Amphibians and reptiles of the Serra da Bodoquena National Park, Mato Grosso do Sul, central Brazil

Abstract

The State of Mato Grosso do Sul, central Brazil, is located in the center of the broad South American open-dry diagonal areas. This region harbors a great diversity of amphibians and reptiles, with some endemic species. Despite such biogeographical scenario, biodiversity of this region is poorly known at local scales. Dry forests are important physiognomies in Mato Grosso do Sul and represent an important landscape element at Serra da Bodoquena, resulting in local characteristics that require biodiversity surveys. There are few and punctual information on the herpetofauna from the Serra da Bodoquena National Park and they suggest a similarity with the Cerrado herpetofauna. The present study represents the first record of the herpetofauna from the Serra da Bodoquena National Park and adjacent areas. Samples were conducted in pristine and disturbed areas in two distinct climatic periods, covering both rainy and dry seasons, by means of active search limited by time as well as opportunistic records. Data on the herpetofauna of the Caatinga, Cerrado, and Chaco biomes were compiled and compared with the species sampled in the present study. We registered 63 species, including 38 amphibians and 25 reptiles. Several species were associated to particular habitats, such as gallery forests or rocky outcrops. The herpetofauna from the Serra da Bodoquena National Park showed a greater similarity with that of the Cerrado, probably because the area is inserted in this biome. Considering the habitat diversity found at Serra da Bodoquena, the number of species must increase with other surveys in the area. Natural history and ecological studies on amphibian and reptiles of the Serra da Bodoquena must be encouraged in order to contribute for the National Park management.