need for the conservation of the Serra das Torres Natural Monument because of its importance as a reservoir of a considerable portion of the reptile biodiversity of Espírito Santo state, and of the Atlantic Forest biome as a whole.
... Individuals can be seen foraging during the night on bromeliads, shrubs, in the underbrush, or on palm bracts, which during the day are primarily used for sleeping (HENDERSON & NICKERSON 1976, BARTLETT & BARTLETT 2003. Despite the arboreal habits of I. cenchoa, this snake has been observed on the ground of forests (HENDERSON & NICKERSON 1976, MARQUES & SAZIMA 2004 and dead on paved roads, killed by cars, indicating possible terrestrial foraging. ...
... The diet of C. flavolineatus is similar to that from other congeneric species (Dixon et al., 1993). Hylid frogs are the most common preys of Chironius snakes, for instance, Dendropsophus Fitzinger, 1843 (Nascimento et al., 2013), Itapotihyla Faivovich, Haddad, Garcia, Frost, Campbell & Wheeler, 2005(Marques & Sazima, 2004Bovo & Sueiro, 2012), Hypsiboas (Pombal Jr., 2007;Oliveira, 2008;Pinto et al., 2008;Nascimento et al., 2013), Phyllomedusa Wagler, 1830 (Castanho, 1996;Bernarde & Abe, 2010), Scinax (Pinto et al., 2008;Hartmann et al., 2009;Bernarde & Abe, 2010;Nascimento et al., 2013), and including Bokermannohyla Faivovich, Haddad, Garcia, Frost, Campbell & Wheeler, 2005 species (Rocha et al., 1999). Notwithstanding, the previous case of a Chironius snake preying upon Bokermannohyla (B. ...
We reported the predation record of the hylid frog Bokermannohyla alvarengai by the colubrid snake Chironius flavolineatus in a montane rocky grassland in Santana do Riacho municipality, Minas Gerais state, southeastern Brazil. Our findings contribute to the biological knowledge of B. alvarengai through identification of one of its natural predators, and of C. flavolineatus by adding an anuran species to its diet, data not previously available in the scientific literature.
... Entre as serpentes existentes na América do Sul, a família Dipsadidae (que inclui o gênero Erythrolamprus) possui grande número de representantes adaptados à predação de anfíbios, com diversas espécies anurófagas (Michaud & Dixon, 1989;Martins et al., 1993;Bernarde & Abe, 2010). Erythrolamprus miliaris (Linnaeus, 1758) apresenta hábito semiaquático, sendo frequentemente encontrada próxima a corpos d'água utilizados por diferentes grupos de anuros durante o período reprodutivo (Sazima & Haddad, 1992;Marques & Sazima, 2004). Além disso, essa é uma espécie politípica que inclui as subespécies E. miliaris miliaris (Linnaeus, 1758), E. m. amazonicus (Dunn, 1922), E. m. chrysostomus (Cope, 1868), E. m. merremii (Wied, 1821) e E. m. orinus (Griffin, 1916), sendo esta última a subespécie que ocorre em São Paulo, no sul de Minas Gerais, no Rio de Janeiro, no Paraná, em Santa Catarina e no Rio Grande do Sul (Lima, A. C., 2012), no Brasil, bem como nos chacos úmidos da Argentina e do Paraguai ( Giraudo et al., 2006). ...
A presente comunicação relata duas tentativas de predação envolvendo subadultos de Erythrolamprus miliaris orinus e duas espécies de anfíbios anuros de grande porte, bem como evidencia as possíveis estratégias da serpente para vencer sua presa diante da dificuldade em deglutir o indivíduo. Em ambos os casos, os anfíbios obtiveram êxito e escaparam do predador. O fato de os dois indivíduos apresentarem tamanho relativamente grande (entre 60 e 70 mm de comprimento rostro-cloacal) em relação à maioria dos anfíbios possivelmente favoreceu a fuga dos indivíduos, bem como a desistência da serpente em efetivar a predação. As estratégias aqui relatadas, em alguns casos, podem aumentar a eficiência da predação quando a presa for relativamente grande ou apresentar resistência. O tipo de substrato, a relação de tamanho entre presa e predador, bem como a experiência em forrageio da serpente podem também ser fatores limitantes para determinar a eficiência na captura. Palavras-chave: Dieta. Comportamento alimentar.
