First records of Oxybelis fulgidus (Daudin, 1803) (Serpentes, Colubridae) from the state of Goiás, Brazil

the journal of biodiversity data NOTES ON GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION 925 Academic editor: Raúl Maneyro Received: 24 June 2025 Accepted: 30 September 2025 Published: 10 October 2025 Copyright © The authors. This is an open‑access article distributed under terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (Attribution 4.0 International – CC BY 4.0) Abstract. Oxybelis fulgidus (Daudin, 1803), Green Vine Snake, is a colubrid with a broad distribution from southern Mexico through Central America to northern South America, including Amazonia and the Cerrado. We report the first record of occurrence of O. fulgidus from the state of Goiás, Brazil. We also provide an updated distribution map of the species. Key words. Central Brazil, Cerrado, Green Vine Snake, reptile, species distribution Silva RR, Oliveira RM, Anjos SF, Costa NQ, Bernades CS, De-Carvalho CB (2025) First records of Oxybelis fulgidus (Daudin, 1803) (Serpentes, Colubridae) from the state of Goiás, Brazil. Check List 21 (5): 925–929. https://doi.org/10.15560/21.5.925 INTRODUCTION The colubrid genus Oxybelis Wagler, 1830 (Serpentes, Colubridae) comprise 11 species (Torres‑Carvajal et al. 2021) and is widely distributed, occurring from the extreme southwestern United States (southern Arizona) through Central America (including some islands) in South America, including southeastern Brazil and the western Andean region (Nogueira et al. 2019; Jadin et al. 2020; Torres‑Carvajal et al. 2021). Oxybelis species are divided into two main evolutionary groups: one composed of Oxybelis fulgidus (Daudin, 1803) and Oxybelis wilsoni Villa & McCranie, 1995, while the other is formed by Oxybelis brevirostris (Cope, 1961) together with the Oxybelis aeneus (Wagler, 1824) species complex. Species of the genus Oxybelis are associated mainly with the open formations of the Americas, including Cerrado sensu stricto (savannah woodland), Campo (grass‑ lands), Cerradão (dense savannah woodland), and gallery forest (Jadin et al. 2020; Torres‑Carvajal et al. 2021). Oxybelis species exhibit characteristics typically related to an arboreal habits, such as a laterally com‑ pressed and slender body (Henderson and Binder 1980). However, unlike what is commonly found in arbo‑ real snake species, Oxybelis species are predominantly diurnal (Henderson 1974; Henderson and Binder 1980; Santos‑Costa et al. 2015; Harrington et al. 2018). Their feeding habits use strategies appropriate for capturing arboreal prey, consisting mainly of small lizards and birds, as well as occasional insects, amphibians, and small mammals (Auguste et al. 2021; Costa et al. 2022; Oliveira et al. 2023). In Brazil, two Oxybelis species have been recorded: O. aeneus, which occurs in open and forest forma‑ tions and has the largest geographic range, with records in the Amazon, Cerrado, Caatinga, and Pantanal ecoregions (Nogueira et al. 2019; Guedes et al. 2023), and O. fulgidus, which has a more restricted distribution in Brazil, with records concentrated in the Amazon region but with recent reports from open vegetation formations of central Brazil, particularly within the Cerrado domain (Nogueira et al. 2019; Sena et al. 2022). METHODS We report seven records of Oxybelis fulgidus obtained during vegetation clearance in a gallery forest carried out in 2021 and 2022 in a mine site within the Cerrado biome. As the species is readily identifiable in the field, only the specimen that sustained injuries as a result of the clearing activities was collected and euthanized. These new records and the collected specimen are the result of a fauna‑rescue program conducted in the course of vegetation removal (license number #19640973 provided by Secretaria de Estado de Meio Am‑ biente e Desenvolvimento Sustentável). The specimen was captured and euthanized, then fixed in a 10% formaldehyde solution and preserved in 70% ethanol before being deposited in the Zoological Collection of 21 (5) · https://doi.org/10.15560/21.5.925 21 (5): 