The herpetofauna of priority highland areas for conservation of the Caatinga in the state of Rio Grande do Norte, northeastern Brazil

Authors

  • Eliza Maria Xavier Freire Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Centro de Biociências, Departamento de Botânica e Zoologia, Laboratório de Herpetologia https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9486-6347
  • Miguel Fernandes Kolodiuk Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Centro de Biociências, Departamento de Botânica e Zoologia, Laboratório de Herpetologia
  • Melissa Gogliath Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Centro de Biociências, Departamento de Botânica e Zoologia, Laboratório de Herpetologia
  • Marcelo Nogueira de Carvalho Kokubum Universidade Federal de Campina Grande, Centro de Saúde e Tecnologia Rural
  • Bruno de Paiva Rêgo Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Centro de Biociências, Departamento de Botânica e Zoologia, Laboratório de Herpetologia https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1380-8271
  • Matheus Meira Ribeiro Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Centro de Biociências, Departamento de Botânica e Zoologia, Laboratório de Herpetologia
  • Maria Jaqueline Monte de Andrade Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Centro de Biociências, Departamento de Botânica e Zoologia, Laboratório de Herpetologia
  • Vinicius Thawaan Cerqueira Silva Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Centro de Biociências, Departamento de Botânica e Zoologia, Laboratório de Herpetologia https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8264-8764
  • Raul Fernandes Dantas Sales Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Centro de Biociências, Departamento de Botânica e Zoologia, Laboratório de Herpetologia https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6546-8956

Abstract

Abstract The Brazilian Caatinga has already lost extensive areas of original vegetation, thus it becomes imperative to perform fauna inventories within this region to fill geographical sampling gaps. Herein, we present a taxonomic list of the herpetofauna of a mountain chain located in the central zone of Rio Grande do Norte (RN) state whose region includes two priority areas for conservation of the Caatinga: “CA087 – Serra de Santana” in the west, and “CA078 – Nascente do Potengi” in the east. The sampling was carried out using methods of visual searching, pitfall traps with drift fences, specimens rescued during vegetation suppression activities in wind energy projects, occasional encounters, and third-party records. We recorded 19 amphibian species and 53 reptile species (23 lizards, 24 snakes, five amphisbaenians and one chelonian). About half of the recorded species have distributions entirely or mostly in the Caatinga. The mountain range sampled in this study harbors virtually all species found in nearby lowlands of the “sertaneja” depression of RN state, plus some relevant species with relictual distributions in the Caatinga, highlighting the importance of these highland areas for conservation of the Caatinga herpetofauna.

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Published

2023-01-01

How to Cite

Freire, E. M. X., Kolodiuk, M. F., Gogliath, M., Kokubum, M. N. de C., Rêgo, B. de P., Ribeiro, M. M., Andrade, M. J. M. de, Silva, V. T. C., & Sales, R. F. D. (2023). The herpetofauna of priority highland areas for conservation of the Caatinga in the state of Rio Grande do Norte, northeastern Brazil. Biota Neotropica, 23(1). Retrieved from //www.biotaneotropica.org.br/BN/article/view/1980

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