Assessing Herpetofauna Roadkill Patterns Near a Protected Area in Argentina.

Wildlife–vehicle collisions (roadkill) have a direct effect on survivorship of wildlife and are a serious problem for conservation in the protected areas. Amphibians and reptiles (herpetofauna) are characterized by their seasonal activity, slow movements, and use of roads as habitat, making them especially vulnerable to roadkill. With the aim of assessing the road-related herpetofauna mortality in a protected area boundary, I performed systematic sampling from June 2015 to February 2016 along a 94-km section of Provincial Route (RP) No. 17 in Cordoba Province, Argentina. I analyzed the species composition, roadkill frequency per km, and spatial and seasonal roadkill patterns. Thirty-six herpetofauna roadkills (belonging to six species) were recorded on RP No. 17, with a roadkill frequency per km of 0.0106. Reptiles were more affected than amphibians, with Philodryas patagoniensis and Tupinambis merianae being the most commonly killed species. A stretch of 23.7 km of the sampled road was identified as a roadkill hotspot. Number of roadkills increased with monthly mean temperature, with a snake roadkill peak in spring and a lizard roadkill peak in early summer. Here, I consider which factors could be related to the identified spatial and seasonal patterns of roadkill in this region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]