Herpetofauna of San José del Guaviare, Guaviare, Colombia

Abstract

We present the results of three years of sampling of amphibians and reptiles in different habitats in the municipality of San José del Guaviare, Guaviare, Colombia. We conducted four field excursions between 2012 and 2014 and found a total of 40 amphibian and 63 reptile species, representing a sampling coverage of 98 % for amphibians and 93 % for reptiles. Collection records and literature search increased our species list by 7 amphibians and 4 reptiles, for a total of 47 amphibians and 67 reptile species recorded for the region. Also, for the first time in Colombia, we documented the presence of the lizard Gymnophthalmus leucomystax, and confirmed the expansion of the distribution of the frog Boana maculateralis, and the snakes Atractus collaris, Atractus fuliginosus and Epictia amazonica in the department of Guaviare. Since most of the species found are from the central and western region of San José del Guaviare, sampling towards the eastern region, which has higher forest cover and less perturbed habitats, will undoubtedly increase the number of recorded species.

Moenkhausia hemigrammoides Géry, 1965 (Characidae, Stethaprioninae) in Colombia: new records and comments on morphology

“…The Guaviare river drainage is a Ramsar wetland, relevant for conservation in Colombia, which connects the Picachos-Tinigua-Sierra de la Macarena-Chiribiquete (PTMC) mega-corridor (Trujillo et al 2014;Clerici et al 2018). Although the Guaviare drainage has been poorly sampled (Lasso et al 2016), recent studies have found a unique fauna and flora intersection between the Orinoco, Amazonas, Andes, and the Guianas shield (Rial 2018;Vriesendrop et al 2018;Medina-Rangel et al 2019). This intersection includes similar faunas among Inírida and Guaviare drainages (Ariari, Duda, and Guayabero rivers).…”

‘Moving South’: Late Pleistocene Plant Exploitation and the Importance of Palm in the Colombian Amazon

“…Reptiles, including caiman, crocodiles, iguanas, snakes, and turtles, account for 6% of the assemblage (824 fragments). These species are mostly associated with aquatic environments in the humid tropical forest [103]. A single phalange fragment from an egret (family Ardeidae), associated with rapids and wetlands, is the only bird bone in the assemblage.…”

The enigmatic biogeography of Tobago's marooned relics: The case study of a fossorial snake (Squamata, Dipsadidae)

“…The fossorial, cryptozoic Hallowell's Ground Snake Atractus fuliginosus Hallowell, 1854 is found in Colombia, Venezuela and the Caribbean island of Tobago (Medina-Rangel et al, 2019). Unlike its congener, Atractus trilineatus, which occurs on Trinidad and the mainland, the distribution of A. fuliginosus remains enigmatic.…”