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Quantifying variability is important for understanding how evolution operates in polymorphic species such as those of the genus

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. Resumo: Este estudo objetivou fornecer informações sobre composição, estimativa de riqueza de espécies e abundância de serpentes em uma área de Caatinga arbórea (floresta tropical sazonalmente seca) e analisar a ocorrência de padrões de similaridade faunística entre as assembleias de serpentes na região semiárida do nordeste do Brasil. A fauna de serpentes da Reserva Particular do Patrimônio Natural Fazenda Almas (RPPN Fazenda Almas) foi amostrada durante um período de dez anos de monitoramento mensal, usando busca visual limitada por tempo, armadilhas de queda com cercas direcionadoras e doações por coletores locais. Vinte e duas espécies foram registradas e houve predominância de serpentes terrestres e com padrões de atividade diurna-noturna. A curva de acumulação de espécies atingiu a assíntota indicando que foi possível registrar todas as espécies que ocorrem na área de estudo. Nossos resultados indicaram que a fauna de serpentes na área de estudo é semelhante a outras taxocenoses de serpentes em localidades com vegetação de Caatinga nas terras áridas das “Depressões Sertanejas”, e que essas taxocenoses constituem unidades faunísticas típicas do interior do nordeste do Brasil.

In times when the world was very wide and more mysterious and full of challenges, people, and strange creatures, many adventurers and intrepid conquerors threw themselves into the unknown in the hope that their lives would become better and different. Promising riches beyond familiar horizons, the overseas was a tempting but perilous invitation to all who wished to overcome their own fears to reach much sought-after treasures. In this scenario, chronicles and travelers' tales gave life to ancient and medieval bestiaries describing incredible animals and fantastical people, together with the places they lived. These veritable protogeographic and prototaxonomic catalogs offer an abundance of strange data to anyone who dares browse through them. A desire such as this for adventure and fascination enabled us to assemble precious historical nuggets into a preliminary compendium of what we see as imaginary zoology, which, like so many treasures, will forever be a part of the rich patrimony of human knowledge.

Departamento de Biologia, Centro de Ciencias Biologicas e da Saude – CCBS, Universidade Estadual da Paraiba – UEPB, Rua Baraunas, 351, Bairro Universitario, CEP 58429-500, Campina Grande, PB, Brazil*e-mail: gindomar@yahoo.com.brReceived: November 22, 2014 – Accepted: March 4, 2015 – Distributed: May 31, 2016

Departamento de Biologia, Centro de Ciencias Biologicas e da Saude – CCBS, Universidade Estadual da Paraiba – UEPB, Rua Baraunas, 351, Bairro Universitario, CEP 58429-500, Campina Grande, PB, Brazil*e-mail: gindomar@yahoo.com.brReceived: October 10, 2014 – Accepted: April 6, 2015 – Distributed: November 30, 2015

Our main objectives were to verify the effect of climate change on distribution of frogs of the family Ceratophryidae and if the legal protection areas in South America will be effective or ineffective in ensuring the preservation of the toads this family in coming decades. The results showed that in the last 140,000 years, species of the family Ceratophryidae expanded and contracted their distribution areas, which naturally reflected the climate and vegetation changes in the Quaternary of South America. The maps of projections showed that changes in temperature determined the area of habitat suitability of 63.7% of the species of ceratophrids both during the last interglacial period and nowadays, and it seems that this will also be the case for the next 62 years. Given the current concerns about future extinctions in the tropics, it is prudent to examine, with special attention, the effects of climate fluctuations on the diversity and distribution of species, because the current estimates of reduction in biodiversity caused by habitat destruction and emission of greenhouse gases are comparable to estimated reductions during glacial intervals.

