Reptiles in fragments of Cerrado and Atlantic Forest at the Campo das Vertentes, Minas Gerais State, Southeastern Brazil

Abstract

Data on reptile fauna in the state of Minas Gerais are punctual and show the need of information about this group, mainly in transition regions between the Atlantic Forest and the Cerrado. The study area is located in Ritápolis municipality (21° 01' 37.07" S and 44° 19' 11.84" W), micro-region Campo das Vertentes, State of Minas Gerais, Southeastern Brazil. The aim of this study was to study the composition of the local reptile fauna. The observations, captures and collections were performed every two weeks, during two consecutive days, from August 2005 to July 2006. The captures were made using pitfall traps with drift fences, divided in eight sites: four in the gallery forest area and four in open areas, totalizing 6.912 hours-bucket of sampling effort. We also performed active captures, used photographs to register occasional encounters and in some cases we also obtained snake specimens that were delivered by local people when found dead. We recorded a total of 31 reptile species, two turtle species; nine lizards; two amphisbaenians and 18 snakes. Only the lizards Cercosaura ocellata, Enyalius bilineatus and Tupinambis merianae and the snakes Leptodeira annulata and Apostolepis assimilis were captured by pitfall traps. The most common lizards were Ameiva ameiva and Mabuya frenata and the most abundant snakes were Oxyrhophus guibei and Sibynomorphus mikanii. Lizards are very well represented in the area, with species typical of the forest, as Enyalius bilineatus, and from Cerrado open areas, as Ameiva ameiva and Mabuya frenata. The snake assemblage contains species typical of Cerrado open areas (e. g. O. guibei and Micrurus frontalis), and of forests, as Liophis poecilogyrus and Philodryas olfersii. The diversity of reptile species and the previous record of Amphisbaena dubia and Hydromedusa tectifera in the state of Minas Gerais indicate the great potential of the Campo das Vertentes to reveal the occurrence of new species or to extend the distribution of other species.