We describe a new species of the Scinax catharinae group from the highlands of the State of Santa Catarina, southern Brazil. The new species is distinguished from the other species of the group for having a trapezoid interocular blotch, an externally distended vocal sac, hypertrophied forearms in males, and the extension of foot webbing on Toe V. This new species brings to 35 the number of species in the S. catharinae group, which stands as the most diversified endemic clade of Atlantic forest frogs. The discovery of a new, distinctive species in the southern section of the Atlantic Forest, where so far only five species of this clade were known to occur, indicates that we are far from a good understanding of the taxonomic diversity of this species group.

Areas of endemism are biogeographic patterns that represent evolutionary evidence of taxa that can be used as surrogates in conservation of biodiversity. The geographic distribution of 83 Mexican species of lizards from three families with a high percentage of species restricted to the country was used to identify areas of endemism using the NDM/VNDM program. Temporal strata of the species forming those areas of endemism were incorporated to recognize the areas as evolutionary units. The prioritization of sites of major importance for lizard conservation was determined using six measures. Four areas of endemism were identified, three montane (Sierra Madre del Sur, Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt, and Sierra Madre Oriental) and one lowland (Veracruzan province). It was determined that the four areas of endemism form evolutionary units supported by synchronous and asynchronous species in temporal strata ranging from the Miocene to the Pliocene. The Sierra Madre del Sur area of endemism obtained the highest priority, so it requires policies for effective conservation and management to ensure the maintenance and conservation of current and historical elements within the distribution patterns of species.

Larval traits provide useful taxonomic characters. The only morphological synapomorphy that separates Scinax species from Ololygon species comes from larvae. However, tadpoles of Ololygon and Scinax remain undescribed; furthermore, there is a lack of information regarding their internal oral cavities. Herein, we describe the tadpole of Scinax cardosoi and its internal oral morphology. Overall, the body is triangular and depressed in lateral view and oval in dorsal view, the dorsal fin is slightly higher than the lower fin, and the tooth row formula is 2(1,2)/3. The tadpole of S. cardosoi can be distinguished from tadpoles of Ololygon and Scinax by its oral disc morphology and oral papillae arrangement. The position of the larval vent tube, as well as some adult features, suggest a close relationship between S. cardosoi and species of Ololygon, leading us to transfer the species from Scinax to Ololygon.

Vocalization is an important means of intra- and interspecific communication in anurans and is essential for reproduction. Here, we describe the advertisement and territorial calls of Pithecopus rusticus and determine the influence of air temperature and morphometric variables on advertisement call parameters. We recorded the vocalizations at the type-locality, in the municipality of Água Doce, state of Santa Catarina, southern Brazil, from September 2015 to February 2016. The advertisement call was composed of a short note, emitted sporadically, with a duration of 0.023 ± 0.002 ms (0.019–0.033 ms; n = 244). We recorded two types of territorial calls that were observed during the interaction between males. Territorial call I was composed of two notes and had a duration of 0.095 ± 0.043 ms (0.033–0.166 ms; n = 27). Territorial call II was a multipulsed note lasting 0.911 ± 0.340 ms (0.504–1.346 ms; n = 9) composed of 7–58 pulses emitted after territorial call I. Advertisement call duration was negatively related to air temperature. The duration and number of notes of the advertisement call of P. rusticus were similar to those of phylogenetically close species. Information on vocal repertoires of amphibians and factors influencing acoustic parameters are essential to understand the systematic taxonomy and evolution of groups, especially little-known species such as P. rusticus.

Temporal habitat variations can affect the trophic relationships of amphibian species by changing either prey availability or predator selectivity. This study aimed to evaluate the influence of prey availability and temperature variation on the diet of three anuran species (Boana pulchella, Odontophrynus maisuma, and Leptodactylus latrans) in subtropical swamps. Coleoptera, Araneae, Diptera, and Hymenoptera were the most important prey. Trophic niche overlap was greatest between Odontophrynus maisuma and B. pulchella. In the warmer months, all three species narrowed their trophic niches by increasing the consumption of certain prey. The changes recorded in the diet might be related to variations in prey availability and other aspects of feeding ecology, such as adaptations in foraging activity, and show that these species have some plasticity regarding their feeding habits.

Two new species of Amphisbaena are described from Bahia, one from Piatã municipality with two precloacal pores, 232 body annuli, 27 caudal annuli, autotomic site at the 7^th caudal annulus, and 16 dorsal and 18 ventral segments per annuli at midbody, and the other from Vitória da Conquista with four precloacal pores, 208 body annuli, 25 caudal annuli, autotomic site at the 10^th caudal annulus, and 14 dorsal and 16 ventral segments. The species from Vitória da Conquista municipality is morphologically more similar to A. mensae than the new species from Piatã. Despite their morphological differences, phylogenetic analysis of molecular data revealed that the new species are closely related, with the previously described species recovered in distinct clades.

We present new records of Amphisbaena metallurga (the first outside the type locality) and A. sanctaeritae (previously known only for the holotype), extending their known geographic ranges and improving their morphological descriptions. Additionally, we report for the first time the presence of A. hiata in Brazil. These new findings give continuity to a series of recent advances in the knowledge on biodiversity of Brazilian amphisbaenians. The new specimens are housed in regional collections, reinforcing the importance of such institutions for science.

Reptiles typically heat faster than they cool, and this thermal hysteresis is believed to derive from physiological mechanisms that modulate heat exchange with the environment through changes in thermal conductance. The vascular system, by means of autonomic regulation, is proposed to affect thermal conductance of reptiles by two mechanisms: (1) adrenergic (i.e., sympathetic) control of the peripheral vasculature through α-adrenergic receptors is suggested to be of paramount importance by increasing skin perfusion during heating and reducing perfusion during cooling; (2) cholinergic (i.e., parasympathetic) control of pulmonary blood flow through the vagus nerve supposedly serves to shunt blood away from pulmonary circulation to avoid heat loss over respiratory surfaces. We investigated the efficacy of heat exchange during warming and cooling in South American rattlesnakes (Crotalus durissus) before and after pharmacological α-adrenergic blockage through phentolamine injection, as well as with and without the ability to control pulmonary blood flow. Snakes were free to thermoregulate throughout the whole experiment using an intermittent heating source (on:off = 12:12 h) in a walk-in climatic chamber at a constant room temperature of 16°C (thermal gradient when heating source was turned on was 18°C). All snakes warmed faster than they cooled and behaviorally thermoregulated to maintain body temperature (T_b) at approximately 28–30°C. Neither sympathetic modulation of peripheral vascular resistance nor cardiac shunt control caused differences in warming and cooling rates. In a parallel experiment, coiling behavior was demonstrated to have a small but significant effect on snake thermal dynamics, albeit insufficient to explain the large thermal hysteresis observed. These results indicate that thermal hysteresis in rattlesnakes is not significantly affected by autonomic regulation of blood flow distribution. However, other physiological mechanisms must be important components of body temperature regulation in the South American rattlesnake.