Herpetofauna of Matas de Água Azul, an Atlantic Forest remnant in Serra do Mascarenhas, Pernambuco state, Brazil

Abstract

The northern most portion of Atlantic Forest is currently considered as the most vulnerable and threatened in this ecoregion, while also harboring the ecoregion’s least studied biota. Herein we present results of a herpetofaunistic survey in Refúgio de Vida Silvestre (Wildlife Refuge) Matas de Água Azul (RVSMAA), in the mountain range Serra do Mascarenhas, northeastern state of Pernambuco, Brazil, one of the largest forest remnants in the northern Atlantic Forest. The sampling was carried out in four expeditions using methods of visual searching and pitfall traps. A total of 43 species of amphibians and 40 species of reptiles were registered, including anurans, caecilians, lizards, snakes and chelonians. The richness recorded represented 56% of amphibians and 20% of reptiles registered in the Atlantic Forest north of the São Francisco River. The RVSMAA holds a high diversity of amphibians and reptiles, representing one of the highest levels of richness in the northern Atlantic Forest. The record of seven species included in some of the threatened species lists reinforces the importance of the area for the conservation of the Atlantic Forest herpetofauna and adds relevant information to our knowledge of northern Atlantic Forest biodiversity and aids in its assessment of conservation.

A refuge between houses and buildings: reptiles in a peri-urban Atlantic Forest fragment in northeastern Brazil

“…published reptile lists exist for this region (Santana et al 2008, Roberto et al 2015, Roberto et al 2017, Mesquita et al 2018, Melo et al 2018, Barbosa et al 2019, Filho et al 2020, Lima et al 2021, Oliveira et al 2021, Dubeux et al 2022. Even so, approximately 180 species of reptiles are currently reported from the northern Atlantic Forest, representing about 60% of the total reptile diversity documented in this hotspot (Costa and Bérnils 2018).…”