Lizards from the Alto Sertão region of Sergipe state, northeastern Brazil

Abstract We present the first detailed inventory of the lizard fauna of Alto Sertão region, west of Sergipe state, based on three field expeditions carried out by the authors and specimens deposited at the Herpetological Collection of Universidade Federal de Sergipe. The three inventories were carried out between 2010 and 2016, in the municipalities of Canindé de São Francisco, Poço Redondo, Monte Alegre de Sergipe, Nossa Senhora da Glória, and Porto da Folha. In total, we sampled 9,485 lizards of 19 species (10 families) of which 10 are new records for the study area. The most abundant species were Ameivula ocellifera, Tropidurus hispidus and T. semitaeniatus. Thirteen species were considered as widely distributed in Caatinga, five presented a relictual distribution and one was exotic. We suggest that future research focus mainly on non-sampled areas and should prioritize the municipalities of Gararu, Nossa Senhora da Glória and Nossa Senhora de Lourdes since they are localities with little or no sampling records.

Lizards and snakes of Refúgio de Vida Silvestre Matas do Siriji, an Atlantic Forest hotspot of the Pernambuco Endemism Center, Northeastern Brazil

Abstract: The Atlantic Forest north of the São Francisco River, known as the Pernambuco Endemism Center (PEC), comprises small, poorly-known and, consequently, highly threatened forest remnants, such as Refúgio de Vida Silvestre (RVS) Matas do Siriji, a montane forest located in the municipality of São Vicente Férrer, state of Pernambuco, Northeast Brazil. We provide the results of the first inventory of the squamate fauna of the region with comments on the conservation status of some species, comparisons with other locations in Northeast Brazil and a brief discussion of biogeography. Time-constrained transects, pit-fall traps, occasional encounters and third-party records registered 18 lizard species and 25 snake species, with the rarefaction curve of the former tending to stability. The RVS Matas do Siriji possesses 39.81 % of the lizard and snake species known for the state of de Pernambuco, being the third richest area in species in the State, with a composition similar to that of other areas within PEC. Based on the lists of SEMAS, ICMBio and IUCN, some of the registered species are considered vulnerable to extinction while others have yet to be evaluated. The RVS Matas do Siriji includes a rich, threatened and underestimated fauna of squamate reptiles, indicating that more restrictive protection measures must be adopted in this Conservation Unit.

Rediscovering a forgotten scientific collection in the Rio Grande do Norte State, Brazil: The herpetological collection of the zoologist José Santiago Lima-Verde

Abstract: The zoologist Dr. José Santiago Lima-Verde (1945-2019) made a number of major contributions to the field of animal biology in the northeastern Brazil, in particular through his research with snakes. While employed as a professor at Escola Superior de Agricultura de Mossoró, currently the Universidade Federal Rural do Semi-Árido, Prof. Lima-Verde established a herpetological collection which remained forgotten for a number of decades. In the present study, we describe the revitalization of this collection, which included the updating of the identification of the species and the compilation of the metadata on the collection, which is now named the Coleção Herpetológica Lima-Verde. We catalogued 80 specimens representing 30 species, including 23 species of snakes, five lizards, and two amphisbaenians. One third (30%) of the specimens had information on dates and sites, with the majority of these specimens being collected in the Brazilian State of Rio Grande do Norte during the 1970's. We also catalogued 315 eggs of seven snake species, from 22 clutches laid in captivity. The collection presents unpublished data and will constitute a reference for future herpetological research on the species found in western region of State of Rio Grande do Norte. Our findings reinforce the importance of zoological collections for the understanding of patterns of biodiversity, and we would recommend the creation of more regional scientific collections and the broader recognition of their value as a basic source of biological data.

Snakes in a seasonally dry tropical forest in northeastern Brazil

Abstract: This study aimed to provide information on composition, abundance, and estimated snakes richness in an area of arboreal Caatinga (seasonally dry tropical forest) and analyze patterns of faunistic similarity between assemblages of snakes in the semiarid region of northeastern Brazil. The snakes found within the Fazenda Almas Natural Private Reserve (RPPN Fazenda Almas) were sampled during a 10-year period, with monthly monitoring, employing time constrained search, pitfall traps with drift fences, and donations from local collectors. Twenty-two snake species were recorded, with a predominance of terrestrial species with diurnal-nocturnal activity patterns. The species accumulation curves reached its asymptote, indicating that all possible species in the study area had been recorded. Our results indicated that the snake fauna in the study area is similar to other snake assemblages in localities with Caatinga vegetation in the Sertaneja Depression (“Depressão Sertaneja”) drylands, and that those assemblages constitute faunistic units typical of the interior of northeastern Brazil.

