Lizards and snakes of Refúgio de Vida Silvestre Matas do Siriji, an Atlantic Forest hotspot of the Pernambuco Endemism Center, Northeastern Brazil

Abstract: The Atlantic Forest north of the São Francisco River, known as the Pernambuco Endemism Center (PEC), comprises small, poorly-known and, consequently, highly threatened forest remnants, such as Refúgio de Vida Silvestre (RVS) Matas do Siriji, a montane forest located in the municipality of São Vicente Férrer, state of Pernambuco, Northeast Brazil. We provide the results of the first inventory of the squamate fauna of the region with comments on the conservation status of some species, comparisons with other locations in Northeast Brazil and a brief discussion of biogeography. Time-constrained transects, pit-fall traps, occasional encounters and third-party records registered 18 lizard species and 25 snake species, with the rarefaction curve of the former tending to stability. The RVS Matas do Siriji possesses 39.81 % of the lizard and snake species known for the state of de Pernambuco, being the third richest area in species in the State, with a composition similar to that of other areas within PEC. Based on the lists of SEMAS, ICMBio and IUCN, some of the registered species are considered vulnerable to extinction while others have yet to be evaluated. The RVS Matas do Siriji includes a rich, threatened and underestimated fauna of squamate reptiles, indicating that more restrictive protection measures must be adopted in this Conservation Unit.摘要：圣弗朗西斯科河以北的大西洋森林被称为伯南布哥特有中心（Pernambuco Endemism Center, PEC），其境内多为小型、鲜为人知且因此面临高度威胁的森林残余斑块，其中一处为西里吉森林野生动物保护区（Refúgio de Vida Silvestre (RVS) Matas do Siriji）——该山地森林位于巴西东北部伯南布哥州圣维森特费雷尔市境内。本研究首次对该区域的有鳞爬行动物区系（squamate fauna）开展本底调查，结果涵盖部分物种的保护现状评述、与巴西东北部其他区域的类群组成对比，以及生物地理学相关的简要讨论。本研究通过限时样线法、陷阱诱捕法（pit-fall traps）、偶遇观测记录及第三方观测数据，共记录到18种蜥蜴与25种蛇类，其中蜥蜴类的稀疏物种积累曲线（rarefaction curve）已趋于平稳。西里吉森林野生动物保护区涵盖了伯南布哥州已知有鳞爬行动物物种总数的39.81%，是该州物种丰富度排名第三的区域，其类群组成与伯南布哥特有中心内的其他区域高度相似。依据巴西环境管理局（SEMAS）、巴西奇科·门德斯生物多样性保护研究所（ICMBio）及世界自然保护联盟（IUCN）的保护名录，本次记录的部分物种被列为易危灭绝风险等级，另有部分物种尚未完成保护等级评估。西里吉森林野生动物保护区拥有丰富、受威胁且长期被低估的有鳞爬行动物类群，表明该保护单元亟需实施更为严格的保护管理措施。