We describe and name a new species of Alopoglossus (Gymnophthalmoidea: Alopoglossidae) from western Colombia (Departamentos Cauca and Valle del Cauca: Chocó biodiversity hotspot). The new taxon is morphologically similar to Alopoglossus festae and A. viridis, from which it differs in having, among other things: strongly keeled imbricated temporal scales; strongly keeled scales on dorsum of hand; rhomboid, keeled, and heavily pigmented ventral scales. Specimens of this new taxon have been sitting in museum shelves for several decades (holotype collected over 40 years ago)—thus, we discuss the relevance of biological specimen collection and the importance of reexamination of old museum records, in search of unnamed biodiversity.

Combining different sampling methods is essential to determine species richness. Recently, herpetological surveys have been conducted in poorly sampled regions in Brazil using data from scientific collections as complementary information for richness estimated from fieldwork. However, few studies have evaluated discrepancies between estimation of species richness obtained from fieldwork and scientific collections. Here, we demonstrate quantitatively how data available in scientific collections can be important complementary sources for assessing amphibian and reptile species richness. We used rarefaction and PERMANOVA to compare species richness and composition, respectively, of amphibians and reptiles from fieldwork carried out in southeastern Brazil with data from four of the most representative herpetological collections in the São Paulo state, southeastern Brazil. Our results showed no difference between amphibian species richness recorded in the field and scientific collections. In contrast, reptile species richness recorded in scientific collections was 2.5 times higher than in the fieldwork. Furthermore, pooling data from fieldwork and scientific collections increased amphibian and reptile species by 25% and 75%, respectively. Species composition of both amphibians and reptiles were significantly different between field survey and scientific collections. Thus, future inventories, ecological, and taxonomic researches may considerably benefit from information available in scientific collections.

A novel method (hookless trot line) to trap freshwater turtles in aquatic environments from the Pampas region on southern South America is presented. Cost, functioning, effectiveness, biases, maintenance, and constraints of the hookless trot line are analyzed compared to three other methods (two variants of funnel traps and a trawl net) commonly used in studies dealing with freshwater turtle ecology. Fieldwork was carried out from 2005–2015 in streams that drain the northeast of Buenos Aires province, Argentina. The beef-baited, single-mouthed funnel trap with drift fences was the method that captured the most turtles. It was closely followed by the hookless trot line, whereas the other two methods obtained a small portion of captures. Nevertheless, we conclude that the best method to trap turtles in the region was the hookless trot line because it adapts to a wide range of environments, does not injure the turtles, is easy to build and transport, requires little maintenance, and its materials are cheaper and more durable than those of the other methods. Further, a calibration for the trot line is provided in order to minimize effort and maximize captures: in cost/benefit terms, the best result was achieved by employing 1 bait/1.5 m of shoreline.

Frogs of the family Centrolenidae have been a good model system in recent studies of evolutionary ecology, biogeography, and systematics; however, the taxonomic status of some species is still uncertain. Knowing aspects about the natural history of such species can offer diagnostic characters useful for species delimitation and hence, baseline data for understanding the biology of the family Centrolenidae. We describe the advertisement call and aspects of the breeding biology of “Centrolene” quindianum, a threatened species endemic to the Andes of Colombia whose taxonomic status and phylogenetic relationships require clarification. Between July–December 2015, we performed weekly fieldtrips to monitor the breeding activity of this species in a population located in department of Quindío, western slope of the Central Andes of Colombia. The advertisement call of “C.” quindianum consist of two types of calls. The most frequently emitted call is composed of two notes with amplitude modulation and a dominant frequency of 4,678.1 ± 156.0 Hz; the other type of call is composed of 3–5 notes with high amplitude modulation and a dominant frequency of 4,568.5 ± 61.4 Hz. Calling activity and oviposition was recorded in months with higher precipitation and lower temperature. Clutches contained 26 eggs on average, and the substrate for oviposition was mostly moss-covered tree branches. Egg yolk was usually yellow, although some eggs were green. In addition, we recorded an attempt of amplexus displacement and egg attendance by a female immediately following oviposition.

