DOCSLIB.ORG

Climbing Behaviour in Micrurus Altirostris (Cope, 1860) (Serpentes, Elapidae) from an Atlantic Rainforest in Southern Brazil

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Climbing Behaviour in Micrurus Altirostris (Cope, 1860) (Serpentes, Elapidae) from an Atlantic Rainforest in Southern Brazil Herpetology Notes, volume 11: 437-439 (2018) (published online on 24 May 2018) Climbing behaviour in Micrurus altirostris (Cope, 1860) (Serpentes, Elapidae) from an Atlantic rainforest in southern Brazil Manoela Alberton Getelina1,*, Gilcinéia dos Santos2, Ivanice Busatto2, Rodrigo Ceratto Bortoluzzi3 and Marcelo Carvalho da Rocha3 Coralsnakes are the only neotropical representatives in Derrubadas Municipality, Rio Grande do Sul State, of the family Elapidae (Campbell and Lamar, 2004) and Brazil. The individual was sitting immobile on the the genus Micrurus Wagler 1824 is the most diverse forest floor. The animal was captured to verify the sex of the family (Roze, 1996; Uetz, 2014). Micrurus and released immediately after the verification. The M. altirostris (Cope, 1860) is a fossorial coralsnake altirostris started fleeing into the forest and, when it was (Giraudo, 2001) that occurs in southern Brazil (Paraná, touched again, started climbing into the low branches of Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul States), Uruguay, nearby Piperaceae and Bambusaceae bushes (2.5 cm off northeastern Argentina (Misiones, Corrientes and Entre the ground). After climbing to a height of ~83 cm, the Rios Provinces) and eastern Paraguay (Silva and Sites, M. altirostris waited in the branches until the “menace 1999) and uses subterranean galleries for foraging of attack” stopped (about 1 minute), then started moving and shelter. It is active both at night and during the slowly back to the ground. day (Bernarde, 2012) and like many other fossorial Machado et al. (2005) reported a M. altirostris actively elapids, is commonly found before rains (Campbell and foraging in a tree 1.5 m above the ground. Arboreal Lamar, 2004). Several defensive strategies are used by foraging has also been reported in M. fulvius (Carr, Micrurus, including inaccessibility, locomotor escape 1994) and M. tschudii (Campbell and Lamar, 2004), and on or under the ground, aposematic colouration, tail arboreal behaviour of an unknown nature (but probably displays, hiding the head, coiling the body, dorsoventral not defensive) has been reported in M. circinalis (Sadjak, body compression, biting (see Martins 1996), and 2000), M. diastema (Valencia-Herverth et al. 2016), M. cloacal discharge. Here we report defensive escape distans (Suazo-Ortuño et al. 2004), M. nigrocinctus behaviour by climbing in M. altirostris (Figure 1). (Schmidt and Smith, 1943; Campbell and Lamar, 2004), A male M. altirostris (SVL ~ 60 cm) was found on and M. surinamensis (Hartdegen and Anucone, 2001). September 29, 2013 at 16:49 h in a conservation unit Our observation shows that arboreality can also be used of the Atlantic Rain Forest biome (Parque Estadual do as an anti-predation strategy under some circumstances. Turvo- PET, 27° 07’ – 27° 16’S, 53° 48’ – 54° 04’W) Defensive behaviour is used to avoid injuries and deter predation (Endler, 1986; Martins, 1996) and it is widely known in fossorial snakes (Sazima and Abe, 1991; Marques et al. 2006), although the role of climbing in 1 Universidade Comunitária da Regiao de Chapecó, Unochapecó, the anti-predator behaviour of brightly-coloured, semi- Chapecó, Av. Senador Atílio Fontana, 591-E EFAPI- CEP: fossorial snakes may be underappreciated. Although 89809-000, Chapecó, SC, Brazil. Micrurus lack the large eyes and long tails of many 2 Universidade Regional Integrada do Alto Uruguai e das Missões, arboreal and semi-arboreal snakes (Di-Bernardo et URI Câmpus de Frederico Westphalen. Rua Assis Brasil, 709, al., 2002; Bernarde, 2012) and usually prey on other CEP 98400-000, Frederico Westphalen, RS, Brazil. fossorial or terrestrial snakes (including colubrids and 3 Pós-graduanda em