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1.
Nature ; 622(7982): 308-314, 2023 Oct.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37794184

RESUMO

Systematic assessments of species extinction risk at regular intervals are necessary for informing conservation action1,2. Ongoing developments in taxonomy, threatening processes and research further underscore the need for reassessment3,4. Here we report the findings of the second Global Amphibian Assessment, evaluating 8,011 species for the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species. We find that amphibians are the most threatened vertebrate class (40.7% of species are globally threatened). The updated Red List Index shows that the status of amphibians is deteriorating globally, particularly for salamanders and in the Neotropics. Disease and habitat loss drove 91% of status deteriorations between 1980 and 2004. Ongoing and projected climate change effects are now of increasing concern, driving 39% of status deteriorations since 2004, followed by habitat loss (37%). Although signs of species recoveries incentivize immediate conservation action, scaled-up investment is urgently needed to reverse the current trends.


Assuntos
Anfíbios , Mudança Climática , Ecossistema , Espécies em Perigo de Extinção , Animais , Anfíbios/classificação , Biodiversidade , Mudança Climática/estatística & dados numéricos , Conservação dos Recursos Naturais/economia , Conservação dos Recursos Naturais/tendências , Espécies em Perigo de Extinção/estatística & dados numéricos , Espécies em Perigo de Extinção/tendências , Extinção Biológica , Risco , Urodelos/classificação
2.
Nature ; 605(7909): 285-290, 2022 05.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-35477765

RESUMO

Comprehensive assessments of species' extinction risks have documented the extinction crisis1 and underpinned strategies for reducing those risks2. Global assessments reveal that, among tetrapods, 40.7% of amphibians, 25.4% of mammals and 13.6% of birds are threatened with extinction3. Because global assessments have been lacking, reptiles have been omitted from conservation-prioritization analyses that encompass other tetrapods4-7. Reptiles are unusually diverse in arid regions, suggesting that they may have different conservation needs6. Here we provide a comprehensive extinction-risk assessment of reptiles and show that at least 1,829 out of 10,196 species (21.1%) are threatened-confirming a previous extrapolation8 and representing 15.6 billion years of phylogenetic diversity. Reptiles are threatened by the same major factors that threaten other tetrapods-agriculture, logging, urban development and invasive species-although the threat posed by climate change remains uncertain. Reptiles inhabiting forests, where these threats are strongest, are more threatened than those in arid habitats, contrary to our prediction. Birds, mammals and amphibians are unexpectedly good surrogates for the conservation of reptiles, although threatened reptiles with the smallest ranges tend to be isolated from other threatened tetrapods. Although some reptiles-including most species of crocodiles and turtles-require urgent, targeted action to prevent extinctions, efforts to protect other tetrapods, such as habitat preservation and control of trade and invasive species, will probably also benefit many reptiles.


Assuntos
Conservação dos Recursos Naturais , Extinção Biológica , Répteis , Jacarés e Crocodilos , Anfíbios , Animais , Biodiversidade , Aves , Mamíferos , Filogenia , Répteis/classificação , Medição de Risco , Tartarugas
3.
Mol Biol Evol ; 41(4)2024 Apr 02.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38573520

RESUMO

Visual systems adapt to different light environments through several avenues including optical changes to the eye and neurological changes in how light signals are processed and interpreted. Spectral sensitivity can evolve via changes to visual pigments housed in the retinal photoreceptors through gene duplication and loss, differential and coexpression, and sequence evolution. Frogs provide an excellent, yet understudied, system for visual evolution research due to their diversity of ecologies (including biphasic aquatic-terrestrial life cycles) that we hypothesize imposed different selective pressures leading to adaptive evolution of the visual system, notably the opsins that encode the protein component of the visual pigments responsible for the first step in visual perception. Here, we analyze the diversity and evolution of visual opsin genes from 93 new eye transcriptomes plus published data for a combined dataset spanning 122 frog species and 34 families. We find that most species express the four visual opsins previously identified in frogs but show evidence for gene loss in two lineages. Further, we present evidence of positive selection in three opsins and shifts in selective pressures associated with differences in habitat and life history, but not activity pattern. We identify substantial novel variation in the visual opsins and, using microspectrophotometry, find highly variable spectral sensitivities, expanding known ranges for all frog visual pigments. Mutations at spectral-tuning sites only partially account for this variation, suggesting that frogs have used tuning pathways that are unique among vertebrates. These results support the hypothesis of adaptive evolution in photoreceptor physiology across the frog tree of life in response to varying environmental and ecological factors and further our growing understanding of vertebrate visual evolution.


