Anuran assemblage in the Cerrado of Niquelândia, Goiás State, Brazil: diversity, local distribution and seasonality

Abstract

The Cerrado is one of the largest phytogeographic domains of South America, being the second largest Brazilian phytogeographic domain and one of the 34 most endangered regions on the planet. In this study, the spatio-temporal distribution of frogs were studied between October 2005 and August 2006 in three Cerrado areas of Niquelândia, Goiás State, central Brazil. Twenty-nine anuran species were recorded, belonging to eight families: Bufonidae (one species), Cyclorhamphidae (three species), Dendrobatidae (one species), Hylidae (ten species), Leiuperidae (one species), Leptodactylidae (nine species), Microhylidae (two species) and Strabomantidae (two species). Areas 1 and 2 showed the greatest richness, with 21 and 18 species respectively. However, greater diversity was found in Area 2 which showed high evenness. Among breeding sites, those that hold water throughout the year favored the occurrence of species with intermediate and prolonged reproductive activity, which contributed for an increase in the species richness in these sites. The temporal distribution of species was influenced by rainfall and temperature, with males of most species (86%) vocalizing in the rainy season. Physalaemus cuvieri used six of the 14 sites studied for reproduction, and is considered a generalist species. However, Hypsiboas lundii, Barycholos ternetzi, Leptodactylus gr. marmoratus, Leptodactylus cf. martinezi and Ameerega flavopicta have limitations imposed by specific reproductive modes, being restricted to localized habitats.