Approximately 140 snake species are known to occur in the Atlantic Forest with nearly half being endemic to this ecoregion. However, the Atlantic forest is one of the most threatened tropical ecoregions, with only 16% of its original area remaining as forest. This extensive habitat loss must have had a negative effect on its snake fauna. Indeed, 53% of the threatened snakes of Brazil occur in the Atlantic forest. Therefore, basic natural history information that can potentially contribute to the conservation of Atlantic forest snakes are urgently needed. Here the natural history of a snake assemblage at Etá Farm region, Sete Barras municipality, south-eastern Brazil is described, and a visual guide and an identification key provided that can be used by researchers and local people to identify snakes from this region. Most of the species found in the field use both open areas and forests, are primarily terrestrial, present diurnal activity, and include frogs in their diet. A higher number of enlarged follicles, eggs, and/or embryos were recorded during the warm and rainy season. Seventeen different types of defensive tactics were recorded in the species found in the field. This study provides useful information for understanding the structure of snake assemblages of the Atlantic Forest and is potentially useful for conservation assessments and for designing conservation plans.

Crotalus durissus are found from Mexico to northern Argentina in a highly disjunct distribution. According to some studies, this species is prone to occupy areas disturbed by human activities and floods comprise a plausible method of dispersal as inferred for some North American rattlesnakes. Based on the literature, it seems plausible that Crotalus durissus expanded their natural distribution in Brazil due to floods, but only in a few municipalities in Rio de Janeiro State. Data entries of Butantan Institute, in São Paulo, Brazil, from 1998 to 2012 show a declining tendency of snakes brought by donors. In addition, research shows no evidence of Crotalus durissus being an expanding species in the Brazilian territory.

http://dx.doi.org/10.5007/2175-7925.2017v30n1p79A região Noroeste é a mais desmatada e com menor concentração de Unidades de Conservação do estado de São Paulo. Apesar dos avanços científicos recentes, ainda existem lacunas de conhecimento de herpetofauna. O presente estudo teve como objetivo fornecer informações sobre riqueza, abundância e uso do habitat dos répteis da Fazenda Cambuhy, que abrange os municípios de Matão, Nova Europa e Tabatinga. As amostragens ocorreram entre os anos de 2013 a 2015, utilizando-se quatro metodologias: armadilhas de interceptação e queda, procura visual limitada por tempo, procura em estradas e encontros ocasionais. Foram incluídos também os registros disponíveis em coleções científicas e na literatura. Foram registradas 46 espécies de répteis pertencentes aos grupos Squamata e Crocodylia. As espécies mais frequentes foram Salvator merianae (N = 55), espécie mais abundante em todos os ambientes amostrados, Notomabuya frenata (N = 14), amostrada somente nas florestas e Ameiva ameiva (N = 4), registrada nos ambientes antrópicos e florestais. A composição de espécies registrada reflete o posicionamento da área de estudo, apresentando a maioria das espécies associadas aos biomas Cerrado e Mata Atlântica. A riqueza de répteis da Fazenda Cambuhy representa 21% da riqueza de répteis do estado, sendo de grande significância para conservação da herpetofauna da região Noroeste do estado de São Paulo.