Assuntos
Opsinas , Pigmentos da Retina , Humanos , Animais , Opsinas/genética , Anuros/genética , Duplicação Gênica , Microespectrofotometria
5.
Mol Ecol ; 33(11): e17361, 2024 Jun.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38634856

RESUMO

Geographical barriers like mountain ranges impede genetic exchange among populations, promoting diversification. The effectiveness of these barriers in limiting gene flow varies between lineages due to each species' dispersal modes and capacities. Our understanding of how the Andes orogeny contributes to species diversification comes from well-studied vertebrates and a few arthropods and plants, neglecting organisms unable to fly or walk long distances. Some arachnids, such as Gasteracantha cancriformis, have been hypothesized to disperse long distances via ballooning (i.e. using their silk to interact with the wind). Yet, we do not know how the environment and geography shape its genetic diversity. Therefore, we tested whether the Andes contributed to the diversification of G. cancriformis acting as an absolute or semi-permeable barrier to genetic connectivity between populations of this spider at opposite sides of the mountain range. We sampled thousands of loci across the distribution of the species and implemented population genetics, phylogenetic, and landscape genetic analyses. We identified two genetically distinct groups structured by the Central Andes, and a third less structured group in the Northern Andes that shares ancestry with the previous two. This structure is largely explained by the altitude along the Andes, which decreases in some regions, possibly facilitating cross-Andean dispersal and gene flow. Our findings support that altitude in the Andes plays a major role in structuring populations in South America, but the strength of this barrier can be overcome by organisms with long-distance dispersal modes together with altitudinal depressions.


Las barreras geográficas como las cordilleras montañosas impiden el intercambio genético entre poblaciones, promoviendo la diversificación. La efectividad de estas barreras para limitar el flujo genético varía entre linajes debido a los modos y capacidades de dispersión de cada especie. Nuestra comprensión de cómo la orogenia de los Andes contribuye a la diversificación de especies proviene de vertebrados y algunos artrópodos y plantas bien estudiados, descuidando a los organismos incapaces de volar o caminar grandes distancias. Se ha hipotetizado que algunas arañas, como Gasteracantha cancriformis, se dispersan a grandes distancias mediante la técnica de "ballooning" (es decir, utilizando su seda para interactuar con el viento). Sin embargo, no sabemos cómo el entorno y la geografía han dado forma a su diversidad genética. Por lo tanto, probamos si los Andes contribuyeron a la diversificación de G. cancriformis actuando como una barrera absoluta o permeable para la conectividad genética entre poblaciones de esta araña en lados opuestos de la cordillera. Muestreamos miles de loci a través de la distribución de la especie e implementamos análisis de genética de poblaciones, filogenéticos y de genética del paisaje. Identificamos dos grupos genéticamente distintos estructurados por los Andes Centrales, y un tercer grupo menos estructurado en los Andes del Norte que comparte ascendencia con los dos anteriores. Esta estructura se explica en gran medida por la altitud a lo largo de los Andes, que disminuye en algunas regiones, posiblemente facilitando la dispersión y el flujo genético a través de los Andes. Nuestros hallazgos apoyan que la altitud en los Andes juega un papel importante en la estructuración de las poblaciones en América del Sur, pero la fuerza de esta barrera puede ser superada por organismos con modos de dispersión a larga distancia junto con depresiones altitudinales.


