Amphibians of the Northern Coast of the State of Paraná, Brazil

The Atlantic Forest possesses the greatest species richness and endemism of anurans among all Brazilian biomes. However, there are gaps in current understanding of the patterns of spatial distribution of these aspects, even though this knowledge is fundamental to conservation efforts. The eastern versant of the Serra do Mar Paranaense (Parana Coastal Mountain Chain) falls into this category. Although it is an important area, there have been only occasional inventories (i.e., the municipalities of Guaraquecaba and Morretes), without a general compilation of data on the anuran fauna. The objective of this investigation was to compile a regional listing of anuran species of the northern coast of the state of Parana. Thus, we summarize information on species richness, composition and natural history, and discuss taxonomic difficulties and conservation threats. We compiled records from museums and the literature for the municipalities of Antonina, Guaraquecaba and Morretes and performed field sampling in Antonia. A total of 1,417 records were obtained representing 81 taxa (63 species and 18 taxonomic groups). Morretes was the municipality with the greatest richness of taxa (67), followed by Guaraquecaba (61) and Antonina (43). The species have 19 reproductive modes, yet the reproductive mode remains unknown for 3 species. According to the IUCN, 54 species are categorized as “LC” ( least concern ) and seven as “DD” ( data deficient ), while three species have not had their conservation status assessed. None of the species recorded are on the national list of threatened species, while 10 species are DD on state lists (states of Parana and Sao Paulo). The majority of species possess stable populations (31), while 18 are declining, 19 are of unknown status and one is growing. Our data indicate that the northern coast of Parana has high species richness and endemism but with populations in decline. These characteristics indicate that the region should receive intensified efforts at basic research ( i.e. systematized surveys, studies of population dynamics, revisions of groups with significant taxonomic uncertainty).