Blue shining fungus gnats (Diptera) had been long reported in the Waitomo caves of New Zealand ( Arachnocampa luminosa Skuse), in stream banks of the American Appalachian Mountains ( Orfelia fultoni Fisher) in 1939 and in true spore eating Eurasiatic Keroplatus Bosc species. This current report observes that similar blue light emitting gnat larvae also occur nearby the Betary river in the buffer zone of High Ribeira River State Park (PETAR) in the Atlantic Forest of Brazil, where the larvae were found when on fallen branches or trunks enveloped in their own secreted silk. The new species is named Neoceroplatus betaryiensis nov. sp. (Diptera: Keroplatidae: Keroplatinae: Keroplatini) based on a morphological analysis. Neoceroplatus betaryiensis nov. sp. larvae emit blue bioluminescence that can be seen from their last abdominal segment and from two photophores located laterally on the first thoracic segment. When touched, the larvae can actively stop its luminescence, which returns when it is no longer being agitated. The in vitro bioluminescence spectrum of N . betaryiensis nov. sp. peaks at 472 nm, and cross-reactivity of hot and cold extracts with the luciferin-luciferase from Orfelia fultoni indicate significant similarity in both enzyme and substrate of the two species, and that the bioluminescence system in the subfamily Keroplatinae is conserved.

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Infection by the chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) is a major threat to amphibians and has caused catastrophic global declines of amphibian populations. Some studies have detected a seasonal pattern of infection associated with the local climate, and although most of them have focused on investigating the seasonality of Bd in relation to its impacts on amphibians, fewer have aimed to understand the chytrid persistence in the amphibian assemblage over seasons by investigating reservoir hosts. Since tadpoles are generally tolerant to Bd infection, they often play a relevant role in local disease dynamics. Thus, we hypothesized that tadpoles of Boana faber, a species that can be found in permanent ponds throughout the seasons, would function as Bd reservoirs. We therefore investigated Bd infection prevalence in tadpoles of this species over 2 yr in a nature reserve. As expected, we detected a seasonal variation of Bd infection, with a higher prevalence of Bd during the coldest months (winter) when compared to the warmer months (summer). Interestingly, our seasonal-trend decomposition analysis showed that Bd prevalence is increasing annually in the area, which could represent either a natural fluctuation of this pathogen, or an imminent threat to that anuran assemblage. With this study, we highlight the tadpole of B. faber as a potential reservoir for Bd, and we suggest that monitoring Bd in such hosts could be a powerful tool for identifying priority areas for amphibian conservation.

A presente comunicação relata duas tentativas de predação envolvendo subadultos de Erythrolamprus miliaris orinus e duas espécies de anfíbios anuros de grande porte, bem como evidencia as possíveis estratégias da serpente para vencer sua presa diante da dificuldade em deglutir o indivíduo. Em ambos os casos, os anfíbios obtiveram êxito e escaparam do predador. O fato de os dois indivíduos apresentarem tamanho relativamente grande (entre 60 e 70 mm de comprimento rostro-cloacal) em relação à maioria dos anfíbios possivelmente favoreceu a fuga dos indivíduos, bem como a desistência da serpente em efetivar a predação. As estratégias aqui relatadas, em alguns casos, podem aumentar a eficiência da predação quando a presa for relativamente grande ou apresentar resistência. O tipo de substrato, a relação de tamanho entre presa e predador, bem como a experiência em forrageio da serpente podem também ser fatores limitantes para determinar a eficiência na captura.

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