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.
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
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