The Neotropical frog Leptodactylus vastus belongs to the L. pentadactylus group, a group that currently contains 14 species, and of which nine tadpoles have been described. The tadpoles of L. vastus described here are generally much smaller than tadpoles of the other species described. The oral disk of L. vastus tadpoles is almost anteriorly placed, similar to other tadpoles in the group except for L. lithonaetes and L. rugosus , and the rows of marginal papillae in L. vastus are different from those in the other species. The tadpoles of L. vastus have a 1/2(1) LTRF similar to that of L. labyrinthicus and amazonian L. pentadactylus , whereas other species in the group show different arrangements of the tooth rows. The internal oral characteristics of the tadpole of L. vastus differs from L. knudseni and L. pentadactylus by having four infralabial papillae, possess 4–5 prepocket papillae surrounded by postulations and the buccal roof arena is circular, surrounded by two long papillae and 4–6 smaller papillae. The tadpoles of L. vastus , in general, possess a set of morphological characteristics that are very similar to those of other species of the L. pentadactylus group, and some of them are probably related to tadpole ecology.

The Titanosauria were much diversified during the Late Cretaceous, but paleobiological information concerning these sauropods continues to be scarce and no studies have been conducted utilizing modern methods of community analysis to infer possible structural patterns of extinct assemblages. The present study sought to estimate species richness and to investigate the existence of structures in assemblages of the South American Titanosauria during the Late Cretaceous. Estimates of species richness were made utilizing a nonparametric estimator and null models of species co-occurrences and overlapping body sizes were applied to determine the occurrence of structuring in this assemblages. The high estimate of species richness (n = 57) may have been influenced by ecological processes associated with extinction events of sauropod groups and with the structures of the habitats that provided abundant support to the maintenance of large numbers of species. The pseudocommunity analysis did not differ from that expected by chance, indicating the lack of structure in these assemblages. It is possible that these processes originated from phylogenetic inertia, associated with the occurrence of stabilized selection. Additionally, stochastic extinction events and historical factors may also have influenced the formation of the titanosaurian assemblages, in detriment to ecological factors during the Late Cretaceous. However, diagenetic and biostratinomic processes, influenced by the nature of the sedimentary paleoenvironment, could have rendered a random arrangement that would make assemblage structure undetectable.

This chapter provides an overview of the global use of herpetofauna in traditional folk medicine and the implications for conservation. The results indicate that 331 species (284 reptiles and 47 amphibians) are used in traditional folk medicine around the world. Among the species recorded, 182 reptiles and 42 amphibians are listed in the IUCN Red List. Additionally, 93 reptiles are in some of the appendices of CITES. These numbers demonstrate the importance of understanding such medicinal uses in the context of reptile conservation as well as the need for considering sociocultural factors when establishing management plans directed toward the sustainable use of these reptiles.

For many millennia humans and reptiles have interacted, but the attitude of humans towards these animals has depended on culture, environment, and personal experience. At least 719 reptile species are known to occur in Brazil and about 11% of this fauna has been exploited for many different purposes, including bushmeat, leather, ornamental and magic/religious uses, and as folk medicines. Brazil can therefore serve as an interesting case study for better understanding reptile use by human societies, and the present paper catalogues some of the reptile species being used in Brazil and discusses implications for their conservation. A literature review indicated that 81 reptile species are culturally important in this country, with 47 (58%) species having multiple uses, 54 being used for medicinal purposes, 38 as food, 28 for ornamental or decorative purposes, 20 used in magic/religious practices, 18 as pets, and 40 are commonly killed when they come into contact with humans. Regarding their conservation status, 30 (37.5%) are included on State's Red List, Brazilian Red List or the IUCN Red List. There are many forms of interaction between reptiles and humans in Brazil—although most of them are quite negative in terms of wildlife conservation—which reinforces the importance of understanding such uses and interactions in the context of protecting reptiles in Brazil. A better understanding of the cultural, social, and traditional roles of these reptiles is fundamental to establishing management plans for their sustainable use.

