Herpetofauna of the Environmental Protection Area Delta do Parnaíba, Northeastern Brazil

Recent studies on Brazilian coastal zones and restinga environments revealed a high richness ofamphibian and reptile species. However, there is still a lack of information about herpetofaunadiversity in coastal zones of Northeastern Brazil. This study provides a checklist of amphibiansand reptiles inhabiting the Environmental Protection Area (EPA) Delta do Parnaíba, NortheasternBrazil, suggesting conservation actions. To elaborate the checklist, we searched in sevenelectronic databases and check the following scientific collections: Zoological collection ofUniversidade Federal do Piauí (UFPI) and Herpetological collection of Universidade Regionaldo Cariri (URCA). In addition, we sampled 16 areas along the EPA Delta do Parnaíba close tothe river branches and temporary ponds that compose the Parnaíba River Delta (December 2015to April 2017) to fill gaps of information about herpetofauna in some regions from the EPA. Werecorded 86 species (34 amphibians and 52 reptiles), including four anurans, one crocodilian,14 snakes, 12 lizards and two amphisbaenians reported for the first time for the EPA Delta doParnaíba. In addition, we added the first record of the snake Oxybelis fulgidus in Piauí state. TheEPA Delta do Parnaíba shows high herpetofaunal richness; thus, we suggest that conservationactions should be taken to preserve the restingas environments in the Parnaíba River Delta andits high diversity of amphibians and reptiles.