SUMMARYToxocariasis is a worldwide public-health problem that poses major risks to children who may accidentally ingest embryonated eggs of Toxocara. The objectives of this study were to investigate the occurrence of anti-Toxocara spp. antibodies in children and adolescents and the variables that may be involved, as well as environmental contamination by Toxocara spp. eggs, in urban recreation areas of north central mesoregion, Paraná State, Brazil. From June 2005 to March 2007. a total of 376 blood samples were collected by the Public Health Service from children and adolescents one to 12 years old, of both genders. Samples were analyzed by the indirect ELISA method for detection of anti-Toxocara antibodies. Serum samples were previously absorbed with Ascaris suum antigens, and considered positive with a reagent reactivity index ≥1. Soil samples from all of the public squares and schools located in the four evaluated municipalities that had sand surfaces (n = 19) or lawns (n = 15) were analyzed. Of the 376 serum samples, 194 (51.6%) were positive. The seroprevalence rate was substantially higher among children aging one to five years (p = 0.001) and six to eight years (p = 0.022). The clinical signs and symptoms investigated did not show a statistical difference between seropositive and seronegative individuals (p > 0.05). In 76.5% of the investigated recreation places, eggs of Toxocara were detected in at least one of the five collected samples. Recreation areas from public schools were 2.8 times more contaminated than from public squares. It is important to institute educational programs to inform families and educators, as well as to improve sanitary control of animals and cleaning of the areas intended for recreation in order to prevent toxocariasis.

Purussaurus brasiliensis thrived in the northwestern portion of South America during the Late Miocene. Although substantial material has been recovered since its early discovery, this fossil crocodilian can still be considered as very poorly understood. In the present work, we used regression equations based on modern crocodilians to present novel details about the morphometry, bite-force and paleobiology of this species. According to our results, an adult Purussaurus brasiliensis was estimated to reach around 12.5 m in length, weighing around 8.4 metric tons, with a mean daily food intake of 40.6 kg. It was capable of generating sustained bite forces of 69,000 N (around 7 metric tons-force). The extreme size and strength reached by this animal seems to have allowed it to include a wide range of prey in its diet, making it a top predator in its ecosystem. As an adult, it would have preyed upon large to very large vertebrates, and, being unmatched by any other carnivore, it avoided competition. The evolution of a large body size granted P. brasiliensis many advantages, but it may also have led to its vulnerability. The constantly changing environment on a large geological scale may have reduced its long-term survival, favoring smaller species more resilient to ecological shifts.

White-sand vegetation (WSV) is a rare vegetation type in the Amazon basin that grows in nutrient impoverished sandy soils that occur as patches of variable size. Associated with this vegetation is bird assemblage that has not yet been fully characterized. Based on published species inventories and our own field data we compile a checklist of bird species recorded in WSV. In addition, we compared the avifauna of WSV with that found in savanna patches, another type of Amazonian open vegetation. WSV hosted a distinctive avifauna including endemic and threatened species. The number of bird species was lower in WSV compared to nearby terra firme forests, seasonally flooded forests and Amazonian savannas. Despite its low diversity, the avifauna of WSV has a distinctive species composition and makes a significant contribution to Amazonian beta diversity. At least 35 bird species can be considered as indicator species for this environment. Previously identified areas of endemism within the Amazon basin house at least one WSV indicator bird including cases of congeneric species with allopatric distributions. Seven of the WSV indicator species (20% of this avifauna) are in an IUCN threatened category, with one species Polioptila clementsi considered Critically Endangered. Their isolated distribution, small area occupied, and fragility to human-driven disturbances makes WSV one of the most threatened vegetation types in the Amazon basin. The study of WSV avifauna contributes to a better understanding of mechanisms that generate and maintain species diversity as well as of the environmental history of the most biologically diverse biome of the planet.

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Maranhio, Natal, and the coast. 10. Cretaceous.-Sergipe, Bahia, Serra do Araripe, Ceara, Parahyba. Parecis beds of Matto Grosso.Baurì of SAo Paulo (Wealden)Marahì Bahia. Sao Bento series of Santa Catharina. 9. Igneous Rocks.-Pre-Cretaceous igneous, alkaline rocks and their associates, including nephelene syenite, foyaite, tinguaite, phonolite, syenite, trachyte, gabbro, diabase, diabase-basalt, and the Triassic "trap" of the southern states. 8. Triassic.-Maracaj i of southern Matto Grosso; BotucatG of Sdo Paulo; Rio do Rasto of Santa Catharina; Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul with Scaphonyx. 7. Upper Permian.-Passa Dois series of Santa Catharina, Stereosternum and Mesosaurus beds with cherty concretions of Sio Paulo. Piauhy, Bahia (Aricy); Estancia beds of Sergipe, Maranhdo e Goyaz (Psaronius beds), Matto Grosso. 6. Lower Permian.-Tubarao series of Santa Catharina; coal beds of southern states with Glossopteris flora; glacial beds, Orleans conglomerate. Serra Grande series of Piauhy and Ceara of Small. Salita Limestones, Bahia Limestones of Rio das Velhas. 5. Carboniferous.-Marine beds of Rio Uatuma, Frechal e Pedra do Barco in Amazonas; Itaituba, Trombetas, Maecurfi and Curua, Para; Lavras quartzites of Bahia. 4. Devonian.-Erere (above), Maecurfi and Curua' in Amazon valley. Ponta Grossa shales in Parana; Chapada in Matto Grosso; Caboclo shales, Bahia. 3. Silurian.-Rio Trombetas, state of Par&. Tombador in Bahia Cu-yabi slates, etc. 2. Early Paleozoic.-Itacolumite ? Iron manganese and schists of Minas Geraes; quartzites of Serra de Jacobina and elsewhere in Bahia. Lisboa's Bodoquena of Matto Grosso. i. Archean.-Brazilian complex: gneiss, schists, granite.

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A new specimen of Caiman brevirostris (Crocodylia, Alligatoridae) from the late Miocene of Brazil, Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, 34:4, 820-834To link to this article: http://dx.ABSTRACT-Caiman brevirostris was described based on the basis of late Miocene materials that included a rostral fragment and a right mandibular ramus, but photographs were not provided at that time. In this study, for the first time, we present the holotype materials of this species and a new specimen from the late Miocene of southwestern Amazonia, Brazil. The diagnosis was expanded, and a phylogenetic analysis was conducted. The results from the analysis consistently recover Caiman brevirostris within a clade that includes Caiman latirostris, Caiman cf. C. lutescens, and Melanosuchus. The oldest fossil record of the genus Caiman is from the Oligocene of southeastern Brazil, but these materials are regarded in this study as a nomen dubium due to the absence of any diagnostic features for the specimen. Thus, the oldest record considered valid by this study derives from the middle Miocene of Colombia and may represent the initial radiation of the genus.

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