Combining citizen science, phylogenetics, and bioacoustics to inform taxonomy and conservation of the Near Threatened (Anura, Odontophrynidae).

Herein, basel on novel data gathered by citizens scientists and specialists, we contribute to the improvement of scientific knowledge and conservation of the Near Threatened in order to: 1) test for the first time the phylogenetic position and a species delimitation of through a molecular approach; 2) describe a larger sample of its advertisement call to properly encompass the species intraspecific variation; 3) describe for the first time the release call; and 4) provide novel insights on the species conservation status. Our 16S tree confidently grouped with , , and . The average sequence divergence between and its congeners ranged from 2.

Geographic patterns of distribution and ecological niche of the snake-necked turtle genus .

Biotic and abiotic factors play a crucial role in determining the distribution of species. These factors dictate the conditions that must be met for a species to thrive in a particular area. Sister species that present some degree of niche overlap can shed light on how they are distributed and coexist in their environment.

Skin secretions of Leptodactylidae (Anura) and their potential applications.

The skin of anuran species is a protective barrier against predators and pathogens, showing also chemical defense by substances that represent a potential source for bioactive substances. This review describes the current chemical and biological knowledge from the skin secretions of Leptodactylidae species, one of the most diverse neotropical frog families. These skin secretions reveal a variety of substances such as amines (12), neuropeptides (16), and antimicrobial peptides (72).

Decoupled responses of biodiversity facets driven from anuran vulnerability to climate and land-use changes.

Biodiversity loss not only implies the loss of species but also entails losses in other dimensions of biodiversity, such as functional, phylogenetic and interaction diversity. Yet, each of those facets of biodiversity may respond differently to extinctions. Here, we examine how extinction, driven by climate and land-use changes may affect those different facets of diversity by combining empirical data on anuran-prey interaction networks, species distribution modelling and extinction simulations in assemblages representing four Neotropical ecoregions.

Evaluation of partial 12S rRNA, 16S rRNA, COI and Cytb gene sequence datasets for potential single DNA barcode for hylids (Anura: Hylidae).

We evaluated the extent of intraspecific and interspecific genetic distances and the effectiveness of predefined threshold values using the main genes for estimates of biodiversity and specimens' identification in anurans. Partial sequences of the mitochondrial genes for small (12S) and large (16S) ribosomal subunits, cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) and Cytochrome b (Cytb) of the family Hylidae were downloaded from GenBank and curated for length, coverage, and potential contaminations. We performed analyses for all sequences of each gene and the same species present in these datasets by distance and tree (monophyly)-based evaluations.

Functional traits and phylogeny explain snake distribution in the world's largest dry forest ecoregion, the Gran Chaco.

Macroecological studies describe large-scale diversity patterns through analyses of species distribution patterns and allows us to elucidate how species differing in ecology, physical requirements, and life histories are distributed in a multidimensional space. These patterns of distributions can be explained by vegetation, and climatic factors, and are determined by historical and current factors. The continuous accumulation of information on the distribution patterns of species is essential to understand the history and evolution of the biota.

On the stream-dwelling Crossodactylus timbuhy (Anura, Hylodidae): taxonomy, natural history, and geographic distribution.

The genus Crossodactylus has taxonomic problems due to the difficulty in properly identifying some populations to the species level. The deficient species diagnosis rises mostly due to high intraspecific variation and lack of information on topotypes. Crossodactylus timbuhy was described based only on external morphology of preserved adult specimens.

Unwrapping broken tails: Biological and environmental correlates of predation pressure in limbless reptiles.

Studying species interactions in nature often requires elaborated logistics and intense fieldwork. The difficulties in such task might hinder our ability to answer questions on how biotic interactions change with the environment. Fortunately, a workaround to this problem lies within scientific collections.

Phylogeny of Drosophila saltans group (Diptera: Drosophilidae) based on morphological and molecular evidence.

Drosophila saltans group belongs to the subgenus Sophophora (family Drosophilidae), and it is subdivided into five subgroups, with 23 species. The species in this group are widely distributed in the Americas, primarily in the Neotropics. In the literature, the phylogenetic reconstruction of this group has been performed with various markers, but many inconsistencies remain.

Differences in prey availability across space and time lead to interaction rewiring and reshape a predator-prey metaweb.

Space and time promote variation in network structure by affecting the likelihood of potential interactions. However, little is known about the relative roles of ecological and biogeographical processes in determining how species interactions vary across space and time. Here we study the spatiotemporal variation in predator-prey interaction networks formed by anurans and arthropods and test for the effects of prey availability in determining interaction patterns, information that is often absent and limits the understanding of the determinants of network structure.

The dispersal between Amazonia and Atlantic Forest during the Early Neogene revealed by the biogeography of the treefrog tribe Sphaenorhynchini (Anura, Hylidae).

The Amazonia and the Atlantic Forest, separated by the diagonal of open formations, are two ecoregions that comprise the most diverse tropical forests in the world. The Sphaenorhynchini tribe is among the few tribes of anurans that occur in both rainforests, and their historical biogeographic have never been proposed. In this study, we infer a dated phylogeny for the species of the Sphaenorhynchini and we reconstructed the biogeographic history describing the diversification chronology, and possible patterns of dispersion and vicariance, providing information about how orogeny, forest dynamics and allopatric speciation affected their evolution in South America.

