close
Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2012:(246):51-68.
doi: 10.3897/zookeys.246.2593. Epub 2012 Nov 29.

Reptiles from Lençóis Maranhenses National Park, Maranhão, northeastern Brazil

Jivanildo Pinheiro Miranda  1 , João Carlos Lopes Costa, Carlos Frederico D Rocha
Affiliations

Reptiles from Lençóis Maranhenses National Park, Maranhão, northeastern Brazil

Jivanildo Pinheiro Miranda et al. Zookeys. 2012.

Abstract
in English, Spanish

We are presenting a list of the reptile species from Lençóis Maranhenses National Park (LMNP), Maranhão, Brazil, obtained during 235 days of field work. The study area is located in the contact zone between three major Neotropical ecosystems: Amazonia, Caatinga, and Cerrado. The PNLM encompasses the largest dune fields in Brazil, wide shrubby areas (restingas), lakes, mangroves, and many freshwater lagoons. We have recorded 42 species of reptiles in the area: 24 snakes, 12 lizards, two worm lizards, three turtles, and one alligator. About 81 % of the recorded species occurred only in restinga areas. Our data highlights the uniqueness of the PNLM in the context of the biomes that surround it and shows the importance of efforts to improve the conservation of reptiles living in the restinga, which currently comprise only about 20 % of the total area protected by the park, but which are the mesohabitat containing most of the reptile species in the Lençóis Maranhenses complex of habitats.

No presente estudo apresentamos uma lista das espécies de répteis presentes no Parque Nacional dos Lençóis Maranhenses (LMNP), Maranhão, Brazil. A área do Parque Nacional dos Lençóis Maranhenses está localizada em um complexo ecótono na zona de contato entre a Amazônia, a Caatinga e o Cerrado. Além desta localização singular, a área inclui o maior campo de dunas do Brasil, extensas restingas, lagos, manguezais e uma grande quantidade de lagoas de água doce, formadas nos vales do campo de dunas. Registramos 42 espécies de répteis: 24 serpentes, 12 lagartos, duas cobras-cegas, três quelônios e um jacaré. Destas, cerca de 81 % foram encontrados apenas nos ambientes de restinga. Os resultados apresentados aqui enfatizam a singularidade do PNLM no contexto dos biomas que o cercam e ressaltam a importância de ações para incrementar a conservação das áreas de restinga, as quais, atualmente, constituem apenas 20 % da área total protegida pelo parque, mas constituem o mesohábitat onde ocorre a maioria das espécies de répteis que vivem no complexo de ambientes que compõe os Lençóis Maranhenses.

Keywords: Richness; dunes; ecotone; lizards; restingas; snakes; turtles; worm lizards.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Mesohabitats found at Lençóis Maranhenses National Park, Maranhão State, Northeastern Brazil: A Sand dunes “Morrarias” B Remains of restinga vegetation buried by sand transportation C Freshwater lagoon D “Vargem” E Restinga mosaics in the boundary of sand dunes, including a lagoon F Restinga mosaics far away from the sand dunes. Photos by J. P. Miranda.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Satellite image Landsat showing sample sites (light blue arrows) in the region of the Lençóis Maranhenses National Park, Maranhão State, Northeastern Brazil. The amount of sampling days is specified inside light blue squares. Two arrows linked to the same squares and pointing to different places indicate that the sampling effort in the square is divided between these sites. White areas with blue spots are sand dunes and freshwater lagoons, respectively. The greenish areas flecked by the orange color, are restingas habitats (green represents shrubby areas and orange most opening areas). QB and BG indicate the position of the isolated restingas called Queimada dos Britos and Baixa Grande, respectively. The violet line indicates the territory of LMNP. The red line is the road that accesses the park (MA-402). The location of the provinces Barreirinhas and Humberto de Campos are provided in the yellow rectangles. The position of the park in South America is provided upper right. Satellite image modified after Castro and Piorski (2002).
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
Accumulation curve for lizards recorded at the region of the Lençóis Maranhenses National Park (LMNP), Maranhão State, Northeastern Brazil (solid line). Dashed lines are confidence intervals at 95 %. The total number of sampling days is 235. A sample is equal to the search effort of two people looking for reptile species from 09:00 to 15:00 h and from 19:00 to 23:00 h.
Figure 4.
Figure 4.
Accumulation curve for snakes recorded at the region of the Lençóis Maranhenses National Park (LMNP), Maranhão State, Northeastern Brazil (solid line). Dashed lines are confidence intervals at 95 %. The total number of sampling days is 235. A sample is equal to the search effort of two people looking for reptile species from 19:00 to 23:00 h and from 09:00 to 15:00 h.
Figure 5.
Figure 5.
A Gonatodes humeralis (female) B Hemidactylus mabouia C Iguana iguana (juvenile) D Varzea bistriata E Brasiliscincus heathi F Polychrus acutirostris G Ameiva ameiva H Ameivula ocellifera from Lençóis Maranhenses National Park, Maranhão State, Northeastern Brazil. Photos by J. P. Miranda.
Figure 6.
Figure 6.
A Kentropyx calcarata B Tropidurus hispidus C Amphisbaena ibijara D Boa constrictor E Drymarchon corais F Helicops angulatus G Leptophis ahaetulla H Oxybelis aeneus from Lençóis Maranhenses National Park, Maranhão State, Northeastern Brazil. Photos by J. P. Miranda.
Figure 7.
Figure 7.
A Oxybelis fulgidus B Erythrolamprus poecilogyrus C Oxyrhopus trigeminus D Philodryas nattereri E Psomophis joberti F Thamnodynastes hypoconia G Xenodon merremii H Trachemys adiutrix (two individuals in a freshwater lagoon) from Lençóis Maranhenses National Park, Maranhão State, Northeastern Brazil. Photos by J. P. Miranda.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Ab’Sáber A. (2003) Os Domínios de Natureza no Brasil: Potencialidades Paisagísticas. Ateliê Editorial, São Paulo, 159 pp.
    1. Andrade A, Nabte MJ, Kun ME. (2010) Diet of the Burrowing Owl (Athene cunicularia) and its seasonal variation in Patagonian steppes: implications for biodiversity assessments in the Somuncurá Plateau Protected Area, Argentina. Studies on Neotropical Fauna and Environment 45: 101–110. doi: 10.1080/01650521.2010.502010 - DOI
    1. Ávila-Pires TCS. (1995) Lizards of Brazilian Amazonia (Reptilia: Squamata). Zoologische Verhandelingen 299:1–706.
    1. Busack SD, Bury RB. (1974) Some effects of off-road vehicles and sheep grazing on lizard populations in the Mojave Desert. Biological Conservation 6: 179–183. doi: 10.1016/0006-3207(74)90064-0 - DOI
    1. Castro ACL, Piorski NM. (2002) Plano de Manejo do Parque Nacional dos Lençóis Maranhenses. ICMbio http://www.icmbio.gov.br/portal/biodiversidade/unidades-de-conservacao/b... [accessed on 06 October 2012]

LinkOut - more resources