Herpetology Notes, volume 8: 661-667 (2015) (published online on 21 December 2015) Anuran richness (Amphibia: Anura) in remnant forest fragments of Araucaria Forest and Atlantic Rainforest in Paraná, Brazil Peterson T. Leivas1,3,*, Amanda S. Beltramin1, Reginaldo A. Machado2 and Maurício O. Moura3 Abstract. Our goal was to assess the species composition, reproductive modes and conservation status of the anurans of Araucaria Forest and Atlantic Rain Forest in the Campina Grande do Sul (CGS) and Bocaiúva do Sul (BS), in the state of Paraná, Brazil. The list of species was assembled based on field and museum records. We recorded 35 species that showed 11 different reproductive modes. Thirty five species occurred in CGS and 20 in BS, one species is classified as “data deficient” under the IUCN criteria while just two species hold this classification within the state. Amphibian richness in these areas correspond to 24% of the known species diversity known for Paraná. Species richness and community composition correspond to the regional phytophysiognomy and local environmental heterogeneity. Keywords: Anuran fauna, inventory, Atlantic Forest, Campina Grande do Sul, Bocaiúva do Sul. Introduction From the Brazilian biomes, the Atlantic Forest Domain is considered to be the most diverse, with nearly 529 The Neotropical region holds the largest anuran anuran species, of which 60% are endemic (Haddad diversity of the world, and host eight biodiversity et al., 2013). Nevertheless, the anuran fauna of the hotspots. Within this region, Brazil is the country that Atlantic Forest is heavily threatened by anthropogenic possesses the greatest number of anuran 988 species factors, such as habitat destruction (e.g.: real estate (Segalla et al., 2014). Approximately 40% of these occupation, expansion of agriculture and livestock) and species were described in the last 26 years (Pyron and degradation of native biota (e.g.: introduction of exotic Wiens, 2011). The increase in the described number of species) (Silvano and Segalla, 2005) and the synergism species, although associated to a variety of factors, is between these factors can potentially further aggravated mainly due to local species inventory and taxonomy the situation, leading to alteration in the abundance and studies that catalogue diversity. These studies are species richness. This can affect the general structure of essential especially in countries that are greatly diverse communities, causing a cascade effect of biodiversity and have sizable environmental conflicts. loss (Stuart et al., 2004; Silvano and Segalla, 2005). Knowledge on the anuran fauna of the state of Paraná is restricted to a few portions of the state, and there are several gaps, especially on the occurrence and species 1 Universidade Federal do Paraná (UFPR). Programa de Pós- distribution. The available information is primarily Graduação em Ecologia e Conservação. Caixa postal 19020. related to the description of new species (e.g.: Garey et CEP 81531-980. Curitiba, PR, Brasil. al., 2012), new species occurrences for the state (e.g.: 2 Universidade Federal do Acre (UFAC). Laboratório de Conte et al., 2010), population studies of native (e.g.: Herpetologia, Centro Multidisciplinar, Campus Floresta. Hiert, Hoper and Moura, 2012) and exotic (e.g.: Leivas, CEP 69980-000. Cruzeiro do Sul, AC, Brasil. Moura and Fávaro, 2012) species and description of 3 Universidade Federal do Paraná (UFPR). Departamento de Zoologia. Caixa postal 19020. CEP 81531-980. Curitiba, PR, specie richness or checklist of species occurring in Brasil. particular areas (e.g.: Machado et al., 1999; Conte and * Corresponding author e-mail: [email protected] Rossa-feres, 2007). 662 Peterson T. Leivas et al. Figure 1. Map showing the study areas of Araucaria Forest (triangles) and Atlantic Rain Forest (circle) phytogeographic domains, in the counties of Campina Grande do Sul (dark gray) and Bocaiúva do Sul (light gray), Paraná, Brazil. Although all biomes in Paraná suffer anthropogenic in the counties of Campina Grande do Sul (CGS) and pressure, the Atlantic Rainforest (“Floresta Ombrófila Bocaiúva do Sul (BS), Paraná, Brazil (Maack, 2012). Densa” - FOD) and the Araucaria Forest (“Floresta de The region lies in the first plateau of Paraná, about Araucária or Floresta Ombrófila Mista” - FA) have 920m of altitude, and has a Subtropical Temperate been drastically reduced and only less than 8% of the climate classified as Cfa according to Köppen-Geiger original vegetation remains (Morellato and Haddad, (Maack, 2012). The surveyed areas are a mosaic of 2000). Information on the anuran fauna is currently forest fragments surrounded by anthropogenically limited to a few sites on the east slope of the Serra do modified areas (e.g.: agriculture, livestock and recreation Mar Mountains. activities). Given the importance of FA and FOD for biodiversity In CGS we sampled two areas, one within the FA maintenance of Brazilian