Composition and Ecological Aspects of a Snake Assemblage on the Savanna Enclave of the Atlantic Forest of the Guaribas Biological Reserve in Northeastern Brazil

Abstract. We studied the composition, richness, abundance, and influence of abiotic factors on the seasonal activity of a snake assemblage at a fragment of savanna enclave (tabuleiro forest) of the Atlantic Forest in northeastern Brazil. The sampling methods used were pitfall traps with drift fences, timed visual encounter survey, donations from local collectors, incidental encounters, and road sampling. We obtained a total of 164 individuals distributed across 29 snake species and six families over 2 years of study. The most frequently encountered species were the two blindsnakes Amerotyphlops paucisquamus and A. brongersmianus and the two false coral snakes Tantilla melanocephala and Oxyrhopus trigeminus. Monthly snake captures were significantly correlated only with the lowest temperatures. Our results show that the study area has a rich diversity of snakes of similar composition to other Brazilian open areas with a dominance of fossorial and cryptozoic species.