Biodiversidade Animal, Centro de Ciências typhlopids) as well as on amphisbaenians and small Naturais e Exatas, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria. Avenida Roraima 1000, prédio 17, sala 1140, Camobi. CEP lizards (Martins and Oliveira, 1998; Campbell and 97105-900, Santa Maria, RS, Brazil. Lamar, 2004, Bernarde, 2012), arboreal behaviour in * Corresponding author. E-mail: [email protected] primarily fossorial snakes is not unprecedented (e.g., 438 Manoela Alberton Getelina et al. Figure 1. Male Micrurus altirostris climbing on the branches after being manipulated in Brazil’s southern rainforest (Photo: Gilcinéia dos Santos). Tantilla; Liner and Chaney, 1990; scolecophidians; Chicago, University of Chicago Press. Gaulke, 1995; Das and Wallach, 1998). Gaulke, M. (1995): Observations on arboreality in a Philippine blind snake. Asiatic Herpetological Research 6: 45-48. Giraudo, A. (2001): Serpientes de la Selva Paranaense y Del Chaco Acknowledgements. The authors wish to thank the Secretaria Estadual do Meio Ambiente: Departamento de Florestas e áreas Húmedo. Buenos Aires, Literature of Latin America. protegidas, Divisão de Unidades de Conservação for providing Hartdegen, R.W., Aucone B. (2001): Micrurus surinamensis the license (144/2013) that made this observation possible. surinamensis (NCN). Arboreality. Herpetological Review 32: 264. Liner, E.A., Chaney, A.H. (1990): Tantilla rubra rubra (Red References Blackhead Snake). Arboreality. Herpetological Review 21: 20. Bernarde, P.S. (2012): Anfíbios e répteis: Introdução ao Estudo da Machado, C.S., Aguiar, L.F.S., Di-Bernardo, M., Maciel, R.P. Herpetofauna Brasileira. Curitiba, Anolis Books. (2005): Micrurus altirostris (Southern Coral Snake). Arboreality. Campbell, J.A., Lamar, W.W. (2004): The Venomous Reptiles of Herpetological Review 36: 195-196. the Western Hemisphere. Ithaca, New York, Cornell University Marques, O.A.V., Almeida-Santos, S.M., Rodrigues, M. (2006): Press. Activity patterns in coralsnakes, genus Micrurus (Elapidae), Carr, A. (1994): A Naturalist in Florida: A Celebration of Eden. in south and southeastern Brasil. South American Journal of New Haven, Connecticut, Yale University Press. Herpetology 2: 99-105. Das, I., Wallach, V. (1998): Scolecophedian arboreality revisited. Martins, M. (1996): Defensive tactics in lizards and snakes: The Herpetological Review 29: 15-16. potential contribution of the neotropical fauna. In: Anais do XIV Di-Bernardo, M., Salomão, E.L., Pontes, G.M.F., Oliveira, R.B. Encontro Anual de Etologia, pp. 185-199. Uberlândia, Minas (2002): Forma e função: Um ensaio sobre a morfologia das Gerais, Brazil, Sociedade Brasileira de Etologia. serpentes e seus modos de vida. A Hora Veterinária. 22: 42-45. Martins, M., Oliveira, M.E. (1998): Natural history of snakes Endler, J.A. (1986): Defense against predators. In: Predator-prey in forests of the Manaus Region, Central Amazonia, Brazil. relationships, p. 109-134. Feder, M.E., Lauder, G.V., Eds., Herpetological Natural History 6: 78-150. Climbing behaviour in Micrurus altirostris from an Atlantic rainforest in Brazil 439 Roze, J.A. (1996): Coral Snakes of the Americans: Biology, Identification and Venoms. Malabar, Florida, Krieger Publishing Company. Sajdak, R.A. (2000): Micrurus circinalis (Trinidad Northern Coral Snake). Arboreality. Herpetological Review 31: 105. Sazima, I. Abe, A.S. (1991): Habitats of five Brazilian snakes with coral-snake pattern, including a summary of defensive tactics. Studies on Neotropical Fauna and Environment 26: 159-164. Schmidt, K.P., Smith, H.M. (1943): Notes on coral snakes from Mexico. Publications of the Field Museum of Natural History: Zoological Series 12: 129-134. Silva, J., Sites, J. (1999): Revision of the Micrurus frontalis complex (Serpentes: Elapidae). Herpetological Monographs. 13: 142-194. Suazo-Ortuño, I., Flores-Villela, O., Garcia-Parra, D. (2004): Micrurus distans (West Mexican coral snake). Tree climbing. Herpetological Review 35: 276. Uetz, P. (2014): The Reptile Database. Available at: http://www. reptile-database.org. Accessed on January 8th, 2014. Valencia-Herverth, J., Fernández-Badillo, L., Licona, G.V. (2016): Micrurus diastema (Duméril, Bibron & Duméril, 1854). Arboreal behavior. Mesoamerican Herpetology 3 : 501-502. Accepted by Andrew Durso.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Other Contributions
