Graduado

serpentes
Grande
Brasil
Taxocenose de serpentes no Planalto Médio do Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil
Noeli Zanella 1 & Sonia Z. Cechin

2

1

Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade de Passo Fundo. Caixa Postal 611/631, 99001-970, Passo Fundo, Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil. E-mail: [e-mail]

2

Departamento de Biologia, Centro de Ciências Naturais e Exatas, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria. Faixa de Camobi,
Km 9, Camobi, 97105-900. Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil. E-mail: [e-mail]

ABSTRACT. Taxocenosis of snakes in the middle plateau re gion of Rio Grande do Sul Brazil. The present snakes Grande
Sul, Brazil. study was conducted on the Brigada Farm (28º14’39”S, 52º14’42”W), Passo Fundo, middle plateau region of Rio
Grande do Sul. The objective of the study was to provide data regarding the richness and abundance of snakes and to compare sampling methods. The study was carried out in two areas, i.e., forest and field, between January
2001 and March 2003. Data were collected using the following methods: time-constrained search (TCS), occasional encounters by local collectors (OEC), occasional encounters by the team (OET), and by pitfall traps (PT).
Using the four methods, 19 snake species belonging to three families (Colubridae, Elapidae and Viperidae) were recorded, and 284 individuals were collected, including 128 by OEC, 36 by TCS, 112 by PT, and 8 by OET. Taking the results of all four methods into account, the three most abundant species were Thamnodynastes strigatus
(Günther, 1858) (16.9%), Echinanthera cyanopleura (Cope, 1885) (15.2%) and Bothrops alternatus Duméril, Bibron &
Duméril, 1854 (13.4%). The study of this taxocenosis reveals important characteristics of the ecology of snakes and may contribute to future conservation studies in this area.
KEY WORDS. Community; diversity; methods.
RESUMO. Este trabalho foi desenvolvido na Fazenda da Brigada (28º14’39”S, 52º14’42”W), Passo Fundo, Planalto