Amazon Alive: A Decade of Discoveries 1999-2009 - WWF

Reptiles
55new reptile species
A turtle, 28 snakes and 26 lizards have been discovered in the Amazon in the
last 10 years. The 55 new reptile species discoveries dot the landscape, with
species steadily emerging over the years in all the states that comprise the
Amazon.
Two of the new discoveries are members of the Elapidae family. This is the
most venomous snake family in the world and includes among its number the
taipans, black mamba, cobras, fierce snake, and sea snakes. The coral snake,
Micrurus pacaraimae, was discovered in 2002 in Brazil’s border with
Venezuela, in the state of Roraima 40 . The 30cm, red and black-ringed
species is one of over 65 known species, and many are among the most
venomous snakes in the Amazon. A further species, Leptomicrurus renjifoi,
was found in the tropical semi-deciduous forest of the eastern Colombian
llanos, a grassland in the Amazon 41 . Officially described in 2004, this 40cm
species, a so-called short-tailed coral snake, is unique in that it is the
smallest of its genus and differs from other coral snakes by possessing a
pattern of black rings separated by equally long (or longer) pale orange rings.
The eastern llanos of Colombia is a complex of savannahs and a dozen types
of forests. It is also home to the endemic Orinoco crocodile (Crocodylus
intermedius), a species that reaches 7m, and is one of the most
critically-endangered reptiles on Earth.
Another vibrantly-coloured snake species, Pseudoboa martinsi, was described
in 2008 from the Amazon States of Pará, Amazonas, Roraima and Rondônia,
Brazil 42 . The new metre-long species has a black head cap, a large black
vertebral stripe, bright red flanks, and a uniformly white belly. One of the most
notable characteristics of pseudoboine snakes is the developmental colour
change that individuals undergo. Scientists suggest this is likely to be related
to their reaching sexual maturity. The new species, however, is unique among
its contemporaries as it retains its pale collar and bright colour pattern
throughout its life.
Individuals of this new species were found in both primary and disturbed
forested areas. The species seems to be predominantly nocturnal and
secretive, and was found foraging at night among the leaf litter of a primary
forest, near streams. According to scientists, despite its bright colouration and
the fact that it is known to eat other snakes, when handled the species was
harmless, and did not attempt to constrict or bite. The species is a member of
the Colubridae family, a predominately harmless and non-venomous family,
which accounts for roughly two thirds of all snake species on Earth, including a
vast majority of the new Amazon snake discoveries.
Thirteen new species of colubrid snakes from the Atractus genus, or ground
snakes, were also discovered over the past decade. Most of the nearly 100
species comprising the genus have restricted distributions. In Guyana, where
knowledge of the herpetofaunal diversity is still very limited, a new species,
Atractus tamessari, was discovered in Kaieteur National Park. The snake is
medium brown to brownish-black, with dark brown mottling and rust-coloured
spots 43 . A further species, the tiger-striped Atractus davidhardi was described a
year later from the Brazilian and Colombian Amazon 44,45 .
Snake discoveries in the Brazilian Amazon have been particularly prevalent
but, despite this, up to 30% of the Brazilian fauna of snakes is still unknown,
according to the Brazilian Society of Herpetology. This means more than 100
species could yet be discovered, with the total number of snakes exceeding
350.
Other significant reptile finds include a new turtle, found in an array of
Amazonian habitats in the upper Amazon basin, including southern Venezuela,
western Brazil, north-eastern Peru, eastern Ecuador and south-eastern
Colombia. The new Amazon toadhead turtle (Batrachemys heliostemma),
discovered in 2001 46 , is a medium to large-sized toadhead turtle and has a
large, wide, round head. The name given to the species is a combination of
Greek: helios, ‘sun’, and stemma ‘wreath’, in reference to the bright yelloworange
horseshoe-shaped facial bands the species displays on its head. Little
is known of the behaviour or feeding preferences of this species in the wild,
20 amazon alive! I a decade of discovery 1999-2009