    Other Contributions NATURE NOTES Amphibia: Caudata Ambystoma ordinarium. Predation by a Black-necked Gartersnake (Thamnophis cyrtopsis). The Michoacán Stream Salamander (Ambystoma ordinarium) is a facultatively paedomorphic ambystomatid species. Paedomorphic adults and larvae are found in montane streams, while metamorphic adults are terrestrial, remaining near natal streams (Ruiz-Martínez et al., 2014). Streams inhabited by this species are immersed in pine, pine-oak, and fir for- ests in the central part of the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt (Luna-Vega et al., 2007). All known localities where A. ordinarium has been recorded are situated between the vicinity of Lake Patzcuaro in the north-central portion of the state of Michoacan and Tianguistenco in the western part of the state of México (Ruiz-Martínez et al., 2014). This species is considered Endangered by the IUCN (IUCN, 2015), is protected by the government of Mexico, under the category Pr (special protection) (AmphibiaWeb; accessed 1April 2016), and Wilson et al. (2013) scored it at the upper end of the medium vulnerability level. Data available on the life history and biology of A. ordinarium is restricted to the species description (Taylor, 1940), distribution (Shaffer, 1984; Anderson and Worthington, 1971), diet composition (Alvarado-Díaz et al., 2002), phylogeny (Weisrock et al., 2006) and the effect of habitat quality on diet diversity (Ruiz-Martínez et al., 2014). We did not find predation records on this species in the literature, and in this note we present information on a predation attack on an adult neotenic A. ordinarium by a Thamnophis cyrtopsis. On 13 July 2010 at 1300 h, while conducting an ecological study of A.
    [Show full text]
  • Herpetological Information Service No
    Type Descriptions and Type Publications OF HoBART M. Smith, 1933 through June 1999 Ernest A. Liner Houma, Louisiana smithsonian herpetological information service no. 127 2000 SMITHSONIAN HERPETOLOGICAL INFORMATION SERVICE The SHIS series publishes and distributes translations, bibliographies, indices, and similar items judged useful to individuals interested in the biology of amphibians and reptiles, but unlikely to be published in the normal technical journals. Single copies are distributed free to interested individuals. Libraries, herpetological associations, and research laboratories are invited to exchange their publications with the Division of Amphibians and Reptiles. We wish to encourage individuals to share their bibliographies, translations, etc. with other herpetologists through the SHIS series. If you have such items please contact George Zug for instructions on preparation and submission. Contributors receive 50 free copies. Please address all requests for copies and inquiries to George Zug, Division of Amphibians and Reptiles, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington DC 20560 USA. Please include a self-addressed mailing label with requests. Introduction Hobart M. Smith is one of herpetology's most prolific autiiors. As of 30 June 1999, he authored or co-authored 1367 publications covering a range of scholarly and popular papers dealing with such diverse subjects as taxonomy, life history, geographical distribution, checklists, nomenclatural problems, bibliographies, herpetological coins, anatomy, comparative anatomy textbooks, pet books, book reviews, abstracts, encyclopedia entries, prefaces and forwords as well as updating volumes being repnnted. The checklists of the herpetofauna of Mexico authored with Dr. Edward H. Taylor are legendary as is the Synopsis of the Herpetofalhva of Mexico coauthored with his late wife, Rozella B.