The daily activity of nine dipsadid snakes from southeastern Brazil was characterized using captive specimens monitored by a digital video system. Six species (Apostolepis assimilis, Erythrolamprus aesculapii, Liophis miliaris, Philodryas patagoniensis, Thamnodynastes strigatus, and Tomodon dorsatus) were diurnal and three species (Atractus pantostictus, Oxyrhopus guibei and Sibynomorphus mikanii) were nocturnal. The daily activity pattern was highly variable among species. However, intra-specific variation in both period and activity pattern was observed in some of the studied species. Although activity period is usually conservative within lineages, our results indicate that activity pattern might be strongly influenced by biotic or abiotic factors.

Thirty species of the glassfrogs genus Nymphargus, including a new species, are known to inhabit the cloud forest of the Andes of Colombia and Ecuador. Four of these species (Nymphargus anomalus, N. ignotus, N. rosada, and the new species) are unusual by having a tan-brown dorsal coloration instead of the widespread green coloration commonly found in glassfrogs. Herein, we review tan-brown glassfrogs species, providing information on their external morphology, color ontogeny, ecology, and distribution. The new taxon inhabits the Andes of southwestern Colombia, Departamento del Cauca, and it is distinguished from other centrolenids by having a tan-brown dorsum with dark spots lacking ocelli, reduced (basal) webbing between outermost fingers, and lacking iridophores on the digestive tract and hepatic peritonea. We also find that Nymphargus ignotus is a polymorphic species distributed along the western flank of the Cordillera Occidental in Colombia. The egg masses of N. ignotus are similar to those known in others Nymphargus species, except for the presence of supplementary empty capsules. The distribution, abundance and function of empty capsules and the nature of the tan-brown color pattern in glassfrogs are discussed.

We describe a striking new species of the genus Sachatamia from the eastern slope of Colombia's Central Andes. The new species differs from the most closely related species (i.e., Sachatamia albomaculata and S. punctulata) by its green dorsal coloration in life with yellow and blue dots, and unique semicirclular, white blotch in the dorsal portion of the iris. With this new species, we increase the currently recognized species in the genus to five. Mitochondrial DNA sequences corroborate both the phylogenetic position of the new species within Sachatamia and its status as a new species. In addition, in light of our results some taxonomic implications are briefly discussed.

Bothrops moojeni inhabits riparian forests and adjacent open, wet areas in the Brazilian Cerrado. We address several aspects of the reproductive biology of a population from southeastern Brazil, including sexual maturation and dimorphism, male and female reproductive cycles, and sperm storage. We also provide the first record of male-male combat behavior in the wild. We sampled specimens held in the scientific collection of the Butantan Institute, São Paulo, Brazil. After macroscopic analyses and dissections, we collected the testes of males and the posterior uterus of females showing uterine muscular twisting for microscopic analyses. Males < 54.5 cm and females < 58.0 cm were sexually immature. Mature females are larger than males, although male-male combat is reported for this species. Male-male fighting and copulation occur during late summer in the wild. Histological analysis of the testes confirmed that sperm production occurs simultaneously with those reproductive events. Females showed an extended period of vitellogenesis, from February to November (late summer to spring). We observed stored sperm in the female reproductive tract during autumn. Because mating is not synchronous with ovulation, sperm storage is an obligatory component of the reproductive cycle of B. moojeni. Ovulation begins in August (winter) but most females with the presence of embryos in the oviducts occurred from January to March (summer). Parturition in captivity occurred in February, confirming that births are concentrated in the summer. Given that the Cerrado is highly fragmented in southeastern Brazil, studies on the reproductive biology of additional B. moojeni populations might provide useful information regarding intraspecific variation in reproduction in pit vipers.