A survey of the reptiles and amphibians at the University of Georgia Costa Rica field station in San Luis de Monteverde, Costa Rica

John David Curlis,José Joaquín Montero-Ramírez,James Moy,W Kody Muhic,Martha Garro-Cruz,Elliot Convery Fisher

doi:10.15560/16.6.1433

Abstract

Reptiles and amphibians are experiencing declines across the globe. In Monteverde, Costa Rica, these declines and their underlying causes have been relatively well studied since the early 1990s, and many protected areas have been set aside to conserve these species. However, thorough surveys of the herpetofaunal diversity in these areas have been scarce over the last 20 years. We conducted a survey of all reptile and amphibian species at the University of Georgia Costa Rica (UGACR), a field station in San Luis de Monteverde. Herein, we present an annotated checklist of the 48 species (35 reptiles and 13 amphibians) that we encountered. While we did not find any exceptionally rare or endangered species, the number of species we encountered is disproportionately high given the small plot of land occupied by UGACR. This underscores the importance of conducting regular diversity surveys in biodiversity hotspots as a means to better inform conservation efforts.

Highlights

Over the past several decades, documenting the diversity and abundance of amphibians and reptiles has become a pressing matter for conservation (Stuart et al 2004; Mendelson III et al 2006; Whitfield et al 2007)
We conducted a survey of all reptile and amphibian species at the University of Georgia Costa Rica (UGACR), a field station in San Luis de Monteverde
The property was sold to the Council on International Educational Exchange (CIEE) in 2019 and no longer exists under the name UGACR; the research presented in this paper was conducted before CIEE’s purchase of the land, so we will refer to the site as UGACR here

Summary

Introduction

Over the past several decades, documenting the diversity and abundance of amphibians and reptiles has become a pressing matter for conservation (Stuart et al 2004; Mendelson III et al 2006; Whitfield et al 2007). As with most animal groups, reptiles and amphibians are susceptible to human-induced activities such as deforestation and habitat alteration, but herpetofaunal species are disappearing at much faster rates than would be predicted if these were the only variables at play (Stuart et al 2004; Whitfield et al 2007). Such endangerment and/or extinctions often occur in areas that have appeared to remain relatively unaltered over the years, Check List 16 (6). It is critically important to document reptile and amphibian diversity so that we can understand how much biodiversity we still have left and where our conservation efforts should be focused

Methods

Results

Conclusion