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Brazil is one of the largest consumers of herbicides in the world, and glyphosate-based herbicides (e.g., Roundup®) are commonly applied in cropland. Among vertebrates, amphibians are especially susceptible to contamination due to their strong association with freshwater environments. However, our knowledge of how these herbicides affect amphibians is still scarce, mainly regarding the impacts of commercial formulations. In this study, we experimentally evaluated the effects of Roundup Original DI®, a glyphosate-based herbicide, on tadpoles of Physalaemus cicada and Physalaemus erikae. Spawnings were collected in south and southern Bahia, transported to the laboratory, and kept until the tadpoles reached developmental stage 25. Tadpoles were acclimated for 24 h and subsequently exposed to increasing herbicide concentrations at acute and chronic levels to assess survival, lethal concentration (LC50 96 h), and morphological and ontogenetic responses. Contamination significantly decreased the survival of tadpoles of both species and affected the development of tadpoles of P. erikae. The estimated lethal concentration (LC50) after 96 h for Physalaemus cicada was 5.52 mg a.i./L, and Physalaemus erikae was 3.40 mg a.i./L. Also, at chronic concentrations, morphological changes were observed in the tadpoles of P. erikae, with the changes being mainly in the tadpoles’ tail and body shapes. Therefore, Roundup Original DI® is considered moderately toxic to both species. Our results extend the knowledge regarding the action of pesticides mainly for species of the genus Physalaemus, which is the best-known genus for glyphosate based-herbicide toxicity.

The genus Adenomera Steindachner, 1867 currently comprises 29 nominal species, some of which are suggested to be cryptic species complexes. The present study was carried out with specimens of the “thomei” clade that encompasses three taxa distributed in the Atlantic Forest biome: Adenomera thomei Almeida et Angulo, 2006, Adenomera sp. L., and Adenomera sp. M. We used classical cytogenetics to describe the diploid number and karyomorphology of these three species collected in two different locations in the state of Bahia, Brazil. Our results revealed the diploid number 2n = 24 (FN = 34) with two pairs of metacentric chromosomes (pairs 1 and 5), three pairs of submetacentric chromosomes (pairs 2, 3, and 4), and seven pairs of telocentric chromosomes (pairs 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12). Further morphological, bioacoustic, and cytogenetic data (C-banding and AgNor) are needed to better delineate the lineages within the “thomei” clade.

Salmonella spp. are known to persist in the environment. Wild animals are believed to act as important reservoirs, with antimicrobial resistance frequently occurring in the environment. However, little is known about the role of the wildlife in Bahia as a reservoir for Salmonella in Brazil. This study aimed to isolate and characterize Salmonella spp. from wildlife in the Atlantic Forest and Caatinga biomes considering indicators such as the animal species, degree of anthropization, sampling area, and feeding habits. Convenience wildlife sampling and characterization were conducted, followed by microbiological and molecular identification of Salmonella isolates, serotyping, and antimicrobial susceptibility testing. A total of 674 fecal samples were collected from 12 municipalities during 2015–2021, and 4 were positive for the following Salmonella species: Salmonella enterica subspecies enterica serovar Agona (n = 1), Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serogroup O:16 (n = 2), and Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Muenchen (n = 1). Antimicrobial susceptibility analysis revealed that one isolate was resistant to six antibiotics, including extended-spectrum penicillins and beta-lactamase inhibitors. These results indicated a low frequency of Salmonella spp. in the sampled forest fragments. The presence of Salmonella in wild animals increases the risk to public health and biodiversity and indicates that they can act as sentinels of environmental contamination or indicators of preservation.

Information gaps about species distribution hamper the evaluation of conservation status and decisions on biodiversity conservation, affecting to a greater extent, areas with high species richness and endemism. In this context, biological inventories are an important tool to fill these gaps by providing data on the composition, richness, and abundance of species in each locality. The Parque Nacional da Serra das Lontras (PNSL) protects various mountain range just up 1000 m. in altitude, and, together with other conservation units, forms an ecological corridor in the southern part of the state of Bahia, within the Atlantic Forest hotspot. We conducted systematic samplings on transects, and opportunistic records in ponds and streams, in order to record amphibian and reptile species in the PNSL. We complement the sampling with the information available in the literature and in scientific collections. A total of 100 species (49 amphibians and 51 reptiles) was recorded, 53 of them endemic to the Atlantic Forest, 13 to the state of Bahia, and two known only from the PNSL. Hylidae was the most diverse family of amphibians (22 spp.) and Colubridae of reptiles (33 spp.). New information on the distribution and natural history of these species is provided, many of which have not yet been assessed by the IUCN while others have already been categorized as at risk of extinction at the regional level. Results confirm the high species richness and rates of endemism in southern Bahia and highlight the importance of protecting high altitude areas for the preservation of evolutionary and ecological processes within the Atlantic Forest.

We describe a new species of the Dendropsophus leucophyllatus Group from the Atlantic Forest of the southern region of State of Bahia, Brazil. It can be distinguished from all species of the D. leucophyllatus Group on the basis of morphological characters (especially its unique dorsal pattern and snout in dorsal view), advertisement calls and divergence in mitochondrial DNA gene sequences. The inclusion of D. anceps on the group remains controversial but our phylogenetic analyses do not recover the new species as sister to syntopic species of the D. leucophyllatus Group (with or without D. anceps). These results also highlight the palimpsest that is past relation between the Atlantic and Amazon forests.