    [Show full text]
  • (Serpentes: Elapidae), Una Serpiente Coral Amenazada Poco Conocida
    Disponible en www.sciencedirect.com Revista Mexicana de Biodiversidad Revista Mexicana de Biodiversidad 86 (2015) 1041–1047 www.ib.unam.mx/revista/ Conservación Nuevos datos sobre la distribución, morfología y conservación de Micrurus silviae (Serpentes: Elapidae), una serpiente coral amenazada poco conocida New data on distribution, morphology and conservation of Micrurus silviae (Serpentes: Elapidae), a poorly known threatened coral snake a,b,∗ c a,b Alejandro R. Giraudo , Santiago J. Nenda , Vanesa Arzamendia , a a Gisela P. Bellini y Alejandro Franzoy a Instituto Nacional de Limnología, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Universidad Nacional del Litoral, Ciudad Universitaria, CP300, Santa Fe, Argentina b Facultad de Humanidades y Ciencias, Universidad Nacional del Litoral, Ciudad Universitaria, CP300, Santa Fe, Argentina c División Herpetología, Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales “Bernardino Rivadavia” Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Avenida Ángel Gallardo 470, C1405DJR, Buenos Aires, Argentina Recibido el 14 de enero de 2015; aceptado el 27 de julio de 2015 Disponible en Internet el 3 de noviembre de 2015 Resumen Damos a conocer nuevos datos sobre la distribución, morfología y estado de conservación de Micrurus silviae, una especie rara de serpiente coral, recientemente descrita con pocos ejemplares. Analizamos 20 ejemplares adicionales de 12 localidades en Argentina, aumentando su distribución 320 km hacia el oeste y completando vacíos de distribución entre Brasil y Paraguay. La especie habita en sabanas del distrito de los Campos, un área transicional entre las provincias fitogeográficas Paranaense, Chaquena,˜ del Espinal y Pampeana. Discutimos caracteres diagnósticos que permiten diferenciarla de otras 6 especies simpátridas del género. Su pequena˜ área de ocupación, sumada a una disminución continua de la extensión y calidad del hábitat provocada por forestaciones de pinos, inundación por represas y cultivos de arroz, apoyan su inclusión como especie amenazada en Argentina.
    [Show full text]
  • Multi-National Conservation of Alligator Lizards
    MULTI-NATIONAL CONSERVATION OF ALLIGATOR LIZARDS: APPLIED SOCIOECOLOGICAL LESSONS FROM A FLAGSHIP GROUP by ADAM G. CLAUSE (Under the Direction of John Maerz) ABSTRACT The Anthropocene is defined by unprecedented human influence on the biosphere. Integrative conservation recognizes this inextricable coupling of human and natural systems, and mobilizes multiple epistemologies to seek equitable, enduring solutions to complex socioecological issues. Although a central motivation of global conservation practice is to protect at-risk species, such organisms may be the subject of competing social perspectives that can impede robust interventions. Furthermore, imperiled species are often chronically understudied, which prevents the immediate application of data-driven quantitative modeling approaches in conservation decision making. Instead, real-world management goals are regularly prioritized on the basis of expert opinion. Here, I explore how an organismal natural history perspective, when grounded in a critique of established human judgements, can help resolve socioecological conflicts and contextualize perceived threats related to threatened species conservation and policy development. To achieve this, I leverage a multi-national system anchored by a diverse, enigmatic, and often endangered New World clade: alligator lizards. Using a threat analysis and status assessment, I show that one recent petition to list a California alligator lizard, Elgaria panamintina, under the US Endangered Species Act often contradicts the best available science.
