Herpetology Notes, volume 14: 609-612 (2021) (published online on 29 March 2021)

Brazilian Radiolated Swamp Acanthochelys radiolata (Mikan, 1820) in rivers of the Atlantic Forest of southern Bahia, Brazil

Alexandre Schiavetti1,2,*, Tâmara Saloes Batista3, Everton Sousa Ferreira3, and Mirco Solé4,5

The Brazilian Radiolated Swamp Turtle (Acanthochelys conducted on the congeneric , such as home radiolata) is distributed in a narrow coastal strip between range, , natural history, reproductive and the states of Alagoas and Rio de Janeiro (Garbin et al., feeding behaviour of Black Spine-neck Swamp Turtle 2016). This species is described as carnivorous, although (A. spixii) (Molina, 1998; Bujes, 2008; Fraxe-Neto et it is known to eat plants in captivity (Ernst and Barbour, al., 2011); description of the biological characteristics of 1989). It is further described as having a preference for Big-headed Pantanal Swamp Turtle (A. macrocephala) lentic habitats (Bonin et al., 2006). Studies have recorded (Ferronato and Molina, 2009); and the distribution, the species in large coastal lakes, bogs, puddles, and on population records and ecology of Chaco Side-necked steep and heterogeneous land surfaces when moving to Turtle (A. pallidipectoris) (Vinke and Vinke, 2016). mate and uneven terrain with plenty of plant cover when The Brazilian Radiolated Swamp Turtle has not been spawning (Ernst and Barbour, 1989; Molina, 1992; assessed in the Brazilian Red List of threatened fauna Molina et al., 2016). The shell colour of A. radiolata is (Vogt et al, 2015), but it is classified as Near Threatened highly variable , with a wide range of variants and dark (IUCN, 1996). In this study, we expand the records to morphs (Garbin et al., 2016). lotic environments of the Atlantic Forest, along river Studies on the reproductive biology of A. radiolata Tijuípe and Burundanga, in the so-called population in captivity have shown that mating occurs between of the North-eastern Atlantic Forest (Abell et al., November and March. Clutches consist of two to four 2008; Garbin et al., 2016). The headwaters of both eggs (Mocelin et al., 2008), laid in nests dug near tree rivers are located in the Serra do Conduru State Park roots and covered by leaves. (PESC, IUCN category II) and their middle and low This species is the least studied among the four basins cross the Environmental Protection Area of the species of Acanthochelys. A range of studies have been Itacaré-Serra Grande Coast (APA Itacaré-Serra Grande, IUCN category V) from southwest to northeast, in southern Bahia, Brazil. These two lotic systems have characteristics of low order (fourth order) basin streams, 1 Laboratório de Etnoconservação e Áreas Protegidas, with an average main channel slope between source and Departamento de Ciências Agrárias e Ambientais, mouth of 15 m (Meliani, 2006; Spanghero et al., 2015). Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz, Rodovia Jorge Amado, Samples were collected in two stages. In the first km 16, 45662-900 Ilhéus, Bahia, Brazil. 2 Investigador Associado CESIMAR/CENPAT, Bv. Almirante stage, sampling occurred between January–April 2015, Brown 2915, Puerto Madryn, Chubut, Argentina. with four repetitions in each of the four sites, in three 3 Laboratório de Etnoconservação e Áreas Protegidas, days. In the second stage, sampling occurred between Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz, Rodovia Jorge Amado, August and November 2015, also with four repetitions km 16, 45662-900 Ilhéus, Bahia, Brazil. per point, in three days too. All points were located in 4 Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Estadual springs, within the lotic environment. de Santa Cruz, Rodovia Jorge Amado, km 16, 45662-900 Ilhéus, Bahia, Brazil. Individuals were captured either actively through use 5 Herpetology Section, Zoologisches Forschungsmuseum of dip nets or passively through use of funnel traps. The Alexander Koenig, Adenauerallee 160, 53113 Bonn, dip nets were dragged for approximately 20 m along Germany. each shore of the watercourses. Ten funnel traps were * Corresponding author. E-mail: [email protected] partially filled with canned fish and positioned at the © 2021 by Herpetology Notes. Open Access by CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. collection points for 48 hours, with maintenance and 610 Alexandre Schiavetti ����l. supervision during this time. The funnel traps were (2010). The individuals were also weighed using a positioned to allow breathing of the captured individuals digital scale (accuracy of 0.5 g). and checked every six hours. Sex was determined from the description of secondary The three selected as specimens, one male, characteristics for adult individuals, such as tail length one female and one juvenile, to be included in the and width, plastron pigmentation and presence or herpetological collection were euthanised with an absence of cavity in the plastron (Bujes, 2008). When injection of 2.5 mL of the anaesthetic Lidocaine, as an individual did not exhibit any difference in these prescribed in the authorisation protocol, fixed in 10% characteristics or when these characteristics could not formalin, recorded and deposited in the herpetological be determined, it was considered juvenile. Age was collection of the Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz established, according to Gibbons (1987), by counting (UESC). For taxonomic identification Ernst and Barbour the number of rings on the carapacial scutes, although (1989) and Pritchard (1984) were used. age may not be successfully determined after ten years In all, 19 individuals were recorded. Of these of age since the rings tend to overlap. After collection, individuals, 17 were recaptured, and one of these twelve age classes were selected for this work, with a individuals was recaptured three times (Fig. 1, sample variation of one year between classes. For the last class, of specimens). For each individual, total length, sex, the highest limit is not established. For the checking of and estimated age were recorded. The collected the counting, it was carried out by two researchers and, were measured using a 20 cm long ruler for individuals in case of doubt on the number of rings, the specimen of over 15 cm (accuracy of 0.1 mm) and a calliper had its carapacial scutes photographed and the counting (accuracy of 0.05 mm) for specimen of 15 cm or less. was carried out by an external professional. Total length (TL) was measured from muzzle to tip At each collection point, the flow rate and depth of the of the tail, as proposed by Molina (1998) and Bossle site were measured. Logistic regression was performed