Anura. Forrageamento. Subjugação.
This communication reports two predation attempts involving subadults of the snake Erythrolamprus miliaris orinus on two species of large anurans, as well as the possible strategies of the snake in the face of difficulty to ingest the prey individual. In both cases, amphibians were successful in escaping the predator. The fact that the two individuals were relatively large (between 60 and 70 mm snout-vent length) compared to most amphibians possibly favored the escape, as well as the withdrawal of the snake in effecting the predation. The strategies reported here, in some cases, can increase predation efficiency when the prey is relatively large or resistant. The type of substrate, the size relation between prey and predator and the experience of the snake also can be limiting factors to determine the efficiency of capture.
... Although to a lesser extent, our results show that viviparous species should also suffer a great impact by a changing climate, with 67.6% of species predicted to lose at least half of their current distribution. The endemic viviparous species Bothrops pirajai and Corallus cropannii 64,67 which have been currently evaluated as endangered and vulnerable, respectively, on the national threatened species list, were projected to both be endangered at the end of this century as a result of the climate change. It should be noted that viviparous species confer an evolutionary advantage by allowing females to keep embryo temperature constant, which it would be a benefit mainly in climatically unstable regions 41,68 . ...
Reptiles are highly susceptible to climate change, responding negatively to thermal and rainfall alterations mainly in relation to their reproductive processes. Based on that, we evaluated the effects of climate change on climatically suitable areas for the occurrence of snakes in the Atlantic Forest hotspot, considering the responses of distinct reproductive groups (oviparous and viviparous). We assessed the species richness and turnover patterns affected by climate change and projected the threat status of each snake species at the end of the century. We also evaluated the effectiveness of the protected areas in safeguarding the species by estimating the mean percentage overlap between snake species distribution and protected areas (PAs) network and by assessing whether such areas will gain or lose species under climate change. Our results showed greater species richness in the eastern-central portion of the Atlantic Forest at present. In general, we evidenced a drastic range contraction of the snake species under climate change. Temporal turnover tends to be high in the western and north-eastern edges of the biome, particularly for oviparous species. Our predictions indicate that 73.6% of oviparous species and 67.6% of viviparous species could lose at least half of their original range by 2080. We also found that existing protected areas of the Atlantic Forest Hotspot have a very limited capacity to safeguard snakes at the current time, maintaining the precarious protection in the future, with the majority of them predicted to lose species at the end of this century. Although oviparous and viviparous snakes have been designated to be dramatically impacted, our study suggests a greater fragility of the former in the face of climate change. We advocated that the creation of new protected areas and/or the redesign of the existing network to harbour regions that maximize the snake species occupancy in the face of future warming scenarios are crucial measures for the conservation of this group.
... Hartmann et al. 2009, Pontes et al. 2009, Barbo et al. 2011, information available on the ecology of E. miliaris still consists mostly of isolated reports regarding diet and behavior (e.g. lema et al. 1983, Michaud and Dixon 1989, Marques and Souza 1993, Machado et al. 1998, Marques and Sazima 2004, Hartmann et al. 2009, Vrcibradic et al. 2012, Duarte et al. 2014, Muscat et al. 2016, Muscat and Moroti 2018. Regarding aspects of reproduction there is more information available (Pizzatto and Marques 2006a, b, Pizzatto et al. 2008, Rojas et al. 2019, though studies are still scarce if we consider the species' wide geographic range. ...
