Herpetology Notes, volume 12: 591-602 (2019) (published online on 11 June 2019) Herpetofauna of three “Brejos de Altitude” in the interior of the state of Pernambuco, northeastern Brazil Marco Antonio de Freitas1,*, Arthur Diesel Abegg2,5, Daniel da Silva Araújo3, Hugo Estevam de Almeida Coelho4, Weverton dos Santos Azevedo5, Márcio Frazão Chaves6, Conrado Mario da Rosa7, and Geraldo Jorge Barbosa de Moura8 Abstract. “Brejos de altitude” are ecoregions found at high altitudes, generally over 600 meters above sea level, located in both mountainous and plateau regions distributed throughout the Brazilian Northeast. These relict altitudinal forests display unique biotic evolutionary characteristics mainly due to the geological time they have spent in isolation, serving as “islands” for biological specialization, with many registered endemic species (six species of amphibians and 22 reptiles of the northeast region). Studies providing basic herpetofauna data are important to understand the structure and composition of these communities. In this context, the present study aimed to compile an inventory of the herpetofauna of three brejos de altitude in the state of Pernambuco, Northeastern Brazil. A total of 82 species were recorded in all three study areas, 30 amphibians (two orders, eight families and 15 genera) and 52 reptiles (two orders, 19 families and 42 genera). Four species of lizards found in the present study are endangered, and one tortoise and one snake species are data deficient (DD). Keywords. Altitudinal forests, Caatinga, Inventory Introduction South America presents a wide variety of topographies 1 Instituto Chico Mendes de Conservação da Biodiversidade and climates, resulting in a remarkably rich and diverse (ICMBio), ESEC Murici, Rua Marino Vieira de Araújo 32, herpetofauna (Duellman, 1979). However, many species Cidade Alta, CEP 57820-000, Murici, AL, Brazil. may disappear before being catalogued by researchers 2 Universidade de São Paulo (USP), Instituto de Biociências (Dirzo and Raven, 2003). Inventories rank among the (IB-USP), Rua do Matão, 14, São Paulo, 05508-090, São main stages in the process required to describe, map Paulo, Brazil. 3 SOWITEC do Brasil Energias Alternativas Ltda. Avenida Luís and measure biodiversity for conservation planning Viana, nº 6.462 Edifício Wall Street Empresarial Torre East, actions (Margules and Pressey, 2000), and are important Salas 1.507 a 1.523, Paralela CEP: 41730-101, Salvador BA, for understanding richness and endemism and in the Brazil. detection of the presence of threatened species and their 4 Rua Prof. Carlos Ott, nº 79, Alameda Shopping, Sala 13, Stella requirements regarding habitat structure and quality. Maris, CEP40.000-000, Salvador, BA, Brazil. 5 According to Leivas et al. (2015), local species Instituto Butantan, Laboratório Especial de Coleções inventories are one of the main factors responsible for Zoológicas, Avenida Vital Brasil, 1.500, Butantã, São Paulo – SP, 05503-900, Brazil. the increasing number of described species. The same 6 Centro de Educação e Saúde, unidade acadêmica de Biologia authors also state that these types of study are particularly e Química, Universidade Federal de Campina Grande. Olho essential in high diversity countries. Consequently, D´água da Bica, CEP 58175-000, Cuité, PB, Brazil. countries with high diversity rates and low knowledge 7 Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, Programa de Pós- on this diversity should invest urgent efforts in order to Graduação em Biodiversidade Animal, CCNE, Laboratório generate biological knowledge (Marques and Lamas, de Herpetologia, Av. Roraima 1000, 97105-00, Santa Maria, 2006), as these data are important for species and habitat Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. 8 Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco, Laboratório de conservation. Estudos Herpetológicos e Paleoherpetológicos, Rua Dom The Brazilian Northeast is still poorly understood, Manoel de Medeiros, s/n, Dois Irmãos, CEP 52171-900, with few published inventories in specific areas, notably Recife, PE, Brazil. in altitudinal forests. Only a total of 43 humid enclaves * Corresponding author. E-mail: [email protected] 592 Marco Antonio de Freitas et al. and Santos, 2004). Thus, these regions are climatically isolated from the rest of the Caatinga located in the northeastern semi-arid Brazilian regions (Tabarelli and Santos, 2004). These relict altitudinal forests display unique evolutionary biota characteristics, mainly due to the geological time they have spent in isolation, serving as “islands” for biological specialization, with many registered endemic species (Vanzolini, 1981; Borges- Nojosa and Caramaschi, 2003; Rodrigues 2003; Freitas and Silva 2007; Pereira-Filho and Montingelli, 2011; Freitas, 