Anfíbios anuros de brejos e lagoas de São Roque do Canaã, Espírito Santo, Sudeste do Brasil

Abstract

The realization of inventories in regions where there are few records of amphibian collection is a fundamental tool for conservation. We studied the composition of amphibian species in swamps and lagoons of São Roque do Canaã, a municipality located in the central region of the state of Espírito Santo, Brazil. The study was conducted between June 2013 and May 2014, with samplings made twice a month. Fieldwork was concentrated at two sites (one visit per month each), both formed by swamps and ponds temporary and are the main matrix type in the landscape, located in open areas where pastures for cattle and coffee crops predominate. Fieldwork was carried out by two collectors from 17:00 to 24h00min, totaling 24 expeditions, resulting in approximately 336 hours of sampling effort. The species were inventoried through active visual search and auditory census. Twenty two species distributed in 5 families were recorded. Hylidae was the most represented family (N = 16), followed by Leptodactylidae (N = 2), Bufonidae (N = 2), Pipidae (N = 1) and Cycloramphidae (N = 1). The months with the highest number of species in calling activity were November (n = 15) and December (n = 16), 2013, and January 2014 (n = 15), while the months with lower number of species were April, June (n = 5) and July (n = 4), 2013. No species recorded is included in the list of threatened amphibians of the Espírito Santo. The species found are typical of open areas and support well degraded environments. This study is the first step to a better understanding of anurofauna of São Roque do Canaã, since there is absolutely nothing published on amphibians in the region.