The ecological domain of the Atlantic Forest holds a remarkable diversity of anurans with a great degree of endemism, most of which are distributed in high altitude areas, mostly represented by the mountains along the Mantiqueira Complex and Serra do Mar. Despite its biological importance, the region still shows a gap of sampling concerning the amphibians. Thus, we present the first systematic survey of the anuran fauna from Área de Proteção Ambiental Boqueirão da Mira (APABM), in the region of Zona da Mata, Minas Gerais state, Brazil. Two fieldwork expeditions were performed where fifteen sample points were inventoried through active night search and day audiovisual survey in breeding and foraging sites. The anuran fauna of the APABM presented 43 species distributed in 12 families, with the Hylidae family being the richest (17 species). Besides, four species had their distribution increased due to our findings (Hylodes perere, Physalaemus rupestris, Bokermannohyla ibitipoca and Ololygon cosenzai), all of them as endemic to the Mantiqueira Complex. This study revealed that the APABM has a great diversity of anuran species, more representative than adjacent regions such as the Parque Estadual Ibitipoca and close to the richness presented for the Parque Estadual Serra Negra da Mantiqueira. This work demonstrates the great importance of the APABM for conservation, highlighting it as an area of high diversity of the regional anuran species.
The Brazilian Cerrado and Atlantic Forest shelter an especially rich herpetofauna and experience strong anthropogenic disturbances, which is also true for the western portion of Minas Gerais State. Herein, we present a list of the herpetofauna from the Triângulo Mineiro region in Minas Gerais State, southeastern Brazil. From 2012 to 2016, we sampled 28 localities along 23 municipalities in the region, using three sampling methods: active search, pitfall traps, and opportunistic records. We recorded 79 species, 44 amphibians and 35 reptiles. Three species (Bokermannohylasazimai, Ololygoncanastrensis, and Pithecopusazureus) are classified as “data deficient” (DD) according to the IUCN. One species (Proceratophrysmoratoi) is classified as “critically endangered” (CR) according to the IUCN Red List, and “endangered” (EN) according to the national red list. However, we suggest listing P.moratoi in the “least concern” category. We also present the first record of Dendropsophuselianeae in Minas Gerais State, and distribution map of the species. Furthermore, we elucidate the composition of the herpetofauna in the Triângulo Mineiro region and contribute to future conservation plans for the region and the species.
Among populations of the same species, the diet composition varies depending on the environment, given the variation in diversity and abundance of available prey. Since Thoropa miliaris is a habitat specialist in reproduction, we tested the hypothesis that this specialization is also verified in its diet. We carried out the work in 10 localities in Serra do Mar and Serra da Mantiqueira, south‐eastern Brazil, where we collected frogs and evaluated prey availability. The environment did not provide significant variation in the diet of T. miliaris, and Formicidae was the prey category selectively consumed in greater volume, frequency and abundance in both mountain ranges. Therefore, we can state that T. miliaris has a selective diet on ants.
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