Composition and natural history of a snake community from the southern Cerrado, southeastern Brazil

Abstract

The natural history of a cerrado snake community in a protected area in southeastern Brazil (Santa Bárbara Ecological Station; SBES) is described. A visual guide and an identification key are also provided to assist researchers and local people in identifying snakes in that region. Sampling was performed through pitfall traps, time-constrained search, accidental encounters, and observations by local people for two years, which corresponded to 240 days of sampling. Among the 388 individuals found in the field, 33 snake species belonging to 21 genera of seven families were recorded. Most species were restricted or found at least once in non-forest vegetation types (campo sujo, campo cerrado, and cerrado sensu stricto) and a few were restricted to forest habitats (cerradão). Our results show that most species (1) occupy open areas; (2) present both diurnal and nocturnal activity; (3) are primarily terrestrial; (4) include lizards, mammals and/or anurans in the diet; (5) present seasonal reproductive activity; and (6) use mainly visually oriented defensive tactics. Despite its small size (3,154 ha), the SBES harbours preserved habitats and a rich and typical Cerrado snake fauna, including threatened species. Furthermore, most of the SBES snakes occur in non-forest environments (54%) and some species are sensitive to habitat disturbance.

First record of Xenodon nattereri (Steindachner, 1869) (Reptilia, Squamata, Dipsadidae) from Paraguay

“…We note that this species pair cannot be differentiated using pholidosis, and body color is the major diagnostic character to differentiate them. Therefore, the coloration of our recorded individual matches the description of X. nattereri by Scrocchi and Cruz (1993) and photographs of this species by Marques et al (2009), Fiorillo et al (2021), andCabral et al (2022).…”

Effects of environmental factors on the ecology and survival of a widespread, endemic Cerrado frog

“…Thus, low recapture rates could be common among Cerrado frogs. Adult anurans are a major food resource for several vertebrate species, particularly snakes (Zipkin et al, 2020), and a large fraction of the snake community at SBES feeds on anurans (Fiorillo et al, 2021). Thus, high rates of predation on P. nattereri could help explain the observed low number of recaptures.…”

“…Each unit corresponded to two 40‐m trap lines, 60 m apart. Each trap line had four 100‐L plastic buckets every 10 m, connected by a plastic drift fence 60 cm tall (see Fiorillo et al, 2021). Buckets were punctured on the bottom to avoid the accumulation of rainwater.…”

“…The mean precipitation is 1454.2mm and temperature averages 17°C in the coldest months and 24°C in the warmest months (data for 1995–2014 at Manduri, SP, 20.3 km from our study area; CIIAGRO, 2021). The SBES has a total area of 3223 ha (Melo & Durigan, 2011) and harbors different Cerrado vegetation types: campo sujo (CS; grassy scrubland), campo cerrado (CC; grassy scrubland with scattered trees), cerrado sensu stricto (SS; dense savanna), and cerradão (CD; cerrado woodland), as well as some small areas of semideciduous forests (Figure 1a; see more details about each vegetation type of the study area in Fiorillo et al, 2021). The distance between sampling units and floodable areas where ephemeral ponds (the breeding habitat of P. nattereri ) appear in the wet season (October to March) was obtained in QGIS (QGIS, 2021) based on a detailed land cover classification including the category of floodable areas (Figure 1b).…”

Birds in the Diet of Invasive Boa imperator on St. Croix, U. S. Virgin Islands

“…Snakes in the genus Boa have not been the subject of many detailed diet studies, but they are known to feed primarily on mammals, birds, and lizards (Vitt and Vangilder 1983; França et al 2008; Sawaya et al 2008; Pizzatto et al 2009; Fiorillo et al 2021). The diet of introduced Boa constrictor on Aruba consisted of 30–40% birds, 35–37% reptiles, and 25–33% mammals (Quick et al 2005; Reinert et al 2021).…”