| 1. |
- Nogueira, C. C., et al.
(author)
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Atlas of Brazilian Snakes: Verified Point-Locality Maps to Mitigate the Wallacean Shortfall in a Megadiverse Snake Fauna
- 2019
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In: South American Journal of Herpetology. - : Brazilian Herpetological Society. - 1808-9798. ; 14
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Accurate and detailed species distribution maps are fundamental for documenting and interpreting biological diversity. For snakes, an ecologically diverse group of reptiles, syntheses and detailed data on distribution patterns remain scarce. We present the first comprehensive collection of detailed, voucher-based, point-locality, range maps for all described and documented Brazilian snakes, with the major aim of mitigating the Wallacean shortfall and as a contribution towards a better understanding of this rich, threatened, and poorly studied megadiverse fauna. We recorded a total of 412 snake species in Brazil on the basis of an extensive and verified point-locality database of 163,498 entries and 75,681 unique records (available here as Online Supporting Information). Our results reveal previously undocumented patterns of distribution, sampling effort, richness, and endemism levels, resulting in a more objective view of snake diversity in the Neotropics. Apart from these achievements, we understand that the most relevant and enduring contribution of the present atlas is to stimulate researchers to publish corrections, additions, and new discoveries.
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| 2. |
- Azevedo, Josué, et al.
(author)
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Museums and cradles of diversity are geographically coincident for narrowly distributed Neotropical snakes
- 2020
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In: Ecography. - : Wiley. - 0906-7590 .- 1600-0587. ; 43:2, s. 328-339
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Factors driving the spatial configuration of centres of endemism have long been a topic of broad interest and debate. Due to different eco-evolutionary processes, these highly biodiverse areas may harbour different amounts of ancient and recently diverged organisms (paleo- and neo-endemism, respectively). Patterns of endemism still need to be measured at distinct phylogenetic levels for most clades and, consequently, little is known about the distribution, the age and the causes of such patterns. Here we tested for the presence of centres with high phylogenetic endemism (PE) in the highly diverse Neotropical snakes, testing the age of these patterns (paleo- or neo-endemism), and the presence of PE centres with distinct phylogenetic composition. We then tested whether PE is predicted by topography, by climate (seasonality, stability, buffering and relictualness), or biome size. We found that most areas of high PE for Neotropical snakes present a combination of both ancient and recently diverged diversity, which is distributed mostly in the Caribbean region, Central America, the Andes, the Atlantic Forest and on scattered highlands in central Brazil. Turnover of lineages is higher across Central America, resulting in more phylogenetically distinct PE centres compared to South America, which presents a more phylogenetically uniform snake fauna. Finally, we found that elevational range (topographic roughness) is the main predictor of PE, especially for paleo-endemism, whereas low paleo-endemism levels coincide with areas of high climatic seasonality. Our study highlights the importance of mountain systems to both ancient and recent narrowly distributed diversity. Mountains are both museums and cradles of snake diversity in the Neotropics, which has important implications for conservation in this region.
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| 3. |
- Guedes, Thaís, et al.
(author)
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Morphological variation of the rare psammophilous species Apostolepis gaboi (Serpentes, Dipsadidae, Elapomorphini)
- 2018
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In: Zootaxa. - : Magnolia Press. - 1175-5326 .- 1175-5334. ; 4418:5, s. 469-480
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Apostolepis gaboi was described based only on the holotype found in the Queimadas, state of Bahia, northeastern Brazil. Since its original description, no additional specimens were reported in literature and the species was considered to be rare and poorly known. Here, we provide a detailed description for the species based on the examination of the holotype and 34 additional specimens from the type locality and adjacent areas. Additional information is also provided on intraspecific color variation and hemipenial morphology.
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