    [Show full text]
  • Micrurus Lemniscatus (Large Coral Snake)
    UWI The Online Guide to the Animals of Trinidad and Tobago Behaviour Micrurus lemniscatus (Large Coral Snake) Family: Elapidae (Cobras and Coral Snakes) Order: Squamata (Lizards and Snakes) Class: Reptilia (Reptiles) Fig. 1. Large coral snake, Micrurus leminiscatus. [http://www.flickr.com/photos/lvulgaris/6856842857/, downloaded 4 December 2012] TRAITS. The large snake coral has a triad-type pattern, i.e. the black coloration is in clusters of three. The centre band of the triad is wider than the outer ones and is separated by wide white or yellow rings (Schmidt 1957). The red band is undisturbed and bold and separates the black triads. The snout is black with a white crossband (Fig. 1). The triad number may vary from 9-13 on the body and the tail may have 1-2. The physical shape and the structure of the body of the large coral snake show a resemblance to the colubrids. It is the dentition and the formation of the maxillary bone that distinguishes the two, including the hollow fangs. The largest Micrurus lemniscatus ever recorded was 106.7 cm; adults usually measure from 40-50 cm (Schmidt 1957). The neck is not highly distinguishable from the rest of the body as there is modest narrowing of that area behind the neck giving the snake an almost cylindrical, elongated look. Dangerously venomous. UWI The Online Guide to the Animals of Trinidad and Tobago Behaviour ECOLOGY. The large coral snake is mostly found in South America, east of the Andes, southern Columbia, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia, the Guianas and Brazil, it is uncommon in Trinidad.
    [Show full text]
  • Appendix(S1:(Systematics(Of(The(Micrurus'fulvius(Complex(And(Taxonomic( Revision(Of(Micrurus'tener(
    Streicher et al. 1 Appendix(S1:(Systematics(of(the(Micrurus'fulvius(complex(and(taxonomic( revision(of(Micrurus'tener( Introduction(( Coralsnakes*of*the*genus*Micrurus*Wagler*1824*from*North*and*Central*America*have*a* complicated*taxonomic*history,*likely*because*they*have*a*highly*conserved*morphology* (Boulenger*1896;*Schmidt*1933;*1958;*Slowinski*1995)*and*many*species*possess*color* pattern*polymorphism*(Schmidt*1958;*Roze*1996;*Campbell*and*Lamar*2004).*Although* molecular*data*have*been*used*to*explore*enzyme*diversity*in*venoms*(e.g.*Tanaka*et*al.* 2010;*Renjifo*et*al.*2012;*Margres*et*al.*2013;*CarbajalSSaucedo*2013),*most* phylogenetic*analyses*of*DNA*for*species*involved*in*the*Micrurus'fulvius*(Linneaus* 1776)*complex*(sensu*Castoe*et*al.*2012)*have*been*restricted*to*the*nominate*form* (Slowinski*1995;*Castoe*et*al.*2007;*Pyron*et*al.*2011,*2013)*or*this*and*M.'tener*(Baird* and*Girard*1853).*Renjifo*et*al.*(2012)*found*M.'fulvius*and*M.'tener*forming*a* monophyletic*group*sister*to*M.'diastema*(Duméril,*Bibron,*and*Duméril*1854),*another* species*found*in*Mexico.*Thus,*the*relatedness*of*these*morphologically*similar*snakes* remains*uncertain*due*to*low*species*coverage*with*at*least*16*species*occurring*in* Mexico.** In*the*main*text*we*present*evidence*that*M.'tener*is*a*species*comprised*of* individuals*that*possess*one*of*two*divergent*mitochondrial*haplogroup*types,*but* collectively*have*nuclear*DNA*variation*consistent*with*a*single*species*that*recently* expanded*northward.*Although*it*is*beyond*the*scope*of*our*study*to*discuss*the*
    [Show full text]
  • First Record of Micrurus Lemniscatus Carvalhoi Roze, 1967 (Serpentes: Elapidae) from Espírito Santo State, Southeastern Brazil
