Title
Integrative overview of the herpetofauna from serra da mocidade, a granitic mountain range in northern Brazil
Date Issued
22 November 2017
Access level
open access
Resource Type
journal article
Author(s)
Moraes L.J.C.L.
De Almeida A.P.
De Fraga R.
Pirani R.M.
Silva A.A.A.
De Carvalho V.T.
Gordo M.
Werneck F.P.
Universidade Federal do Amazonas
Publisher(s)
Pensoft Publishers
Abstract
The Brazilian mountain ranges from the Guiana Shield highlands are largely unexplored, with an understudied herpetofauna. Here the amphibian and reptile species diversity of the remote Serra da Mocidade mountain range, located in extreme northern Brazil, is reported upon, and biogeographical affinities and taxonomic highlights are discussed. A 22-days expedition to this mountain range was undertaken during which specimens were sampled at four distinct altitudinal levels (600, 960, 1,060 and 1,365 m above sea level) using six complementary methods. Specimens were identified through an integrated approach that considered morphological, bioacoustical, and molecular analyses. Fifty-one species (23 amphibians and 28 reptiles) were found, a comparable richness to other mountain ranges in the region. The recorded assemblage showed a mixed compositional influence from assemblages typical of other mountain ranges and lowland forest habitats in the region. Most of the taxa occupying the Serra da Mocidade mountain range are typical of the Guiana Shield or widely distributed in the Amazon. Extensions of known distribution ranges and candidate undescribed taxa are also recorded. This is the first herpetofaunal expedition that accessed the higher altitudinal levels of this mountain range, contributing to the basic knowledge of these groups in remote areas.
Start page
103
End page
159
Volume
2017
Issue
715
Language
English
OCDE Knowledge area
Zoología, Ornitología, Entomología, ciencias biológicas del comportamiento
Ecología
Subjects
Scopus EID
2-s2.0-85040518802
Source
ZooKeys
ISSN of the container
13132989
Sponsor(s)
The Expedition “Biodiversity of the Serra da Mocidade” was the result of a collaboration between the Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia (INPA), Instituto Chico Mendes de Conservação da Biodiversidade (ICMBio), Comando Militar da Amazônia (CMA), and Grifa Filmes. We are grateful to R. Ferreira for assistance and sharing of data regarding the conservation unit, T. Laranjeiras, H. Palo Jr., M. Amend and R. Melinski for contribution with landscape and specimen photographs, members of Thematic Laboratory of Molecular Biology (INPA) for help during sequencing process and A. Fouquet, P. Passos, P. Nunes, T. Mott, R. MacCulloch and O. Entiauspe for help in species identification. Adrian Barnett helped with the English. Specimens were collected under the permission issued by ICMBio (processes 52206-1 and 44832-1). RF, LJCLM and APA thank Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES), Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) and Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Amazonas (FAPEAM) for scholarship. FPW thanks financial support from CNPq (475559/2013-4), FAPEAM (062.00665/2015), Partnerships for Enhanced Engagement in Research from the U.S. National Academy of Sciences and U.S. Agency of International Development (PEER NAS/USAID PGA-2000005316), and L’Oréal-Unesco For Women in Science Program.
Sources of information:
Directorio de Producción Científica
Scopus