2015). Aiming to promote a refinement of the brejos de altitude herpetofauna distribution and richness records Figure 1. Map of Northeastern Brazil, indicating the areas in the state of Pernambuco, Brazil, the results of the assessed in the present study. Areas in brown represent inventories carried out in three different localities are altitudes from 500 meters a.s.l. presented here. Material and methods comprising altitudinal forests are known in the states of Three areas were inventoried at different times (Figure Pernambuco, Paraíba, Rio Grande do Norte and Ceará 1), applying a variety of sampling and methodologies, (Pereira-Filho and Montingelli, 2011). In Pernambuco, including the use or non-use of traps. In addition, quick these altitudinal forests, or “brejos de altitude”, are inventories obtained from consulting activities regarding considered disjunctive enclaves of tropical evergreen wind farm licensing in the Sertânia and Arcoverde forests inserted in the Caatinga area (Andrade-Lima, regions were also used. The taxonomic nomenclature 2007). applied herein follows Costa and Bérnils (2018) for Brejos de altitude are found at high altitudes, generally reptiles and Segalla et al. (2016) for amphibians, with over 600 meters above sea level, in both mountainous modifications made by Dubois (2017). and plateau regions distributed throughout the Brazilian Belo Jardim (-8.3365S, -36.4235W) (Fig. 2A): The Northeast (Tabarelli and Santos, 2004; Guedes et al., Fazenda Vale do Tabocas is a seasonal altitudinal forest 2014). These areas exert a physical barrier on the humid fragment comprising almost 250 hectares, between 600 winds and lower clouds from the Atlantic Ocean, which and 1100 meters in elevation. The area is characterized condense and provide orographic rainfall. These rains as in early and medium regeneration stages. Field play a significant role in the formation of highly humid sampling was carried out in May 2016 and was vegetation and results in different degrees of seasonality concentrated between 900 and 1050 meters in altitude. throughout the year throughout this biome (Tabarelli Three lines of pitfall traps with seven 40-liter buckets Figure 2. Brejos de altitude areas sampled in the present study. (A) Belo Jardim, (B) Sertânia and (C) Arcoverde. Photographs by Marco Antonio de Freitas. Herpetofauna of three “Brejos de Altitude” in northeastern Brazil 593 were installed. The buckets were connected by a five- the participation of five people, obtaining both visual meter long plastic canvas, resulting in three lines of a and auditory records. In addition, occasional records forty-meter linear barrier. The lines were installed as were also considered. The collected amphibians were follows: one on the forest edge, one in an open canopy euthanized by applying lidocaine ointment (lidocaine) forest area and one in the interior of the fragment, on the ventral region and the reptiles through overdosing totalling 1512 hours-buckets sampling effort, over five with ether (Callefo, 2002; Franco and Salomão, 2002). trapping days. Additionally, daily active searches were All specimens were fixed with 10% formalin and then performed in the area, beginning at 6 pm and ending preserved in 70% ethanol. The collected material was at 10 pm, totalling 400 hours of sampling effort, with deposited at the Laboratory of Herpetological and Figure 3. (A) Adenomera sp.; (B) Boana crepitans; (C) Boana faber; (D) Dendropsophus branneri; (E) Dendropsophus decipiens; (F) Dendropsophus oliveirai; (G) Dendropsophus sp.; (H) Dermatonotus muelleri; (I) Leptodactylus macrosternum; (J) Leptodactylus troglodytes; (K) Odontophrynus carvalhoi; (L) Trachycephalus atlas. All photos were taken in Belo Jardim. Photographs by Marco Antonio de Freitas. 594 Marco Antonio de Freitas et al. Paleoherpetological Studies (LEHP) belonging to the effort, with the participation of three people, obtaining Federal Rural University of Pernambuco), in Recife both visual and auditory records. No traps were laid. (Appendix 1), under collection license SISBIO 53914- No specimens were collected in these two locations, 1. as these they were quick environmental consulting Sertânia (-8.0756S, -37.2693W) and Arcoverde inventories, and no collection license was issued. Thus, (-8.4184S, -37.0585W) (Fig. 2B-C): These two only photographic records were obtained. municipalities are located on the Borborema Plateau. The sampled areas are characterized by mountain ranges with Results and Discussion altitudes that surpass 800 meters in altitude, containing arboreal Caatinga vegetation in its lower portions and Species composition - A total of 82 species were deciduous forests in its higher portions. Two campaigns recorded at the three brejos de altitude in the state of comprising 10 days each