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 PECIES S state of Mato Grosso, Brazil OF Herpetofauna of São João da Barra Hydroelectric Plant, Robson W. Ávila 1* 2 ISTS L and Ricardo A. Kawashita-Ribeiro 1 Universidade Regional do Cariri, Centro de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde, Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Campus do Pimenta. Rua Cel. Antonio Luiz, 1161, Bairro do Pimenta. CEP 63105-100. Crato, CE, Brazil. 2 Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso,[email protected] Instituto de Biociências, Departamento de Ecologia, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia e Conservação da Biodiversidade. Avenida Fernando Corrêa da Costa, 2367. CEP 78060-900, Cuiabá, MT, Brazil. * Corresponding author. E-mail: Abstract: municipalities of Juara, Nova Monte Verde and Nova Bandeirantes in the northern portion of the state of Mato Grosso, Brazil. This paper provides a checklist of the herpetofauna at the São João da Barra Hydroelectric Plant in the Representatives of 30 amphibian and 31 reptile species were obtained during an environmental impact study carried out in the study area. Three new state records and the distribution of six species are discussed, contributing to the knowledge on the poorly known transition zones between the Cerrado biome and Amazon forest in the state of Mato Grosso. Introduction Barra (10°25’42” S, 57°38’04” W) in the municipalities of The state of Mato Grosso encompasses a huge territory Juara, Nova Monte Verde and Nova Bandeirantes located in the northern portion of the state of Mato Grosso (Figure Pantanal 1). The region is characterized by Am climate (Köppen in central Brazil and is covered by three major biomes: GrossoCerrado is (savanna), generally old and scarce (wetlands) (for a discussion and the Amazon on this (rainforest). Knowledge on the herpetofauna of Mato classification), with mean temperature of 24 °C and annual lists regarding reptiles and amphibians from Mato toprecipitation October) and between rainy (November1800 and 2000 to April) mm. (MartinsThe climate et al. is Grossoissue, see are Strüssmann restricted toand the Carvalho Pantanal 1998). (Strüssmann Distribution and 2009).highly seasonal, with two well-defined seasons: dry (May Strüssmann 2000, Santos et al. 2008, Valdujo et al. 2009) Sazima 1993) and Cerrado (Carvalho and Nogueira 1998; The area is covered by varied vegetation, with areas inof theCerrado extensive (savanna), plateau tropicaldissected rainforest by streams and that contact form biomes. However, recent years have seen an increase in thebetween Juruena these River two basin biomes. and correspondsThe Cerrado to is herbaceous dominant herpetologicalet al. records from transition zonese.g., between Strüssmann the Cerrado and Amazon forest etin theal. state, with lists of species (São Pedro 2009), new state recordset al. ( et al. neotropical formations interspersed with gallery forests. and Carvalhoet 1998;al. Costa 2008; Kawashita-Ribeiro The rainforest is semideciduous and comprises two and(Maciel Ávila et 2008; al. Cisneros-Herediaet al. 2011). 2010; Morais Amazondistinct vegetation has a mixed formations: composition alluvial of forestspecies and (see lowland Silva 2010;The Silva recent deforestation 2010) and of descriptions the Amazon ofin Matonew speciesGrosso 1998).forest. The region of contact between the Cerrado and has affected more2009; thanÁvila 20% of the state territory and is as agricultural expansion and cattle ranching, especially in Specimens were captured using two main methods: thecaused “arc mainly of deforestation” by the continuous located need in the for northern electricity region as well of pitfall traps with drift fences (PT) and time-constrained of environmental programs at hydroelectric plants has improvedthe state (Fearnside the assessment 2005). of However, several areas the implementation throughout the herpetofauna. stateThis and paper has contributed provides additional to the knowledge information on the on local the and Amazon forest in the northern portion of the state of herpetofauna in the transition zone between the Cerrado Mato Grosso in areas under the influence of the São João Materialsda Barra Hydroelectric and Methods Plant (PCH São João da Barra). Figure 1. Schematic map showing location of the PCH São João da Barra, Fieldwork was carried out in August 2007 during the municipality of Juara (dot). Green = Amazon; Yellow = Cerrado; Blue = Environmental Impact Study for the PCH São João da Pantanal. Check List | Volume 7 | Issue 6 | 2011 750 Ávila and Kawashita-Ribeiro | Herpetofauna of São João da Barra Hydroelectric Plant, Brazil consisting of 10 62 liters buckets arranged in linear design, both methods (Table 2). The open ombrophilous forest searches (TC). Ten sets of pitfall traps were used, each exclusively in pitfall-traps and two were captured in searcheswith a distance consisted of 10of mfour between observers buckets. for atThe least sampling three at Site 1 had the most diverse anuran fauna, with 14 hourseffort duringwas of the 760 day pitfalland at night,trap-days. carried Time-constrained out at the same species, followed by the Site 3 (gallery forest) and Site 2 (open ombrophilous forest), with nine and eight species, differentrespectively species (Table groups, 1). Twelve such as organisms the Rhinella (40%) margaritifera were not sites at which the pitfall traps were installed. Total effort of groupproperly (see identified, Ávila et mainlyal. 