The relationships among the morphoclimatic domains of South America have been a major biogeographical issue of recent years. Palynological, geological and phytogeographical data suggest that the Amazon Forest and the Atlantic Forest were connected during part of the Tertiary and Quaternary periods. This study uses amphibians as model organisms to investigate whether relict northeastern forests are a transition between the Amazon Forest and the Atlantic Forest. We compiled matrices of species composition for four different phytogeographic formations and “Brejos de Altitude,” and analyzed them using clustering methods and Cladistic Analysis of Distributions and Endemism. Our results indicate that the anurofauna of these northeastern forest relicts is most similar in composition to the areas of the Atlantic Forest included in this study, and most dissimilar to the Amazon Forest, which leads us to affirm that events of biotic exchange were more frequent within the Atlantic Forest areas.

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Os temas ligados ao ofidismo são bastante enfatizados entre os assuntos da saúde pública. Partindo da premissa de que biólogos devem possuir conhecimento básico sobre identificação de serpentes, e noções sobre sintomatologia e tratamento de acidentes com estes animais, verificamos os conhecimentos teóricos e práticos sobre ofidismo entre alunos dos cursos de Ciências Biológicas do Estado do Ceará. Foi aplicado um questionário com questões teóricas e práticas, abordando a temática do ofidismo, a 67 alunos de três Instituições de Ensino Superior, que haviam cursado as disciplinas curriculares que abordavam serpentes. Os dados obtidos demonstraram pouco conhecimento do tema pela maioria dos entrevistados, que apresentaram conceitos obsoletos e incorretos, desconhecendo conceitos básicos sobre a biologia destes animais, e dificuldades para diferenciá-los de outros animais serpentiformes. Sugere-se inclusão mais efetiva do tema no Ensino Superior, uma vez que o ofidismo é um problema presente em todas as regiões do Brasil.

Anurans with direct development are among the most difficult species for conducting studies concerning ecology and natural history. This paper provides information on the reproduction of Adelophryne maranguapensis, a threatened species endemic to Serra de Maranguape, an Atlantic Forest relict surrounded by dry Caatinga phytophysiognomies. Our objectives were to identify the reproductive periods, verify any preference for breeding sites, review the reproductive mode and describe parental care. The species reproduces during the rainy season and is not selective as to the species of bromeliad used for oviposition. This is the first report of parental care for the genus since females demonstrate egg attendance until the formation of the gel layer in all the eggs. We revisit the terms that define the reproductive mode of this species and propose the need to redefine it. The redefinition considers: (1) deposition of bromeligen and non-aquatics eggs around the phytotelm; (2) direct development; (3) parental care with egg attendance by the female.