THE AMPHIBIAN FAUNA IN THE VILLAVICENCIO REGION OF EASTERN COLOMBIA

Abstract

The Villavicencio Region, at the base of the eastern mountain range, harbors anamphibian fauna consisting of three caecilians, 45 frogs, and one salamander. Thisfauna includes 16 abundant species of frogs and toads that occupy open habitatsand which do not invade forested areas of these lowlands. An additional 24 speciesrequire moist conditions and occur principally in areas supporting forests. Sevenother species are species of the Andean slopes that have their lowest records inthe lowlands. This local fauna is enriched in treefrogs and impoverished in termsof centrolenids and leptodactylids relative to the diversities of various amphibiangroups in the country as a whole.