Assuntos
Fluxo Gênico , Genética Populacional , Filogenia , Aranhas , Animais , Aranhas/genética , Variação Genética , Geografia , Altitude , América do Sul
6.
Glob Ecol Biogeogr ; 27(1): 14-21, 2018 01.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-29398972

RESUMO

Motivation: We generated a novel database of Neotropical snakes (one of the world's richest herpetofauna) combining the most comprehensive, manually compiled distribution dataset with publicly available data. We assess, for the first time, the diversity patterns for all Neotropical snakes as well as sampling density and sampling biases. Main types of variables contained: We compiled three databases of species occurrences: a dataset downloaded from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF), a verified dataset built through taxonomic work and specialized literature, and a combined dataset comprising a cleaned version of the GBIF dataset merged with the verified dataset. Spatial location and grain: Neotropics, Behrmann projection equivalent to 1° × 1°. Time period: Specimens housed in museums during the last 150 years. Major taxa studied: Squamata: Serpentes. Software format: Geographical information system (GIS). Results: The combined dataset provides the most comprehensive distribution database for Neotropical snakes to date. It contains 147,515 records for 886 species across 12 families, representing 74% of all species of snakes, spanning 27 countries in the Americas. Species richness and phylogenetic diversity show overall similar patterns. Amazonia is the least sampled Neotropical region, whereas most well-sampled sites are located near large universities and scientific collections. We provide a list and updated maps of geographical distribution of all snake species surveyed. Main conclusions: The biodiversity metrics of Neotropical snakes reflect patterns previously documented for other vertebrates, suggesting that similar factors may determine the diversity of both ectothermic and endothermic animals. We suggest conservation strategies for high-diversity areas and sampling efforts be directed towards Amazonia and poorly known species.

7.
PeerJ ; 12: e17939, 2024.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-39372721

RESUMO

We describe a new species of leaflitter frog of the genus Noblella from southern Ecuador, province of Zamora Chinchipe. The new species is diagnosed from all its congeners by having one or two tubercles on the upper eyelids; distal phalanges strongly T-shaped; phalangeal formula on hands 2-2-3-3; phalangeal formula on feet 2-2-3-4-3; heel with a small subconical tubercle; disc on all toes with papillae; dorsum brown or brown with gray, with V-shaped inverted or scattered irregular darker marks. We include a detailed description of its osteology and a study of its phylogenetic relationships. Finally, we evaluate its conservation status and discuss the threats that are currently impacting at the type locality.


Assuntos
Anuros , Equador , Animais , Anuros/anatomia & histologia , Anuros/classificação , Filogenia , Masculino , Conservação dos Recursos Naturais , Feminino
8.
PLoS One ; 19(8): e0304126, 2024.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-39137207

RESUMO

Understanding how environmental variables influence biofilm formation becomes relevant for managing Vibrio biofilm-related infections in shrimp production. Therefore, we evaluated the impact of temperature, time, and initial inoculum in the biofilm development of these two Vibrio species using a multifactorial experimental design. Planktonic growth inhibition and inhibition/eradication of Vibrio biofilms, more exactly V. parahaemolyticus (VP87 and VP275) and V. cholerae (VC112) isolated from shrimp farms were evaluated by Eucalyptus and Guava aqueous leaf extracts and compared to tetracycline and ceftriaxone. Preliminary results showed that the best growth conditions of biofilm development for V. parahaemolyticus were 24 h and 24°C (p <0.001), while V. cholerae biofilms were 72 h and 30°C (p <0.001). Multivariate linear regression ANOVA was applied using colony-forming unit (CFU) counting assays as a reference, and R-squared values were applied as goodness-of-fit measurements for biofilm analysis. Then, both plant extracts were analyzed with HPLC using double online detection by diode array detector (DAD) and mass spectrometry (MS) for the evaluation of their chemical composition, where the main identified compounds for Eucalyptus extract were cypellogin A, cypellogin B, and cypellocarpin C, while guavinoside A, B, and C compounds were the main compounds for Guava extract. For planktonic growth inhibition, Eucalyptus extract showed its maximum effect at 200 µg/mL with an inhibition of 75% (p < 0.0001) against all Vibrio strains, while Guava extract exhibited its maximum inhibition at 1600 µg/mL with an inhibition of 70% (p < 0.0001). Both biofilm inhibition and eradication assays were performed by the two conditions (24 h at 24°C and 72 h at 30°C) on Vibrio strains according to desirability analysis. Regarding 24 h at 24°C, differences were observed in the CFU counting between antibiotics and plant extracts, where both plant extracts demonstrated a higher reduction of viable cells when compared with both antibiotics at 8x, 16x, and 32x MIC values (Eucalyptus extract: 1600, 3200, and 6400 µg/mL; while Guava extract: 12800, 25600, and 52000 µg/mL). Concerning 72 h at 30°C, results showed a less notorious biomass inhibition by Guava leaf extract and tetracycline. However, Eucalyptus extract significantly reduced the total number of viable cells within Vibrio biofilms from 2x to 32x MIC values (400-6400 µg/mL) when compared to the same MIC values of ceftriaxone (5-80 µg/mL), which was not able to reduce viable cells. Eucalyptus extract demonstrated similar results at both growth conditions, showing an average inhibition of approximately 80% at 400 µg/mL concentration for all Vibrio isolates (p < 0.0001). Moreover, eradication biofilm assays demonstrated significant eradication against all Vibrio strains at both growth conditions, but biofilm eradication values were substantially lower. Both extract plants demonstrated a higher reduction of viable cells when compared with both antibiotics at 8x, 16x, and 32x MIC values at both growth sets, where Eucalyptus extract at 800 µg/mL reduced 70% of biomass and 90% of viable cells for all Vibrio strains (p < 0.0001). Overall results suggested a viable alternative against vibriosis in the shrimp industry in Ecuador.


