Amphibia, Anura, São Desidério, western Bahia uplands, northeastern Brazil

Abstract

The contact zone between Cerrado and Caatinga is among the least known areas in the Cerrado biome, andno information is available about the anuran species occurring in this area and their ecology. Along this area, seasonallydry tropical forests are common on the lowlands with some enclaves inside the Cerrado core area. Here, we present forthe first time a list of species on this zone recognized as a priority area for conservation inside the Cerrado. We sampledanuran species within 30 km of São Desidério, a city in western Bahia, from habitats including temporary andpermanent ponds in Cerrado and seasonally dry tropical forests, as well as veredas and marshes. We recorded 32anuran species, belonging to 12 genera in five families. Hylidae was the richest family (ten species) followed byLeiuperidae and Leptodactylidae (eight species each), Bufonidae (five species), and Microhylidae (two species). Theheterogeneity of this site could be demonstrated by the presence of species with different dispersal/colonization historywith eight species (25 %) endemic to Cerrado, three (9 %) shared with Caatinga biome, two (6 %) shared with AtlanticForest, and eighteen (56 %) widespread through adjacent biomes.