Abstract – In Britain, some reptiles species have been formally recorded inhabiting arable field margins but previous reports on the incidence of northern vipers or adders [i]Vipera berus[/i] in this situation have been anecdotal. In 2017, reptile monitoring was initiated in a field margin that had been created ten years earlier and was located near two chalk grassland nature reserves with established viper populations. In the first three years of recording, numbers of vipers in the field margin were low and limited to a few juveniles and adults. In the fourth year, there was a noticeable increase in number, which were now represented by all life stages. In the fifth year the population doubled again and then remained stable in the sixth year. A similar encounter trajectory was observed for grass snakes, while slow worms and common lizard encounters had different trajectories. There was some evidence of vipers moving between the nature reserves and field margin, even crossing a road to do so, but at least 75 % of vipers in the field margin were only ever detected there. The arable field was mostly used for cropping cereals and oilseeds but, exceptionally, in the three years from 2016 to 2018 it was put down to herbal leys of red clover and grass. In the USA and continental Europe, red clover is known to be a preferred dietary item of voles [i]Microtus[/i] spp and has been associated with vole population increase. It is suggested that the increase in the viper population in the field margin may relate to a rise in the number of voles, which are an important component of the viper diet. Likewise, for grass snakes, small mammals may contribute 25 % or more of their diet. The use of herbal leys may present an important opportunity for the conservation of northern vipers in field margins and other adjacent habitats.

Abstract - [i]Bothrops lutzi[/i] is a secretive species mainly associated with the Cerrado, Carrasco and ecotonal areas of Cerrado-Caatinga vegetation. We gathered information about habitat use, diet and the parasites of this elusive species. The species was found exclusively in Carrasco vegetation habitats in the states of Piaui and Ceará, but not in the core Caatinga region. [i]Bothrops lutzi[/i] appears to have a diet composed of invertebrates and small vertebrates, not changing during its ontogeny. Three endoparasites were identified, one of them, [i]Oswaldofilaria[/i] sp., is the first record for a [i]Bothrops[/i] spp.

Abstract – [i]Bokermannohyla hylax[/i] is an endemic tree frog from the Atlantic Forest and despite being a common species, very little is known about its population traits and reproduction. We undertook acoustic and visual encounter surveys, and individual marking studies of a subpopulation in an urban forest fragment, the Parque Estadual das Fontes do Ipiranga, located in the São Paulo municipality. We detected a small population that breeds in only one forest stream, and deposits eggs inside burrows along the stream’s clayey border. Our findings also suggest that this subpopulation might be vulnerable due to the specific characteristics of its reproduction, which may be affected by the degree of disturbance of this fragment.