925–929 First records of Oxybelis fulgidus (Daudin, 1803) (Serpentes, Colubridae) from the state of Goiás, Brazil Régis Rodrigues Silva1, Renan Manoel de Oliveira1, 2, Samuel Ferreira dos Anjos1, Nathane de Queiroz Costa1, Cyro de Sousa Bernardes1, Crizanto Brito De-Carvalho1 1 DBO Engenharia Ambiental, Goiânia, Goiás, Brazil 2 Instituto de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade Paulista, Goiânia, Goiás, Brazil Corresponding author: Régis Rodrigues Silva (bio.regi[email protected]om) Check List 21 (5) · https://doi.org/10.15560/21.5.925 Silva et al. · First records of Oxybelis fulgidus in Goiás 926 the Federal University of Goiás (ZUFG). We reviewed the literature for occurrence data of O. fulgidus in Brazil (Nogueira et al. 2019; Sena et al. 2022) and created an updated distribution map for the species using QGIS v. 3.16.9 (QGIS Development Team 2021) (Figure 2). Data resources. The occurrence data reported in this paper are deposited at GBIF, the Global Biodiversity Information Facility, and are available at https://doi.org/10.15468/k2vhhm. RESULTS Oxybelis fulgidus (Daudin, 1803) Figures 1, 2 New record.BRAZIL — Goiás• Minaçu; 13°28′47″S, 048°30′38″W; elev. 939 m a.s.l.; 19.V.2022; Cunha G. leg.; adult sex indet., ZUFG1701. We found another six individuals in the study area: three in 2021 and three in 2022. These seix specimens were identified in the field and not collected (Table 1). Identification. Individuals were identified according to the morphological traits described by Peters and Figure 1. Oxybelis fulgidus (ZUFG1701) from Minaçu, Goiás, Brazil. Figure 2. Geographic distribution of Oxybelis fulgidus in Brazil based on Nogueira et al. (2019) and Sena et al. (2022) and including the new record from the municipality of Minaçu, Goiás, Brazil. Check List 21 (5) · https://doi.org/10.15560/21.5.925 Silva et al. · First records of Oxybelis fulgidus in Goiás 927 Orejas‑Miranda (1970) and Rivas et al. (2024). These include an elongate, slender head, pointed snout, and a uniform green dorsal body surface. Females tend to have a longer snout–vent length (SVL) and are heavier than males according to Henderson (1982) and Scartozzoni et al. (2009). The collected specimen had an SVL of 1290 mm, a tail length of 600 mm, and a total length of 1890 mm length. Scale counts are as follows: dorsal scales 17‑17‑13; ventral scales 206; and subcaudal scales 144. The specimen weighed 384 g. The only other Oxybelis species in Brazil is O. aeneus, but it can be easily distinguished from O. fulgidus by the relatively uniform light‑brown body (both dorsally and ventrally) with scattered, small, black dots; this is in contrast to the uniform green color of O. fulgidus (Henderson and Binder 1980; Torres‑Carvajal et al. 2021). DISCUSSION The geographical distribution of Oxybelis fulgidus was believed to be restricted to the Amazon regions and transition zones between Cerrado and Amazon, with records of occurrence in the states of Rondônia, Amapá, Acre, Roraima, Amazonas, Pará, Tocantins, Mato Grosso, Maranhão and Piauí (Nogueira et al. 2019; Sena et al. 2022; Guedes et al. 2023). The Our new records from the municipality of Minaçu, Goiás, expand the distribution of the species by approximately 352 km south of Palmas, Tocantins, the nearest previously known locality, and by about 455 km north of Nova Xavantina, Mato Grosso (Henderson and Binder, 1980; Torres‑Carvajal et al. 2021) (Figure 2). Therefore, the new record of O. fulgidus is the first from Goiás and the first confirmed occurrence of this species in central Brazil; it significantly expands the known geographic distribution of the species. Although O. fulgidus is a common snake in tropical forests, its presence in the Cerrado, especially in frag‑ ments of gallery forests, reinforces the importance of these ecosystems for the maintenance of local biodi‑ versity. By harboring species shared with neighboring forest biomes, gallery forests contribute to regional biodiversity. Thus, gallery forests provide suitable habiat for forest species to expand their distribution to predominantly non‑forest