New state record and distribution extension of the golden tegu Tupinambis teguixin (Linnaeus, 1758) (Squamata: Teiidae) to the Caatinga biome, northeastern Brazil

Abstract

We expand the distribution of Tupinambis teguixin to the Caatinga biome, and report the first record of this species in Ceará state, northeastern Brazil. We found T. teguixin at a typical Caatinga habitat, approximately 215 km from the nearest locality with known record of the species. Our findings expand the knowledge of Caatinga’s herpetofauna, reinforcing the deficiency of information from several areas, and the necessity of additional surveys in this biome.