    Herpetology Notes, volume 10: 391-393 (2017) (published online on 06 July 2017) First Record of Micrurus lemniscatus carvalhoi Roze, 1967 (Serpentes: Elapidae) from Espírito Santo State, Southeastern Brazil Thiago Marcial de Castro1,*, Jane C. F. de Oliveira2, Rodrigo Castellari Gonzalez3, Felipe Franco Curcio4 and Darlan Tavares Feitosa5 Micrurus lemniscatus (Linnaeus, 1758) is a triad- In Brazil, Micrurus lemniscatus is the most widely patterned coral snake species widespread in most distributed triad coral snake (Silva Jr. et al., 2016). Brazilian biomes (to the exception of Pantanal wetlands; Micrurus l. carvalhoi ranges predominantly throughout see Silva Jr. et al., 2016), and also known from western central-eastern Brazil, with records from the states of Argentina and eastern Paraguay. The nominal species Alagoas, Bahia, Goiás, Mato Grosso do Sul, Minas contains three subspecies (M. l. lemniscatus, M. l Gerais, Paraíba, Paraná, Pernambuco, Rio Grande do carvalhoi, and M. l. helleri; see Pires et al., 2014 and Norte, Rio de Janeiro, Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina, Silva Jr. et al., 2016) defined on the basis of colouration São Paulo, Sergipe, and Tocantins (Campbell and features and triads counts. Micrurus l. carvalhoi can be Lamar, 1989; Giraudo and Scrochii, 2002; Pires, 2011; distinguished from M. l. lemniscatus by the presence of irregular black spots on the red rings, black spots on the tips of dorsals of the white rings, which may occasionally form incomplete transversal bands, as well as a lower number of subcaudals (Roze, 1967; Pires et al., 2014). Micrurus l.carvalhoi differs from M. l. helleri by the number of dorsal and ventral scales (see Table 1 for comparative meristics data).
    [Show full text]
  • MAINTENANCE of RED-TAIL CORAL SNAKE (Micrurus Mipartitus)
    ACTA BIOLÓGICA COLOMBIANA http://www.revistas.unal.edu.co/index.php/actabiol SEDE BOGOTÁ FACULTAD DE CIENCIAS ARTÍCULODEPARTAMENTO DE DE INVESTIGACIÓN/RESEARCH BIOLOGÍA ARTICLE MAINTENANCE OF RED-TAIL CORAL SNAKE (Micrurus mipartitus) IN CAPTIVITY AND EVALUATION OF INDIVIDUAL VENOM VARIABILITY Mantenimiento en cautiverio de la coral rabo de ají (Micrurus mipartitus) y evaluación en la variabilidad individual de su veneno Ana María HENAO DUQUE1; Vitelbina NÚÑEZ RANGEL1,2. 1 Programa de Ofidismo/Escorpionismo, Facultad de Ciencias Farmacéuticas y Alimentarias. Universidad de Antioquia UdeA. Carrera 50A nº. 63-65. Medellín, Colombia. 2 Escuela de Microbiología. Universidad de Antioquia UdeA; Calle 70 nº. 52-21, Medellín, Colombia. For correspondence. [email protected] Received: 8th July 2015, Returned for revision: 30th November 2015, Accepted:17th January 2016. Associate Editor: Martha Lucia Ramírez. Citation/Citar este artículo como: Henao Duque AM, Núñez Rangel V. Maintenance of red-tail coral snake (Micrurus mipartitus) in captivity and evaluation of individual venom variability. Acta biol. Colomb. 2016;21(3):593-600. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15446/abc.v21n3.51651 ABSTRACT Red-tail coral snake (Micrurus mipartitus) is a long and thin bicolor coral snake widely distributed in Colombia and is the coral that causes the majority of accidents in the Andean region, so it is important to keep this species in captivity for anti-venom production and research. However, maintaining this species in captivity is very difficult because it refuses to feed, in addition to the high mortality rate due to maladaptation syndrome. In this study a force feeding diet, diverse substrates for maintenance and a milking technique were evaluated.
