Reptiles of Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil

ABSTRACT

Data is presented on richness and composition of reptiles from the state of Mato Grosso do Sul (MS), based on reviews of publications, examination of scientific collections and unpublished field data provided by researchers. We recorded 188 species distributed in eight species of Testudines, three Crocodylia and 177 Squamata (16 amphisbaenians, 48 lizards and 113 snakes). Thirteen species have restricted distributions within the state, 13 are restricted to the state and nine are in the process of being described. The diversity of the MS reptiles, even if underestimated, accounts for 25% of the species known to occur in Brazil. The plateau presents 176 species, of which 30% are restricted to this location, while 131 species (6% exclusive) occur in the floodplain. The Cerrado is the richest domain in species, although it is the region with the highest sampling gap in the state. The most well-known section is the Midwest MS, which includes the Pantanal. About 40% of the species of reptiles of MS are widely distributed, occurring in at least five of the seven Brazilian domains. The reptiles of MS are more similar to those of the Chaco, probably because the chacoan fauna is very similar to that of the Pantanal, which includes better inventoried portions of MS. Although the Cerrado is the predominant domain in the state, the fact of being poorly sampled justifies the lower similarity of reptiles from this domain with those of MS, when compared with those of Chaco. Overall, the MS reptile fauna shows greater similarity to that found along the diagonal of open formations of South America. Only 18% of species were assessed by IUCN, which reinforces the need for an assessment of the conservation status of MS reptile species. The north, south and east of the state have not being adequately sampled, which is of concern since these sections have seen significant anthropogenic alteration. For this reason, these areas, especially the north - including the headwaters of rivers which supply the floodplain - are indicated as priorities for the completion of inventories of reptiles and creation of areas to protect them.

KEYWORDS
Biodiversity; Cerrado; Chaco; herpetofauna; Pantanal; Biota-MS Program