Amphibians and reptiles from a highly diverse area of the Caatinga domain: composition and conservation implications

Abstract

We surveyed the herpetofauna from the Complex of Planalto da Ibiapaba (CPI), CE, Brazil, during two years, using five sampling methods and information available in the literature. The amphibians are represented by 38 species distributed into nine families. The reptiles found summed 84 species, distributed into 25 families. Most amphibians collected exhibited wide occurrence along CPI, where we recorded 24 species (63.2%), which occurred at least in 60% of the sampled environments. Reptiles showed a different pattern, since 52 species (62.6%) had a restricted distribution (up to two environments). Sixteen species out of 25 considered as rare in CPI are restricted to relict moist forests. We also applied a rarity-vulnerability index to determine the most susceptible species. Pristimantis sp., Adelophryne baturitensis Hoogmoed, Borges, and Cascon, 1994, Pseudopaludicola sp. (aff. saltica), Scinax fuscomarginatus (A. Lutz, 1925), and Odontophrynus carvalhoi Savage & Cei, 1965 were the most vulnerable amphibians in CPI. Reptiles showed a more diverse range in the scale of rarity with 40 species considered vulnerable. Among the vulnerable reptiles Leposoma baturitensis Rodrigues & Borges, 1997, Bothrops sp. (gr. atrox), Atractus ronnie Passos, Fernandes & Borges-Nojosa, 2007, Apostolepis sp. (gr. pimy), and Mesoclemmys perplexa Bour & Zaher, 2005 were the rarest species found in the whole complex of Ibiapaba mountain range. Results indicate that about 70% of the species found in Ceará are present in this complex. Also, CPI is the area of the Caatinga biome with the highest species richness, including rare and threatened species.