Lizard Assemblage in a Protected Area in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest: Species Composition, Richness, Abundance, and Distribution

Abstract

Abstract. We studied the lizard assemblage from Vale Natural Reserve in Espírito Santo state, southeastern Brazil, and evaluated the species distribution in three vegetation types with different levels of habitat heterogeneity, including dense forest environments and open areas with sandy soil. We conducted field sampling from September 2017 to January 2018 and used 30 standardized transects of 500 m in length, at least 1 km apart between them, distributed in the vegetation: coastal plain forest, sandy soil forest, and natural grassland. Lizards were sampled in the transects using the method of active search, by only one observer on each transect. We recorded 185 lizards, belonging to 16 species from eight families. We conclude that lizard assemblage in the studied area differs in relation to the richness and abundance among the vegetation types, with species being widely distributed in the three environments studied and species being characteristically exclusive to some habitats in the mosaic. In this context, there is a fundamental importance in the conservation of these environments, as impacts in some of the vegetation types can cause a population decline of some species.