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Chek List

Journal of species lists and distribution

Procellosaurinus erythrocercus Rodrigues, 1991
(Squamata: Gymnophthalmidae): Distribution extension

Fagner Ribeiro Delfim +’, Daniel Oliveira Mesquita!?, Hugo Fernandes-Ferreira’*, Lucas Barbosa de
Queiroga Cavalcanti

1 Universidade Federal da Paraiba, Centro de Ciéncias Exatas e da Natureza, Departamento de Sistematica e Ecologia. CEP 58051-900. Jodo Pessoa,
PB, Brazil.

2 Programa de Pés-graduacao em Ciéncias Biolégicas - Zoologia, Universidade Federal da Paraiba, Centro de Ciéncias Exatas e da Natureza,
Departamento de Sistematica e Ecologia. CEP 58051-900. Joao Pessoa, PB, Brazil.

* Corresponding author. E-mail: frdelfim@yahoo.com.br

ABSTRACT: We report the northernmost occurrence of Procellosaurinus erythrocercus in South America. This species was
originally described from the paleoquaternary sand dunes complex of the Sao Francisco River, and found later at Serra das
Confus6es, Piaui state. We found P erythrocercus at Sao Francisco de Assis do Piaui and Pavussu municipalities, Piaui state,
about 253 kilometers northwest from its type locality. This record corroborates the theory that sand dune refuges were

created during recent geological eras.

The family Gymnophthalmidae isa group of Neotropical
small lizards distributed between the Tehuantepec
Isthmus, in southern Mexico, and northern Argentina,
as well as the Caribbean and some continental islands
of Central and South America. They are found in open
and forested habitats, and are highly associated with the
undergrowth, leaf litter and humus layer (Vanzolini et al.
1980; Rodrigues et al. 2001).

Since Gymnophthalmidae was classified as distinct
from Teiidae, its systematics have been marked by the
discovery of numerous genera and species (Cunha et al.
1991; Rodrigues 1991a, b, c; 1996a, b; 1997; Vanzolini and
Carvalho 1991; Hoogmoed and Avila-Pires 1992; Carvalho
1997; Avila-Pires and Vitt 1998; MacCulloch and Lathrop
2001; Pellegrino et al. 2001; Rodrigues et al. 2001, 2002a,
b; 2009a, b), especially with the use of cytogenetic and
molecular techniques (Cole et al. 1993; Yonenaga-Yassuda
et al. 1995; Pellegrino et al. 1999a, b; 2001; Yonenaga-
Yassuda and Rodrigues 1999; Bertolloto et al. 2002; Castoe
et al. 2004).

Many of these species were discovered in the Brazilian
semi-arid morphoclimatic domain knew as Caatinga.
Within this domain, we focus on the ecoregion of the
paleoquaternary dune fields of the middle Sao Francisco
River, (Rodrigues 2003; Borges-Nojosa and Cascon 2005),
the type locality of seven gymnophthalmids that were
previously considered endemics (Rodrigues 1996b).

Rodrigues (1991) described two species of the genus
Procellosaurinus. The original distribution of these two
species was at two sand dune fields: P. erythrocercus
(Figure 1) at Ibiraba (10°48’ S, 42°50’ W) and Alagoado,
Brazilian state of Bahia (09°29’ S, 41°21’ W), while P
tetradactylus were found only at the second location.
These localities are relatively isolated and harbor other
endemic species of lizards and snakes (Rodrigues 1991a;
1996b). Procellosaurinus erythrocercus was later found at
Serra das Confus6es, Piaui (09°15’ S, 43°32’ W) (Freitas
and Silva, 2007).

