Atlantic Rainforest herpetofauna of Ilha Anchieta, an island on municipality of Ubatuba, southeastern Brazil

Abstract

The aim of this work was to study of herpetofaunal diversity patterns in Parque Estadual da Ilha Anchieta, municipality of Ubatuba, located on the northern coast of São Paulo state, focusing: diversity, distribution and seasonal activity patterns. Data was obtained monthly from July 2005 to June 2006, in a total of 55 fieldwork days. Four sampling methods were used: visual surveys, pitfall traps, funnel traps and local collectors. Visual surveys and pitfall traps were more successful than other methods, which were complementary. A total of 17 anuran amphibians and eight reptile species were recorded. As in most studies in tropical areas, local herpetofauna presented a relatively low evenness, and differred from other communities by showing higher number of common species in relation to the rare ones. Anuran richness was higher in the closed physiognomies (deciduous and non-deciduous broadleaf forest), while reptiles richness was more representative in the anthropic field (open physiognomy). Correlation analyses showed that amphibian richness was not significantly associated with environmental parameters and reptile richness was significantly associated to temperature means. Our results demonstrate the importance of conservation of this island within the protected area of Parque Estadual da Ilha Anchieta.