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A 1.5 kg, male, wild-caught tiger rat snake (Spilotes pullatus) presented with an externally visible distension of the body wall at the level of the heart. Ultrasound examination showed marked pericardial effusion. Pericardial fluid showed no bacterial or fungal growth, few leukocytes, and few suspected reactive mesothelial or neoplastic cells. Therapeutic pericardiocentesis was successfully performed, removing most of the fluid from the pericardial sac. The snake had mild lethargy and weakness immediately after the procedure but returned to normal behavior within 2 wk. Repeat pericardiocentesis was performed 6 mo after the initial presentation when moderate refilling of the pericardial sac was seen. The snake died 4 days after the second procedure with acute hemorrhage. Pericardial mesothelioma was diagnosed by histopathology after postmortem examination. This report provides the first documented case of mesothelioma in a tiger rat snake and the first description of the disease in colubrids.

Objective. The aim of this study was to identify the prevalence of endoparasites and ectoparasites in ex situ snakes at the Barranquilla Zoo. Materials and Methods. Stool samples and ectoparasites of 2 colubrids (Leptophis ahaetulla and Spilotes pullatus), 2 diapsids (Oxybelys aeneus and Thamnodynastes paraguanae) and 13 boids (9 specimens of Boa constrictor, 2 of Epicrates maurus and 2 Eunectes murinus) were analyzed using flotation method in saturated sugar solution and direct observation. Results. The results showed that 65% (11/17) of the animals were positive to the presence of parasites. In relation to the positive specimens, 91% (10/11) belong to the Boidae family, presenting mostly nematodes, in the dipsadid’s samples mainly protozoans were observed and the colubrid’s samples were negative. Regarding ectoparasites, 2 species of ticks (Amblyomma dissimile and Ornothodoros turicata) were found in specimens of Boa constrictor, Epicrates maurus and Spilotes pullatus. Conclusions. The identification of parasites in this research represents a contribution to the study of parasitology in snakes ex situ in Colombia. It provides information to develop preventive measures against pathological agents and allows comparing results with other studies with animals in the wild and under human care., Objetivo. Identificar la prevalencia de endoparásitos y ectoparásitos en serpientes ex situ en la Fundación Botánica y Zoológica de Barranquilla. Materiales y métodos. Para esto se analizaron muestras de materia fecal y ectoparásitos de 2 colúbridos (Leptophis ahaetulla y Spilotes pullatus), 2 dipsadinos (Oxybelys aeneus y Thamnodynastes paraguanae) y 13 boidos (9 individuos de la especie Boa constrictor, 2 de Epicrates maurus y 2 de Eunectes murinus) utilizando los métodos de flotación en solución saturada de azúcar y observación directa. Resultados. Los resultados obtenidos mostraron que el 65% (11/17) de los animales evaluados fueron positivos a la presencia de parásitos, de los cuales el 91% (10/11) de los ejemplares pertenece a la familia Boidae presentando en su mayoría nematodos, mientras que en los dipsadinos se observaron principalmente protozoarios y los colúbridos resultaron negativos. Finamente como ectoparásitos se identificaron 2 especies de garrapatas (Amblyomma dissimile y Ornothodoros turicata) halladas en ejemplares de Boa constrictor, Epicrates maurus y Spilotes pullatus. Conclusiones. La identificación de las formas parasitarias en este trabajo representa una contribución para el conocimiento de los parásitos en serpientes ex situ en Colombia. Provee información para desarrollar medidas profilácticas y permite comparar los datos sobre las formas parasitarias encontradas con muestreos de estas especies en vida silvestre y bajo cuidados humanos.