Anurans of Sete Cidades National Park, Piauí state, northeastern Brazil

Abstract The Sete Cidades National Park is located in the Brazilian municipalities of Piracuruca and Brasileira, Piauí state, in a transitional zone between the Caatinga and Cerrado biomes. Studies on its herpetofauna were limited to anuran distribution notes and a snake checklist. Thus, here we present an unpublished species list of anurans from Sete Cidades National Park, Piauí state, northeastern Brazil. We recorded one of the two highest species richness for all northeastern National Parks, and also increased the geographic distribution of one species in the state of Piauí. Most species observed are common of both Caatinga and Cerrado biomes or have wide distribution in Brazil. The anuran assemblage of Sete Cidades National Park is more similar to those registered at the Delta do Parnaíba Environmental Protection Area, Ceará, Piauí and Maranhão states, and Ubajara National Park, Ceará state. These results increase our knowledge on anuran diversity in northeastern Brazil, providing basic information for management and conservation actions of an important Brazilian National Park.

Helminth Community Dynamics in a Population of Pseudopaludicola Pocoto (Leptodactylidae: Leiuperinae) from Northeast-Brazilian

Climatic variation in low latitudes influences the dynamics and structure of parasite communities. Environmental changes caused by dry and rainy seasons alter prevalence and abundance of endoparasite communities. In addition to providing a list of the helminth species associated with the swamp frog Pseudopaludicola pocoto, this study aimed to investigate the effects of rainfall and temperature on parasitological descriptors of helminths associated with P. pocoto in an area of the semiarid zone. A total of 817 swamp frog specimens were collected between 2013 and 2017, with four sampling expeditions during the dry season and four during the rainy season. Environmental parameters of temperature and rainfall were compared to the parasitological descriptors of prevalence, abundance and mean infection intensity of the parasite community using a multivariate linear regression. A richness of eight parasite species was identified, including Nematoda (Rhabdias sp., Cosmocerca parva, Oxyascaris oxyascaris, Physaloptera sp., Brevimulticaecum sp., Spiroxys sp. and unidentified nematode) and Acanthocephala (cystacanths). Rainfall levels had a significant effect on the infection intensity of Rhabdias sp. being the presence of this species higher during the rainy season, whereas no influence of temperature was observed on the helminth community.

Food or threat? Wild capuchin monkeys (Sapajus libidinosus) as both predators and prey of snakes

Snakes present a hazard to primates, both as active predators and by defensive envenomation. This risk might have been a selective pressure on the evolution of primate visual and cognitive systems, leading to several behavioral traits present in human and non-human primates, such as the ability to quickly learn to fear snakes. Primates seldom prey on snakes, and humans are one of the few primate species that do. We report here another case, the wild capuchin monkey (Sapajus libidinosus), which preys on snakes. We hypothesized that capuchin monkeys, due to their behavioral plasticity, and cognitive and visual skills, would be capable of discriminating dangerous and non-dangerous snakes and behave accordingly. We recorded the behavioral patterns exhibited toward snakes in two populations of S. libidinosus living 320 km apart in Piauí, Brazil. As expected, capuchins have a fear reaction to dangerous snakes (usually venomous or constricting snakes), presenting mobbing behavior toward them. In contrast, they hunt and consume non-dangerous snakes without presenting the fear response. Our findings support the tested hypothesis that S. libidinosus are capable of differentiating snakes by level of danger: on the one hand they protect themselves from dangerous snakes, on the other hand they take opportunities to prey on non-dangerous snakes. Since capuchins and humans are both predators and prey of snakes, further studies of this complex relationship may shed light on the evolution of these traits in the human lineage.

Potential distribution and conservation of the Colobosauroides carvalhoi Soares and Caramaschi, 1998: a rare and endemic lizard of Northeast Brazil

Ecological niche modeling has contributed to the investigation of the geographical distribution and conservation of rare or little recorded species. Therefore, we studied the known and potential distributions of Colobosauroides carvalhoi Soares and Caramaschi 1998 and discuss the implications for its conservation. Data were obtained by manual collections made in quarterly samplings in three different regions, considering the regions with occurrence records and surrounding areas. The known distribution was determined by occurrence records and literature data, and potential distribution was estimated with an ecological niche model by the MaxEnt algorithm. Twenty-five specimens were collected exclusively in forest formations of Caatinga and Caatinga-Cerrado. Our data corroborated the relative rarity of C. carvalhoi and reflected the biogeographical history of the group, where it is restricted to forest formations with milder environmental conditions. The occurrence records indicated new records of C. carvalhoi, but the known distribution value is compatible with a restricted distribution. The ecological niche model estimated few areas with environmental suitability for the species and corroborated the restricted and relict distribution patterns. Finally, the known and potential distribution values ​​were compatible with criteria for threatened species. These results suggest a worrisome scenario for C. carvalhoi conservation. However, the limited data about the species population do not allow the proper definition of its conservation status. Therefore, we suggest using potential distribution values with alternative criteria for redefining the conservation status of C. carvalhoi and the development of new studies that support a better assessment of its conservation aspects.

