Diversity of urban reptiles in three Amazonian municipalities: an assessment using a citizen science platform

The management and protection of urban habitats are relevant conservation strategies since cities around the world harbor a diversified fauna. Unfortunately, basic species inventories are unavailable for most cities located in tropical regions. In this context, valuable information about the presence of species in cities can be obtained through citizen science platforms. We compiled data available on the iNaturalist platform and in the literature to provide a qualitative assessment of squamate reptile diversity in three major Amazonian municipalities: Belém, Manaus and Rio Branco. We found 1,200 photographic records of 122 reptile species on the iNaturalist platform which represents about 70% of the reptile fauna of the three municipalities. Within the urban perimeters, were recorded 25% (Belém), 38% (Manaus), and 58% (Rio Branco) of reptile species from the regional pool of each municipality. Most of the photographic records were obtained within urban forest fragments or in urbanized environments near them. The species recorded within the cities are subsets of the regional pool of each municipality suggesting that faunal homogenization apparently has not affected the urban reptile assemblages until now. Protecting and managing forest fragments are important strategies for maintaining reptile diversity in these Amazonian cities.