Spilotes pullatus (Linnaeus, 1758) Records. Table 2. The Yellow Rat Snake was easily identified in the field by its size (TL = 230.9 cm ± 46.9; n = 2), shape, and color pattern, and through comparisons to collected specimens (e.g. ZUFMS-REP02134). The body was slender and laterally compressed with head quite distinct from the neck. Dorsally, the body was black with yellow spots, which formed crossbands, and on the all-black tail, the yellow banding was absent. The tip of the snout was yellow. The head shields were black, with a combination of yellow and black crossbands and black sutures between shields. Ventrally, specimens were yellow, with irregular black crossbands (Fig. 8)., Published as part of Fischer, Wagner, Faria de Godoi, Raquel & Conceição Paranhos Filho, Antonio, 2018, Roadkill records of reptiles and birds in Cerrado and Pantanal landscapes, pp. 845-876 in Check List 14 (5) on page 863, DOI: 10.15560/14.5.845

Seventy-eight snakes collected in the Area de Conservacion Guanacaste, Costa Rica were necropsied: Boidae (1 species), boa constrictor, Boa constrictor; Colubridae (21 species), Ecuador sipo, Chironius grandisquamis; road guarder, Conophis lineatus; South American forest racer, Dendrophidion percarinatus; speckled racer, Drymobius margaritiferus; mimic false coral snake, Erythrolamprus mimus; blunthead tree snake, Imantodes cenchoa; western tree snake, Imantodes inornatus; banded cat-eyed snake, Leptodeira annulata; striped lowland snake, Leptodrymus pulcherrimus; Cope's parrot snake, Leptophis depressirostris; yellow-bellied racer, Liophis epinephelus; neotropical whip snake, Masticophis mentovarius; brown vinesnake, Oxybelis aeneus; Cope's vine snake, Oxybelis brevirostris; green vine snake, Oxybelis fulgidus; Cope's false coral snake, Pliocercus euryzonus; cloudy snail-eating snake, Sibon nebulata; chicken snake, Spilotes pullatus; western lyre snake, Trimorphodon biscutatus; orange-bellied littersnake, Urotheca guentheri; false fer-de-lance, Xenodon rabdocephalus; Viperidae (6 species), cantil, Agkistrodon bilineatus; jumping pit viper, Atropoides nummifer; terciopelo, Bothrops asper; cascabel, Crotalus durissus; hognosed pit viper, Porthidium nasutum; and slender hognose viper, Porthidium ophryomegas. Gravid nematodes representing 16 known species, Aplectana incerta, Aplectana itzocanensis, Cosmocercoides variabilis, Cruzia rudolphi, Hastospiculum onchocercum, Hexametra boddaertii, Kalicephalus costatus, Kalicephalus inermis, Kalicephalus sublatus, Macdonaldius oscheri, Ophidascaris arndti, Ophidascaris sicki, Physaloptera retusa, Skrjabinelazia intermedia, Terranova caballeroi, Travassosascaris araujoi, 1 new species, Abbreviata costaricae, and larvae of a species of Porrocaecum were found. Twenty-six new host records and 4 new locality records are reported. The nematode species found in this study are generalist parasites, i.e., infect more than one host species, and a comprehensive review of the hosts of these species is presented.

Rhabdias filicaudalis n. sp. (Nematoda: Rhabdiasidae) from the lung of Spilotes pullatus (Serpentes: Colubridae) is described. The host snake was captured in the municipality of Avaré, São Paulo State, Brazil. Rhabdias filicaudalis n. sp. differs from all other species by the combination of the following characters: straight body, truncated anterior end, six weakly developed lips arranged in two opposite groups of three, pre-equatorial vulva, oesophagus length/body length ratio (%) 4.9–7.5 (5.8 ± 0.6), nerve ring distance from anterior end/oesophagus length ratio (%) 36.9–61.1 (49.8 ± 6.4), tail length/body length ratio (%) 3.0–5.5 (4.0 ± 0.5), vulva distance from anterior end/body length ratio (%) 39.9–51.7 (45.9 ± 3.5), and a cuticular filiform tail tip.

