Chave de identificação interativa para as espécies de serpentes de Juiz de Fora, Minas Gerais

Abstract

The need to understand biodiversity has driven the development of tools that facilitate species identification, and dichotomous identification keys have been widely used for this purpose. With the advancement of technology, interactive keys have been developed, which are made available online, providing easy access for users. Snakes represent the most diverse group among Brazilian reptiles, with 435 species recorded in the country. Although there are several dichotomous keys for snake identification, they are scattered across different publications, making the identification process more difficult. In Brazil, there are no interactive keys for snakes, highlighting the need for an updated tool for identifying species both locally and nationally. In light of this, the objective of this study was to update the list of snake species with confirmed occurrences in Juiz de Fora and produce an interactive identification key to facilitate their determination. The species list was updated based on data from scientific collections, literature, and citizen science. The interactive key was built using the Xper 2 and 3 software, which uses a database structured in a character matrix composed of taxa and their respective diagnostic characters, extracted from taxonomic articles of each species. Our research expanded the list of snake species in the region from 24 to 39, representing a 62.5% increase in the number of records for the municipality. The interactive key covers all species found in the municipality, belonging to four families: Colubridae, Dipsadidae, Elapidae, and Viperidae. We used 99 characters and 281 character states, externally visible and typically used in taxonomic studies of snakes, such as scale count; characteristics of head and body scales; presence or absence of pits; and characters related to body length and general morphology. Additionally, we also included characters related to body coloration, divided into dorsal, ventral, and head coloration, using the main features for species identification. The key also includes additional information that will assist in identifying specimens, such as a glossary of terminologies, images, and natural history information. This tool facilitates access to information and enables the identification of snakes not only by specialists but also by professionals working with fauna in the municipality. Furthermore, it can contribute to future research on snakes in Juiz de Fora and be used in teaching taxonomy, contributing to the professional development of students.