Revision of the phylogeny and chorology of the tribe Iphisini with the revalidation of Colobosaura kraepelini Werner, 1910 (Reptilia, Squamata, Gymnophthalmidae)

The family Gymnophthalmidae contains nearly 235 species with a distribution range from southern Mexico to central Argentina as well as in the Antilles. Among gymnophthalmids, the genus Colobosaura is a member of the tribe Iphisini, and currently is considered monotypic (C. modesta). The diversity of the tribe was studied recently, with the erection of several new genera. In this work genetic and morphological data of specimens of Colobosaura recently collected in Paraguay were analyzed. Genetic (16S barcode) data indicate that these samples are not conspecific with C. modesta and they are allocated to the nominal species C. kraepelini. Because the original primary type of the latter taxon is considered to be lost, a neotype (SMF 101370) is designated for this species and a redescription provided based on our material. Colobosaura kraepelini is distributed in the Humid Chaco, being the only member of the whole tribe in this ecoregion.

M, Recoder RS, Rodrigues MT, Zaher H. The herpetofauna of Parque Nacional da Serra das Confusões, state of Piauí, Brazil, with a regional species list from an ecotonal area of Cerrado and Caatinga

Abstract Different physiognomies at Parque Nacional da Serra das Confusões (PNSCo) were intensively sampled aiming to access the distribution pattern of its herpetofauna. Sixty six species were found in the park (47 reptiles and 19 amphibians); the rarefaction curve for lizards, although not fully stabilized in an asymptote, indicates that the sampling effort was enough to reveal most lizard species occurring in the area; and richness estimators recovered values close to observed. For amphibians, the curve shows a weak tendency to stabilization with richness estimators indicating that additional records could be done. Field work carried out at PNSCo has highlighted an unique herpetofauna: five new species were described and there are three candidates as new species. The regional list including Cerrados's units - Estação Ecológica Serra Geral do Tocantins (EESGT) and Estação Ecológica de Uruçuí-Una (EEUU) with Caatinga's ones - PNSCo and Parque Nacional da Serra da Capivara (PNSCa), shows a high herpetofaunal diversity (191 species) to the region. The cluster analysis recovered the Cerrados's units and Caatinga's ones, in separate clusters evidencing a species turnover between domains, despite its geographical proximity. Thus, although there is widespread fauna throughout region shared by the units, each reserve holds its own faunal identity, harboring a singular assemblage of species.

Anurans from the Middle Jaguaribe River Region, Ceará State, Northeastern Brazil

The Middle Jaguaribe River region is a poorly sampled area in the Caatingas domain, located in the eastern Ceará State, northeastern Brazil. The Brazilian government agencies considered this region as a priority area for conservation and inventories. In order to fill this biodiversity knowledge gap, we conducted a ten-day rapid inventory of the anuran fauna from April 11 to 20, 2014, surveying different physiognomies of the region. We recorded 19 anuran species belonging to five families: Bufonidae (2), Hylidae (5), Leptodactylidae (9), Microhylidae (2) and Odontophrynidae (1). Most inventories of Caatinga amphibians published to date have been conducted inside protected areas and/or of high altitude (mesic areas known as "brejos de altitude"). The list we present herein contributes to the knowledge of lowland Caatinga sites outside protected areas. We discuss our results in light of taxonomic and geographic features of the anurans sampled.

Composition and ecological patterns of snake assemblages in an Amazon-Cerrado Transition Zone in Brazil

ABSTRACT The present study encompasses the species composition and ecological characteristics of the snake community in a Cerrado-Amazon transition zone in Midwest of Brazil (state of Mato Grosso). The data were collected during six excursions to the "Tanguro" (study area) by visual encounter survey, pitfall traps with drift fences and non-systematic sampling. We collected 194 specimens, distributed in 34 species, 26 genera, and eight families. The most abundant species were Crotalus durissus Linnaeus, 1758 (n = 50), Philodryas olfersii (Lichtenstein, 1823) (n = 15), Philodryas nattereri Steindachner, 1870 (n = 13), Xenodon rabdocephalus (Wied, 1824) (n = 12), Lachesis muta (Linnaeus, 1766) (n = 10) and Erythrolamprus almadensis (Wagler, 1824) (n = 10). The composition of species found here represents a combination of Cerrado and Amazonian savanna fauna.

Herpetofauna of protected areas in the Caatinga III: The Catimbau National Park, Pernambuco, Brazil

Despite the increase in herpetofaunal inventories in the Caatinga biome, information for many areas is still lacking and new surveys are required. We conducted a 30-day inventory of the herpetofauna of the Catimbau National Park, Pernambuco State, Brazil. Thirty-seven pitfall trap arrays composed of 4 buckets each, along with glue traps and active searches were used to sample local herpetofaunal diversity. We recorded 21 species of frogs, 25 lizards, 11 snakes, and 1 chelonian. All sampling methods contributed significantly to achieve the amphibian and reptile diversity recovered in the inventory. Rarefaction curves and richness estimators suggest that local biodiversity is still underestimated. We attempted to show the great potential of Catimbau National Park, characterized by the richest herpetofauna surveyed in a core region of the biome, along with the presence of endemic species such as the worm snake Amphisbaena supranumeraria and the limbless lizard Scriptosaura catimbau, underscoring the importance of the area for the conservation and maintenance of the Caatinga herpetofauna biodiversity.