We studied and compared parameters of the snake community of the Serra do Mendanha, Rio de Janeiro State, southeastern Brazil (22 degrees 48'-22 degrees 51' S and 43 degrees 31'-43 degrees 28' W), such as: abundance distribution, richness, species diversity and biomass, between forested areas, areas under regeneration and agriculture areas (banana plantations); to obtain information about the natural history and facilitate the development of future research. For capturing the snakes we used: pitfall traps, drift-fences and visual search (diurnal and nocturnal) along four transects for each habitat. The captured snakes were measured with a tape and caliper, weighed with dynamometers and sexed with the use of a catheter. The animals marked (with ventral scales cut) were released for posterior recapture. One individual per species was fixed and deposited at the Museu Nacional, Rio de Janeiro. We undertook an effort of 840 man/hour, and captured a total of 207 snakes belonging to 25 species (Colubridae 80.2%, Elapidae 12.6%, Viperidae 6.3% and Boidae 0.9%). The most abundant were: Liophis miliaris (n = 33), Micrurus corallinus and Chironius fuscus (both with n = 26); the least abundant: Elapomorphus quinquelineatus, Siphlophis compressus and Tropidodryas serra (all with n = 1). The species that contributed the greatest biomass were Spilotes pullatus (7,925 g), Chironius laevicollis (4,694 g), Liophis miliaris (3,675 g) and Pseustes sulphureus (3,050 g); those that contributed the lowest biomass were: Siphlophis compressus, Tropidodryas serra (both with 4 g) and Elapomorphus quinquelineatus (3 g). We found significant differences between the sampled habitats at the Serra do Mendanha (undisturbed forest, secondary forest and banana plantations). The results showed that a great reduction in the abundance, richness, diversity and biomass of the snakes occurs when the native forest is replaced by banana plantations.

We studied the ecology of ticks found in different species of a taxocenosis of snakes from the Serra do Mendanha, an area of Atlantic Rainforest located in the state of Rio de Janeiro, southeastern Brazil. Snakes were sampled monthly in the field during a period of 48 months. The specific identity of the hosts and their parasites, the number of parasites, and and snout-vent length and body mass of each host were recorded. A total of 25% of the species of snakes in the area were parasitized by ticks (larvae, nymphs and adult females) Amblyomma rotundatum Koch, 1844 was the predominant parasite species. The infestation parameters varied among the species of snakes sampled, with the highest prevalence of A. rotundatum being observed in the viperid Bothrops jararaca (Wied, 1824) (71.4%), followed by the colubrids Xenodon neuwiedii Günther, 1820 (33%), Chironius laevicollis (Wied, 1824) and Spilotes pullatus (Linnaeus, 1758) (both with 22%). The latter three species also showed the highest rates of infestation by A. rotundatum. The results of the present study suggest that a combination of skin shedding, habitat of the host, type of scale and pattern of scale distribution on the body of the host can influence the degree to which a given species is parasitized by ticks

