We are presenting a list of the reptile species from Lençóis Maranhenses National Park (LMNP), Maranhão, Brazil, obtained during 235 days of field work. The study area is located in the contact zone between three major Neotropical ecosystems: Amazonia, Caatinga, and Cerrado. The PNLM encompasses the largest dune fields in Brazil, wide shrubby areas (restingas), lakes, mangroves, and many freshwater lagoons. We have recorded 42 species of reptiles in the area: 24 snakes, 12 lizards, two worm lizards, three turtles, and one alligator. About 81 % of the recorded species occurred only in restinga areas. Our data highlights the uniqueness of the PNLM in the context of the biomes that surround it and shows the importance of efforts to improve the conservation of reptiles living in the restinga, which currently comprise only about 20 % of the total area protected by the park, but which are the mesohabitat containing most of the reptile species in the Lençóis Maranhenses complex of habitats.

No abstract

This study aimed to estimate the occurrence of Aedes aegypti adults at distinct climatic seasons at neighborhoods from the municipality of São Luís, Maranhão State, Brazil, as well as to verify the presence of Dengue virus (DENV) in the specimens collected. A total of 320 properties were visited in eight neighborhoods that were previously randomly chosen. . Specimen were divided into lots and subjected to RT-semi-nested-PCR analysis and virus isolation was carried out using cell culture (C6/36 clone) of Ae. albopictus. The number of adults significantly varied at the neighborhoods of Coréia de Baixo, Lira, João Paulo, and Conjunto Cohatrac I. Molecular analyses of specimens showed no positivity for DENV. At the municipality of São Luís, seasonal climate variation might influence the density of Ae. aegypti adults, however, other factors such as population density, sanitation conditions, and the presence of mosquito breeding sites ought to be assessed as important parameters influencing vector dispersion.

We studied the structural habitat use and the thermal ecology of Gonatodes humeralis (Guichenot, 1855) in São Luís, Maranhão, Brazil, to examine intersexual differences in the use of perch features and to simultaneously analyze reciprocal differences on thermal ecology between the sexes. Gonatodes humeralis body temperature was strongly correlated with environmental temperatures (air and substrate), but air temperature had an additional effect on the males' body temperatures after removing the effect of the substrate temperature. Males and females differed significantly in perch height use above ground (males perched higher) but the sexes did not differ in the trunk perimeter used. Gonatodes humeralis tended to use the larger tree trunks available in its environment and selected trunks with deeper leaf litter at the base. It is hypothesized that choosing tree trunks with deeper leaf litter is a defensive behavior against predation

Although currently there is already a set of studies regarding ecological aspects of some particular reptile and amphibian species living in Brazilian sandy coastal plains (including the so-called “restinga” and “campo nativo” habitats), there is comparatively few information on the species composition usually associated to these environments. During 31 years (1988-2019) of herpetological studies carried out in sandy coastal plains environments by our research team of the Laboratory of Vertebrate Ecology (Department of Ecology, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, in Rio de Janeiro Brazil) we have surveyed reptile and amphibian communities and performed different studies with similar methods in 70 sites from 10 different states along the Brazilian coast. Our surveys resulted in records of 87 species of reptile (five turtles, two crocodylians, six amphisbaenians, 36 lizards and 39 snakes) from 24 families, and 77 species of anuran amphibians from nine families. We have studied multiple natural history topics for anurans and reptiles which resulted in the publication of some specific ecological studies, especially regarding some species, encompassing population and community ecology, foraging and feeding habits, species activity, thermoregulation, reproduction, use of microhabitats, and parasitism by ecto and endoparasites. Our results along these three decades have also contributed for the description of four new lizard species (Ameivula nativo, Glaucomastix littoralis, G. abaetensis and G. itabaianensis). Our studies constitute an important contribution to the knowledge of the ecology of anuran amphibians and reptiles in these ecosystems, as well as to the conservation of sandy coastal plains environment. The checklist presented in this study, based on our records of sandy coastal plains herpetofauna, provides for many localities along the Brazilian coast, the needed knowledge on species occurrence, including the presence of endemic and/or endangered species, which can be of value for many conservation actions.

No abstract

No abstract

Para o efetivo cumprimento da função social das habitações de interesse social (HIS), faz-se necessária a adoção de medidas que garantam a sustentabilidade do conjunto habitacional. Este estudo analisa a realidade de unidades habitacionais já existentes construídas sem a devida atenção com as propostas do conceito de sustentabilidade. Através desse estudo, são propostas ações que compõe uma diretriz geral para a melhoria dos aspectos ambientais e socioculturais analisados contribuindo para a verdadeira aplicação do tripé da sustentabilidade: ambiente, economia e cultura. Esse estudo busca entender a influência do pensamento sustentável na realidade vivida em HIS, de modo a identificar as lacunas existentes a fim de mitigá-las com as diretrizes propostas. Através desse estudo, foi possível identificar as lacunas existentes na ligação entre a habitação de interesse social e sustentabilidade. Desse modo, as diretrizes aqui apresentadas atuam diretamente no ponto ressaltado e foram construídas com embasamento dos dados presentes na literatura e com levantamento realizado em conjuntos habitacionais de Belo Horizonte. Assim, é possível estabelecer um modelo para melhorias no bem-estar e na vida dos moradores de baixa renda moradores de das HIS.