Similar regional-scale survival of tropical and southern temperate birds from the New World.

The general assumption that the survival patterns of tropical and southern temperate birds are similar lacks empirical data from higher latitudes. Regional comparisons of New World species are rare, and this assumption has been based on data from African studies. Here, we estimate the survival rates of 88 tropical and southern temperate bird populations (69 species) from eight localities in South America to evaluate the hypothesis that the survival of these populations is homogeneous at the regional scale. We estimated survival based on the Cormack-Jolly-Seber model and compared values from different environments. The survival estimates ranged from 0.30 to 0.80 (0.56 ± 0.12). Apparent survival did not differ significantly between low-latitude tropical environments (03°S) and the other sites from high-latitudes (between 22° and 34°S). Despite a predicted positive trend, body size was not significantly related to survival among passerines. On the other hand, phylogenetic relationships explained more than a third of the variation in bird survival. Based on the largest available database on South American bird species, our findings support the hypothesis that bird survival is homogeneous, at the regional scale, along the southern hemisphere. In particular, we reinforce the hypothesis that climatic variation has a limited influence on bird survival in the southern hemisphere.

Species richness and distribution patterns of the snake fauna of Rio Grande do Norte state, northeastern Brazil.

The Neotropics are one of the richest regions in biodiversity globally. Still, much remains unknown about the mechanisms and processes responsible for the accumulation of species in this region. Among the many limitations on our current knowledge on the region's biodiversity, understanding of community composition and species distributions is limited and greatly biased in many Brazilian regions. We present information on species composition, habitat use, geographic distribution, taxonomic accounts, and conservation of snakes from Rio Grande do Norte state, Northeastern Brazil. We compiled, from primary and literature data, 851 snake records from seven families and 47 species, with five new records for the state. Species are mainly terrestrial and semi-arboreal and associated with at least six vegetation types from Caatinga and Atlantic Forest domains. None of the species is listed in threatened categories of IUCN, while two species are listed in the Brazilian Threatened Fauna list. Our data covers 32.34% of the state's area, a consequence of locally limited inventories and lack of long-term studies on snakes' fauna. The richest areas within the state are near large cities, which lack protected areas for the species they harbor, and highlights the necessity of protective policies and conservation actions.

Microhabitat selection of the poorly known lizard Tropidurus lagunablanca (Squamata: Tropiduridae) in the Pantanal, Brazil

Abstract Understanding how different environmental factors influence species occurrence is a key issue to address the study of natural populations. However, there is a lack of knowledge on how local traits influence the microhabitat use of tropical arboreal lizards. Here, we investigated the microhabitat selection of the poorly known lizard Tropidurus lagunablanca (Squamata: Tropiduridae) and evaluated how environmental microhabitat features influence animals presence. We used a Resource Selection Function approach, in a case/control design where we analyzed the effect of substrate temperature and trees diameter at breast height (DBH) in the probability of presence of lizards using mixed Conditional Logistic Regression. We found that T. lagunablanca uses trees with DBH from 0.40 m to 4 m and substrate temperatures ranging from 25.9°C to 42°C. Moreover, we showed that thickness of the trees and substrate temperatures significantly increased the probability of presence of T. lagunablanca individuals, being the probability of presence higher than 50% for trees up to 1.5 m DBH and temperature of substrate up to 37.5°C. Our study probed that T. lagunablanca individuals choose trees non-randomly, selecting thicker and warmer tree trunks. This information advances the knowledge of the spatial ecology of Neotropical arboreal lizards and is relevant for conservation, putting an emphasis on preserving native vegetation in the Pantanal.

Microhabitat selection of the poorly known lizard Tropidurus lagunablanca(Squamata: Tropiduridae) in the Pantanal, Brazil

Understanding how different environmental factors influence species occurrence is a key issue to address the study of natural populations. However, there is a lack of knowledge on how local traits influence the microhabitat use of tropical arboreal lizards. Here, we investigated the microhabitat selection of the poorly known lizard Tropidurus lagunablanca(Squamata: Tropiduridae) and evaluated how environmental microhabitat features influence animals presence. We used a Resource Selection Function approach, in a case/control design where we analyzed the effect of substrate temperature and trees diameter at breast height (DBH) in the probability of presence of lizards using mixed Conditional Logistic Regression. We found that T. lagunablanca uses trees with DBH from 0.40 m to 4 m and substrate temperatures ranging from 25.9°C to 42°C. Moreover, we showed that thickness of the trees and substrate temperatures significantly increased the probability of presence of T. lagunablanca individuals, being the probability of presence higher than 50% for trees up to 1.5 m DBH and temperature of substrate up to 37.5°C. Our study probed that T. lagunablanca individuals choose trees non-randomly, selecting thicker and warmer tree trunks. This information advances the knowledge of the spatial ecology of Neotropical arboreal lizards and is relevant for conservation, putting an emphasis on preserving native vegetation in the Pantanal.(AU)

Predation of the hylid frog Bokermannohyla alvarengai (Bokermann, 1956) by the colubrid snake Chironius flavolineatus (Jan, 1863) in a montane rocky grassland / Predação da perereca Bokermannohyla alvarengai pela serpente Chironius flavolineatus em um campo rupestre de altitude

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.

Nós relatamos o registro de predação da perereca Bokermannohyla alvarengai pela serpente Chironius flavolineatus em um campo rupestre de altitude no município de Santana do Riacho, estado de Minas Gerais, sudeste do Brasil. Nossos achados contribuem para o conhecimento da biologia de B. alvarengai pela identificação de um de seus predadores naturais, e de C. flavolineatus por adicionar uma espécie de anuro à sua dieta, dados até então não disponíveis na literatura científica.

Predation of the hylid frog Bokermannohyla alvarengai (Bokermann, 1956) by the colubrid snake Chironius flavolineatus (Jan, 1863) in a montane rocky grassland / Predação da perereca Bokermannohyla alvarengai pela serpente Chironius flavolineatus em um campo rupestre de altitude

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.(AU)

Nós relatamos o registro de predação da perereca Bokermannohyla alvarengai pela serpente Chironius flavolineatus em um campo rupestre de altitude no município de Santana do Riacho, estado de Minas Gerais, sudeste do Brasil. Nossos achados contribuem para o conhecimento da biologia de B. alvarengai pela identificação de um de seus predadores naturais, e de C. flavolineatus por adicionar uma espécie de anuro à sua dieta, dados até então não disponíveis na literatura científica.(AU)

Dangerous neighborhood: saurophagy between syntopic Tropidurus lizards / Vizinhança perigosa: saurofagia entre lagartos Tropidurus sintópicos

Saurophagy constitutes an important source of mortality among lizards and has been reported for the genus Tropidurus. However, the extension of this behavior remains unknown. Herein, we record the predation of T. jaguaribanus by its congener T. hispidus. This is the first report of saurophagy among different species of syntopicTropidurus. Furthermore, whereas published records of saurophagy tend to be directed against juveniles, this case involved two adult individuals.

A saurofagia constitui uma importante fonte de mortalidade entre lagartos e tem sido reportada para o gênero Tropidurus. Contudo, a extensão deste comportamento permanece desconhecida. Neste estudo registramos a predação de T. jaguaribanus por seu congênere T. hispidus. Este é o primeiro caso de saurofagia entre diferentes espécies de Tropidurus sintópicos. Além disso, embora a saurofagia tenda a ser direcionada contra jovens, este caso envolveu dois indivíduos adultos.