Information gaps about species distribution hamper the evaluation of conservation status and decisions on biodiversity conservation, affecting to a greater extent, areas with high species richness and endemism. In this context, biological inventories are an important tool to fill these gaps by providing data on the composition, richness, and abundance of species in each locality. The Parque Nacional da Serra das Lontras (PNSL) protects various mountain range just up 1000 m. in altitude, and, together with other conservation units, forms an ecological corridor in the southern part of the state of Bahia, within the Atlantic Forest hotspot. We conducted systematic samplings on transects, and opportunistic records in ponds and streams, in order to record amphibian and reptile species in the PNSL. We complement the sampling with the information available in the literature and in scientific collections. A total of 100 species (49 amphibians and 51 reptiles) was recorded, 53 of them endemic to the Atlantic Forest, 13 to the state of Bahia, and two known only from the PNSL. Hylidae was the most diverse family of amphibians (22 spp.) and Colubridae of reptiles (33 spp.). New information on the distribution and natural history of these species is provided, many of which have not yet been assessed by the IUCN while others have already been categorized as at risk of extinction at the regional level. Results confirm the high species richness and rates of endemism in southern Bahia and highlight the importance of protecting high altitude areas for the preservation of evolutionary and ecological processes within the Atlantic Forest.

The genus Brachycephalus is a fascinating group of miniaturized anurans from the Brazilian Atlantic Forest, comprising the conspicuous, brightly colored pumpkin-toadlets and the cryptic flea-toads. Pumpkin-toadlets are known to contain tetrodotoxins and therefore, their bright colors may perform an aposematic function. Previous studies based on a limited number of mitochondrial and nuclear-encoded markers supported the existence of two clades containing species of pumpkin-toadlet phenotype, but deep nodes remained largely unresolved or conflicting between data sets. We use new RNAseq data of 17 individuals from nine Brachycephalus species to infer their evolutionary relationships from a phylogenomic perspective. Analyses of almost 5300 nuclear-encoded ortholog protein-coding genes and full mitochondrial genomes confirmed the existence of two separate pumpkin-toadlet clades, suggesting the convergent evolution (or multiple reversals) of the bufoniform morphology, conspicuous coloration, and probably toxicity. In addition, the study of the mitochondrial gene order revealed that three species (B. hermogenesi, B. pitanga, and B. rotenbergae) display translocations of different tRNAs (NCY and CYA) from the WANCY tRNA cluster to a position between the genes ATP6 and COIII, showing a new mitochondrial gene order arrangement for vertebrates. The newly clarified phylogeny suggests that Brachycephalus has the potential to become a promising model taxon to understand the evolution of coloration, body plan and toxicity. Given that toxicity information is available for only few species of Brachycephalus, without data for any flea-toad species, we also emphasize the need for a wider screening of toxicity across species, together with more in-depth functional and ecological study of their phenotypes.

En este trabajo se presenta una lista actualizada de los anfibios distribuidos en el departamento de Loreto, Perú, incluyendo información sobre el estado de conservación a nivel internacional y nacional, el endemismo y zonas con vacíos de información. Se utilizó literatura herpetológica, bases de datos y especímenes de la colección del Departamento de Herpetología del Museo de Historia Natural de la Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos para la elaboración de esta lista. Se registraron un total de 232 especies, con los anuros (sapos y ranas) representando el 96% del total de anfibios en Loreto. Dieciocho especies son endémicas de Loreto mientras que la gran mayoría (208 especies) tienen una distribución altitudinal por debajo de los 500 m. Diez especies están en categorías de amenaza y cuatro son consideradas casi amenazadas según criterios internacionales, mientras que cuatro están consideradas como amenazadas y seis como casi amenazadas en el listado nacional. Se observa mayor vacío de información en áreas cercanas a las fronteras con Brasil y Colombia.

We describe a new species of Vitreorana from the Atlantic Forest of southern Bahia state, in north-eastern Brazil. Vitreorana assuh sp. nov. is by far the largest species of the genus (snout-to-vent length [SVL] = 30.9 mm and 34.1 mm in one male and female, respectively; maximum SVL recorded for all other species = 28.0 mm). The new species is morphologically most similar to V. franciscana, from the Cerrado biome in Brazil. Besides its large size, the new species has, among other diagnostic characters, the presence of vomerine teeth and the occurrence of enameled iridophores in the pericardium, hepatic and urinary bladder peritonea. Furthermore, we describe and compare the complete mineralized skeleton of the new species and V. uranoscopa, and describe and discuss the variation of integumentary spicules in all species of the genus and their relevance to Vitreorana systematics.

Los  vacíos  de  información  sobre  la  diversidad  de  especies  en  localidades amazónicas son un gran problema para la conservación de la biodiversidad, especialmente en regiones que soportan presión por deforestación. Con el objetivo de conocer las especies presentes en el Área de Conservación Regional “Bosques de Shunté y Mishollo” (ACR BOSHUMI), ubicada en la provincia de Tocache, San Martín, hemos realizado evaluaciones de campo entre los 850– 2100 msnm, aplicando las técnicas de censos visuales y auditivos a lo largo de transectos y colocando redes de neblina, al mismo tiempo, hemos categorizado la abundancia relativa de estas especies en i) comunes, ii) poco comunes y iii) raras. Producto de las evaluaciones hemos registrado 201 especies de aves que están distribuidas en 38 familias y 15 órdenes, siendo la familia Tyrannidae la más rica en especies (32 spp.). En nuestra lista se encuentran las especies endémicas para el país Ramphocelus melanogaster y Grallaria przewalskii, como también aves migratorias y aves de consumo local. De esta manera concluimos que la ACR BOSHUMI protege una importante muestra de la diversidad de aves de los bosques montanos y de las tierras bajas amazónicas del país.