2010) due and to taxonomicthe Scinax confusionruber group in dethe Vertebradostime-constrained da Universidade searches was Federal 65.96 hours.de Mato Grosso (Fouquet et al. 2007). Moreover, some species are probably (Brazil).Voucher specimens were deposited at the Coleção undescribed, such as Dendropsophus aff. microcephalus, the Brazilian environmental agency (Instituto Brasileiro Pristimantis sp., Allobates sp., Pseudopaludicola sp. and All specimens were collected with permits from Osteocephalus sp. One frog species, Engystomops freibergi de Meio Ambiente e Recursos Naturais Renováveis; IBAMAet al. (2005),nº 36/2007 Frost – etSUPES/MT). al. (2006), Grant et al. (2006) and Hedges in the state of Mato Grosso. Until recently, the (Donoso-leiuperid et al.The taxonomic nomenclature follows Faivovich frogBarros, E. 1969)freibergi (Figure has 2B)been is treatedrecorded as for E. thepetersi first time(see Gamble et al. (2008), Vidal et al. (2008), Brochu (2009), et al. 1998), but in a comprehensive study using and Turtle (2008) Taxonomy for amphibian Working species Group and (2010) Conrad for (2008),reptile et species. al.Cannatela thatmorphology the distribution and the of calls E. freibergi of these encompasses two species, localities Funk Results and Discussion south(2008) of the differentiated Amazon River, the includingtwo forms the and states pointed of Acre, out Thirty amphibian species representing one order E. freibergi at in its knownPará and geographical Rondônia. distributionThis new ofrecord approximately of 620 km (Anura), 10 families and 17 genera were recorded at eastthe PCHof the São municipality João da Barra of representsAlto Paraíso an inincrease the state of the PCH São João da Barra (Table 2). The majority of Rondônia. the species (86.6%) were captured in time constrained searches,Table 1. whereas only two species (6.7%) were captured richness. Sites sampled during the environmental impact study of PCH São João da Barra, state of Mato Grosso, Brazil, and their herpetofaunal species AMPHIBIAN REPTILE SITE GEOGRAPHIC COORDINATES MUNICIPALITY VEGETATION TYPE SPECIES SPECIES 1 10°25’42” S, 57°38’04” W Nova Monte Verde Open forest 14 8 2 10°25’46” S, 57°38’16” W Juara Open ombrophilous forest 8 2 3 10°20’48” S, 57°41’21” W Nova Bandeirantes Gallery forest 9 4 4 10°20’48” S, 57°41’21” W Nova Bandeirantes Gallery forest 3 7 5 10°20’48” S, 57°41’21” W Nova Bandeirantes Alluvial forest 5 3 6 10°19’21” S, 57°40’43” W Nova Monte Verde 3 0 7 10°20’42” S, 57°40’20” W Juara Open ombrophilous forest 6 7 Seasonal semideciduous forest/ Savanna woodland 8 10°21’13” S, 57°39’33” W Juara Open ombrophilous forest 1 5 9 10°20’55” S, 57°39’33” W Juara Alluvial forest 1 5 10 10°19’56” S, 57°39’02” W Nova Monte Verde 2 7 Savanna woodlanddifferences in anuran and reptile diversity across the sites representing three orders, six families and 27 genera. Thirty one reptile species were recorded (Table 1), sampling effort in each collect site. cannot be attributed to someI. speciallentiferus reason, is distributed due to low in Nineteen species (61.3%) were captured only in time constrained search (Table 2), whereas 32.3% (10 species) The blunt-headed snake were captured exclusively in pitfall-traps and the remaining northern South America in Ecuador, Surinam, Colombia, two species (6.4%) were captured in both methods. As Peru and Venezuela (Myers 1982; Donnelly and Myers expected (see Cechin and Martins 2000), time constrained 1991) as well as in the BrazilianI. lentiferus states of Amazonas, Pará fossorialsearches andwere semifossorial more efficient reptiles for arboreal (e.g. lizards and aquaticin the and Rondônia (Silva Jr. 1993; Cunha and Nascimento species, while pitfall-traps were effective in capturing distribution1993). This newof approximately record of 680 kmat east the of PCH the São Samuel João Imantodes da Barra represents an increase in its known geographical lentiferusfamily Gymnophthalmidae). Two snake speciesDrepanoides represent anomalusnew records for the state of Mato Grosso: HydroelectricDrepanoides Plant anomalus in the municipality of Candeias do As noted (Cope, for anuran1894) diversity,(Figure 2A) more and reptile species Jamari, state of Rondônia. (Peracca, 1896) (Figure 2C). et al. is widely distributed throughout the Amazon and cited in the Brazilian states of Pará (França were recorded in the open ombrophilous forest at Site of D. anomalus2006), Rondônia (Bernarde and Abe 2006) and 1 (8 species), followed by the Sites 4, 7 and 10 (gallery Amazonas (Martins and Oliveira 1998). This new record forest, open ombrophilous forest and savanna woodland, at the PCH São João da Barra represents respectively), with seven reptile species each.