DNA barcoding and phylogeography of the Hoplias malabaricus species complex.

Hoplias malabaricus (Bloch, 1794) is a carnivorous fish species widely distributed from northern to southern South America. This taxon is believed to be a good model for the investigation of biogeographic events that shape the ichthyofauna evolution in the Neotropical freshwater systems. However, many studies have revealed that H.

A new Amazonian species of Zimmermann & Zimmermann, 1988 (Aromobatidae) with a trilled advertisement call.

Background: Currently, 58 species are assigned to the genus , with 70% of its diversity described just in the last two decades, with many additional species likely unnamed. The continuous description of these new species represents a fundamental step for resolving the taxonomy and ensuring the future conservation of the genus.

Methods: Using molecular, acoustic, and morphological evidences, we describe a new species of from Teles Pires River region, southern Amazonia, and provide accounts on the population of found sympatrically with the new species.

A new species of Miranda-Ribeiro, 1920 (Anura, Odontophrynidae) from Southern Amazonia, Brazil.

Based on concordant differences in morphology, male advertisement call, and 16S mtDNA barcode distance, we describe a new species of from southern Amazonia, in the states of Mato Grosso and Pará, Brazil. The new species is most similar to and but differs from these species by its proportionally larger eyes and features of the advertisement call. Additionally, genetic distance between the new species and its congeners is 3.

Epidemiology of snake envenomation from Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil.

Snake envenomation is considered a public health problem in tropical countries, where they occur in a high incidence. The present study reports the snake envenomation that occurred in Mato Grosso do Sul state (Brazil) between 2007 and 2017. Epidemiological data were obtained from the online platform of the Notification Disease Information System and were analyzed according to biome.

A morphological and molecular study of (Serpentes, Dipsadidae), a widespread species from South America.

Background: Studies with integrative approaches (based on different lines of evidence) are fundamental for understanding the diversity of organisms. Different data sources can improve the understanding of the taxonomy and evolution of snakes. We used this integrative approach to verify the taxonomic status of (Duméril, Bibron & Duméril, 1854), given its wide distribution throughout South America, including the validity of the recently described Franco, Fernandes & Bentim, 2007.

Correction: Four new species of Pristimantis Jiménez de la Espada, 1870 (Anura: Craugastoridae) in the eastern Amazon.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.

DNA barcoding for identification of anuran species in the central region of South America.

The use of COI barcodes for specimen identification and species discovery has been a useful molecular approach for the study of Anura. Here, we establish a comprehensive amphibian barcode reference database in a central area of South America, in particular for specimens collected in Mato Grosso do Sul state (Brazil), and to evaluate the applicability of the COI gene for species-level identification. Both distance- and tree-based methods were applied for assessing species boundaries and the accuracy of specimen identification was evaluated.

A new tiny toad species of (Anura: Bufonidae) from east of the Guiana Shield in Amazonia, Brazil.

The combination of different approaches has successfully delimited new species within many Neotropical species complexes traditionally classified as a single nominal organism. Recent studies have shown that the Amazonian endemic genus , currently composed of 12 small-sized species, could harbor several additional species. Based on morphology and molecular data, we describe a new species of from east of the Guiana Shield, in Pará state, Brazil.

Seasonal patterns of ecological uniqueness of anuran metacommunities along different ecoregions in Western Brazil.

Beta diversity can be portioned into local contributions to beta diversity (LCBD), which represents the degree of community composition uniqueness of a site compared to regionally sampled sites. LCBD can fluctuate among seasons and ecoregions according to site characteristics, species dispersal abilities, and biotic interactions. In this context, we examined anuran seasonal patterns of LCBD in different ecoregions of Western Brazil, and assessed their correlation with species richness and if environmental (climatic variables, pond area and ecoregions) and/or spatial predictors (spatial configuration of sampling sites captured by distance-based Moran's Eigenvector Maps) would drive patterns of LCBD.

Climatic variables influence the temporal dynamics of an anuran metacommunity in a nonstationary way.

Understanding the temporal dynamics of communities is crucial to predict how communities respond to climate change. Several factors can promote variation in phenology among species, including tracking of seasonal resources, adaptive responses to other species, demographic stochasticity, and physiological constraints. The activities of ectothermic vertebrates are sensitive to climatic variations due to the effect of temperature and humidity on species physiology.

Seasonal and habitat structure of an anuran assemblage in a semideciduous forest area in Southeast Brazil.

In this study, we evaluated the reproductive activity and the temporal and spatial distributions of anuran assemblages in three environments within a semideciduous forest in Southeast Brazil, located at Municipality of Barão de Monte Alto, State of Minas Gerais, Brazil. The field activities were carried out during three consecutive days, monthly throughout the rainy seasons of 2013-2014 and 2014-2015. We recorded 28 anurans species, distributed in eight families.

Four new species of Pristimantis Jiménez de la Espada, 1870 (Anura: Craugastoridae) in the eastern Amazon.

The Pristimantis genus (Anura: Craugastoridae) is the most diverse among all vertebrates with 531 described species. The highest diversity occurs in Ecuador (215 species), followed by Colombia (202), Peru (139), Venezuela (60), Brazil (30), Bolivia (17), Guyana (6) Suriname and French Guiana (5). The genus is divided into 11 species groups.