Check List | Volume 7 | Issue 6 | 2011

During a field expedition to Piaui state, we collected
(SisBio/ICMBio permits n. 15363-1) P erythrocercus in two
municipalities: Pavussu (07°57’07” S, 43°32’01” W) and
Sao Francisco de Assis do Piaui (08°03’37” S, 41°31'16” W)
(Figure 2). The lizards were found in a forested Caatinga,
with sandy soils, but no sand dunes. These records extend
the distribution 253 km from the type locality and 110 km
from Serra das Confusoes. The specimens were deposited
in the Colecao Herpetolégica da Universidade Federal da
Paraiba, Paraiba state, Brazil (CHUFPB 00279; CHUFPB
00932; CHUFP 00933; CHUFPB 00934; CHUFP 00968).

Other distribution extensions of gymnophthalmids
from the dunes complex of the Sado Francisco were
previous published. Calyptommatus confusionibus was
described from Parque Nacional Serra das Confusoes, Piaui
state, extending the genus distribution 120 kilometers
north from the Bahia sand dunes (Rodrigues et al. 2001).
Delfim et al. (2006) reported Psilophthalmus paeminosus
(originally considered an endemic of the dunes), at the
municipality of Canidé do Sao Francisco, state of Sergipe,
about 540 kilometers east of the type locality.

This new report of P erythrocercus supports the

FIGURE 1. Procellosaurinus erythrocercus collected at the dune fields of
Sao Francisco river, state of Bahia, Brazil.

856

hypothesis suggested by Rodrigues et al. (2001), which
posits that these gymnophthalmid distributions are based
on the recent geological history (Pleistocene-Holocene)
of the Sao Francisco sand dunes. Southeast winds may
have affected the distribution and size of dune fields
(Ab’Saber 1977; Rodrigues 1987; Oliveira et al. 1999),
and consequently the distribution of P erythrocercus. The
most recent retraction of the dunes restricted them to
their present distribution and size, creating some sandy
“islands” which acted as refuges to species associated
with them. This interpretation is similar to the Pleistocene
forest refuges suggested by Vanzolini and Williams
(1981).

Additionally, the increasing knowledge of the Caatinga
domain has led to the distribution extension of some
species previously described as endemic to the Sao
Francisco River dunes. These species are restricted
to sandy areas, so all of those areas could have been an
extensive sand dune field in the past.

Finally, the presence of P erythrocercus in two localities
of Piaui state presents a significant distribution extension
from previous known localities, and the possible presence
of another species, P tetradactylus, should be investigated
in Piaui.

6°0'0"S
6°0'0"S

9°0'0"S

9°0'0"S

12°0'0"S
12°0'0"S

ay aan

42°0°0"W

FIGURE 2. Known geographic distribution of Procellosaurinus
erythrocercus, including the new localities reported here. Circles =
previous localities: 1) Alagoado; 2) Ibiraba; 3) Serra das Confus6es;
triangles = new records: 4) Sao Francisco de Assis do Piaui; 5) Pavussu.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS: We are grateful to Bruno Campos, Gustavo Toledo
and Luciana Lobo, who provided valuable assistance with data collection.
We thank Stephen Ferrari for his revision of the text and Anderson Feijé
for the production of the map. We also thank Miguel T. Rodrigues for the

Check List | Volume 7 | Issue 6 | 2011

Delfim et al. | Distribution extension of Procellosaurinus erythrocercus

P. erythrocercus photo. This work is supported by research fellowship
from Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientifico e Tecnoldgico
- CNPq to Daniel Oliveira Mesquita, a doctorate fellowship from CNPq
to Fagner Ribeiro Delfim, a scientific initiation to Lucas Barbosa de
Queiroga Cavalcanti, and a doctorate fellowship from Coordena¢ao de
Aperfei¢oamento de Pessoal de Nivel Superior - CAPES to Hugo Fernades-
Ferreira.

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Delfim et al. | Distribution extension of Procellosaurinus erythrocercus

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RECEIVED: October 2011

LAST REVISED: November 2011

ACCEPTED: November 2011

PUBLISHED ONLINE: December 2011
EDITORIAL RESPONSIBILITY: Ross MacCulloch

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