The taxonomic status of Micrurus filiformis is reevaluated employing a statistical framework. Micrurus filiformis subtilis is maintained in the synonymy of M. filiformis, based on the results of quantitative and qualitative analyses. Further, geographical variation of meristic, morphometric, and hemipenis characters are described. The holotype of Micrurus filiformis is redescribed.

We studied the reproduction of Hypsiboas albomarginatus in the Atlantic forest on the north coast of São Paulo State, southeast Brazil. Males called from May to February and egg bearing females were registered from August to February. Males began calling after sunset and remained active for up to 8 hours. Hypsiboas albomarginatus exhibits sexual dimorphism in body size, with females being larger and heavier than males. We found a positive correlation between mass of males and females found in amplexus, but not for snoutvent length. This indicates that heavier females choose heavier males than do lighter females. However, the mass ratio of amplectant pairs was not constant; rather, it was inversely correlated with female body mass. This may reflect differences in the choice context between heavier females, which may have difficulty in finding heavier males, and lighter females, which should avoid excessively heavy males. Egg-laying occurred only after calling activity ceased, about 5 to 6 hours after amplexus began. This may prevent clutches from being disturbed by passing frogs, including those of different species. Females swam in circles before egg laying and immediately deposited a long mass of ova that floated on the water surface.

The external morphology, oral cavity, chondrocranium and hyobranchial skeleton of Telmatobius atahualpai larvae are described. These tadpoles present an oral disc modified into a sucker apparatus and were originally assigned to Hyloscirtus. In order to justify its taxonomic position in Telmatobius, we compare its morphology with Hyloscirtus armatus, H. phyllognathus, Telmatobius truebae, and published data on larvae of other Hyloscirtus and Telmatobius. Tadpoles of T. atahualpai and other Telmatobius differ from the examined species of Hyloscirtus in having a transangular oral disc, inner wall of spiracle present as a slight ridge, two pairs of infralabial projections, smooth prenarial arena, one papilla between postnarial papillae and median ridge, buccal roof arena defined by papillae which converge posteriorly, cornua trabeculae neither expanded anteriorly nor fused medially, syndesmotic articulation between suprarrostral and cornua trabeculae, maximum width of chondrocranium only at the level of the arcus subocularis, fenestrae parietales open, tip of the processus posterior hyalis does not underlie the anterolateral part of the hypobranchial plate, processus posterior hyalis and hypobranchial plate attached only by a ligament, and commissura proximalis III absent. The tadpole of T. atahualpai is different from other reophilous Telmatobius larvae in having a oral disc completely bordered by marginal papillae and a labial tooth row formula of 3/7(1). T. atahualpai larvae seem to represent the most specialized Telmatobius tadpole known so far.

The examination of the preserved specimens in the herpetological collection of the Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, along with a review of the original literature, indicates that no extant specimen can be undoubtedly identified as the holotype of Leptodactylus gracilis (Duméril and Bibron, 1840). Furthermore, it revealed that the type locality recently assigned to this taxon is in error.

Sexual dimorphism, female reproductive cycle, fecundity, and juvenile recruitment data for Anilius scytale (Linnaeus, 1758) were obtained from 155 specimens (68 mature males, 58 mature females; 29 immatures), captured between 1971 and 2006 in eastern Amazonia, Brazil. All specimens were deposited in the herpetological collection of Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi, Belém, Pará State, Brazil. There were no significant differences in snout-vent length between mature males and females, although mature males had a significantly longer tail. Males attained sexual maturity at a smaller size than females. Females exhibit seasonal reproduction. Developed follicles were found from the end of the dry season to the middle of the rainy season (July to December). The largest embryos were found from January to April. One female gave birth in January and apparently newborn individuals (showing a visible umbilical scar) were found in January, February, March, July, and December. We did not find any significant differences between the number of follicles and embryos, indicating that all follicles may be converted into embryos.

Radio-tracking is a widely used method in studies of snake movement and habitat use. However, radio-tracking has some inconveniences, such as the invasiveness of surgical transmitter implantation and the high costs of receivers and transmitters. Here we describe a technique for external radio-transmitter attachment in snakes and the use of thread-bobbins (quilt-cocoons or spool-and-line device) as an alternative for tracking snakes. Both methods allow the animals to resume their natural behavior just after handling and to be monitored until the detachment of the device, usually upon shedding. These characteristics seemed to be particularly useful when the survey must be done within short periods of time with a high number of snakes. The use of thread-bobbins greatly facilitates the gathering of data on movement, habitat use, effective distance moved, and substrate use of snakes in the wild.

A new species of Glassfrog of the genus Nymphargus from the Andean cloud forest of Cordillera Oriental, Colombia, is described. This species can be recognized by some morphological characteristics that include: parietal peritoneum 1/2–3/4 white, visceral and hepatic peritonea translucent; webbing on hand reduced between outer fingers; and males lacking humeral spine. The new species reported herein is close related with Nymphargus garciae of the Central Andes and is added to the 20 previously known species of the family that occur in the eastern Andes of Colombia. Moreover, it is the northernmost record for the genus in the Cordillera Oriental.

The advertisement call of Eleutherodactylus fraudator is described from Laguna Verde, Departamento Santa Cruz, Bolivia. The call consists of a short, single, unpulsed note repeated in regular succession. Call duration is the shortest and call repetition rate the highest known within the E. fraudator species group. The bioacoustic structures found in the advertisement call of E. fraudator are in accordance with the hypothesis of apomorphic characters found within this species group.

The first fossil record of Kinosternon turtles in South America, from the late Pleistocene (16500 years before present) at the Pubenza locality, Department of Cundinamarca, in the Bogotá River basin of Colombia is described. The fossil material is composed of an epiplastron, a hypoplastron, a peripheral, two costals, and a neural bone, which suggest an affinity to the Kinosterninae subfamily based upon the absence of an entoplastron and an abdominal scale. The presence of a hinge in the anterior and posterior plastral lobe and a large epiplastron longer than wide indicate an affinity to the genus Kinosternon. The presence of a marked scar for the insertion of the cervico-plastral ligament on the visceral surface of the epiplastron indicates a close relationship to Kinosternon leucostomum and Kinosternon scorpioides. More shell and cranial material must be found in order to define precisely if the Kinosternon of Pubenza corresponds to some extant species, or if it is a new extinct species.

The genus Hylomantis, anteriorly restricted to the Northeastern Brazilian Atlantic Forest, was recently augmented with the inclusion of the species of the former Phyllomedusa buckleyi group. The discovery of new populations of Hylomantis aspera, a poorly known species occurring in the southern region of the State of Bahia, Brazil, allowed the collection of new data regarding tadpole external morphology, advertisement call, color in life, habitat, and geographic distribution. Tadpoles of the H. aspera species group present an anteroventral short funnel-shaped structure on the oral disc. The occurrence of bright orange coloration on flanks and hidden portions of legs, a presumed evidence for the monophly of the H. buckleyi species group, also occurs in H. aspera and could be interpreted as supporting the clade Hylomantis the former P. buckleyi group. A remarkable character found in species of the H. aspera group is a white hepatic peritoneum, anteriorly known only for some centrolenid frogs, which is absent on species of the H. buckleyi group.