Herpetology Notes, volume 12: 813-814 (2019) (published online on 04 August 2019)

Observations on nest-site selection of acutirostris Spix, 1825 (: ), in the Brazilian Cerrado

Alison M. Gainsbury1,*

The Polychrus Cuvier, 1817 consists of eight On October 19, 2009 at 11:40 a.m., a female oviposited species that range from Nicaragua to , (Fig. 1A) in the cerrado sensu stricto habitat within occupying both sides of the Andes (Avila-Pires, 1995). the Floresta Nacional de Brasília (15°45’ S, 48°4’ W). The genus comprises the following species: Polychrus She laid her eggs at a location clear of vegetation with acutirostris Spix, 1825; P. auduboni Hallowell, 1845; P. latosoil subjected to direct sunlight. There was no femoralis Werner, 1910; P. gutturosus Berthold, 1846; P. jacquelinae Koch et al., 2011; P. liogaster Boulenger, 1908; P. marmoratus (Linnaeus, 1758); and P. peruvianus (Noble, 924) (Uetz et al., 2019). Spix, 1825 is the only species distributed across the savanna-like regions, with the other species of the genus located in forests (Vitt and Lacher, 1981). P. acutirostris occurs from northeastern , Paraguay, Argentina, to eastern Bolivia across the Chaco, Caatinga and Cerrado biomes (Garda et al., 2012). This species is diurnal and arboreal, with oviposition occurring on the ground (Vitt and Lacher, 1981). A total of five individuals were sampled in the Cerrado during nine months of fieldwork across three sites (Gainsbury and Colli, 2014); thus, observations of nest-site selection in situ is rare for P. acutirostris. The Brazilian Cerrado is the second largest biome in South America and is recognized as a biodiversity hotspot (Myers et al., 2000). This biome has endured large-scale human disturbance with approximately 55% of the original vegetation destroyed and researchers hypothesize there should be no natural Cerrado areas left by 2030 if the current rate of disturbance is not reversed (Machado et al., 2004). Cerrado comprises a mosaic of vegetation physiognomies with the cerrado sensu stricto being the most widespread physiognomy (Ribeiro et al., 1981).

1 Department of Biological Sciences, University of South Figure 1. (A) Polychrus acutirostris nest-site selection in the Florida St. Petersburg, St. Petersburg, Florida 33701, USA. Brazilian Cerrado in situ and (B) P. acutirostris clutch in the * Corresponding author. E-mail: [email protected] Brazilian Cerrado in situ. 814 Alison M. Gainsbury shade from nearby shrubs. There were 5 exposed eggs, References but there could be more given the female was in the act Ávila-Pires, T.C.S. (1995): of Brazilian Amazonia (Reptilia: of burying her eggs (Fig. 1B). In the Cerrado biome, Squamata). Zoologische Verhandelingen, Leiden 299: 1–706. Polychrus acutirostris are reproductive from August to Gainsbury, A.M., Colli, G.R. (2014): Effects of abandoned February, with a peak in November. Clutch size ranges Eucalyptus plantations on communities in the Brazilian from 6 to 19 eggs and females have a single clutch per Cerrado. Biodiversity and Conservation 23: 3155–3170. reproductive season. Clutch size is related to female Garda, A.A., Costa, G.C., França, F.G., Giugliano, L.G., Leite, G.S., Mesquita, D.O., Nogueira, C., Tavares-Bastos, L., Vasconcellos, snout vent length, with larger females having larger M.M., Vieira, G.H., Vitt, L.J. (2012): Reproduction, body size, clutch sizes. The eggs were laid during the wet season, and diet of Polychrus acutirostris (Squamata: Polychrotidae) thereby providing support that oviposition timing is in two contrasting environments in Brazil. Journal of associated to seasonal rainfall (Garda et al., 2012). Herpetology 46: 2–8. This is the first documentation of Polychrus acutirostris Machado, R.B., Ramos Neto, M.B., Pereira, P., Caldas, E., oviposition in the Brazilian Cerrado in situ. This record Goncalves, D., Santos, N., Tabor, K., Steininger, M. (2004): is crucial to improve our understanding of which fine Estimativas de perda da area do Cerrado brasileiro. Conservation International do Brasil. Brasılia, Brasil. scale habitat features are important for this species Myers, N., Mittermeier, R.A., Mittermeier, C.G., da Fonseca, reproduction. Further research is needed to identify if G.A.B., Kent, J. (2000): Biodiversity hotspots for conservation this species is a generalist or specialist when it comes to priorities. Nature 403: 853–858. nest- site selection. Ribeiro, J.F., Sano, S.M., da Silva, J.A. (1981): Chave preliminar de identificação dos tipos fisionomicas da vegetação do Acknowledgments. I am grateful to the members of the Coleção Cerrado. XXXII Congresso Nacional de Botanica pp. 124–133. Herpetologica da UnB (CHUNB) for their assistance in the field, Sociedade Botanica do Brasil, Teresina, Brasil. I am especially thankful to Almir de Paula and Ana Carolina Uetz, P., Freed, P., Hosek, J. (2019): Polychrus. The Ramalho. I also thank Instituto Chico Mendes de Conservação Database. Available at: http://www.reptile-database.org. da Biodiversidade for the permit (17774-3) and the Integrative Accessed on 17 June 2019. Biology Graduate Program for funding in the form of graduate Vitt, L.J., Lacher Jr, T.E. (1981): Behavior, habitat, diet, and TA-ships from the School of Biological Science at UT Austin. reproduction of the iguanid lizard Polychrus acutirostris in the caatinga of northeastern Brazil. Herpetologica: 53–63.

Accepted by Robson Ávila