anuran fauna, and due to the domain (-25.283333 S, -49.033333 W, datum= WGS lack of information in several regions of the Paraná state, 84) and another within the FOD domain (-24.983333 S, we here provide the species composition, description - 48.616667 W, datum = WGS 84). In BS we sampled of the reproductive modes, and suggest a conservation an area of the FA (-25.24000 S, -49.034167 W, datum status for the species occurring in FOD and FA in = WGS 84) (Figure 1). Campina Grande do Sul and Bocaiúva do Sul, Paraná, In CGS, in the FA area, we sampled in: (a) a marsh Brazil. with interior shrubby vegetation and marginal woody vegetation, (b) a set of four permanent ponds with Materials and Methods marginal shrubby and woody vegetation, (c) a stream of sandy bed in the interior of a forest fragment. In the Study site FOD area (CGS), we sampled: (a) two permanent ponds Fieldwork was conducted in Araucaria Forest (FA) and in the interior of the forest, (b) a marsh with interior Atlantic Rain Forest (FOD) phytogeographic domains shrubby vegetation and marginal woody vegetation, Anuran richness in forest fragments of Araucaria Forest and Atlantic Rainforest 663 Figure 2. Anuran species recorded in Campina Grande do Sul and Bocaiúva do Sul, Paraná, in Araucaria Forest and Atlantic Rain Forest. A = Ischnocnema henselii; B = Rhinella icterica; C = Proceratophrys boiei; D = Aplastodiscus perviridis; E = Dendropsophus elegans; F = D. minutus; G = Hypsiboas albopunctatus; H = H. bischoffi; I = Scinax aromothyella; J = Leptodactylus latrans; K = L. notoaktites; L = Lithobates catesbeianus. Photos: Peterson Trevisan Leivas. (c) a stream with a rocky bed in the interior of a forest during four months, (12 days of sampling in each area) fragment. In BS we sampled the following sites: (a) a set with two people as sampling effort, at twilight or during of five permanent ponds with shrubby vegetation and the night (6:00 pm to 11:00 pm). marginal woody vegetation, (b) a stream with a rocky We consulted the available inventory of reproductive bed in the interior of the forest fragment with marginal sites and we used visual and auditory opportunistic shrubby vegetation. search to investigate the areas (Crump and Scott Jr., 1994; Scott Jr. and Woodward, 1994). Initially, we explored Data collection the reproductive sites for 10 minutes, so that we could We elaborated the species list for each county identify the local species through their vocalizations. identifying the forest formation in which the species Later, we actively searched for amphibian species in were registered, based on field sampling and museum those sites, using transects. During the samplings, we records. We conducted field sampling in three different captured, photographed and released the individuals. seasons. We sampled the areas in CGS between July The advertisement call of one male per species was 2001 and July 2002 (FA), and October 2012 to January recorded to confirm identification. We gathered data 2013 (FOD). We sampled the area in BS from December of species from museum records of the herpetological 2009 to November 2010. collection of Museu de História Natural Capão da We sampled the areas of FA in CGS and BS monthly Imbuia, Curitiba, Paraná. We used records made up to (two days per month). This totals 24 days of sampling in June 2012 (Appendix 1) and we adopted the taxonomy each area, with two people as sampling effort, at twilight proposed by Frost (2014). or during the night (6:00 pm to 11:00 pm). We sampled the areas of FOD in CGS for three days per month, 664 Peterson T. Leivas et al. Table 1. List of anuran species recorded in Campina Grande do Sul and Bocaiúva do Sul in the vegetation domain of Atlantic Rain Forest and Araucaria Forest with information on their reproductive modes, regional, national and international threat status. FOD = Atlantic Rain Forest; FA = Araucaria Forest; STATUS = Global (IUCN), national (NA) and state (ES) threat status. LC = least concern; (DD) = data deficient. Reproductive mode classification follows Haddad and Prado (2005), Abrunhosa, Wogel and Pombal (2006), Haddad, Toledo and Prado (2008), Kopp, Signorelli and Bastos (2010) and Silva et al. (2012). Campina Grande do Sul Bocaiúva do Sul STATUS PHOTO Reproductive FAMILY / SPECIES Field Museum Field Museum modes IUCN NA ES FA FOD BRACHYCEPHALIDAE Ischnocnema henselii (Peters, 1870) X X X 23 LC 2A BUFONIDAE Rhinella abei (Baldissera-Jr, Caramaschi and Haddad, 2004) X X X X 1 or 2 LC R. icterica (Spix, 1824) X X X X 1 LC 2B HYLIDAE Aplastodiscus albosignatus (A.Lutz and B. Lutz, 1938) X X X X 5 LC A. perviridis (A. Lutz in B. Lutz, 1950) X X X 5 LC 2D Bokermannohyla circumdata (Cope, 1871) X X 4 LC B. hylax (Heyer, 1985) X 4 LC Dendropsophus elegans (Wied-Neuwied, 1824) X 24 LC 2E D. minutus (Peters, 1872) X X X X 1 LC 2F D. werneri (Cochran, 1952) X 1 LC D. microps (Peters, 1872) X X 1 LC Hypsiboas albopunctatus (Spix, 1824) X X 1 LC 2G H.