Assuntos
Antibacterianos , Biofilmes , Eucalyptus , Extratos Vegetais , Psidium , Vibrio cholerae , Vibrio parahaemolyticus , Biofilmes/efeitos dos fármacos , Biofilmes/crescimento & desenvolvimento , Extratos Vegetais/farmacologia , Extratos Vegetais/química , Psidium/química , Eucalyptus/química , Eucalyptus/microbiologia , Vibrio cholerae/efeitos dos fármacos , Animais , Antibacterianos/farmacologia , Vibrio parahaemolyticus/efeitos dos fármacos , Vibrio parahaemolyticus/crescimento & desenvolvimento , Equador , Testes de Sensibilidade Microbiana , Penaeidae/microbiologia
9.
PeerJ ; 12: e17712, 2024.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-39193520

RESUMO

Centrolenidae is a Neotropical family widely distributed in Central and South America, with its species richness concentrated in the tropical Andes. Several taxonomic problems have been identified within this family, mostly related to species with broad geographic distributions. In this study, we assessed and redefined the species boundaries of the Centrolene buckleyi species complex, and formally described two new species from the Andes of Ecuador. These new taxa are recognized by a combination of morphometric, osteological, acoustic, and genetic data. Following IUCN criteria, we propose that the two new species should to be considered as Endangered (EN), mainly because of their small distributions and habitat loss. The C. buckleyi complex provides insights into the biogeography of closely related Andean species. As in other glassfrogs, speciation in Centrolene seems to be mediated by the linearity of the Andes, where gene flow can be restricted by topography and, also, local extinctions.


Assuntos
Anuros , Animais , Anuros/genética , Anuros/anatomia & histologia , Anuros/classificação , Ecossistema , Equador , Espécies em Perigo de Extinção , Filogenia , Especificidade da Espécie
10.
Insects ; 15(9)2024 Sep 20.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-39336693

RESUMO

This study investigates the species richness and distribution of ladybird beetles (Coccinellidae) across various habitats on San Cristóbal Island in the Galápagos Archipelago, Ecuador. Through extensive field surveys, we catalogued nineteen species, including four previously known species (two endemics, Psyllobora bisigma and Scymnobius scalesius, and two natives, Cycloneda sanguinea and Tenuisvalvae bromelicola). We also identified nine possibly native species reported for the first time in the Galapagos islands in this study or correspond to the first voucher specimens for the island. We collected three previously reported non-native species: Cheilomenes sexmaculata, Novius cardinalis, and Paraneda guticollis. Three species belonging to the genera Stethorus, Calloeneis, and Delphastus remain undetermined, pending further taxonomic analyses. Our findings reveal a rich and complex community with notable differences in species abundance and habitat preference. Endemic species were found to be particularly scarce and restricted mainly to crops undergoing forest regeneration and deciduous forests, emphasising their vulnerability and specialised habitat requirements. The native Cycloneda sanguinea emerged as the most prevalent species, exhibiting broad ecological adaptability. Non-native species, like Cheilomenes sexmaculata, were predominantly found in disturbed habitats, with some showing early signs of spreading into more natural environments, raising concerns about their potential impact on local biodiversity. These findings contribute valuable knowledge to understanding Coccinellidae diversity on San Cristóbal Island and highlight the importance of continued monitoring, particularly in the face of ongoing environmental change and the introduction of non-native species. This study underscores the need for targeted conservation efforts to protect the unique and fragile ecosystems of the Galápagos Archipelago.

