Table 1 Animals species used in popular medicine in the municipality of Santa Cruz do Capibaribe, Pernambuco State, Brazil.

Insects

Apidae

Apis mellifera (Linnaeus, 1758) – Africanised honey bee, "abelha italiana"

1

Honey (3)

Cough, catarrh

Frieseomelitta varia (Lepeletier, 1836) – Bee, "Abelha moça branca"

1

Honey (4)

Gonorrhea

Melipona scutellaris (Latreille, 1811) – a stingless bee, "uruçú"

3

Honey (3, 4)

Fatigue (3, 4), Cancer (3), Weakness (3), Sexual problems (3), Cough (3)

Partamona cupira (Smith) – a stingless Bee, "Abelha cupira"

3

Honey (1, 4), Bee wax (11)

Leucoma, "Slightly clean", Cuts, Wounds, Cough, Catarrh, "toady" (Fungal buccal Infection), Sinusitis, Effusion (11)

Scaptotrigona sp. – Bee, "Abelha canudo"

1

Honey (3)

Hernia

Tetragonisca angustula Latreille, 1811 – Bee, "Abelha jati"

1

Honey (1)

"Ervilhida" (Leucoma)

Trigona spinipes (Fabricius, 1793) – a stingless bee, "arapuá

1

Honey (4)

Fatigue, effusion

Termitidae

Nasutitermes macrocephalus (Silvestri, 1903) – Termite, "Cupim de aroeira"

1

Whole animal (3)

Asthma

Blattidae

Periplaneta americana (Linnaeus, 1758) – American cockroach, "barata"

1

Whole animal (17)

Avoiding pregnancy

Muscidae

Musca domestica (Linnaeus, 1758) – House fly, "Mosca"

1

Whole animal (16)

Hair erysipelas

Echinoderms

Oreasteridae

Oreaster reticulatus (Linnaeus, 1758) – Starfish, "estrela-do-mar"

1

Whole animal (12)

Asthma

Fish

Erythrinidae

Hoplias malabaricus (Bloch, 1794) – Trahira, "traíra

1

Fat (4)

Sore throat

Syngnathidae

Hippocampus reidi (Ginsburg, 1933) – Longsnout seahorse, "cavalo-marinho"

2

Whole animal (12, 19)

Asthma

Amphibians

Bufonidae

Rhinella jimi (Stevaux, 2002)

2

Secretions (14), Fat (4)

Gastritis (14), cancer (4, 14)

Reptiles

Alligatoridae

Caiman latirostris (Daudin, 1801) – Cayman, "jacaré-do-papo-amarelo"

1

Leather (13)

Epilepsy

Chelidae

Phrynops geoffroanus (Schweigger, 1812) – Geoffroy's side-necked turtle, "cágado"

5

Fat (1)

In-grown nail, earache, eczema, articulation problems, wounds

Iguanidae

Iguana iguana (Linnaeus, 1758) – Common Iguana, "Camaleão"

2

Fat (1)

Body aches, wounds

Teiidae

Tupinambis merianae (Duméril & Bibron, 1839) – Teju lizard, "tegu", "tejuaçú"

5

Fat (1, 4)

Wounds (1), sore throat (1,4), earache (1), perforation (1)

Testudinidae

Chelonoidis denticulata (Linnaeus, 1766) – Yellow-footed tortoise, "jabuti"

1

Urine (1), Fat (4)

Ear ache (1), asthma (4), pains (1)

Viperidae

Crotalus durissus Linnaeus, 1758 – South American rattlesnake, "Cascavel"

6

Fat (1, 4)

Rheumatism, swellings, Cancer, Bone aches, Gastritis, eczema, wounds, backache

Birds

Anatidae

Anas platyrhynchos Linnaeus, 1758 – Mallard, "Pata"

1

Eggs (6)

General weaknesses, Sexual weakness, nervous disturbances

Ciconiidae

Coragyps atratus (Bechstein, 1793) – Black vulture, "Urubu"

1

Feather and liver (15)

Alcoholism

Corvidae

Cyanocorax cyanopogon (Wied-Neuwied, 1821) – White-naped Jay, "Pássaro cancão"

1

Beliefs ("simpatia") (20)

Asthma

Family – Not Identified

Unidentified species – Hummingbirds, "Beija-flor"

1

Whole animal (2), Nest (5)

Asthma (2), Children's fatigue (5)

Numididae

Numida meleagris Linnaeus, 1758 – Helmeted Guineafowl, "Guiné"

1

Blood mixed with sugar (1)

Pertussis

Phasianidae

Gallus gallus domesticus (Linnaeus, 1758) – chicken, "Galinha preta"

6

Fat (1, 4)

Renal calculus, headache, sore throat, nasal congestion (1), fever (4), general swelling (1)

Pavo cristatus Linnaeus, 1758 – Common Peafowl, Pavão

1

Feathers (5)

Fatigue (5)

Struthionidae

Struthio camelus Linnaeus, 1766 – Common Ostrich, "Avestruz"

1

Toasted egg shells (4)

Osteoporosis

Tinamidae

Nothura maculosa cearensis Naumburg, 1932 – Spotted Nothura, "Codorniz"

1

Feathers (10)

Effusion

Mammals

Bovidae

Bos taurus Linnaeus, 1758 – Domestic cattle, "Boi"

1

Marrow (8)

Removal of thorns

Ovis aries Linnaeus, 1758 – Sheep, "Carneiro"

5

Fat (1), Suet (1), Horn (18)

Articulation problems, pits, pains, forces the child to speak, to assist children who take longer than usual to start speaking (18), rheumatism, "water in the knee"

Canidae

Cerdocyon thous (Linnaeus, 1766) – Crab-eating Fox, "Raposa"

1

Fat(7)

Back ache, osteoporosis

Caviidae

Kerodon rupestris (Wied-Neuwied, 1820) – Rock cavy, "Mocó"

1

Fat(1), Manure(7)

"Tired sight" (1), Effusion (7)

Dasypodidae

Euphractus sexcinctu s (Linnaeus, 1758) – Six-banded Armadillo, "Tatu-peba"

1

Tail (beliefs) (9)

Deafness

Equidae

Equus asinus Linnaeus, 1758 – Donkey, "burro"

1

Hoof (18)

Avoid pregnancy

Erethizontidae

Coendou prehensilis (Linnaeus, 1758) – Brazilian porcupine, "Espinho de Gandú", "Porco-espinho"

1

Pine (5)

Epilepsy

Mephitidae

Conepatus semistriatus (Boddaert, 1785) – Striped hog-nosed skunk, "Ticaca"

2

Fat (2), meat (2)

Asthma, rheumatism, nervous disturbances