Rickettsial infection in free-ranging capybaras (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris) and their ticks (Acari, Ixodidae) in the Caatinga and Atlantic forest biomes, Northeastern Brazil

AbstractSpecies that live in degraded habitats often show signs of physiological stress. Glucocorticoid hormones (e.g., corticosterone and cortisol) are often assessed as a proxy of the extent of physiological stress an animal has experienced. Our goal was to quantify glucocorticoids in free-ranging small mammals in fragments of Interior Atlantic Forest. We extracted glucocorticoids from fur samples of 106 small mammals (rodent genera Akodon and Oligoryzomys, and marsupial genera Gracilinanus and Marmosa) from six forest fragments (2–1200 ha) in the Reserva Natural Tapytá, Caazapá Department, Paraguay. To our knowledge, this is the first publication of corticosterone and cortisol levels for three of the four sampled genera (Akodon, Oligoryzomys, and Marmosa) in this forest system. We discovered three notable results. First, as predicted, glucocorticoid levels were higher in individuals living withing small forest fragments. Second, animals captured live using restraint trapping methods (Sherman traps) had higher glucocorticoid levels than those animals captured using kill traps (Victor traps), suggesting that hair glucocorticoid measures can reflect acute stress levels in addition to long-term glucocorticoid incorporation. These acute levels are likely due to urinary steroids diffusing into the hair shaft. This finding raises a concern about the use of certain trapping techniques in association with fur hormone analysis. Finally, as expected, we also detected genus-specific differences in glucocorticoid levels, as well as cortisol/corticosterone ratios.

Download Full-text

Establishment of the Hohenbergia capitata complex (Bromeliaceae) with notes on leaf anatomy and description of a new endangered species

Phytotaxa ◽

10.11646/phytotaxa.518.3.2 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 518 (3) ◽

pp. 196-208

Author(s):

BRAYAN PAIVA CAVALCANTE ◽

KLEBER RESENDE SILVA ◽

MAYARA A. PEREIRA ◽

EVERTON HILO DE SOUZA ◽

LEONARDO M. VERSIEUX ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Endangered Species ◽

Atlantic Forest ◽

Leaf Anatomy ◽

Coastal Region ◽

Main Axis ◽

Northeastern Brazil ◽

Small Fragment ◽

Apical Portion ◽

Critically Endangered Species ◽

Lanceolate Leaf

We here establish the Hohenbergia capitata complex composed of three species endemic to the Atlantic Forest, in the State of Bahia, Northeastern Brazil. When compared with other Hohenbergia species endemic to the Atlantic Forest, the complex is recognized by the small size of the plants (shorter than 1 m tall when flowering), lanceolate leaf blades, inflorescence with main axis short and congested branches, concentrated on the apical portion of the inflorescence (creating a capitulate shape), primary branches short pedunculate (short stipes), basal primary bracts sub-orbicular, large flowers (over 3 cm long) with spatulate petals with a cuspidate apex. Within this complex, we describe H. nidularioides sp. nov., a critically endangered species from the southern coastal region of Bahia, only known from a small fragment of Restinga forest in Una municipality. This species is very similar to H. capitata but differs by the nidular aspect of the inflorescence, which is only short-pedunculate and more or less hidden inside the rosette. In addition to the taxonomic treatment, we provide illustrations, the geographic distribution, taxonomic comments, and anatomical comparison of the species in the H. capitata complex.

Download Full-text

A New Species of the Genus Adelophryne (Anura: Eleutherodactylidae: Phyzelaphryninae) from the Atlantic Forest of Northeastern Brazil

Herpetologica ◽

10.1655/herpetologica-d-20-00022.1 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 77 (2) ◽

Author(s):

Ricardo Lourenço-De-Moraes ◽

Barnagleison Silva Lisboa ◽

Leandro De Oliveira Drummond ◽

Carina Carneiro De Melo Moura ◽

Geraldo Jorge Barbosa De Moura ◽

...

Keyword(s):

New Species ◽

Atlantic Forest ◽

Northeastern Brazil ◽

A New Species

Download Full-text

Is the “Centro de Endemismo Pernambuco” a biodiversity hotspot for orchid bees?

Brazilian Journal of Biology ◽

10.1590/1519-6984.26412 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 74 (3 suppl 1) ◽

pp. S078-S092 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

A Nemésio ◽

JE Santos Junior

Keyword(s):

Atlantic Forest ◽

Conservation Status ◽

Biodiversity Hotspot ◽

Northeastern Brazil ◽

Orchid Bees ◽

Orchid Bee ◽

Forest Remnants ◽

First Time ◽

Forest Preserve

The orchid-bee faunas (Hymenoptera: Apidae: Euglossina) of the three largest forest remnants in the “Centro de Endemismo Pernambuco”, northeastern Brazil, namely Estação Ecológica de Murici (ESEC Murici), RPPN Frei Caneca, and a forest preserve belonging to Usina Serra Grande, in the states of Alagoas and Pernambuco, were surveyed using seventeen different scents as baits to attract orchid-bee males. Eight sites were established in the three preserves, where samplings were carried out using two protocols: insect netting and bait trapping. We collected 3,479 orchid-bee males belonging to 29 species during 160 hours in early October, 2012. Seven species were collected in the “Centro de Endemismo Pernambuco” for the first time. Richness proved to be one of the highest of the entire Atlantic Forest domain, and diversity in some sites, especially at ESEC Murici, revealed to be one of the highest in the Neotropics. Eulaema felipei Nemésio, 2010, a species previously recorded only at ESEC Murici, was found in no other preserve in the region and its conservation status is discussed.

Download Full-text