11.
PLoS One ; 19(7): e0297602, 2024.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38968213

RESUMO

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic has prompted a transformation of medical training. Although there were obvious medical education and social interaction challenges, e-learning presented some advantages, which may have generated medical curricula innovation and adjustments to novel technological methodologies. This study aims to generate consensuses among medical students regarding medical education provided during the pandemic in the resource-limited context of a Global South university. METHODS: The implementation of a participatory Delphi method included a recruitment campaign, training, constitution of Delphi panels and questions, and development of the Delphi exercises. Students from the second to the sixth year of medicine of a university in Quito, Ecuador, constituted two Delphi panels, developed questions about the education received during the pandemic, and answered them over 3.5 rounds. FINDINGS: Twenty-two medical students participated in the Delphi exercises about their perception of medical education during the COVID-19 pandemic. The analysis consisted of a total of 22 Delphi questions divided into five distinct categories: adaptations and innovations, curriculum and assessment changes, virtual clinical practice, time management, and mental health. The authors established high, medium, and low consensuses for analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Consensuses were reached based on students' academic year and focused on the changes in lecture delivery, the usage of new technologies, patient care skills, the impact of the educational routine, and the mental health of the COVID-19 pandemic. The way the pandemic affected medical education in the Global South set the stage for the need for a comprehensive review of tools, skills, and curricula for students from culturally diverse backgrounds. This study offers a highly replicable methodology to generate consensuses and introduce students to academic research.


Assuntos
COVID-19 , Currículo , Técnica Delphi , Educação Médica , Estudantes de Medicina , COVID-19/epidemiologia , Humanos , Estudantes de Medicina/psicologia , Educação Médica/métodos , SARS-CoV-2/isolamento & purificação , Pandemias , Feminino , Masculino , Equador/epidemiologia , Educação a Distância/métodos , Adulto
12.
Ecol Evol ; 13(7)2023 Jul.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37424933

RESUMO

We describe a new species of giant crab spider of the genus Sadala Simon, 1880 collected in Lowland Evergreen rainforests at the Tiputini Biodiversity Station, Yasuni Biosphere Reserve, Amazonian Ecuador. This new species corresponds to the first record of the genus from Ecuador. Females of the new species of Sadala are similar to S. punicea and S. nanay, by having the epigyne with a median septum diamond-shaped posteriorly. The new species is easily distinguished from S. punicea and S. nanay by having relatively straight anterior lateral margins of the median septum. This study increases to 10 the number of described species of Sadala.


Describimos una nueva especie de araña cangrejo gigante del género Sadala Simon, 1880 colectada en Bosque Lluvioso Siempreverde de Tierras Bajas en la Estación de Biodiversidad Tiputini, Reserva de la Biósfera Yasuní, Amazonía del Ecuador. Esta nueva especie corresponde al primer registro del género en Ecuador. Las hembras de la nueva especie de Sadala se diferencian de todos sus congéneres, excepto S. punicea y S. nanay, por un septo medio del epiginio con forma de diamante posteriormente. La nueva especie se diferencia fácilmente de S. punicea y S. nanay por tener los bordes anterolaterales del septo medio relativamente más rectos. Este estudio incrementa a diez el número de especies descritas de Sadala.

13.
Zookeys ; 1141: 75-92, 2023.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37234964

RESUMO

Recent surveys in the Río Negro-Sopladora National Park revealed a striking new species of Hyloscirtus. The new species is easily diagnosed from all other congeners by its large body size (64.9 mm SVL in adult female); broad dermal fringes in fingers and toes; prepollex not projected into a prepollical spine and hidden under thenar tubercle; dorsum greyish-green, with paler-hued reticulum, yellow spots and black speckles; throat, venter, flanks and hidden surfaces of limbs golden-yellow with large black blotches and spots; fingers, toes and webbing yellow with black bars and spots; iris pale pink with black periphery. It is currently known only from its type locality, in the high montane forest on the southern slopes of the Cordillera Oriental of the Andes, southeastern Ecuador. The new species might be related to the H.larinopygion species group based on its morphology.