Spilotes pullatus (Linnaeus, 1758) ���Caninana��� (Figs. 12.8 and 25.4) Recorded in all states of the Caatinga, except Rio Grande do Norte, probably due to sampling gap. Recorded both in low and high altitudes (up to 1,000 m elevation). Besides its occurrence in Caatinga, it is widely distributed in Atlantic Forest, Amazon Forest, Cerrado, and Pantanal (Cunha & Nascimento 1978; Str��ssmann & Sazima 1993; Martins & Oliveira 1998; Marques et al. 2001; Arg��lo 2004; Marques et al. 2005; Marques et al. 2005; Sawaya et al. 2008; Nogueira et al. 2010; Zaher et al. 2011), generally associated to forested habitats (Marques 1998; Barbo et al. 2011; Zaher et al. 2011; Hamdan & Lira-da-Silva 2012). Inside Caatinga, It inhabits all phytophisiognomies, preferably bushy and arboreal caatinga vegetation and also forested enclaves. It has semi-arboreal habits, is diurnal, and feeds on vertebrates (Marques et al. 2001, 2005)., Published as part of Guedes, Tha��s B., Nogueira, Cristiano & Marques, Otavio A. V., 2014, Diversity, natural history, and geographic distribution of snakes in the Caatinga, Northeastern Brazil, pp. 1-93 in Zootaxa 3863 (1) on page 33, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3863.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/287111, {"references":["Cunha, O. R. & Nascimento, F. P. (1978) Ofidios da Amazonia X - As cobras da regiao leste do Para. Publicacoes Avulsas do Museu Paraense Emilio Goeldi, 31, 1 - 218.","Strussmannn, C. & Sazima, I. (1993) The snake assemblage of the Pantanal at Pocone, western Brazil: faunal composition and ecological summary. Studies on Neotropical Fauna and Environment, 28, 157 - 168. http: // dx. doi. org / 10.1080 / 01650529309360900","Martins, M. & Oliveira, E. (1998) Natural history of snakes in forests in Manaus region, Central Amazonia, Brazil. Herpetological Natural History, 6, 78 - 150.","Marques, O. A. V., Eterovic, A. & Sazima, I. (2001) Serpentes da Mata Atlantica: Guia Ilustrado para a Serra do Mar. Holos Editora, Ribeirao Preto, 184 pp.","Argolo, A. J. S. (2004) As serpentes dos cacauais do Sudeste da Bahia. Ed. UESC, Ilheus, 260 pp.","Marques, O. A. V., Eterovic, A., Strussmann, C. & Sazima, I. (2005) Serpentes do Pantanal: Guia ilustrado. Holos Editora, Ribeirao Preto, 184 pp.","Sawaya, R. J., Marques, O. A. V. & Martins, M. (2008) Composition and natural history of a Cerrado snake assemblage at Itirapina, Sao Paulo state, southeastern Brazil. Biota Neotropica, 8, 127 - 149. http: // dx. doi. org / 10.1590 / S 1676 - 06032008000200015","Nogueira, C., Colli, G. R., Costa, G. & Machado, R. B. (2010) Diversidade de repteis Squamata e evolucao do conhecimento faunistico no Cerrado. In: Diniz, I. R., Marinho-Filho, J., Machado, R. B. & Cavalcanti, R. B. (Eds.), Cerrado: conhecimento cientifico quantitativo como subsidio para acoes de conservacao. Editora UNB, Brasilia, pp. 333 - 375.","Marques, O. A. V. (1998) Composicao faunistica, historia natural e ecologia de serpentes da Mata Atlantica, na regiao da Estacao Ecologica de Jureia-Itatins, Sao Paulo, SP. Unpublished PhDThesis, Universidade de Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, 142 pp.","Handam, B. & Lira-da-Silva, R. M. (2012) The snakes of Bahia State, northeastern Brazil: species richness, composition and biogeographical notes. Salamandra, 48, 31 - 50."]}

Ethnozoological studies have shown that Spilotes pullatus Linn. (Colubridae: Ophidia), is associated with medicinal and magic-religious uses in Brazil.This study was designed to determine the chemical composition of the oil extracted from the body fat of S. pullatus and to test its antimicrobial properties, alone and in association with aminoglycosides, against fungi and bacterial strains in concentrations ranging between 1024 and 0.5 µg/mL.The snakes were collected in the Chapada do Araripe, county of Crato, Ceará State, Brazil. The oil was extracted in a Soxhlet apparatus using hexane. The methyl esters of the fatty acids present in the samples were identified using GC-MS. The antimicrobial and drug modulatory activities of oil were tested by microdilution against fungal and bacterial strains.The chemical composition of the fixed oils of S. pullatus identified 10 constituents representing 94.97% of the total sample. The percentages of saturated and unsaturated fatty acids were 33.59 and 61.38%, respectively, with the most abundant components being elaidic (37.26%). The oil did not demonstrate any antimicrobial or antifungal activity when tested alone, presenting MIC values ≥ 1024 µg/mL. However, when associated with antibiotics, it demonstrated synergistic effects with gentamicin against all the bacterial lineages assayed, and antagonistic effects with amikacin and neomycin against strains of Escherichia coli.Oil extracted from the body fat of S. pullatus did not demonstrate any inhibitory effects on bacterial or fungal activities, but was effective in modulating the effects of certain antibiotics.

