Mapping local and regional distribution of Lygophis paucidens Hoge, 1952 (Serpentes, Dipsadidae), an elusive snake from the sandy savannas of Brazil and Paraguay

Abstract

Lygophis paucidens Hoge, 1952 is a rare Neotropical snake, previously mapped using only a few individuals in five localities. Herein we update and discuss the distribution and conservation status of L. paucidens within major Neotropical ecoregions, providing previously unavailable data on distribution and habitat use. We compiled and mapped point locality records from literature and museum specimens, complemented by field studies in three localities. We used those records to map the species Extent of Occurrence (EOO) and Area of Occupancy (AOO), two range-related metrics of central relevance for conservation. We recovered 52 records from 46 vouchered specimens and six field records, distributed in 35 individual point localities, all within the diagonal of open vegetation in South America, with most records in cerrado savannas with sandy soils. Lygophis paucidens is likely a psammophilous species, which might explain its occurrence in savanna enclaves in forested ecoregions and its potentially discontinuous distribution. This knowledge is, therefore, useful in aiding future conservation assessments.