Use of visible fluorescent elastomer to monitor Chironius flavolineatus (Serpentes: Colubridae) in the Atlantic Forest

Abstract

Studies of monitoring animal populations using capture-mark-recapture require reliable methods of marking, mainly to obtain data on both population size and growth, as well as on individual movement and displacement in the long term. From May 2019 to April 2021, we marked 111 individuals of Chironius flavolineatus from a population found in the Atlantic Forest of Northeast Brazil. The markings were made using four colours of the visible implant elastomer (VIE), obtaining a total of 40 recaptures that varied from three days to 696 days after the marking and release. We analysed the efficiency and persistence of the coloured polymers, and our findings indicate that the use of VIE is an effective method for marking arboreal snakes in both short- and long-term studies. All the colours worked successfully; however, the green-coloured polymer needs to be used with caution in long-term studies. Because of the consistency in the recapture of the snakes and the long period of recapture recorded during the research, the use of the visible implant fluorescent elastomer is recommended for future studies on the ecology of snake populations.