We analyzed some aspects of reproduction and sexual dimorphism of the semi-aquatic dipsadid snake Erythrolamprus miliaris in the state of Rio de Janeiro, southeastern Brazil. We detected sexual dimorphism in body size (snout-vent length), with females averaging larger than males, but no sexual dimorphism in the relative length of the tail. Oviductal eggs and secondary follicles were found in all seasons, suggesting that female reproductive cycles are continuous, in spite of the tropical seasonal climate in the region. Reproductive males were present throughout the year, suggesting a continuous cycle for males as well. Clutch size averaged 10.3 ± 4.8 (range 4-21) and there was a positive and significant relationship between clutch size and female size. Compared to conspecific populations previously studied in other Atlantic Rainforest areas, populations of E. miliaris from the state of Rio de Janeiro appear more similar overall in their reproductive traits to a more northern population from the state of Bahia than to populations from further south in the states of São Paulo and Paraná.
... Erythrolamprus aesculapii tiene una distribución altitudinal que va entre 0 y 2300 m s. n. m. (Wallach et al. 2014 ques 1996). Presenta una fecundidad de tres a ocho huevos y un ciclo reproductivo continuo en regiones con estacionalidad marcada (Marques 1996), aunque sus folículos y huevos son más grandes en el período lluvioso (Marques 1996, Marques y Sazima 2004. Puede producir desovas múltiples con una única cópula. ...
Catálogo de Anfibios y Reptiles de Colombia
... Erythrolamprus aesculapii tiene una distribución altitudinal que va entre 0 y 2300 m s. n. m. (Wallach et al. 2014 ques 1996). Presenta una fecundidad de tres a ocho huevos y un ciclo reproductivo continuo en regiones con estacionalidad marcada (Marques 1996), aunque sus folículos y huevos son más grandes en el período lluvioso (Marques 1996, Marques y Sazima 2004. Puede producir desovas múltiples con una única cópula. ...
A summary of distribution and natural history aspects of Erythrolamprus aesculapii in Colombia.
For almost 60 years, a specimen of Amphisbaena collected in the 19 th century by the Danish zoologist Johannes Theodor Reinhardt in southeastern Brazil has been identified as Amphisbaena prunicolor. Here I present a reidentification of this specimen (NHMD R4448) as A. hogei, together with a review of known records of this small worm lizard species, endemic to Brazilian Atlantic Forest. This represents the first record of A. hogei for the state of Minas Gerais. Most known records of A. hogei are based on specimens collected more than half a century ago and urbanization could have led to local extinction in some localities, triggering an alert regarding its conservation status.
Las serpientes “semi-venenosas” no poseen una glándula clásica de veneno, como las Viperidae, las cuales tienen una glándula rodeada de un aparato muscular y colmillos con conductos que actúan como una aguja hipodérmica, sino que derraman su veneno a través de un canal en la pared del colmillo (opistoglifas). Estas serpientes a través de la adaptación han desarrollado una glándula productora de toxinas, que le permiten capturar y matar a sus presas. Esta glándula llamada de Duvernoy, produce una secreción venenosa que es una combinación de proteínas biológicamente dinámicas con variadas influencias farmacológicas demostrando lo contrario de las rutas fisiológicas que mantienen la homeostasis de las presas. Esta secreción se desarrolla durante el curso de la adaptación, la ecología y la evolución de las especies venenosas debido a su participación en la captura de presas, digestión y mecanismo de defensa contra los depredadores. Los componentes del veneno de serpiente ejercen fuerzas selectivas tanto en la presa como en los depredadores e hipotéticamente ofrecen un punto de vista distintivo y dual sobre la co-evolución depredador-presa. En el presente trabajo hacemos una descripción de las principales serpientes semi-venenosas que representan un problema médico en Venezuela.
