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A new species of Leposternon is described from the Brazilian Cerrado, southwestern Goiás state. The new species is diagnosed mainly by the following characters: two–four precloacal pores, 299–341 dorsal postpectoral half-annuli, 302– 349 ventral postpectoral half-annuli, 13–15 tail annuli, 118–121 precloacal vertebrae, two supralabials, two infralabials, five series of large plates in dorsal head shields, diamond-shaped pectoral scales, head length 2.6–3.2% snout-vent length, rostronasal length 20.4–23.1% head length, azygous width 30.8–41.9% head width, azygous length 40.1–51.4% head length, frontal length 23.7–38.2% head length, and prefrontal length 37.2–44.4% head length. The new species here described is the only known Leposternon restricted to the Cerrado region. Additionally, we present an updated check list of non-fossil amphisbaenians according to ecoregions in the Brazilian territory.

Gymnophthalmus represents a challenging group for systematics of microteiid lizards. Due to scarcity of exemplars and molecular data, the taxonomy of the genus has been unstable, and six of its eight species are considered part of a poorly-delimited complex of unisexual and bisexual species. Unnamed populations of red-tailed Gymnophthalmus from savanna enclaves in Amazon, similar to G. vanzoi but with differences in color pattern, have been noted in the literature. Here, we used molecular and morphological data to test the taxonomic status of the Central Amazonian red-tailed Gymnophthalmus (G. sp.). Our molecular analysis recovered a close relationship between G. vanzoi and G. sp. from Central Amazon, with minimal divergence. Samples were similar in scale counts but presented significant variation in color pattern and morphometry. Despite the geographic isolation, individuals of both populations cannot be fully differentiated based on morphology. Thus, our results suggest that G. vanzoi has a wider distribution, including the Central Amazonian red-tailed Gymnophthalmus and likely morphologically similar populations from other enclaves of Amazonian savannas, which may have been isolated recently. Based on our comparative analysis, we highlight some characters proved useful for differentiating Brazilian Gymnophthalmus and discuss some prospects for the taxonomy of the genus.

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Scorpions, mainly those belonging to the genus Tityus cause many deaths and injuries in Brazil, with tens of thousands of envenomations notified every year. However, injuries involving other scorpion species are scarcely registered. Among the sixteen species of the genus Rhopalurus, Thorell, 1876, described up to date, nine are found in this country, with only a confirmed case of human envenomation provoked by R. agamemnon Koch, 1839. The present case reports, for the first time, a case of scorpion sting in a human victim involving Rhopalurus amazonicus, endemic species of the west region of the Pará state, Amazon, Brazil. The symptoms of envenomation were local pain and paresthesia. This study contributes to develop the knowledge on venomous scorpions, particularly those that may cause envenomations in this region.