The genus Procellosaurinus (Rodrigues, 1991) currently comprises two species: Procellosaurinus tetradactylus (Rodrigues, 1991) and P. erythrocercus (Rodrigues, 1991). Procellosaurinus erythrocercus is a little known lizard species considered to be endemic to the west bank of the central São Francisco river, between the municipalities of Barra and Casa Nova in the state of Bahia, Brazil (Rodrigues, 1991; Rocha and Rodrigues, 2005). It is, so far, only known from its type locality.

During a visit to the municipality of Caracol, on the 10th of July, 2006 an adult individual of P. erythrocercus (Fig. 1) was found dead in a sandy area of arboreal

Caatinga vegetation (-9,21 S -43,35 W; SIRGAS 200) (Fig. 2). The specimen was deposited in the collection of the Zoology Museum of the University of São Paulo, in São Paulo (MZUSP 96890).

This is not only the first record for P. erythrocercus in the state of Piauí but also the first record on the genus Procellosaurinus outside the state of Bahia and, more importantly, the west bank of the central São Francisco river (Rodrigues, 1991; Rocha and Rodrigues 2005). The known geographic distribution of P. erythrocercus is extended 186 Km northwest of its type locality.

This novel record, which is a revised version of the information presented by Freitas and Silva (2007) on this species, highlights not only the need for more research on this taxonomic group but also the need for research on the herpetofauna of the Caatinga, a biome subject to scientific neglect (Santos et al., 2011). Only with improved knowledge can we hope to implement effective management strategies for biodiversity conservation in the only exclusively Brazilian biome.

Herpetology Notes, volume 5: 35-36 (2012) (published online on 2 March 2012)

First record of the lizard Procellosaurinus erythrocercus (Rodrigues, 1991), (Squamata: Gymnophtalmidae) for the Brazilian

state of Piauí, Brazil.

Marco Antonio de Freitas1* and Diogo Veríssimo2

1 Instituto Chico Mendes de Conservação da Biodiversidade (ICMBio). Rua do INCRA S/N. Eldorado. CEP 69932-000. Brasiléia, AC, Brasil

2 University of Kent, Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology. Canterbury, Kent CT2 7NR, UK;

*Corresponding author: philodryas@hotmail.com

Figure 1. Adult specimen of Procellosaurinus erythrocercus found in municipality of Caracol, Piauí, Brazil (Photo by Marco Antonio de Freitas)

Marco Antonio de Freitas & Diogo Veríssimo 36

Acknowledgements. To the curator of the Zoology Museum of the University of São Paulo, Hussan Zaher for receiving the specimen and to Miguel Trefaut Rodrigues for confirming the identification of the species.

References

Freitas, M.A. and Silva, T.F.S. (2007): A Herpetofauna das Caa-tingas e Áreas de Altitudes do Nordeste Brasileiro. Pelotas: Editora União Sulamericana de Estudos da Biodiversidade. 384 p.

Pellegrino, K.C.M., Rodrigues, M.T., Yonenaga-Yassuda, Y., Sites, J. W. (2001): A molecular perspective on the evolution of microteiid lizards (Squamata, Gymnophthalmidae), and a new classification for the family. Biol. J. Linn. Soc. 74: 315–338.

Rocha, P.L.B., Rodrigues M.T. (2005): Electivities and resource use by an assemblage of lizards endemic to the dunes of the São Francisco River, northeastern Brazil. Pap. Avulsos Zool. (São Paulo) 45: 261-284.

Rodrigues, M.T. (1991): Herpetofauna das dunas interiores do Rio São Francisco: Bahia: Brasil III. Procellosaurinus: um novo gênero de microteiideo sem pálpebra com a redefinição do gênero Gymnophtalmus (Sauria, Teiidae). Pap. Avulsos Zool. (São Paulo) 37: 329-3342.

Santos, J.C., Leal, I.R., Almeida-Cortez, J.S., Fernandes, G.W., Tabarelli, M. (2011): Caatinga: the scientific negligence ex-perienced by a dry tropical forest. Trop. Conserv. Sci. 4: 276-286.

Figure 2. New locality for Procellosaurinus erythrocercus, Caracol, Piauí, Brazil

Accepted by Philip de Pous