Snakes are frequent predators of bird nests and therefore potentially have an important impact on bird population dynamics. However, while many species are known to consume nestlings and chicks, few species have been recorded consuming bird eggs. To effectively quantify the effects of bird egg predation by snakes on bird demographics, a key first step is to identify which snake species consume bird eggs. Unfortunately, detailed information on the dietary habits of most snakes is scarce and feeding records are poorly cataloged, making it difficult to ascertain which species do and do not eat bird eggs. We reviewed the literature and online community science reports to compile a global list of confirmed snake predators of bird eggs. In total, we gathered 471 feeding records of 123 snake taxa consuming the eggs of at least 210 bird species from 238 individual data sources. Geographical locations of records disproportionately represented well-sampled regions, and we infer that many snake species not included on our list also consume bird eggs. However, we found that oophagous snakes tend to be long (mean maximum length = 2057 mm) and mostly eat eggs that are small in diameter (mean egg diameter = 24 mm), suggesting that relative prey bulk is an important constraint of these interactions. Therefore,we expect that other snakes that eat birds are likely to mostly include congeneric and ecologically similar species to those reflected in our review. By knowing which snakes consume bird eggs, future research can consider species- and site-specific hypotheses when investigating the ecological effects of bird egg predation by snakes. Those results can also inform conservation practitioners on the causes and consequences of variation in nest success that may aid in decision-making when designing conservation management plans.
Studies concerning the predation of anurans by invertebrates are usually sparse and anecdotal, even more so when regarding the trophic relationships in anthropic environments, as is the case in forest management areas. In the present study, we document the predation of two anuran species, Dendropsophus sp. and Leptodactylus pentadactylus, by water bug nymphs of the Belostoma genus present in temporary puddles formed in a forest management area in the state of Pará, Brazil. We then went on to discuss how management practices can affect trophic relationships in managed tropical forests both directly and indirectly.
The Atlantic Forest is one of the richest tropical forests in the world, with a high endemism rate of vertebrates, including several snakes. The snake fauna of the Atlantic Forest is rich and complex, presenting differences in fauna composition along its extension. The existence of at least four endemism centers along this forest is well documented and supported by data of vertebrates, invertebrates and plants. The Pernambuco Endemism Center (PEC) is the most septentrional region of the Atlantic Forest, and it contacts areas with transitional forests and arid landscapes (Caatinga) which along with altitudinal variation enable a unique snake fauna for this region. In this study we provide: (i) an updated list of species, detailed information about natural history, as well as a detailed geographic distribution for all species recorded in the PEC; (ii) a comparison between the snake fauna of the PEC with other regions of the Atlantic Forest. The snake fauna of the PEC is composed by 86 species of 8 families. The results showed that most of the species recorded in the PEC are distributed close to the coast, probably due to the proximity of the research centers, but also due to the present distribution of the remnants close to the coast. The forest remnants in the highlands (Brejos de Altitude) harbors a high diversity of species with high similarity with the coastal forests. We found a strong separation between the snake fauna of assemblages located in southwestern and northeastern Brazil, indicating clear characteristics of the snake fauna of the PEC.
Siphonops annulatus (Mikan, 1822) is a neotropical caecilian widely distributed in the Amazon and Atlantic Forests. It is among the best studied caecilians in the Neotropical region, but many aspects of its natural history remain poorly known. Here we report an exceptionally large individual of S. annulatus from Rondonia, Brazil. At 720 mm total length, this specimen is much larger than the previously largest reported for the species at 539 mm.
The semiaquatic snake Erythrolamprus miliaris has a wide distribution in cis-Andean South America and is often locally abundant. Nevertheless, there is still comparatively limited information available on its ecology. In the present study, we analyzed the diet of E. miliaris in five different regions along the Atlantic Forest domain in eastern Brazil, based on the stomach contents of specimens deposited in scientific collections. Overall, only 10.2% of the stomachs contained identifiable food items, the most frequent of which were fishes and postmetamorphic anuran amphibians (present in 41.8% and 53.7% of adult stomachs, and 17.9% and 75.0% of juvenile stomachs, respectively). Diet composition was fairly similar among populations, indicating a low geographic variability in the species feeding habits. Our data suggest that younger snakes feed mainly on anurans, tending to consume more fishes as they grow larger. Consumption of toads of the genus Rhinella indicate that E. miliaris is resistant to bufonid toxins, as are other members of the tribe Xenodontini.