    [Show full text]
  • Xenosaurus Tzacualtipantecus. the Zacualtipán Knob-Scaled Lizard Is Endemic to the Sierra Madre Oriental of Eastern Mexico
    Xenosaurus tzacualtipantecus. The Zacualtipán knob-scaled lizard is endemic to the Sierra Madre Oriental of eastern Mexico. This medium-large lizard (female holotype measures 188 mm in total length) is known only from the vicinity of the type locality in eastern Hidalgo, at an elevation of 1,900 m in pine-oak forest, and a nearby locality at 2,000 m in northern Veracruz (Woolrich- Piña and Smith 2012). Xenosaurus tzacualtipantecus is thought to belong to the northern clade of the genus, which also contains X. newmanorum and X. platyceps (Bhullar 2011). As with its congeners, X. tzacualtipantecus is an inhabitant of crevices in limestone rocks. This species consumes beetles and lepidopteran larvae and gives birth to living young. The habitat of this lizard in the vicinity of the type locality is being deforested, and people in nearby towns have created an open garbage dump in this area. We determined its EVS as 17, in the middle of the high vulnerability category (see text for explanation), and its status by the IUCN and SEMAR- NAT presently are undetermined. This newly described endemic species is one of nine known species in the monogeneric family Xenosauridae, which is endemic to northern Mesoamerica (Mexico from Tamaulipas to Chiapas and into the montane portions of Alta Verapaz, Guatemala). All but one of these nine species is endemic to Mexico. Photo by Christian Berriozabal-Islas. Amphib. Reptile Conserv. | http://redlist-ARC.org 01 June 2013 | Volume 7 | Number 1 | e61 Copyright: © 2013 Wilson et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Com- mons Attribution–NonCommercial–NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License, which permits unrestricted use for non-com- Amphibian & Reptile Conservation 7(1): 1–47.
    [Show full text]
  • By a Nine-Banded Armadillo (Dasypus Novemcinctus) in Santa Rosa National Park, Costa Rica
    Edentata: in press Electronic version: ISSN 1852-9208 Print version: ISSN 1413-4411 http://www.xenarthrans.org FIELD NOTE Predation of a Central American coral snake (Micrurus nigrocinctus) by a nine-banded armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus) in Santa Rosa National Park, Costa Rica Eduardo CarrilloA and Todd K. FullerB,1 A Instituto Internacional en Conservación y Manejo de Vida Silvestre, Universidad Nacional, Apdo. 1350, Heredia, Costa Rica. E-mail: [email protected] B Department of Environmental Conservation, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts 01003, USA. E-mail: [email protected] 1 Corresponding author Abstract We describe the manner in which a nine-banded armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus) killed a Cen- tral American coral snake (Micrurus nigrocinctus) that it subsequently ate. The armadillo repeatedly ran towards, jumped, flipped over in mid-air, and landed on top of the snake with its back until the snake was dead. Keywords: armadillo, behavior, food, predation, snake Depredación de una serpiente de coral de América Central (Micrurus nigrocinctus) por un armadillo de nueve bandas (Dasypus novemcinctus) en el Parque Nacional Santa Rosa, Costa Rica Resumen En esta nota describimos la manera en que un armadillo de nueve bandas (Dasypus novemcinc- tus) mató a una serpiente de coral de América Central (Micrurus nigrocinctus) que posteriormente comió. El armadillo corrió varias veces hacia adelante, saltó, se dio vuelta en el aire y aterrizó sobre la serpiente con la espalda hasta que la serpiente estuvo muerta. Palabras clave: armadillo, comida, comportamiento, depredación, serpiente Nine-banded armadillos (Dasypus novemcinc- The ~4-kg nine-banded armadillo is distributed tus) feed mostly on arthropods such as beetles, ter- from the southeast and central United States to Uru- mites, and ants, but also consume bird eggs and guay and northern Argentina, Granada, Trinidad “unusual items” such as fruits, fungi, and small verte- and Tobago, and the Margarita Islands (Loughry brates (McBee & Baker, 1982; Wetzel, 1991; Carrillo et al., 2014).
