Heteromorphisms between sex chromosomes are rarely found in anurans and sex chromosome differentiation is considered to be a set of recent recurrent events in the evolutionary history of this group. This paper describes for the first time heteromorphic sex chromosomes Z and W in the leiuperid genus Physalaemus. They were found in P. ephippifer, a species of the P. cuvieri group, and corresponded to the eighth pair of its karyotype. The W chromosome differed from the Z chromosome by the presence of an additional segment in the short arm, composed of a distal NOR and an adjacent terminal DAPI-positive C-band. The identification of this sex chromosome pair may help in future investigations into the sex determining genes in the genus Physalaemus.

Abstract:Amphibian research has grown steadily in recent years in the Amazon region, especially in the Brazilian states of Amazonas, Pará, Rondônia, and Amapá, and neighboring areas of the Guiana Shield. Even so, few data are available for the Amazonian savannas of Brazil. To contribute to the understanding of the diversity of the amphibians of these savannas, we surveyed 15 temporary ponds, six located in open areas, seven on the edge of savanna forest, and two within the forest, in the savanna of the Rio Curiaú Environmental Protection Area (EPA) in Macapá, in the state of Amapá, northern Brazil. Sampling occurred from May 2013 to August 2014 during periods when the ponds contained water. Amphibians were sampled through visual and auditory surveys conducted during both the day-and the nighttime periods on seven days each month over a total of 84 days. A total of 1574 individuals belonging to four families, 12 genera, and 28 species were recorded during the surveys. The cumulative species curve reached the asymptote, indicating that sampling effort was adequate. The number of species was 25% higher than that reported in other studies in Amazonian savannas. Twelve species were recorded for the first time in the savanna of Amapá. Lysapsus boliviana was the most common species (n = 332 of the individuals recorded). The greatest amphibian species richness found in the Rio Curiaú EPA was associated with the savanna mosaic, forest patches, lowland swamp, and temporary ponds. The results of this study contribute to the understanding of the diversity of amphibian species in the Guianan area of endemism in northern Brazil, and also the Amazonian savannas.

Amphibians of an area of castanhal of River Cajari's Reservation Extrativista, Amapá. This study had for objective to determine the wealth and abundance of species of amphibians of a castanhal, located in the northwest portion of River Cajari's Reservation Extrativista. During the study four samplings were accomplished and as methodologies the visual and auditory active search in three transectos of 1000 m of extension, the installation of pitfall traps and donations of animals for third. 410 amphibious specimens were registered represented by 09 families, 21 goods and 43 species (40 belonging to the Ordem Anura and 03 the Ordem Gymnophiona). The families Hylidae and Leptodactylidae contributed with larger wealth. The registered species are predominantly a little representatives of forest areas impactada, indicating that the area still maintains good environmental quality, possessing high wealth of species. Based on these results and obtained us for the group of the reptiles in the same area, this Unit of Conservation comes as fourth in number of species registered for the herpetofauna in areas of forest of firm earth (n=82) in the State of Amapá, being behind just of Rio Irataputu's RDS (n=120), of FLONA of Amapá (n=135) and of PARNA Montanhas of Tumucumaque (n=156). The number of species registered it can still be compared with other areas on the shield guianense as French Guiana and Suriname (103 and 102 species, respectively). With the results obtained in this study, hopes to contribute with the current knowledge of the herpetofauna of Amapá and of the amazon portion on the Shield of Guyana.

River damming has created fragmented landscapes in parts of the Amazon basin. The resulting decrease in forest area could directly affect amphibian species if large areas of habitat are required to guarantee the presence of specific types of breeding sites. Here, we describe the anuran assemblages on islands created by damming of the Tocantins River twenty years ago in the eastern Amazon basin. We surveyed 10 undisturbed islands varying in size from 3 to 2140 ha and located at distances of up to 6.7 km from the margin of the reservoir. We identified 32 frog species, of which 15, 14, and 3 have aquatic, semiaquatic, and terrestrial development, respectively. The number of frog species increased significantly with island area but was not affected by island distance from the margin. Species with aquatic or semiaquatic development tended to be absent from the smaller islands, regardless of the degree of isolation from the mainland. These findings emphasize the need to preserve specific microhabitats on smaller land‐bridge islands to maintain amphibian diversity in reservoir environments.

Predation has been suggested to play a major role in the evolution of primate ecology, although reports of predation events are very rare. Mammalian carnivores, raptors, and snakes are known predators of Neotropical primates, and most reported attacks by snakes are attributed to Boa constrictor (terrestrial boas). Here, we document the predation of a squirrel monkey (Saimiri sciureus) by an Amazon tree boa (Corallus hortulanus), the first record of the predation of a platyrrhine primate by this boid. The event was recorded during a nocturnal herpetological survey in the Piratuba Lake Biological Reserve, in the north-eastern Brazilian Amazon. The snake was encountered at 20:00 hours on the ground next to a stream, at the final stage of ingesting the monkey. The C. hortulanus specimen was 1620 mm in length (SVL) and weighed 650 g, while the S. sciureus was a young adult female weighing 600 g, 92 % of the body mass of the snake and the largest prey item known to have been ingested by a C. hortulanus. The evidence indicates that the predation event occurred at the end of the afternoon or early evening, and that, while capable of capturing an agile monkey like Saimiri, C. hortulanus may be limited to capturing small platyrrhines such as callitrichines.

We report the first records of Scinax ruberoculatus Ferrão, Fraga, Moravec, Kaefer & Lima, 2018 in the state of Amapá, Brazil. We provide an updated distribution map of this species, comment on its occurrence in French Guiana and Suriname, and provide morphometric and bioacoustic data for a population from the municipality of Porto Grande, Amapá, including the first description of the species’ territorial call. This record from Porto Grande extends the distribution of S. ruberoculatus approximately 1430 km northeast from its type locality and helps to better understand its actual distribution. 

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