Despite the biological relevance and abundance of non-front-fanged colubroid snakes, little is known about their medical significance. Here, we describe the clinical, epidemiological, and biological aspects of bites by two colubroid species. We retrospectively analyzed cases of Xenodon merremii and Xenodon neuwiedii bites in which the offending snake was clearly identified. Analyses included variables related to the snake and the patient, including demographic data, clinical findings, and treatments. Of the 163 cases, 123 were bites by X. merremii and 40 by X. neuwiedii. Most bites occurred in spring and summer, predominantly during the daytime. Most offending snakes were female. Bites by X. merremii juveniles were more frequent in autumn than in other seasons, whereas those by X. neuwiedii adults were in the summer. Hands and feet were the most frequently affected regions, with no significant difference between upper and lower limbs bitten by either X. merremii or X. neuwiedii. The main clinical findings were pain, transitory bleeding, erythema, and local edema. Local edema was proportionally more frequent with X. neuwiedii bites than with X. merremii bites. No patient had extensive edema or systemic envenomation. A significant association between the snout-vent-length and transitory bleeding in bites by X. merremii, but not in those by X. neuwiedii, was identified. Whole blood clotting tests were normal in all tested patients (62 cases). Sixteen patients were incorrectly treated with anti-Bothrops antivenom. In conclusion, most accidents caused by X. merremii and X. neuwiedii present mild local symptomatology. These snakes can be mistaken for lance-headed vipers, and some bites present symptoms that resemble mild bites by Bothrops sp. Physicians should be aware of X. merremii and X. neuwiedii bites to avoid unnecessary patient distress and overprescription of antivenom.
A alimentação é um importante aspecto da história natural de uma serpente, podendo influenciar seu período de atividade, seu comportamento e seu uso de habitat (Toft, 1985; Oliveira et al., 2001). Assim, uma das maneiras de compreender os processos que atuam no ecossistema onde esse animal está inserido é através do estudo sobre sua ecologia alimentar (Carreira Vidal, 2002). A diversidade de possibilidades na dieta das serpentes se deve em parte à utilização de diferentes habitats e evidencia o desenvolvimento de variadas especializações alimentares, que implicam especiali-zações comportamentais e morfológicas associadas à detecção, subjugação, imobilização, captura, manu-seio e ingestão das presas (Greene, 1983). As serpentes apresentam as maiores adap-tações para a malacofagia-hábito alimentar espe-cializado em moluscos-entre os répteis, havendo aproximadamente 200 espécies de serpentes que predam gastrópodes terrestres e aquáticos, algumas destas altamente especialistas, como várias espécies das famílias Colubridae e Dipsadidae, onde alguns tipos de moluscos são os itens predominantes de suas dietas (Ferreira e Salomão, 2004). No Brasil há 17 espécies da família Dipsadidae, inofensivas aos seres humanos, sendo cinco destas do gênero Sibynomorphus Fitzinger, 1843, conheci-das popularmente como cobras "dormideiras", entre as quais Sibynomorphus neuwiedi (Ihering, 1911) e Sibynomorphus mikanii (Schlegel, 1837), serpentes de pequeno porte, noturnas e úteis ao ser humano ao predar pragas agrícolas (Ferreira et al., 1986; Peters et al., 1986; Marques et al., 2001; Freitas, 2003; Fe-rreira e Salomão, 2004). Assim como muitas outras espécies de serpentes não peçonhentas, pouco se conhece sobre seus aspectos biológicos e ecológicos, Recibida: 0 2 D i c i e m b r e 2 0 1 9 Revisada: 1 9 D i c i e m b r e 2 0 1 9 Aceptada: 0 7 J u l i o 2 0 2 0 E d itor As o c i a d o : M. C abre r a ABSTRACT Study of the eating habits of snakes Sibynomorphus neuwiedi and Sibynomorphus mikanii (Squamata, Dipsadidae) from Minas Gerais, Brazil. Sibynomorphus neuwiedi (Ihering, 1911) and Sibynomorphus mikanii (Schlegel, 1837) are small sized snakes, nocturnal, non-venomous, snail eaters and commonly known as sleepy snakes. Studies about biology and ecology of both species are scarce. The goal of the present study was to analyze eating habits of the snakes S. neuwiedi and S. mikanii from Minas Gerais, Brazil, examining specimens in the Herpetological Collection of the UFJF-Reptiles. The 39 specimens of S. neuwiedi and 49 of S. mikanii analyzed where necropsied, sexed, and their gastrointestinal tract and digestive contents inspected in search of preys. The snakes showed similar diets: mollusks from species of the Family Veronicellidae, being registered the prey-species Sarasinula linguaeformis (Semper, 1885) in S. neuwiedi and Latipes erinaceus (Colosi, 1921) and Sarasinula sp. in S. mikanii.
