Density and richness of leaf litter frogs (Amphibia: Anura) of an Atlantic Rainforest area in the Serra dos Órgãos, Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil

Carla C Siqueira,Diego M Guedes,Mauricio Almeida-Gomes,Cristina V Ariani,Marlon Almeida-Santos,Monique Van Sluys,Thiago A Dorigo,Davor Vrcibradic,Pablo Goyannes-Araújo,Patrícia Almeida-Santos,Vitor N T Borges-Junior,Carlos F D Rocha

doi:10.1590/s1984-46702009000100015

Abstract

Data on species composition, richness, and density are presented for the leaf litter frog assemblage of an area of Atlantic Rainforest at the Serra dos Órgãos mountain range, in the state of Rio de Janeiro, southeastern Brazil. Three sampling methods were used: plot sampling, visual encounter surveys, and pitfall traps. The local assemblage of leaf litter frogs was composed of 16 species, with the direct-developing species, Euparkerella brasiliensis (Parker, 1926), being the most abundant. The estimated density of the local leaf litter frog assemblage based on plot sampling was 17.1 ind/100 m² and the estimated overall leaf litter frog mass was 684.2 g/ha. The estimated density of leaf litter frogs at the present study is the highest currently reported for Atlantic Rainforest areas, which reinforces the idea of higher densities of leaf litter frogs in the Neotropical Region compared to the Old World tropics.

Highlights

Three sampling methods were used: plot sampling, visual encounter surveys, and pitfall traps
Environmental and structural parameters at each locality partially explain the differences in species richness and density among communities (e.g. SCOTT 1976, WATANABE et al 2005, VAN SLUYS et al 2007)
The local anuran assemblage was dominated by species with direct development (Terrarana sensu HEDGES et al 2008), with Euparkerella brasiliensis (Parker, 1926) being the most abundant species, followed by Brachycephalus didactylus (Izecksohn, 1971) (16%)

Summary

Introduction

Three sampling methods were used: plot sampling, visual encounter surveys, and pitfall traps. Some studies about litter frogs in tropical forests have included density estimates, which allow quantitative comparisons among anuran faunas (ALLMON 1991 and included references, GIARETTA et al 1997, 1999, ROCHA et al 2001, 2007, HUANG & HOU 2004, WATANABE et al 2005, ALMEIDA-GOMES et al 2008). In South America, studies of tropical forest leaf litter frog assemblages providing data on frog densities are still relatively rare, with regard to the Brazilian Atlantic Rainforest (GIARETTA et al 1997, 1999, ROCHA et al 2000, 2001, 2007, VAN SLUYS et al 2007, ALMEIDA-GOMES et al 2008). The state of Rio de Janeiro still has proportionately large forested areas

Methods

Results

Conclusion