Herpetology Notes, volume 12: 57-59 (2019) (published online on 13 January 2019) A new record of Xenopholis scalaris (Wucherer, 1861) (Dipsadidae) for the state of Pernambuco, Brazil Rafaela C. França1,2,*, Mayara S. R. Morais3, Marco A. Freitas4, Geraldo J. B. Moura5, and Frederico G. R. França6 The genus Xenopholis Peters, 1869 currently Pernambuco (Roberto et al., 2017), with a distribution comprises three species restricted to South America, gap between these two biomes. including Paraguay, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Xenopholis scalaris was described in the state of Brazil and French Guyana. In Brazil, Xenopholis Bahia, with the type localities in the municipalities of werdingorum Jansen, Álvarez and Köhler 2009 occurs Canavieiras and Mata de São João (Wucherer, 1861). in the states of Mato Grosso and Tocantins (Marques The species is small-sized, with approximately 300 mm et al., 2015; Powell et al., 2016), X. undulatus (Jensen, (Jansen et al., 2009), with terrestrial habit and it feeds 1900) occurs in part of the Southeast, Midwest and mainly on anuran amphibians (Martins and Oliveira, Northeast of Brazil and X. scalaris (Wucherer, 1861) 1998; Bernarde, 2010). This species differs from other occurs in the Amazon Rainforest, in the states of Mato congeners because it has only one pre-frontal scale, 17- Grosso (Rodrigues et al., 2011), Rondônia (Bernarde 17-17 dorsal scale rows, 127-144 ventrals and 28-35 and Abe, 2010), Acre (Silva et al., 2012), Amazonas subcaudals scales (Wucherer, 1861; Jansen et al., 2009). (Matins and Oliveira, 1998; Prudente et al., 2010) and Herein, we report a distribution extension of Xenopholis Pará (Cunha and Nascimento, 1993), and in the Atlantic scalaris and also provide a map with its currently known Forest, in the states of São Paulo (Zaher et al., 2011), geographic distribution (Fig. 1). Rio de Janeiro (Hamdan et al., 2015), Bahia (Wucherer, All three individuals recorded of this species were 1861; Argôlo, 2004), Alagoas (Silva et al., 2006), and active at night in the Biological Reserve of Saltinho (8.7303º S, 35.1764º W; WGS 84), which is an Atlantic Forest remnant, located in Tamandaré municipality, Pernambuco. Two individuals were collected in January 2010. The first is an adult male with snout-vent length 1 Programa de Pós-graduação em Ecologia e Conservação da Biodiversidade, Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz, CEP 241 mm, tail length 56 mm, number of ventral scales 45662-900 – Salobrinho, BA, Brazil. 128 and subcaudal scales 34. The second is a juvenile 2 Herpetology Section, Zoologisches Forschungsmuseum with snout-vent length 90 mm, tail length 19 mm, Alexander Koenig, Adenauerallee 160, 53113 Bonn, number of ventral scales 135 and subcaudal scales 31. Germany. The third individual (Fig. 2) was found in February 3 Universidade Federal da Paraíba, Programa de Pós-graduação 2013, and is also a juvenile, with snout-vent length em Ecologia e Monitoramento Ambiental, CEP 58297-000. 95 mm, tail length 20 mm, number of ventral scales Rio Tinto, PB, Brazil. 4 Instituto Chico Mendes de Conservação da Biodiversidade 135 and subcaudal scales 35. All individuals have (ICMBio), PARNA do Catimbau, Vila Catimbau, CEP one pre-frontal scale and 17-17-17 dorsal scale rows. 56537-000, Buíque, PE, Brazil. The vouchers were deposited at the Herpetological 5 Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco, Departamento Collection of Universidade Federal da Paraíba (RT de Biologia, Laboratório de Estudos Herpetológicos e 1043) and Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco Paleoherpetológicos, Rua Dom Manoel de Medeiros, s/n, (CHP-UFRPE 632, 633) and were collected under Dois Irmãos, CEP 52171-900, Recife, PE, Brazil. SISBIO collect permits (SISBIO 37639-1, SISBIO 6 Universidade Federal da Paraíba, Centro de Ciências Aplicadas e Educação, Departamento de Engenharia e Meio 19115-3) respectively. Ambiente, 58297-000, Rio Tinto, PB, Brazil. This record represents the second for the state of * Corresponding author. E-mail: [email protected] Pernambuco, the previous record was in the RPPN 58 Rafaela C. França et al. Figure 1. Geographical distribution of Xenopholis scalaris (Wucherer, 1861). Circle: represents literature records; star: represents new state record, (1): French Guiana (Starace, 1998); (2): Colombia (Pérez-Santos and Moreno, 1988); (3): Ecuador (Duellman, 1978; Sheil and Grant, 2001; Jansen et al., 2009); (4): Peru (Lehr, 2001; Schlüter et al., 2004; Jansen et al., 2009; Catenazz et al., 2013); (5): Bolivia (Harvey et. al., 1998; Jansen et al., 2009) and (6): Brazil (references in the text). Pedra D’Antas (Roberto et al., 2017), a fragment of Atlantic Forest about 80km away from the Biological Reserve of Saltinho, where our records were made. Xenopholis scalaris is considered vulnerable in the red list of threatened reptiles of the state of Pernambuco (SEMAS, 2017). This species is a forest-dependent and rare snake, with a low number of specimens in collections, both in Amazonia and in Atlantic Forest. These two Neotropical forest biomes have experienced unprecedented levels of habitat loss and other human disturbances, which are evident in Amazonian frontier known as “the Arc of Deforestation” and in the Atlantic Forest of northeast Brazil, called “Pernambuco Center of Endemism” (Fearnside, 2005; Tabarelli et al., 2005). Hence, protected areas such as Biological Reserve of Saltinho, are extremely important to the maintenance Figure 2. Xenopholis scalaris (RT 1043) from the Biological of Atlantic Forest biodiversity (Andrade and Moura, Reserve of Saltinho, municipality of Tamandaré, PE, Brazil. 2011). Photo by Davi L. Pantoja. A new record of Xenopholis scalaris for the state of Pernambuco, Brazil 59 Acknowledgements. We thank to Isabella Mayara M. C. Pedrosa Pérez-Santos, C., Moreno, A.G. (1988): Ofidios de Colombia. by your help with the English. The ICMbio for collection permits Torino: Museo Regionale di Scienze Naturali. in the Biological Reserve of Saltinho. 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