14.
PeerJ ; 11: e15195, 2023.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37187515

RESUMO

We describe two new species of glassfrogs of the genus Centrolene living in syntopy at La Enramada, province of Azuay, southwestern Ecuador. They were found in a small creek in montane evergreen forests at 2,900 m elevation. The first new species is distinguished from all other members of the genus Centrolene by having the following combination of characters: dentigerous process of vomer absent; sloping snout in lateral view; thick, white labial stripe and a faint white line between the lip and anterior » of body; humeral spine in adult males; parietal peritoneum covered by iridophores, visceral peritonea translucent (except pericardium); ulnar and tarsal ornamentation; dorsal skin shagreen with dispersed warts; uniform green dorsum with light yellowish green warts; and green bones. The new species is remarkable by being sister to a species from the opposite Andean versant, C. condor. The second new species is distinguished from all other Centrolene by having the following combination of characters: dentigerous process of vomer absent; round snout in lateral view; thin, yellowish labial stripe with a row of white tubercles between the lip and arm insertion, and a yellowish line between arm insertion and groin; uniform green dorsum; humeral spine in adult males; parietal peritoneum covered by iridophores, visceral peritonea translucent (except pericardium); dorsal skin shagreen with dispersed spicules; ulnar and tarsal ornamentation; and green bones. The second new species is sister to C. sabini and an undescribed species of Centrolene from southeastern Ecuador. Based on nuclear and mitochondrial DNA sequences, we present a new phylogeny for Centrolene and comment on the phylogenetic relationships inside the genus.


Assuntos
Anuros , Verrugas , Animais , Masculino , Equador , Filogenia , Florestas
15.
Biodivers Data J ; 11: e113396, 2023.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38028240

RESUMO

Studies on genetic variability amongst native and introduced species contribute to a better understanding of the genetic diversity of species along their autochthonous distribution and identify possible routes of introduction. Gonatodescaudiscutatus is a gecko native to western Ecuador and introduced to the Galapagos Islands. Despite being a successful species in human-modified habitats along its native and non-native ranges, neither the colonisation process nor the genetic diversity of this gecko is known. In this study, we analysed 55 individuals from 14 localities in western Ecuador and six localities in San Cristobal Island, Galapagos - the only island with a large, self-sustaining population. We amplified and analysed the genetic variability of two nuclear genes (Cmos and Rag2) and one mitochondrial gene (16S). Cmos and Rag2 sequences presented little to none genetic variability, while 16S allowed us to build a haplotype network. We identified nine haplotypes across mainland Ecuador, two of which are also present in Galapagos. Low genetic diversity between insular and continental populations suggests that the introduction of G.caudiscutatus on the Islands is relatively recent. Due to the widespread geographical distribution of mainland haplotypes, it was not possible to determine the source population of the introduction. This study represents the first exploration of the genetic diversity of Gonatodescaudiscutatus, utilising genetic tools to gain insights into its invasion history in the Galapagos.

16.
Life (Basel) ; 12(3)2022 Feb 22.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-35330076

RESUMO

The COVID-19 pandemic hit Ecuador severely. The country caught the attention of international media due to its high death toll and overwhelmed healthcare system. The clinical diagnostics system was rapidly overloaded, and the import of PCR tests was delayed. The case of Ecuador illustrates how middle-income countries rely heavily on the importation of biotechnological products for their healthcare systems. The Ecuadorian experience during the COVID-19 pandemic serves as a call for the formation of policies for the development of the biotechnological industry.