Reproductive traits vary widely within and among snake species, and are influenced by a range of factors. However, additional studies are needed on several species, especially on tropical snake faunas, to fully understand the patterns of reproductive variation in snakes. Here, we characterized the reproductive biology of B. jararacussu from southeastern and southern Brazil. We combined macroscopic and microscopic examinations of the reproductive system of museum specimens with observations of free-ranging snakes to characterize size at sexual maturity, sexual size dimorphism, reproductive output, and male and female reproductive cycles. We compared our data with published literature and discuss the factors that may play a role in shaping the reproductive patterns in the species and the genus. Bothrops jararacussu shares several characteristics with its congeners such as autumn mating season, obligatory sperm storage in the female reproductive tract, seasonal timing of parturition (summer-autumn), female-biased SSD, maturity at larger body sizes in females, and a positive relationship between body size and litter size. These characteristics seem phylogenetically conserved in Bothrops. On the other hand, B. jararacussu exhibits some unique characteristics such as a high degree of SSD (one of the highest values recorded in snakes), a large female body size, and a large litter and offspring size, which are among the largest recorded in the genus. Moreover, larger females reproduce more frequently than smaller conspecifics. These characteristics may be collectively interpreted as the result of a strong selection for increased fecundity. Other peculiarities of the species include an asynchrony between spermiogenesis (summer-autumn) and the peak of SSK hypertrophy (autumn to spring) and a prolonged production of SSK granules. Because SSK hypertrophy and mating are androgen-dependent in snakes, the prolonged SSK hypertrophy suggests that male B. jararacussu may prolong their potential to mate (compared with its congeners), which may increase their reproductive success. Our results and previous literature collectively suggest that, in Bothrops, the evolution of SSD is driven by fecundity selection, variation in reproductive output is influenced by variation in female body size, and the timing of spermiogenesis is influenced by other factors in addition to temperature. We also suggest that male Bothrops have undergone multiple evolutionary shifts in the timing of spermiogenesis.
Animal-environment interactions are determinant in driving the evolution of phenotypic variation. Most aquatic animals have developed adaptations to overcome the physical constraints inherent to an aquatic lifestyle and particularly to motion in water. These constraints are the drag and the added mass if an acceleration is involved in the motion, such as during prey capture. The aim of this project is to evaluate the role of water as a potential driver of evolution of aquatic snakes by focusing on morphological and behavioral convergences during underwater prey capture. Snakes are a good model as an aquatic life-style has originated independently in different genera. However, aquatic snakes did not develop a suction feeding system in contrast to most aquatic vertebrates. Prey-capture under water is constrained by the physical properties of the fluid and thus morphological and/or behavioral convergence is expected. By comparing the head shapes and the behavior of different species, we evaluated the impact of water on the evolution of head shape and strike behavior. By using experimental fluid mechanics approaches, we quantified the physical constraints involved in prey capture and evaluated the nature of the evolutionary response in response to these hydrodynamic constraints. This interdisciplinary approach allowed us to bring novel data to our understanding of functional constraints as drivers of phenotypic evolution.