Seasonal abundance of some snake species from the Atlantic forest in southeastern Brazil was inferred from collection data gathered throughout twelve years at the Instituto Butantan in São Paulo, Brazil. The number of collected individuals of Chironius spp., Liophis miliaris, Spilotes pullatus, Tropidodryas spp., Micrurus corallinus, and Bothrops jararaca was significantly higher during the rainy season, whereas the number of Sibynomorphus neuwiedi was higher during the dry season. Erythrolamprus aesculapii, Xenodon neuwiedii, Tomodon dorsatus and Bothrops jararacussu did not show significant differences in the number of individuals collected at each of these seasons. Seasonality in captures may result from seasonal activity patterns. Food availability, tolerance to climatic conditions, reproductive cycle, and phylogenetic constraints are considered the main factors responsible for the observed patterns. A multivariate approach is recommended for analysis of annual activity.

The influence of the nonionic surfactant lauryl alcohol ethoxylate with 12 moles ethylene oxide (LAE-12OE) was evaluated on the Stratum corneum model biomembrane (SCMM) of shed snake skin (Bothrops jararaca and Spilotes pullatus) through the biophysical techniques Fourier transform Raman spectroscopy (FT-Raman) and Fourier transform infrared photoacoustic spectroscopy (PAS-FTIR). The surfactant was used in aqueous solutions above and below the critical micelle concentration (cmc), 50.0 and 0.21 g/L, respectively. The SCMM samples were pre-treated for periods of 8 h (whole SCMM) and for 12 h (SCMM after tape stripping procedure). The LAE-12OE did not promote increase in the hydration of the B. jararaca and S. pullatus SCMM but exhibited some action as far as lipid extraction., Colegio de Farmacéuticos de la Provincia de Buenos Aires

Neste estudo, investigaram-se as modificações fisiológicas em Spilotes pullatus, como determinantes das respostas ao medo, obtidas pela exposição ao eletrocardiograma. Foram utilizadas quatro serpentes com média de peso de 0,5±0,06kg. Dois minutos após a fixação dos eletrodos, as serpentes apresentavam-se imóveis, com redução significativa na freqüência cardíaca e aumento nos intervalos PQ, QRS, RR e RT (P