17.
PeerJ ; 10: e14066, 2022.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-36196397

RESUMO

We have discovered a spectacular new species of frog in the genus Hyloscirtus, belonging to the H. larinopygion species group. The adult female is characterized by a mostly black body with large bright red spots on the dorsal and ventral surface, extremities, and toe pads. The adult male is unknown. Small juveniles are characterized by a yellow body with variable black markings on the flanks; while one larger juvenile displayed irregular orange or yellow marks on a black background color, with light orange or yellow toe pads. Additional distinctive external morphological features such as cloacal ornamentation are described, and some osteological details are imaged and analyzed. The performed phylogeny places the new species as the sister to a clade consisting of ten taxa, all of which are part of the H. larinopygion group. We use genetic distances to fit the new species into a published time-calibrated phylogeny of this group; our analysis based on the published chronology suggests that the divergence of the new species from its known congeners pre-dates the Quaternary period. The new species is currently only known only from Cerro Mayordomo, in Fundación EcoMinga´s Machay Reserve, at 2,900 m in the eastern Andes of Tungurahua province, Ecuador, near the southern edge of Los Llanganates National Park, but its real distribution may be larger.


Assuntos
Anuros , Parques Recreativos , Masculino , Feminino , Animais , Anuros/anatomia & histologia , Equador , Distribuição Animal , Filogenia
18.
Int J Parasitol Parasites Wildl ; 19: 155-160, 2022 Dec.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-36157127

RESUMO

Helminths are not usually considered important pathogens for birds of prey. There is a single published report of mortality in raptors due to an air sac trematode infection. We report a well-documented death case from massive infection by an air sac trematode of the family Cyclocoelidae in a wild-caught, juvenile male Snail Kite (Rostrhamus sociabilis) in Ecuador. The necropsy of a Snail Kite revealed more than 200 trematodes among air sacs, lungs, heart, gizzard, proventriculus, and liver. Within air sacs and lungs, mature flukes were associated with sacculitis, bronchitis, pneumonia, and atelectasis. Using an integrative taxonomic approach with morphological and molecular data, we identified the parasites as Bothrigaster variolaris (Trematoda: Cyclocoelidae: Ophthalmophaginae). This case provides the first evidence for the pathologic presence of air sac trematodes associated with morbidity in birds of prey in South America. Our results suggest that cyclocoelids may cause debilitation and significant clinical lesions in birds of prey, with potentially fatal consequences.

19.
Zootaxa ; 5072(4): 351-372, 2021 Dec 01.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-35390861

RESUMO

We describe a new species of Pristimantis from southern Ecuador, province of Zamora Chinchipe. The new species is closely related to an undescribed species of Pristimantis from Reserva Tapichalaca, Ecuador and with species of a clade historically assigned to the P. unistrigatus species group, such as P. parvillus, P. luteolateralis, P. walkeri, among others. The new species of Pristimantis is a miniaturized new frog (females 17.11.1 mm; males 13.20.9 mm), characterized by the presence of -shaped scapular folds, with two subconical tubercles on the medial and posterior regions of folds; tympanic membrane and tympanic annulus present but not externally visible; a prominent rostral papilla present; upper eyelid with one elongated conical tubercle; a conical tubercle on heels; groin with orange or yellow spots. The new species of Pristimantis is distributed in a restricted area in the Cordillera del Condor, a highly-diverse mountain range threatened by multiple anthropogenic activities. We recommend assigning the new species to the Endangered IUCN threatened category because it is only known from three nearby localities within mining concessions.


Assuntos
Anuros , Aves , Distribuição Animal , Animais , Equador , Feminino , Masculino , Filogenia
20.
Zookeys ; 1063: 23-48, 2021.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-34720623

RESUMO

Seasonally dry forests (SDFs) are one of the most challenging ecosystems for amphibians, fueling the diversity of this group of vertebrates. An updated inventory of native amphibians present in the Equatorial SDF is provided, which extends along the Pacific coast of Ecuador and northwestern Peru. The study is based on an extensive field sampling (two thirds of the total records) carried out throughout the Equatorial SDF, along with a compilation of the available information on distribution of amphibians in the region from published scientific papers, museum collections and on-line databases. The final dataset included 2,032 occurrence records for 30 amphibian species, belonging to eight anuran families. Additionally, data regarding conservation status, habitat use, spawn deposition site, reproductive mode, and body size, along with an identification key for all encountered species are provided. The results indicate a strong sampling bias with a deficit in the Peruvian part of the study area, and a need for urgent inventories targeted at under-sampled areas, using modern taxonomic methods. The study emphasizes the conservation priorities in the Equatorial SDF, based on the distribution, conservation status and life-history data. This information should be useful for the local authorities and institutions involved in the management and conservation of biodiversity in SDF.

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