Herpetofauna of an Atlantic rainforest area (Morro Sao Joao) in Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil

We studied the herpetofaunal community from the Atlantic forest of Morro Sao Joao, in Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil, and present data on species composition, richness, relative abundance and densities. We combined three sampling methods: plot sampling, visual encounter surveys and pit-fall traps. We recorded sixteen species of amphibians and nine of reptiles. The estimated densities ( based on results of plot sampling) were 4.5 ind/100 m(2) for amphibians and 0.8 ind/100 m(2) for lizards, and the overall density ( amphibians and lizards) was 5.3 ind/100 m(2). For amphibians, Eleutherodactylus and Scinax were the most speciose genera with three species each, and Eleutherodactylus binotatus was the most abundant species ( mean density of 3.0 frogs/ 100 m(2)). The reptile community of Morro Sao Joao was dominated by species of the families Gekkonidae and Gymnophtalmidae ( Lacertilia) and Colubridae ( Serpentes). The gymnophtalmid lizard Leposoma scincoides was the most abundant reptile species ( mean density of 0.3 ind/100 m(2)). We compare densities obtained in our study data with those of other studied rainforest sites in various tropical regions of the world.