Submitted by Guilherme Lemeszenski (guilherme@nead.unesp.br) on 2013-08-22T18:42:46Z No. of bitstreams: 1 S1676-06032007000200026.pdf: 926289 bytes, checksum: 3625c46449d49efd1e5e034bb2420dfb (MD5) Made available in DSpace on 2013-08-22T18:42:46Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 S1676-06032007000200026.pdf: 926289 bytes, checksum: 3625c46449d49efd1e5e034bb2420dfb (MD5) Previous issue date: 2007-01-01 Made available in DSpace on 2013-09-30T19:30:20Z (GMT). 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No. of bitstreams: 2 S1676-06032007000200026.pdf: 926289 bytes, checksum: 3625c46449d49efd1e5e034bb2420dfb (MD5) S1676-06032007000200026.pdf.txt: 54465 bytes, checksum: 68eb96de96d0bf31eab502fd44b4e548 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2007-01-01 Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP) Há poucos estudos sobre a fauna de serpentes em ilhas costeiras do Estado de São Paulo, Sudeste do Brasil e um baixo número de espécies depositadas em coleções zoológicas. No Brasil, pela primeira vez, foi realizado um inventário em 18 ilhas do litoral paulista a partir de pesquisa de registros nas coleções herpetológicas do Sudeste do Brasil. Também foram realizadas coletas de campo em onze ilhas. Trinta e seis espécies de quatro famílias foram registradas: uma espécie de Boidae, trinta de Colubridae, uma de Elapidae e quatro de Viperidae. Os dados de campo apresentaram treze ocorrências novas de espécies sem registro nas coleções. Para estimar a raridade das espécies utilizaram-se categorias de abundância relativa: comum, não-freqüente e rara. Das espécies amostradas, 44,4% foram consideradas raras. As espécies mais comuns foram Micrurus corallinus, presente em doze ilhas; Bothrops jararaca e Liophis miliaris, presentes em onze ilhas, B. jararacussu e Chironius bicarinatus, presentes em 10 ilhas. Foram efetuados sete novos registros para a Ilha do Cardoso (25° 05 S e 47° 59 W): C. bicarinatus, C. multiventris, Dipsas petersi, Echinanthera bilineata, E. cephalostriata, Helicops carinicaudus e Xenodon neuwiedii; três para Ilha Comprida (24° 54 S e 47° 48 W): B. jararacussu, C. bicarinatus e H. carinicaudus; um para Ilha Anchieta (23° 32 S e 45° 03 W): Spilotes pullatus; um para a Ilha das Couves (23° 25 S e 44° 52 W): L. miliaris; um para a Ilha dos Porcos (23° 23 S e 44° 54 W): B. jararaca. B. alcatraz e B. insularis, endêmicos à Ilha de Alcatrazes e à Ilha da Queimada Grande, respectivamente, são considerados criticamente em perigo segundo IUCN. Foi registrada a extinção da fauna de serpentes na Ilha Monte de Trigo. Os ecossistemas insulares, mais vulneráveis que os continentais, carecem de uma proteção mais efetiva. A maioria destas espécies (cerca de 52%) preda anfíbios, reforçando a necessidade de conservação das florestas. There are relatively few studies on snake fauna from coastal islands of the State of São Paulo (SSP), Southeastern Brazil and the number of species housed in Brazilian institutional zoological collections is relatively limited. In Brazil, for the first time, a snake inventory for eighteen islands of coastal SSP is presented. Here we record data from sampling on eleven islands as well information on vouchered species in the main herpetological collections. Thirty-six species from four families: one Boidae, thirty Colubridae, one Elapidae and four Viperidae from eighteen islands are listed as well as the thirteen new island records for snakes. Relative abundance categories were used for species rarity: common, infrequent and rare; 44.4% of the snakes with voucher specimens were considered rare. The most common species in twelve of the eighteen islands was Micrurus corallinus; in eleven of the eighteen islands were Bothrops jararaca and Liophis miliaris; in ten of the eighteen islands were B. jararacussu and Chironius bicarinatus. The most common snake species on coastal islands were Micrurus corallinus which was found in twelve of the eighteen islands, followed by Bothrops jararaca and Liophis miliaris found on eleven of the eighteen islands and B. jararacussu and Chironius bicarinatus which were found in ten of the eighteen islands studied. There are seven new records of snake species for Cardoso Island (25° 05 S and 047° 59 W): C. bicarinatus, C. multiventris, Dipsas petersi, Echinanthera bilineata, E. cephalostriata, Helicops carinicaudus and Xenodon neuwiedii; three new records for Comprida Island (24° 54 S and 47° 48 W): B. jararacussu, C. bicarinatus and H. carinicaudus; one for Anchieta Island (23° 32 S and 045° 03 W): Spilotes pullatus; one for Couves Island (23° 25 S and 44° 52 W): L. miliaris; one for Porcos Island (23° 23 S and 44° 54 W), B. jararaca. The endemic species B. alcatraz from Alcatrazes Island and B. insularis from Queimada Grande Island are considered endangered species by IUCN. Snake fauna on Monte de Trigo Island are extinct. The fragility of insular snake fauna needs more attention for environmental conservation, since 52.0% of snake species preys on amphibians, highlighting the importance of forest conservation. Universidade Estadual Paulista Instituto de Biociências Departamento de Zoologia IBUSP Departamento de Genética e Biologia Evolutiva Instituto Butantan Laboratório de Herpetologia Universidade Estadual Paulista Instituto de Biociências Departamento de Zoologia

