THE HERPETOFAUNA OF THE RAINFOREST
Reading edition
In presenting an account of the herpetofauna of southern El Petén three items need to be considered: (1) The composition of the fauna; (2) the ecology of the fauna; (3) the relationships of the fauna. Each of these topics is discussed briefly below. Logically a discussion of the origin of the fauna should follow, but this is being withheld for inclusion in a report on the herpetofauna of the entire El Petén by L. C. Stuart and the author; at that time the above topics will be expanded to cover the herpetofauna of the whole region.
Composition of the Fauna
Table 1.—Composition of the Herpetofauna in Southern El Petén, Guatemala.
Group Families Genera Species
Gymnophiona (1)[A] (1) (1)
Caudata 1 1 2
Salientia 6 10 (1) 19 (1)
Crocodilia 1 1 1
Testudines 4 7 8
Sauria 6 13 (1) 19 (1)
Serpentes 4 21 (7) 29 (10)
Total 22 (1) 53 (10) 78 (13)
A total of 78 species of amphibians and reptiles has been found in the rainforests in southern El Petén; a break down into families and genera is given in table 1. Another 13 species probably occur in southern El Petén (see Hypothetical List of Species). The fauna primarily is composed of typical humid lowland forest inhabitants, such as:
Hyla ebraccata Eumeces sumichrasti
Hyla loquax Ameiva festiva edwardsi
Phyllomedusa callidryas taylori Imantodes cenchoa leucomelas
Smilisca phaeota cyanosticta Leptophis ahaetulla praestans
Anolis biporcatus Xenodon rabdocephalus mexicanus
Anolis capito Bothrops nasutus
Anolis humilis uniformis Bothrops schlegeli schlegeli
Nevertheless, the region also provides at least a limited amount of habitat suitable for some species that are more frequently found in open forest of a drier nature; such species include:
Hyla microcephala martini Anolis sericeus sericeus
Hyla staufferi Eumeces schwartzei
Hypopachus cuneus nigroreticulatus Oxybelis aeneus aeneus
Because of the absence of sufficiently open habitat or owing to the presence of competitors, some conspicuous members of sub-humid forests are not present in southern El Petén. Conspicuous absentees are the following:
Rhinophrynus dorsalis Ameiva undulata
Phrynohyas spilomma Cnemidophorus angusticeps
Triprion petasatus Conophis lineatus
Anolis tropidonotus Masticophis mentovarius mentovarius
Ctenosaura similis