Species richness of reptiles in a Caatinga area in northeastern Brazil

Resumo

We present the species richness of reptiles in a Caatinga area in the state of Piauí, northeastern Brazil. Sampling was carried out between August 2007 to June 2011 (five years) through active search. We recorded 28 species of reptiles, of which 26 belonged to Squamata (13 lizards, 12 snakes and one amphisbaenian), one Testudine and one Crocodilian. Most species (n = 21; 75%) had a general and wide geographic distribution, however, some species were typical of the Caatinga biome or had restricted distribution to northeastern Brazil (n = 7; 25%). Although in recent years several studies have been conducted in the state of Piauí, the Caatinga regions are still understudied, and greater attention and long-term studies should be carried out in this unknown biome that is exclusive to Brazili. This study is the first inventory of reptiles to an area of Caatinga sensu stricto for the state of Piauí.