Herpetofauna from two municipalities of southwestern Colombia

Abstract

We present a preliminary list of the herpetofauna of Tumaco and Francisco Pizarro municipalities, department of Nariño, Colombia, located in the south of the Chocó biogeographic region, based on field data and on museum collection databases and literature. We recorded 25 species of amphibians and 55 reptiles. The most species-rich families were Hylidae and Craugastoridae for amphibians, and Colubridae and Dactyloidae for reptiles, a pattern similar to that observed on a global scale. Two new species records for Colombia are presented -Pristimantis walkeri and Scinax tsachila, as well as range extensions for Allobates talamancae, Anolis auratus, Dendropsophus ebraccatus, Gonatodes albogularis and Scinax sugillatus. Species accumulation curves and sampling coverage reveal that more field studies are needed for complementing this list, especially studies using methodologies focused on aquatic and fossorial species, and that there could be an effect of deforestation on the diversity of the herpetofauna, which concurs with the lack of canopy amphibians and the exclusive presence of species associated with leaf litter or forest interior in the locations with best plant coverage.

Keywords

• amphibians
• checklist
• choco biogeographic region
• reptiles
• species richness