Distribuição geográfica dos anfíbios na Caatinga, Nordeste do Brasil

Abstract

Understanding the spatial organization of species in megadiverse regions, such as the Neotropics, has been a challenge that has fascinated researchers since the first naturalists of the 19th century. We know that species distribution is not a random process. Occurrence maps are essential for interpreting the distribution patterns of biological diversity. The geographic distributions of many species are poorly known and full of gaps, a problem known as the Wallacean deficit, which constitutes a huge bottleneck for effective conservation planning. With the objective of contributing to the advancement of knowledge and minimizing the Wallacean deficit on amphibians - a diverse group of vertebrates, threatened and little studied in semi-arid regions - we conducted here a systematic review of primary research and presented the first compilation of distribution and distribution data. Detailed maps for all amphibian species (anurans and caecilians) recorded within the limits of the Caatinga, Northeastern Brazil. All species had their extent of occurrence known in the Caatinga mapped, accompanied by a description of their distribution and conservation status. We provide data on patterns of species richness distribution, sampling gaps, levels of endemism and we provide information on the distribution of each species in the Neotropical region. We created an amphibian database from the direct analysis of 30.258 occurrence records, with respective vouchers, within the limits established for Caatinga. We recorded 116 amphibian species in the Caatinga, belonging to 18 families. In addition to species that occur in other natural regions, 19 amphibian species are endemic (15.97% of the total species). The richest family was Hylidae with 46 species (38.66% of the total species), followed by Leptodactylidae with 29 species (24.37% of the total species). Our results support new ecological studies and herpetofauna inventories, and also contribute to decision making regarding priority areas for amphibian conservation in the Caatinga of Northeast Brazil.