As serpentes do Parque Estadual da Pedra Branca, Rio de Janeiro, RJ

Abstract

Brazil is home to a total of 412 species of snakes, 88 of which occur in the state of Rio de Janeiro and 52 are endemic to the Atlantic Forest, which reinforces the importance of the biome for the conservation of this animal group. The Pedra Branca massif forest is protected by a 12,492 ha State Park and, despite the strong anthropic pressure, there are places with vegetation cover in an advanced stage of natural regeneration, such as Pau da Fome (Taquara), Campus Fiocruz da Mata Atlântica (Colônia Juliano Moreira), Piraquara (Realengo), Camorim (Vargem Pequena) and Quilombola Cafundá Astrogilda (Vargem Grande). The present study aimed at studying the snakes of the Pedra Branca State Park under ecological aspects such as the abundance, diversity and richness of species in the three sites, which are run by the State Instituto Estadual do Ambiente do Rio de Janeiro - INEA (Pau da Fome , Camorim and Piraquara) and in their respective surroundings, using time-limited active search methodologies and interception and fall traps (pitfalls) with guide fences (drift fences). Occasional encounters, photographic records and collections made by third parties were also added to the research, as well as data from the review of species deposited in the herpetological collection of the National Museum, Rio de Janeiro. During the period from November 2012 to March 2020, 239 snakes were registered, corresponding to 31 species, belonging to five families, being represented by: Dipsadidae (n = 17), Colubridae (n = 8), Viperidae (n = 3), Boidae (n = 2) and Elapidae (n = 1). The most abundant species were: Thamnodynastes nattereri (n = 36); Bothrops jararaca (n = 32) and Erythrolamprus miliaris (n = 29). A new registration was made for the state of Rio de Janeiro, Dipsas variegata. The location with the highest richness of species in the Park was Pau da Fome (n = 106), followed by Camorim (n = 75) and Piraquara (n = 58). The location of Pau da Fome was the most diverse, while Camorim and Piraquara were the most similar to each other. Of the 31species recorded in this study, we did not register endangered species and Bothrops bilineatus is considered to be extinct locally, as well as in the state. The most serious problems affecting the taxocenosis of snakes in this Park are the impacts caused by human occupation such as hunting, deforestation, fires, excessive visitation, the presence of invasive alien species, among others.