The species Proceratophrys cristiceps belongs to the genus Proceratophrys within the family Cycloramphidae. These amphibians are found exclusively in South America in the morphoclimatic domain of the semi-arid depression zones in northeastern Brazil known as the Caatinga. We examined intrapopulational variation using univariate and multivariate statistics with traditional and geometric morphometrics, which supported the existence of two morphotypes of this species. Our results indicated significant degrees of variation in skeletal characteristics between some natural populations of this species. Careful analyses of variability levels are fundamental to avoid taxonomic errors, principally in populations that demonstrate characteristics intimately associated with their area of occurrence, as is the case of Proceratophrys cristiceps.

Herpetofauna of an urban fragment of Atlantic Forest in Paraíba State, Northeast Brazil. The Herpetofauna of an urban fragment of Atlantic Forest was investigated in relation to species richness and habitat use. Fourteen species of amphibian anurans pertaining to the families Bufonidae, Brac- hycephalidae, Hylidae, Leptodactylidae, Leiuperidae, Microhylidae and Ranidae were recorded. The reptiles were represented by 37 species, distri- buted in the families Gekkonidae, Gymnophthalmidae, Polychrotidae, Scincidae, Teiidae, Tropiduridae, Amphisbaenidae, Boidae, Colubridae, Elapidae, Typhlopidae, Chelidae, Testudinidae and Alligatoridae. Most of the recorded species presented wide geographic distribution, although some of them had distributions that were restricted to the Atlantic Forest. The species richness of Mata do Buraquinho is relatively high for an urban fragment of Atlantic Forest, and the observed anthropogenic impacts show the urgent necessity of conservation in order to guarantee the viability of populations of amphibians and reptiles. A herpetofauna de um fragmento urbano de Floresta Atlântica foi estudada quanto à riqueza de espéciese à utilização do habitat. A coleta de espécimes foi realizada através de procura visual limitada por tempo e armadilhas de interceptação e queda. Foram registradas quatorze espécies de anfíbios anuros pertencentes às famílias Bufonidae, Brachycephalidae, Hylidae, Leptodactylidae, Leiuperidae, Microhylidae e Ranidae. Os répteis foram representados por 37 espécies, distribuídas nas famílias Gekkonidae, Gymnophthalmidae, Polychrotidae, Scincidae, Teiidae, Tropiduridae, Amphisbaenidae, Boidae, Colubridae, Elapidae, Typhlopidae, Chelidae, Testudinidae e Alligatoridae. A maioria das espécies registradas possui uma ampla distribuição geográfica, sendo que algumas delas têm distribuição restrita à Floresta Atlântica. A riqueza de espécies da herpetofauna da Mata do Buraquinho, relativamente alta para um fragmento urbano de Floresta Atlântica, e os impactos antrópicos observados ressaltam a necessidade urgente de implementação de medidas conservacionistas que visem garantir a viabilidade de suas populações de anfíbios e répteis.

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The variety of interactions between human cultures and herpetofauna is the subject matter of Ethnoherpetology, a subdivision of Ethnozoology. In the semi-arid region of Brazil, many reptiles interact with human communities because of their utility or because of the risks they represent. These interactions have obvious implications for the conservation of reptiles from this region.In this context, ethnoherpetology studies are crucial because they serve as subsidies for guiding strategies for the handling and conservation of reptiles. This paper presents ethnozoological and taxonomic informations of hunted reptiles in the semiarid region of Brazil and analyse the implications on conservation that are related to the interactions between people and reptiles in this region. Taxonomic keys to identifying recorded reptiles are provided. Records of humans interacting with 38 reptile species that belong to 31 genuses and 16 families have been found. The groups with the largest numbers of recorded species were snakes (18 species), and this group was followed in number by lizards (13), chelonians (4), and crocodilians (3). The reptiles that were recorded may be used for the following purposes: medicinal purposes (24 species), food (13 species), ornamental or decorative purposes (11 species), in magical/religious practices (10 species), and as pets (10 species). Some species (n = 16) may have multiple uses. Furthermore, more than half of the species (n = 19) are commonly killed because they are considered potentially dangerous. Strategies for conserving the reptiles of the Brazilian semi-arid region must reconcile and integrate human and conservation needs.