Vol. 19 No. 1 (2024)
Short Note

Fluorescence in amphibians and reptiles: new cases and insights

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  • Lucas M. Botelho,
  • Suzana E. Martins,
  • Gregory Melocco,
  • Luís F. Toledo,
  • Ivan Sazima,
  • Edelcio Muscat
Lucas M. Botelho
Projeto Dacnis, Estrada do Rio Escuro, 4754, Sertão das Cotias, Ubatuba, São Paulo, 11680-000
Suzana E. Martins
IPBio – Instituto de Pesquisas da Biodiversidade, Reserva Betary, 18330-000, Iporanga, São Paulo
Gregory Melocco
Departamento de Ciências Farmacêuticas (Toxicologia e Fitopatologia), Farmácia, USP, 05508-000, São Paulo, São Paulo
Luís F. Toledo
Laboratório de História Natural de Anfíbios Brasileiros (LaHNAB), Departamento de Biologia Animal, Instituto de Biologia, Unicamp, 13083-970, Campinas, São Paulo
Ivan Sazima
Museu de Diversidade Biológica, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Campinas, São Paulo, 13083-863
Edelcio Muscat
Projeto Dacnis, Estrada do Rio Escuro, 4754, Sertão das Cotias, Ubatuba, São Paulo, 11680-000
DOI: https://doi.org/10.36253/a_h-14922

Published 2024-06-21

Keywords

  • Biofluorescence,
  • Coloration,
  • Herpetofauna,
  • Natural history,
  • Ontogeny,
  • Sexual dimorphism,
  • Terrestrial vertebrates,
  • Visual communication
    • ...More
    Less

How to Cite

Botelho, L. M., Martins, S. E., Melocco, G., Toledo, L. F., Sazima, I., & Muscat, E. (2024). Fluorescence in amphibians and reptiles: new cases and insights. Acta Herpetologica, 19(1), 75–80. https://doi.org/10.36253/a_h-14922

Copyright (c) 2024 Lucas M. Botelho, Suzana E. Martins, Gregory Melocco, Luís F. Toledo, Ivan Sazima, Edelcio Muscat

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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Abstract

Fluorescence in amphibians and reptiles has emerged as a prominent study subject in recent years, with research focused on understanding its function and diversity. As the knowledge of fluorescence in vertebrates is still understudied, we surveyed amphibian and reptile species in montane and lowland Atlantic Forest sites to evaluate presence or absence of fluorescence. By randomly sampling species, we found evidence of fluorescence in amphibians of the genera Scinax, Brachycephalus and Hylodes, and reptiles of the genera Bothrops, Enyalius and Hemidactylus. Our findings increase the list of known species that may benefit from fluorescent patterns. Fluorescence was either ocular, dermal, or subdermal related to the skeleton or ossified dermal structures. Whether these species are able to see and interpret the different the patterns generated by fluorescent structures is yet to be discovered.

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