Inventory of the herpetofauna of Talampaya National Park, a World Heritage Site in Argentina

Camila Kass,Melina Alicia Velasco,Federico Pablo Kacoliris,Nicolas Ariel Kass,Jorge Daniel Williams,María Dolores Juri

doi:10.4013/nbc.2018.133.03

Abstract

Talampaya National Park (TNP) was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site, together with Ischigualasto Provincial Park in 2000, but there is no list with updated information from reptiles and amphibians eighteen years after its creation. Therefore, we listed a complete inventory of the herpetofauna of TNP with the information obtained from bibliography, data from Argentina National Parks Administration (ranger reports and the species listed in their database) and fieldwork using pitfall traps, active search transects and pictures/material collected in the site. We confirm the occurrence of 35 species of herpetofauna in the TNP, including 29 reptiles and 6 amphibians. Some species found in TNP are of great value because their national conservation status is vulnerable (Chelonoidis chilensis, Liolaemus anomalus, Liolaemus riojanus) or even endangered (Boa constrictor occidentalis). Therefore, priority areas for conservation of these species should be proposed inside the park. Keywords: amphibians, conservation area, list of species, reptiles.

Highlights

Amphibians and reptiles are among the most threatened vertebrates worldwide (Todd et al, 2010; Whittaker et al, 2013)
The last one, we considered voucher specimens deposited at several museum collections, such as Museo de La Plata (MLP), Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales Bernardino Rivadavia (MACN), Fundación Miguel Lillo (FML) and Centro Nacional Patagónico – CONICET (CENPAT)
We recorded a total of 35 herpetofauna species in the Talampaya National Park (TNP), including 29 reptiles (Table 1) and 6 amphibians (Table 2, Figure 3)

Summary

Introduction

Amphibians and reptiles are among the most threatened vertebrates worldwide (Todd et al, 2010; Whittaker et al, 2013). The Talampaya National Park (TNP), located in the west center of La Rioja Province, is an excellent site for ecological studies, due to low human disturbance (Chebez, 2005). The TNP area was initially declared a provincial park in 1975 due its importance for protecting native wildlife, geological and anthropological features and was upgraded as a National Park in 1997 In 2000, it was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site together with the adjoining protected area Ischigualasto Provincial Park (UNESCO ID 966). These areas together, Ischigualasto Provincial Park in San Juan Province and Talampaya National Park in Rioja Province, cover 275,369 hectares. TNP area is located within Argentina’s Monte de Sierras y Bolsones ecoregion, characterized by a warm scrub desert located along the eastern Andean foothills (Secretaría de Turismo, 1999)

Methods

Results

Conclusion