ISSN 1809-127X (online edition) © 2011 Check List and Authors Chec List Open Access | Freely available at www.checklist.org.br Journal of species lists and distribution Anuran species composition from Serra do Ouro Branco, PECIES S southernmost Espinhaço Mountain Range, state of Minas OF Gerais, Brazil ISTS L 1* and Renato Neves Feio 2 Vinícius de Avelar São-Pedro 2 1 Universidade Federal dedo Viçosa,Rio Grande Departamento do Norte, Departamento de Biologia Animal, de Botânica, Museu Ecologiade Zoologia e Zoologia, João Moojen. Laboratório Vila Gianetti de Anfíbios 32. CEP e Répteis.36570-000. Campus Viçosa, MG, BrUniazil.versitário, Lagoa Nova. CEP 59072-970. Natal, RN, Brazil. * Corresponding author. E-mail: [email protected] Abstract: between 2006 This and study 2007 provides and data for thefrom first sporadic time a detailedsurveys listconducted of anuran between species 2003from Serraand 2006. do Ouro We Branco, recorded southernmost 47 species, correspondingEspinhaço Mountain so far Range,to one stateof the of highest Minas frogGerais, richness southeastern known forBrazil. a single We present location data in Minas from monthlyGerais. We field recorded surveys typical made species from the Atlantic Forest (19) and Cerrado (6) morphoclimatic domains; species restricted to the Espinhaço Range (8); or opened areas in mountainous regions (4); and widely distributed species (10). The Serra do Ouro Branco corresponds to the southernmost record of six species, besides holding important populations of other species with restricted geographic distributions. The high richness of frog species and the actual threats to which species are subject make the adoption of conservation measures in the region an emergency action. Introduction et al. 2005; Leite et al. 2008; São-Pedro and Feio 2010). The Espinhaço Moutain Range extends from the Even with these previous data on anurans of the southern Serra do Ouro Branco (SOB), municipality of Ouro Espinhaço, further and more detailed studies in this Branco, state of Minas Gerais, to the Serra de Jacobina, region are necessary, because there are many species with municipality of Juazeiro, state of Bahia (Derby 1906). unknown conservation status, due to a lack of information It is a biologically important area, because it houses about their geographic distribution, biology and ecology. several types of vegetation within the morphoclimatic The mountainous regions of southeastern Brazil have domains of Caatinga, Atlantic Forest, and Cerrado, the last high rates of amphibian endemism, and therefore are two considered conservation hotspots due to their high priority areas for conservation and understanding local biological diversity and degree of threat (Mittermeier biogeographic patterns (Cruz and Feio 2007). Due to a et al. 2004). The dominant vegetation in the Espinhaço considerable part of its original landscape that remains preserved, the high endemic species richness and presence the Brazilian’s vegetation physiognomies with the highest of areas from three morphoclimatic domains (Caatinga, rateRange of areendemism, the rocky perhaps fields due(“campos to its relativerupestres”), geographic one of Cerrado and Atlantic Forest) the Espinhaço Range is one of isolation and special conditions of weather, soil, and relief the most important regions for biodiversity conservation (Giulietti and Pirani 1988). in Brazil (Leite et al. 2008). The knowledge of the anurofauna from the Espinhaço The region of the Espinhaço Range in the state of Minas Range is still poor and much of its territory lacks any study Gerais, where SOB is located, was declared a Biosphere (Leite et al. 2008). Information about species occurrence is Reserve (UNESCO 2005). Located in the Iron Quadrangle, mostly concentrated in the Serra do Cipó (eg. Bokermann and Sazima 1973a, b; Bokermann and Sazima 1978; vegetation, home to a potentially diverse and practically Eterovick and Sazima 2004) and in the Iron Quadrangle SOB still presents significant stretches of natural Special Importance for amphibian conservation in Minas (Afonso and Eterovick 2007; Canelas and Bertoluci 2007), Gerais,unknown and wildlife. the achievement The region of inventorieswas classified and as the an creation Area of municipalitiesregion (“Quadrilátero of Ouro Ferrífero”),Preto and Mariana,in the Serra (Pedralli do Caraça et al. of conservation units were recommended (Drummond et 2001) and in the Peti Environmental Reserve (Estação al. 2005). Recently, the SOB State Park (Parque Estadual Ambiental de Peti), municipality of São Gonçalo do Rio da Serra do Ouro Branco) and the Private Natural Heritage Abaixo (Bertoluci et al. 2009), all in the state of Minas Reserve Luiz Carlos Jurovsky Tamassia (Reserva Particular Gerais. Other areas in the Espinhaço Range have been do Patrimônio Natural Luiz Carlos Jurovsky Tamassia) studied, in north of Minas Gerais (Feio and Caramaschi were created in the region. 