biomes (Brandão and Araujo 2001). The record of O. fulgidus from the Cerrado has importance for future conservation strategies for this species, and new data, such as those presented here, are essential in advancing our understanding of the Cerrado’s critically underdocumented herpetological diversity. Providing details of each occurrence con‑ tributes to a better understanding of the natural history of the Cerrado. While important information on reptile species has been generated in recent years, particularly on their geographical distribution, signifi‑ cant knowledge gaps persist (Diniz‑Filho et al. 2005; Bini et al. 2006). Goiás faces considerable challenges in preserving its biodiversity, particularly due to the intense anthropogenic pressures from agriculture, mining, and infrastructure development that compromise the integrity of native vegetation. In recent years, reptile databases have been largely built upon natural history notes. These databases are important to scientific research and hold considerable potential to reduce persistent knowledge gaps in herpetology (Schalk and Cove 2018; Grundler 2020; Martins 2021; Teodoro et al. 2022). Our study, in providing new records of O. fulgidus in the Cerrado and Goiás, not only contributes to a better understanding of the local fauna but also broadens current knowledge of the species and suggests that its distribution may be considerably broader than previously recognized. Our findings offer valuable insights for the implementa‑ tion of conservation measures in this highly threatened and ecologically diverse region. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS We acknowledge DBO Environmental Engineering for their assistance with biological assessments and lo‑ gistical support during the fieldwork. We are also grateful to Leonardo Silva de Paula, Dysianne Pimentel, Francielly Reis, Matheus Ferreira, Gilmar Cunha, Bianca Tomielo and Layane Lopes for their assistance during fieldwork. The authors also thank the reviewers and editors, who provided substantial assistance with this Table 1. Georeferenced records of Oxybelis fulgidus in Minaçu, Goiás. *Voucher specimen. Records Date Geographic coordinates Municipality Type of environment 101.VI.2021 13°29’55.78”S, 048°30’49.38”W Minaçu Cerrado sensu stricto 2 21.IX.2021 13°29’44.21”S, 048°30’53.86”W Minaçu Gallery forest 319.X.2021 13°29’53.70”S, 048°31’12.97”W Minaçu Cerrado sensu stricto 4* 19.V.2022 13°28’47.34”S, 048°30’38.96”W Minaçu Gallery forest 520.V.2022 13°28’32.64”S, 048°30’38.64”W Minaçu Gallery forest 620.V.2022 13°28’46.15”S, 048°30’37.34”W Minaçu Gallery forest 721.V.2022 13°28’40.24”S, 048°30’34.38”W Minaçu Gallery forest Check List 21 (5) · https://doi.org/10.15560/21.5.925 Silva et al. · First records of Oxybelis fulgidus in Goiás 928 manuscript. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION Conflict of interest The authors declare no conflicting interests. Ethical statement No ethical statement is reported. Funding This study was not financially supported by institutions. Author contributions Conceptualization: RRS, RMO, CBD‑C and SFA. Data curation: RRS and CSB. Visualization: RRS and CSB. Writ‑ ing – review and editing: RRS, RMO, CBD‑C, SFA, NQC and CSB. Author ORCID iDs Régis Rodrigues Silva https://orcid.org/0009‑0003‑5415‑7898 Renan Manoel de Oliveira https://orcid.org/0000‑0002‑5423‑9020 Samuel Ferreira dos Anjos https://orcid.org/0000‑0001‑8644‑9965 Nathane de Queiroz Costa https://orcid.org/0000‑0001‑8211‑9272 Cyro de Sousa Bernades https://orcid.org/0000‑0002‑1256‑9099 Crizanto Brito De‑Carvalho https://orcid.org/0000‑0002‑6267‑6423 Data availability All data that support the findings of this study are available in the main text. The occurrence data reported in this paper are also deposited at GBIF, the Global Biodiversity Information Facility, and are available at https:// doi.org/10.15468/k2vhhm. REFERENCES Auguste RJ, Mohamed JM, Maingot ME, Edghill K (2021) Dietary records for Oxybelis rutherfordi (Serpentes: Colubridae) from Trinidad and Tobago. 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