Sexual dimorphism in snake head/skull is poorly known, although analyses in other vertebrate groups have already pointed this kind of morphological difference. Herein we evaluated the existence of sexual dimorphism in the skull of Xenodon neuwiedii through Geometric Morphometrics (GM). We found that females have larger skulls than males using centroid size data. Considering the ventral view of the palatomaxillary apparatus, compared to females, males tend to have longer maxilla, ectopterygoid slightly laterally shifted, palatine slightly shorter, and longer pterygoid. For the dorsal view, males showed larger snout, more oblique frontoparietal suture, posterior region of the skull more tapered, larger supraoccipital, and larger and more oblique supratemporals. Xenodon neuwiedii showed static allometry only for the symmetric component of the dorsal view, with 9.7% of shape variation explained by size. The present study is the first evaluating and describing sexual dimorphism in skull shape for snakes independently of size. We compared our results with other studies and concluded that to accurately perform intraspecific analyses or to better understand sexual and/or natural selection, sexual dimorphism should be considered, even for structures (e.g. skull) that are traditionally not used for this purpose.
Tropidodryas serra is an endemic snake from the Brazilian Atlantic Forest and despite its wide distribu-tion, little is known about its ecology. Tropidodryas serra is an oviparous snake, but there are few avail-able data on its reproductive cycle. In this paper, we present the first report of oviposition of T. serra in captivity with successfully hatching. A pregnant female was captured in the area of Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) Dacnis Project, Ubatuba-SP, southeastern Brazil, and held captive. The spawning of 7 eggs and the development of offspring were observed. The eggs (measuring 4x1.35 cm in average) hatched in 90 days, with 6 healthy neonates and 1 stillborn. Based on a unique successful hatching of T. serra eggs in captivity, the present study confirmed with naturalistic data reproductive characteristics of the species, such as egg laying in December and low number of atresic eggs, corroborating that the species should present few reproductive events and concentrated throughout the rainy season.
Snakes of the tribe Dipsadini feed mostly on annelids, slugs, and snails. Some species that feed exclusively on snails are able to de-shell their prey prior ingestion. On the basis of dissection of preserved specimens from museums, we report the dietary habits of three species of Sibynomorphus from Brazil. Eighteen to 26% of the snakes had stomach contents, varying from 1-8 items, and the number of prey was not correlated with snake size. Prey mass was positively correlated with snake mass, but relative prey mass decreased with increasing snake size. Prey mass represented less than 5% of the predator mass for all species. Sibynomorphus neuwiedi and S. mikanii only had Veronicellidae slugs in their digestive tract, whereas S. ventrimaculatus also included snails in their diet. Sibynomorphus mikanii ingested most prey rear-first, but there was no difference in direction of prey ingestion by the other two species. Snake morphology differed among species and provided insights into habitat use and feeding habits. Sibynomorphus neuwiedi was the largest species and had the longest tail. Its eyes were also larger than those of S. mikanii, which, together with tail size, suggests more arboreal habits. Sibynomorphus ventrimaculatus had the largest head relatie to the body, which might facilitate ingestion of snails. In summary, the three species of Sibynomporphus are slug specialists. Like other goo-eaters, these snakes feed on very small and low caloric prey, which might require them to feed frequently. This hypothesis is supported by the larger number of prey ingested by these snakes compared to non-goo-eater species of Dipsadini.
Reptiles are one of the most successful groups of vertebrates on
the earth, represented by aquatic, terrestrial, arboreal and fossorial
species. Three main groups constitute them: Testudines (marine
and fresh-water turtles and tortoises), Archosauria (crocodilians and
birds) and Lepidosauria (snakes, amphisbaenians, lizards and tuatara). Atlantic Forest encompasses more than 300 species of reptiles, most of of chelonians). The distribution of these species along the Atlantic cover and biogeographic elements. Although the conservation status of many species in this biome is unknown, on a global scale reptiles have suffered considerable decline. Among many possible causes for this situation are the loss and degradation of habitats, introduction of invasive species, pollution and the proliferation of diseases. Despite the increasing level of knowledge of the conservation status of reptiles in the Atlantic Forest, there are lack of information for many localities in which this biome occurs.
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