Anfíbios e répteis da área de proteção ambiental (apa) do lago de Pedra do Cavalo, Município de Cachoeira, Estado da Bahia

Abstract

Brazil is the most biodiverse country on planet Earth, with six important biomes: Amazon, Caatinga, Cerrado, Atlantic Forest, Pampa and Pantanal. The Atlantic Forest Biome is considered one of the world's hotspot, with a large concentration of endemic and endangered species. Currently, Brazil occupies the first place in amphibian richness, for reptiles Brazil is in the third position with the largest number of species. Despite the great biodiversity, amphibians and reptiles suffer great anthropic pressure, being one of the most threatened groups. The main threats are deforestation, habitat fragmentation and climate change, as amphibians and reptiles are sensitive to changing temperatures triggered by clearing and forest reduction. Studies designed to characterize the richness, abundance and distribution of herpetofauna represent a starting point for a better understanding of the ecological and evolutionary mechanisms that shape local and regional diversity, essential for a systemic planning of actions that should be implemented in conservationist strategies. This work aimed to characterize the herpetofauna of the (APA) Environmental Protection Area Lago do Pedra do Cavalo, determining the richness and abundance of amphibians and reptiles present. For this, collections were performed using two sampling methods: Time-limited visual search and Pitfall traps. A total of 513 individuals from 49 species distributed in 21 families were identified. The analysis of the efficiency of the sampling effort showed that the rarefaction curve did not reach the asymptote, but the similarity analysis indicated that the Pedra do Cavalo Lake Environmental Protection Area (APA) taxocenosis is very similar in composition with other amphibian taxocenoses. and reptiles from the state of Bahia and northeastern Brazil.