Few extensive studies have addressed the ecology of South American colubrids. Spilotes pullatus is a large and conspicuous colubrid snake with a broad distribution in South America. We analyzed the morphology, habitat use, diet, feeding behavior, and reproductive biology of S. pullatus in a subtropical area of distribution, specifically in the Atlantic Forest of southeastern Brazil. We compared its ecological traits with those of other South American colubrids to identify common characteristics and differences among these snakes. Spilotes pullatus inhabits primarily lowland areas and readily occurs in altered habitats. Male and female snakes were similar in median snout-vent length, but the largest known individuals of the species are males. This snake forages actively by day, searching primarily for small mammals and nestling birds (usually 0.36-7.37% of snake mass) on the ground or in vegetation. Observations of captive snakes showed that small prey are quickly swallowed alive, whereas large prey are constricted or pressed against the substrate and die before swallowing. The reproductive cycle of the females appears to be seasonal, with vitellogenesis occurring from the middle of the dry season to the onset of the rainy season. Mating was recorded at the end of the dry season and the onset of the rainy season and coincided with the onset of male- male combat. Such combat behavior includes partial entwining of the anterior portions of the body and a consistent, upright position of the trunk. Recruitment of newborns occurs at the end of the rainy season and during the dry season. Spilotes pullatus shows unique characteristics but also shares several ecological traits with other South American colubrids.

As Spilotes pullatus (Linnaeus, 1758) depositadas no Museu Paraense Emílio Coeldi (MP EC) foram analisadas em relação a presença de escudo loreal. Obteve-se 14 espécimes sem escudo loreal. Desses, em cinco espécimes o escudo é ausente em ambos os lados e em nove é ausente em apenas um dos lados. Os resultados corroboram diversos autores sobre a necessidade de novos estudos taxonômicos afim de melhor caracterizar a composição de Spilotes (Wagler, 1830). The Spilotes pullatus (Linnaeus, 1758) deposited in the Museu Paraense Emílio Coeldi (MP EC) was confered to verify the present ofloreal shield. The absence ofloreal shield was noted in 14 specimens. The absence in cheek by jowl was noted infive specimens. In nine specimens was noted lhe absence in barely one side of head. The result reinforce another publications ofthe necessity of to revise the genus.

Body size, reproductive biology and abundance of the rare pseudoboini snakes genera Clelia and Boiruna (Serpentes, Colubridae) in Brazil. Pseudoboini snakes of the genera Clelia and Boiruna are apparently rare in nature and certainly rare in collections. This work presents data on body size, reproduction and abundance of five Brazilian species of these genera, in the largest collection of snakes in Latin America, the Instituto Butantan. Despite scarcity of data, follicular cycle seems to be continuous in most species, except Clelia rustica, which occurs in highlands. Females are larger than males in all species, and fecundity is low when compared to other pseudoboini. Abundance is very low for all species even considering 100 years of collecting, and it is decreasing in recent decades when compared to other snakes (Bothrops jararaca, Oxyrhopus guibei, O. clathratus, Philodryas patagoniensis, Sibynomorphus mikanii, and Spilotes pullatus). The studied species present at least five traits of commonly threatened species and require more attention in researches and conservation policies.

A unique malaria parasite species was found in 1/1 Spilotes pullatus (Colubridae) and 1/70 Lachesis muta (Crotalidae) from the moist Atlantic lowland forests of eastern Costa Rica. It is distinguished by small, sausage-shaped gametocytes (x 10.4 by 4.6 mu), growing schizonts that often contain a noticeable digestive vacuole with the contents partially visible, and striking spherical or bouquet-shaped segmenters whose precise merozoite numbers are difficult to discern (about 22-32) because of an intensely staining magenta or rose-colored substance in the matrix of the surrounding vacuole.