Figure 1. Captured specimens of Acanthochelys radiolata. Photos by Tâmara Saloes. Brazilian Radiolated Swamp Turtle in southern Bahia, Brazil 611 to demonstrate which of the two environmental variables References was most associated with the presence and density of Abell, R., Thieme, M.L. Revenga, C., Bryer, M., Kottelat, M., the species at the sampled points. Bogutskaya, N. (2008): Freshwater Ecoregions of the World: A The analysis of variance applied to the data showed New Map of Biogeographic Units for Freshwater Biodiversity that the 19 adult male and female individuals with Conservation, BioScience 58(5): 403–414. recorded biometric measurements were statistically Bonin, F., Devaux, B., Dupré, A. (2006): Turtles of the Worlds. equal in weight (273.56 g, mean value - MV), total body Baltimore, USA, Johns Hopkins University Press. Bossle, C.M.B. (2010): Caracterização demográfica de tartaruga length (21.2 cm, MV) and age (5.7 years, MV), (p = tigre-d’água dorbigini (Testudines, Emydidade) em 0.6). The 19 individuals were distributed in 9 of the 12 um ambiente urbano de Porto Alegre, RS, Brasil. Unpublished age classes, as follows: class 1 (1 specimen); class 2 (2); Ph.D. thesis, UNISINOS, São Leopoldo, Brasil. class 3 (1); class 5 (5); class 6 (3); class 7 (1); class 9 Bujes, C.S. (2008): Biologia e conservação de quelônios no Delta (2); class 10 (1); class 12 (1) and 2 juveniles without the do Rio Jacuí RS: Aspectos da história natural de espécies em rings that allow estimates, thus showing a population ambientes alterados pelo homem. Unpublished Ph.D. thesis, with recruitment and long-lived adult individuals. UFRGS, Porto Alegre, Brasil. Ernst, C.H., Barbour, R.W. (1989): Turtles of the world. Washington, We demonstrate that A. radiolata occupies lotic USA, Smithsonian Institution Press. 3 environments with different flow rates (0.3 to 1.1 m / Ferronato, B.O, Molina, F.B. (2009): Reptilia, Testudines, s), thus expanding the documented environments in , Acanthochelys macrocephala: distribution extension, which the species is known to occur. Depth was also geographic distribution map, and hatchling morphology. Check not correlated with the presence (p = 0.91) or density List 5(3):717–722. (p > 0.05). Fraxe Neto, H.J., Brasil, M.A., de Freitas Horta, G., Barros, T.O., The likelihood of the species being present in Falcon, G.B., Colli, G.R. (2011): Demography of Acanthochelys spixii (Testudines, Chelidae) in the Brazilian Cerrado. Chelonian different aquatic systems of the Atlantic Forest could Conservation and Biology 10(1): 82–90. depend on other factors, such as a structured food Garbin, R.C., Karlguth, D.T., Fernandes, D.S., Pinto, R.R. (2016): chain or the presence of riparian plant cover. Since A. Morphological variation in the Brazilian Radiated Swamp turtle radiolata is a near threatened species and due to the Acanthochelys radiolata (Mikan, 1820) (Testudines: Chelidae). limited field data available, the expansion of habitat Zootaxa 4105(1): 45–64. occurrence knowledge, such as rivers of low order Gibbons, J.W. (1987): Why do turtles live so long?. BioScience basins, both expands the distribution and helps establish 37(4): 262–269. Kuhlmann, M.L., Imbimbo, H.R.V., Ogura, L.L., Villani, J.P., the population potential of this species in previously Starzynski, R., Robim, M.J. (2014): Effects of human activities sampled and unsampled regions. We expect the species on rivers located in protected areas of the Atlantic Forest. Acta to be included in the next review of threatened species in Limnologica Brasiliensia 26(1): 60–72. Brazil, as the rivers and streams of the Brazilian Atlantic Martini, A.M.Z., Fiaschi, P., Amorim, A.M., Paixão, J.L. (2007): Forest are being directly affected by human activities A hot-point within a hot-spot: A high diversity site in Brazil’s (Kuhlmann et al., 2014; Siegloch et al., 2017). For the Atlantic Forest. Biodiversity and Conservation 16: 3111–3128. south of Bahia, its occurrence in two protected areas Meliani, P.F. (2006): Mapeamento da rede hidrográfica e análise dos parâmetros da densidade de drenagem aplicados ao estudo (categories II and V) ensures its survival in this region, ambiental: o caso da bacia do rio Jeribucassu, Itacaré, Bahia. considered a hotspot of diversity within a global hotspot Geografia 31: 119–146. (Martini et al., 2007), still with minimally altered lotic Mocelin, M.A., Fernandes, R., Porto, M., Fernandes, D.S. 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Accepted by Eric Munscher