1995) and at the Chapada Diamantina, state of Bahia This paper presents a list of anuran species from SOB and discusses aspects of taxonomy, geographic distribution from Ouro Branco were partial lists of species (Nascimento and conservation status of some of them. (Juncá 2005). Until now, the only studies with amphibians Check List | Volume 7 | Issue 5 | 2011 671 São-Pedro and Feio | Anurans of Serra do Ouro Branco, Brazil Materials and Methods author since 2003), and Museu de Ciências Naturais, Study area The study was carried out in SOB (20°31’ S, 43°41’ AM) were used as well. W), located in municipality of Ouro Branco, Minas Gerais PontifíciaThe species Universidade listed here Católica are from de different Minas environmentsGerais (MCN- (Figure 1). With altitudinal range from 900 to 1600 m above sea level, the region is in the south end of the aquatic environments, located in SOB, Serra do Itatiaia Espinhaço Range, within a transitional area between the andsuch surroundings, as lakes, streams, all in the forests, municipality fields andof Ouro temporary Branco Cerrado and Atlantic Forest morphoclimatic domains, and part of the municipality of Ouro Preto. Within the 17 sample sites, we tried to cover the greatest variety of elevations. Despite the advance of mineral extraction and environments in areas presenting the different vegetation agriculturalpresenting rockyactivities fields in (“camposthe region, rupestres”) some fragments at higher of types and river basins in the region (Figure 2; Table 1). native vegetation in good condition can still be found. The climate is mesothermal (Köppen’s Cwb) with mean annual July 2006 to June 2007 are deposited in the herpetological rainfall of 1188.2 mm and average annual temperature of collectionsVoucher of specimens LZV/UFOP collected and the during Museu the de field Zoologia work fromJoão Moojen, Universidade Federal de Viçosa (MZUFV). Species River20.7°C. – Thea tributary springs ofthat the flow São eastward Francisco supply River the– which Doce provided by experts, and the comparison with material makesRiver, while the region those thatan important flow westward water feed recharge the Paraopeba area for alreadyidentification housed were in MCP-AM, based on MZUFV the literature, and Museu on Nacional, the aid those basins (Paula et al. 2005). Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (MNRJ). The systematic nomenclature used follows Faivovich et al. (2005), Frost et al. (2006), Chaparro et al. (2007), Hedges et al. (2008) and Guayasamin et al. (2009). Results and Discussion Fourty seven anuran species from 18 genera were found, belonging to 10 families: Brachycephalidae (3), Bufonidae (2), Centrolenidae (2), Craugastoridae (1), Cycloramphidae (2), Hylodidae (1), Hylidae (24), Leiuperidae (5), Leptodactylidae (6) and Microhylidae (1) (Table 2; Figures 3-5). Only Leptodactylus furnarius Sazima and Bokermann, 1978 was not observed by the authors housed in MCN-AM (see Appendix 1). during field work. Its inclusion is based on a specimen for the SOB region compared with the other three previous papersThe presentthat mention work reportsthe area 13 (Nascimento species for the et firstal. 2005, time Leite et al. 2008, São-Pedro and Feio 2010) which together recorded a total of 34 anuran species. These new records put SOB as one of the areas with the highest amphibian richness of the Espinhaço Range and in the state of Minas Gerais. Two other mountain regions of the state, Serra do Cipó and Serra do Caraça, both in the Espinhaço Range, are close SOB in anuran richness, each one with about 50 species. For Serra do Cipó, Eterovick and Sazima (2004) found 43 species of frogs; Leite et al. (2008) compiled the records of 44 species for the municipality of Santana do Riacho, at the same region; Nascimento et Figure 1. Geographic position of Serra do Ouro Branco (triangle), located al. (2005) recorded 49 species in a survey covering three in the south end of Espinhaço Range, southeastern Brazil. States: ES – municipalities in this region (Jaboticatubas [Santana do J. Santana. Espírito Santo; MG – Minas Gerais and RJ – Rio de Janeiro. Map by Diego. With regard to Serra do Caraça, Canelas and Bertoluci Data collection (2007)Riacho]), reported Itambé 43 do species Mato inDentro the Private and MorroNatural do Heritage Pilar). Field work was conducted monthly, with three nights of observation and collection of specimens (collection permit #231/06, process 02015.003338/06-83, provided presentsReserve Santuário41 species doat Caraçathe municipality (Reserva ofParticular Catas Altas do by IBAMA) between July 2006 and June 2007,