    [Show full text]
  • South American Coral Snake) Venom Assessed in Vitro and Neutralization by Antivenom
    Peripheral neurotoxicity of Micrurus lemniscatus lemniscatus (South American coral snake) venom assessed in vitro and neutralization by antivenom Rafael S. Florianoa, Raphael Schezaro-Ramosa, Nelson J. Silva Jr.b, Fábio Bucaretchic Edward G. Rowand and Stephen Hyslopa,* aDepartamento de Farmacologia, Faculdade de Ciências Médicas, Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP), Rua Tessália Vieira de Camargo, 126, Cidade Universitária Zeferino Vaz, 13083-887, Campinas, SP, Brazil. bDepartamento de Biologia, Pontifícia Universidade Católica de Goiás (PUC-GO), Rua 232, 128, 74605-140, Goiânia, GO, Brazil. cDepartamento de Pediatria e Centro de Informação e Assistência Toxicológica de Campinas (CIATox), Faculdade de Ciências Médicas, Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP), Rua Tessália Vieira de Camargo, 126, Cidade Universitária Zeferino Vaz, 13083-887, Campinas, SP, Brazil. dStrathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, University of Strathclyde, Cathedral Street, 161, G4 0RE, Glasgow, UK Short title: Neurotoxicity of M. l. lemniscatus venom *Corresponding author: S. Hyslop ([email protected]), Tel.: +55 19 3521-9536 Acknowledgments: RSF was supported by a post-doctoral fellowship from Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo – Brasil (FAPESP, grant no. 2014/24409-8) and RSR was supported by a PhD studentship from Coordenadoria de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior – Brasil (CAPES, grant no. 02-P-4572/2018, Finance code 001). NJS and SH are supported by research fellowships from Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico – Brasil (CNPq, grant nos. 309320/2016-0 and 310547/2014-8, respectively). 1 Abstract We investigated the effect of South American coral snake (Micrurus lemniscatus lemniscatus) venom on neurotransmission in vertebrate nerve-muscle preparations in vitro.
    [Show full text]
  • Amphibians of the Maya Mountains Massif Area Species
    Amphibians of the Maya Mountains Massif Area Species Forest Chiquibul Reserve Chiquibul Park National Pine Mountain Foret Ridge Reserve Caracol Archaeological Reserve Forest Vaca Reserve Panti Elijio Park National River Sittee Reserve Forest Forest Sibun Reserve Falls Davis Park National Cockscomb Wildlife Basin Sanctuary Nature Bladen Reserve Mountain Maya Reserve Forest River Deep Reserve Forest River Columbia Reserve Forest Salamander Bolitoglossa mexicana Rufescent salamander Bolitoglossa rufescens Bolitoglossa dofleini Salamander Oedipina elongata Rainforest toad Bufo campbelli Marine toad Bufo marinus Gulf Coast toad Bufo valliceps Mexican burrowing toad Rhinophrynus dorsalis Maya rain frog Eleutherodactylus chac Polymorphic robber rain frog Eleutherodactylus loki Leprus chirping rain frog Eleutherodactylus leprus Lowland rain frog Eleutherodactylus rhodopis Central American rain frog Eleutherodactylus rugulosus Sabrinus rain frog Eleutherodactylus sabrinus Eleutherodactylus laticeps Eleutherodactylus sandersoni Eleutherodactylus psephosypharys White-lipped frog Leptodactylus labialis Leptodactylus melanonotus Red-eyed treefrog Agalychnis callidryas Agalychnis moreletii Variegated treefrog Hyla ebraccata Red-footed treefrog Hyla loquax Yellow treefrog Hyla microcephala Cricket treefrog Hyla picta Bromeliohyla bromeliacia Veined Treefrog Phrynohyas venulosa Stauffer's treefrog Scinax staufferi Mexican treefrog Smilisca baudinii Blue-spotted treefrog Smilisca cyanosticta Narrowmouth frog Gastrophryne elegans Glass frog Hyalinobatrachium
    [Show full text]