Record of the occurrence of Lachesis muta (Serpentes, Viperidae) in an Atlantic Forest fragment in Paraíba, Brazil, with comments on the species’ preservation status

Rodrigues, Ricardo; Albuquerque, Ralph; Santana, Diego; Laranjeiras, Daniel Orsi; Protázio, Arielson; França, Frederico Gustavo Rodrigues; Mesquita, Daniel

Record of the occurrence of Lachesis muta (Serpentes, Viperidae) in an Atlantic Forest fragment in Paraíba, Brazil, with comments on the species’ preservation status

Autores

Rodrigues, Ricardo

Albuquerque, Ralph

Santana, Diego

Laranjeiras, Daniel Orsi

Protázio, Arielson

França, Frederico Gustavo Rodrigues

Mesquita, Daniel

Editor

Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina

Descrição

In this study, one describes a new record of the bushmaster snake, Lachesis muta, in an Atlantic Forest fragment in the state of Paraíba, northeastern Brazil. This species is regarded as the largest venomous snake from the New World. The specimen was found at night, crossing a narrow shortcut, close to a slope, about 20m away from a waterfall. The occurrence of L. muta in this fragment demonstrates the importance of conservating Atlantic Forest fragments for preservating this species.