Endemic and threatened tetrapods in the restingas of the biodiversity corridors of Serra do Mar and of the central da Mata Atlântica in Eastern Brazil

Abstract

Biodiversity corridors comprise a mosaic of land uses connecting fragments of natural forest across a landscape. Two such corridors have been established along the eastern coast of Brazil: the Serra do Mar and the Central da Mata Atlântica corridors, along which most of the coastal plains are restinga areas. In this study, we analyze the present status of the endemic and endangered terrestrial vertebrates of both corridors. We sampled 10 restingas in both corridors, recording species of amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals. Some restingas harbor a relatively large number of endemic species,and two main regions of endemism can be identified along the restingas of both corridors: the coastal restingas from northern Espirito Santo State to southern Bahia State (between Linhares, ES, and Tarancoso, BA), and the coastal region between the restingas of Maricá and Jurubatiba, Rio de Janeiro State. Six species of terrestrial vertebrates considered threatened with extinction are found in the restingas of Serra do Mar and Central da Mata Atlântica biodiversity corridors (Liolaemus lutzae, Formicivora littoralis, Mimus gilvus, Schistochlamys melanopis, and Trinomys eliasi). The region located between the restinga of Maricá and that of Jurubatiba is of special relevance for the conservation of vertebrate species of the restingas of the corridors because a considerable number of threatened species of terrestrial vertebrates are found there. We strongly recommend efforts to develop checklists of threatened faunas for the States of Espirito Santo and Bahia.

Potential distribution of the endangered endemic lizard Liolaemus lutzae Mertens, 1938 (Liolaemidae): are there other suitable areas for a geographically restricted species?

“…However, only three species, all of them sand-dwellings (Etheridge, 2000), are presently known to occur in Brazil: L. arambarensis Verrastro, Veronese, Bujes and Dias-Filho, 2003 and L. occipitalis Boulenger, 1885, both from coastal sandy habitats from southern Brazil, and Liolaemus lutzae Mertens, 1938, endemic to the restinga habitats of Rio de Janeiro State, southeastern Brazil (Rocha et al, 2005). Liolaemus lutzae is a small sand-dwelling lizard (51-80 mm snout-vent length when adult; Rocha, 1992).…”

Revision of the Neotropical trahiras of the Hoplias lacerdae species-group (Ostariophysi: Characiformes: Erythrinidae) with descriptions of two new species

“…Pellegrino et al (2005) proposed that the origin of rio Doce, together with the formation of current rio São Francisco, were responsible for isolating this region. The area from southern coastal Bahia to the northern portion of Espírito Santo is inhabited by many endemic taxa, and is considered a "hotspot" of biodiversity (Bizerril, 1994;Chomitz et al, 2005;Galindo-Leal & Câmara, 2005;Rocha et al, 2005). Examples of endemic fishes from that region can be found in the studies of Menezes (1988), Weitzman et al (1988) Zanata & Camelier (2009), among others.…”

New records of the restinga antwren Formicivora littoralis Gonzaga and Pacheco (Aves, Thamnophilidae) in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: inland extended range and threats

“…), and was recorded by us during the present study. Among other bird species found in the local restingas, the Black-backed Tanager Tangara peruviana (Dermarest) is considered globally vulnerable (IUCN, 2004) and occupies the region in the winter, and the Tropical Mockingbird Mimus gilvus (Vieillot), whose subspecies Mimus gilvus antelius is exclusive to restingas in the state of Rio de Janeiro (Rocha et al, 2005), is regionally endangered (Alves et al, 2000).…”