Herpetologia no Piauí: histórico, conhecimento atual e perspectivas

Abstract

All the herpetofaunistic knowledge of Piauí generated and accumulated during the last years is dispersed and without compilation, consequently there is no synthesized and structured vision. Thus, this study aimed to compile information about the herpetology of Piauí state, in order to identify historical factors, current overview and perspectives, in order to understand and organize the information built over the last years. Data collection was determined by bibliographic research in electronic databases, in which a scientometric analysis was performed to identify trend gaps on the herpetology of Piauí using publications between the years 1981 and 2021. The evaluation of the data allowed conclude that studies were scarce until the 1990s, with a considerable increase in the last two decades (2000 to 2021). In general, the state has 92 scientific contributions, the studies about species distribution records and inventories are the most common, with the group of amphibians having the largest number of studies, followed by the group of reptiles and joint studies (amphibians and reptiles), respectively, being the largest number of studies involving joint participation between males and females. The studies were produced by more than 160 researchers from different institutions, with emphasis on Piauí institutions (UFPI, UESPI). About the herpetofauna, 53 records of amphibian species and 79 species of reptiles were found, distributed in more than 30 municipalities in Piauí, with the Picos region and the Delta do Parnaíba Environmental Protection Area (APADP) being the most sampled locations. The results also indicate that in training at master’s and doctorated degree, Zoology is the area with the highest number of graduates or in training. Through this research it became evident that the total number of studies focusing on species of amphibians and reptiles in Piauí remains low, being among the states with the lowest number of samples associated with the herpetofauna in the country, and that there are still many sample gaps to be filled since the state needs more studies mainly related to the natural history, description and taxonomy of the species so that the biodiversity of the state can be known and conservation actions can be implemented. Thus, this study allowed us to understand the development and the current status of herpetofauna research in Piauí.