Distribution pattern of anurans from three mountain complexes in southeastern Brazil and their conservation implications

Abstract

Biogeographic tools support spatial distribution pattern hypotheses and help to determine priority areas for conservation. Our aim was to verify biogeographic patterns for anurans in three mountain complexes in southeastern Brazil, as well as to discuss the status of species conservation recorded and the biogeographical units evaluated. We selected 16 areas distributed in the Serra da Mantiqueira complex, south of Serra do Espinhaço and Serra da Canastra. We used the occurrence (geographic coordinates) of each species in the localities to determine areas of endemism applying the Endemicity Analysis method. We also tested whether similarity between areas was explained by geographic distance (Multiple Regression on distance Matrices-MRM). The Serra do Itatiaia, Serra da Canastra, Plateau of Poços de Caldas and Serra do Cipó were the areas that presented the highest number of species restricted to them. Through the Endemicity Analysis, we identified four areas of endemism with higher scores. The MRM revealed that the geographic distance explained 41% of species dissimilarity between areas. Most of the endemic species from these areas have inaccurate conservation statuses (data deficient or unevaluated). These results highlight the need for greater research efforts towards understanding species restricted by distribution, as well as the priority in conserving these endemic areas.

Anuran species composition and density estimates from an Atlantic Forest area within the APA Serra da Mantiqueira, Rio de Janeiro state, Brazil

“…Phantasmarana lutzae and Scinax dolloi are the only species recorded in our study that are currently known only from the state of Rio de Janeiro and are possibly endemic to the Itatiaia region (Frost 2021, Vittorazzi et al 2021, though Santos et al (2021) suggested that S. dolloi may occur more widely. Neves et al (2018) considered the Serra do Itatiaia as the area of highest amphibian endemicity rate within the Mantiqueira/Espinhaço/Canastra mountain complex in southeastern Brazil, with nine endemic anuran species (Scinax dolloi was not mentioned, possibly because it was a species of problematic identity at the time). Among the undescribed species recorded in the APA Serra da Mantiqueira survey, at least one, Ischnocnema sp.…”

“…Recent surveys have provided lists of amphibian species, mostly preliminary, for some high montane Atlantic Forest areas (i.e., above 1,000 m) in southeast Brazil (Cruz et al 2009, Siqueira et al 2011a,b, Garey et al 2014, Folly et al 2016, Lima et al 2021). These habitats are known for their high rates of endemism of anurans, particularly in portions of the Serra do Mar (Siqueira et al 2011b, Carvalho-e-Silva et al 2020 and Serra da Mantiqueira regions (Neves et al 2018.…”

“…The mountain complex of Serra da Mantiqueira contains the highest areas of the Atlantic Forest domain (reaching nearly 2,900 m of altitude), harboring at least 234 amphibian species, 88 of them endemic to the region (Silva et al 2018). In the Serra da Mantiqueira complex, the Serra do Itatiaia region is reported as the area with the highest amphibian richness, with 61 species (nine endemic), many of them originally described from the Parque Nacional de Itatiaia (Neves et al 2018). However, there is still no published list of amphibian species for the region of Itatiaia since Neves et al (2018) presented the species richness value but listed only the endemic species.…”

“…In the Serra da Mantiqueira complex, the Serra do Itatiaia region is reported as the area with the highest amphibian richness, with 61 species (nine endemic), many of them originally described from the Parque Nacional de Itatiaia (Neves et al 2018). However, there is still no published list of amphibian species for the region of Itatiaia since Neves et al (2018) presented the species richness value but listed only the endemic species. Adjacent to the Parque Nacional de Itatiaia, there is another Conservation Unit, the Área de Proteção Ambiental Serra da Mantiqueira (APA Serra da Mantiqueira).…”

Anurans of a protected area from Mantiqueira Complex, Atlantic Forest of Minas Gerais state, Brazil

“…Along the AF, the highlands, mostly in the central-southern portion, hold a remarkable diversity of anurans, considered important for maintaining taxonomic diversity and evolutionary history, with a great degree of endemism (Cruz & Feio 2007, Neves et al 2018, Silva et al 2018. This is primarily because of heterogeneous habitats and the floristics assemblages, altitudinal gradients and humidity in the region (Cruz & Feio 2007, Vasconcelos et al 2014).…”