Environmental temperatures are a major constraint on ectotherm abundance, influencing their distribution and natural history. Comparing thermal tolerances with environmental temperatures is a simple way to estimate thermal constraints on species distributions. We investigate the potential effects of behavioral thermal tolerance (i. e. Voluntary Thermal Maximum, VT Max) on anuran local (habitat) and regional distribution patterns and associated behavioral responses. We tested for differences in Voluntary Thermal Maximum (VT Max) of two sympatric frog species of the genus Physalaemus in the Cerrado. We mapped the difference between VT Max and maximum daily temperature (VT Max-ET Max) and compared the abundance in open and non-open habitats for both species. Physalaemus nattereri had a significantly higher VT Max than P. cuvieri. For P. nattereri, the model including only period of day was chosen as the best to explain variation in the VT Max while for P. cuvieri, the null model was the best model. At the regional scale, VTMax-ET Max values were significantly different between species, with P. nattereri mostly found in localities with maximum temperatures below its VT Max and P. cuvieri showing the reverse pattern. Regarding habitat use, P. cuvieri was in general more abundant in open than in non-open habitats, whereas P. nattereri was similarly abundant in these habitats. This difference seems to reflect their distribution patterns: P. cuvieri is more abundant in open and warmer habitats and occurs mostly in warmer areas in relation to its VT Max , whereas P. nattereri tends to be abundant in both open and non-open (and cooler) areas and occurs mostly in cooler areas regarding its VT Max. Our study indicates that differences in behavioral thermal tolerance may be important in shaping local and regional distribution patterns. Furthermore, small-scale habitat use might reveal a link between behavioral thermal tolerance and natural history strategies.

Amphibians and reptiles are ectothermic animals and therefore depend on environmental temperatures to maintain their physiological functions.Despite being poorly documented, data on thermal behavioral thresholds to avoid overheating in their habitats are essential to improve the understanding of their thermal ecology and physiology. Here we provide a data set of 312 individual voluntary thermal maximum (VT Max ) values, the maximum

Ectotherms depend on temperature to maintain their physiological functions and through behavioral changes, they can avoid overheating in their habitats. The voluntary thermal maximum (VTMax) represents the maximum temperature tolerated by individuals before actively moving to a colder place. However, if and how VTMax might change after capture and in captivity remains understudied. We investigate if measurements taken in captivity are a good proxy for thermal tolerance of wild individuals. As thermal history has been shown to affect behavioral response and physiological parameters, herein we hypothesized that VTMax of the neotropical viper Bothrops pauloensis varies throughout the captivity period. We measured the VTMax of individuals immediately after capture and in three trials during a short‐term period in captivity. Measurements were done by recording their body temperature at which they exited a heating box experimental setup. In contrast to our hypothesis, the VTMax was not significantly affected by time in captivity but there was interindividual variation. There were also no significant differences between field and captivity measurements, in spite of the small effect size. Our results indicate that the VTMax of this snake population is not affected by a short‐term captivity period. Furthermore, an invariant VTMax might indicate low phenotypic plasticity, as individuals do not appear to adjust their tolerance to short‐term exposure to higher temperatures and potential vulnerability to threats such as global warming. We expect that our results can contribute to understanding the effect of captivity on thermal tolerance in neotropical squamates, allowing for insights into their thermal physiology and ecology.

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Amphibians are one of the most species-rich vertebrate taxa, with diverse and complex reproductive behaviors. Even though mate recognition plays a vital role in reproductive success, unusual amplexus with non-suitable mates (misdirected amplexus) have been reported to occur in the wild. Misdirected

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Lygophis paucidens Hoge, 1952 is a rare Neotropical snake, previously mapped using only a few individuals in five localities. Herein we update and discuss the distribution and conservation status of L. paucidens within major Neotropical ecoregions, providing previously unavailable data on distribution and habitat use. We compiled and mapped point locality records from literature and museum specimens, complemented by field studies in three localities. We used those records to map the species Extent of Occurrence (EOO) and Area of Occupancy (AOO), two range-related metrics of central relevance for conservation. We recovered 52 records from 46 vouchered specimens and six field records, distributed in 35 individual point localities, all within the diagonal of open vegetation in South America, with most records in cerrado savannas with sandy soils. Lygophis paucidens is likely a psammophilous species, which might explain its occurrence in savanna enclaves in forested ecoregions and its potentially discontinuous distribution. This knowledge is, therefore, useful in aiding future conservation assessments.

We provide information on the diversity of anurans from agroforestry systems in the Colombian Amazon. This area is inserted at the tropical rainforest ecosystem and consists mainly of secondary forest remnants surrounded by crops, grasslands, and agroforestry systems. From February to May 2015, we sampled anurans mainly with visual and auditory surveys. We recorded a total of 1096 individuals of 20 species of anurans from six families at the study area. The relictual forest was the richest environment, followed by Achapo and Cacao agroforestry systems. The Achapo system showed great similarity in species composition with relictual forest, however, the latter presented the highest number of exclusive species, whereas the first presented only two and Cacao system didn't have any exclusive species. Our results show that the richness can vary between the different types of agroforestry systems and highlight their importance as management tool for anurans conservation in the Colombian Amazon.