Herpetofauna of the Great Tectonic Lakes of Exaltación, Beni Department, Bolivia

Abstract

The Great Tectonic Lakes of Exaltación is a little-explored region of the Beni Department in Bolivia.During a multidisciplinary scientific expedition, we documented the herpetofauna of this part of the floodplains of theLlanos de Moxos and the Cerrado, confirming the presence of 25 amphibian species (Anura) and 40 reptilian species(Testudines, Crocodylia, and Squamata), and estimated species richness of 30 amphibians and 56 reptilian species forthe region. Most reported species have wide distributions in the lowlands, except for Leptodactylus cf. gracilis, a specieswith a restricted distribution in the southern ecoregions of Bolivia. Two threatened turtle species (Podocnemis unifilisand Chelonoidis denticulatus) categorized as Vulnerable were present, as well as other larger reptilian species such as theBlack Caiman (Melanosuchus niger) and the Spectacled Caiman (Caiman yacare).