Abstract:
The diversity of herpetofauna in Mozambique is under-estimated due to lack of data. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the biodiversity of the herpetofauna and its distribution in the Gorongosa National Park. The species were captured by combining two methods, pitfall traps and systematic searches in microhabitats along transects. The searches were carried out by three people with 204 hours sampling effort per person. The community composition of amphibians and reptiles in different sampling locations were compared using diversity index and similarity. 31 amphibian species were identified belonging to 16 genera and 11 families, and; 42 reptiles species belonging to 32 genera and 19 families. The families with the highest number of species were Hyperoliidae (banana reed frogs and toads) and Colubridae (typical snakes) representing 35% and 24% of the richness of amphibians and reptiles respectively. The habitats richest in species of amphibians form the marshes and reptiles were forests. The greatest diversity of amphibians was found in the marshes and ponds, the reptile was in the woods. There was not found nesting phenomenon, only the turnover between habitats. Four identified amphibians species are globally in decline and 60% of reptiles are not measured by the Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature. The results can be used as a baseline for monitoring the herpetofauna communities in the park to serve as a reference for detecting the effect of natural or anthropogenic or natural changes in the composition of the communities of these taxonomic groups in these areas.(TRADUÇÃO NOSSA)
