Occurrence dataset of reptiles and amphibians in primary forests of the Las Piedras River, Tambopata province, Peru

Data Records

The data in this occurrence resource has been published as a Darwin Core Archive (DwC-A), which is a standardized format for sharing biodiversity data as a set of one or more data tables. The core data table contains 2,327 records.

This IPT archives the data and thus serves as the data repository. The data and resource metadata are available for download in the downloads section. The versions table lists other versions of the resource that have been made publicly available and allows tracking changes made to the resource over time.

Versions

The table below shows only published versions of the resource that are publicly accessible.

How to cite

Researchers should cite this work as follows:

Crnobrna B, Champagne P, Fonseca Williams H, Turner H, Panduro Pisco G (2025). Occurrence dataset of reptiles and amphibians in primary forests of the Las Piedras River, Tambopata province, Peru. Version 1.5. Biodiversity Data Journal. Occurrence dataset. https://ipt.pensoft.net/resource?r=herpetofauna_las_piedras_peru&v=1.5

Rights

Researchers should respect the following rights statement:

The publisher and rights holder of this work is Biodiversity Data Journal. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY 4.0) License.

GBIF Registration

This resource has been registered with GBIF, and assigned the following GBIF UUID: 590a3cab-64b0-4648-9293-ada3843153fe.  Biodiversity Data Journal publishes this resource, and is itself registered in GBIF as a data publisher endorsed by Participant Node Managers Committee.

Keywords

Occurrence; Herpetofauna diversity; Amazon Rainforest; Las Piedras River; Amphibia; Reptilia; Squamata; Anura; Crocodilia; Testudines; Observation

Contacts

Geographic Coverage

Geographic Coverage • Region: Madre de Dios, southeastern Peru • Sites: Las Piedras Biodiversity Station (LPBS) and Amazon Research and Conservation Centre (ARCC) • Coordinates: o LPBS: 12.05672°S, 69.52853°W o ARCC: 12.04619°S, 69.67675°W • Habitat: Lowland Amazon rainforest, including terra firme, floodplain forest, and oxbow lake ecosystems.

Taxonomic Coverage

No Description available

Temporal Coverage

Project Data

The records reported in this dataset were generated during multiple research and conservation initiatives along the Las Piedras River. These data were managed by Brian Crnobrna and Patrick Champagne, with significant contributions from faunal surveying projects led by Fauna Forever, sustainable development and conservation initiatives through Jungle Keepers S.A.C., and two thesis research projects supported by Patrick Champagne in collaboration with Acadia University and The University of Queensland. Acknowledgments to volunteers and others involved during the project: Fauna Forever volunteers and interns performed samplings such as stream surveys and night walks. We thank them for their assistance and contributions: Celia Barlow, Marnie Smith-Bessen, Clare Turrell, Vicki Mercier, Matt Armes, Maria Alejandra Ramirez, Katrin Luder, Keelen Robertson, Bathsheba Gardner, Paddy Summers, Julien Glouton, Louis Guzennac, Sam LaVoie, Tori Jeffers, Vanessa Simons, McKenzie Wardwell, and the Cardiff University crew: Matt De Couto, Freddy Harvey Williams, and Henry Richards. We are grateful to Paul Rosolie and Mohsin Kazmi at Junglekeepers for their continued support, and to Mark Fernley (Untamed Expeditions) for valuable assistance, as well as the research efforts of Irbin Llanqui and Justin Touchon. We also extend our gratitude to the organizations Fauna Forever, ARCAmazon, and Tamandua Expeditions, in particular Dr. Chris Kirkby and David Johnson for their logistical and operational support. Finally, we acknowledge Juan Julio Duran and Pepe Moscoso, managers of the Las Piedras Biodiversity Station and the Amazon Research and Conservation Centre, for their collaboration and support throughout the study.

The personnel involved in the project:

Sampling Methods

We aggregated results from three common herpetofauna survey methods employed over varied sampling periods from 2004 to 2023. Additionally, we included opportunistic records of other species that were not detected using the three primary methods: pitfall traps, quadrats, and transects. Amphibian taxonomy used follows Frost et al. (2006) with updates from Jungfer et al. (2013), Moravec et al. (2009), Caminer and Ron (2014), Fouqet et al. (2021), Caminer et al. (2017), Melo-Sampaio (2023), Rivadeneira et al. (2018), and Jungfer et al. (2010). Reptile taxonomy follows Uetz et al. (2022). Crucial updates to reptile taxonomy and biogeography came from Ribeiro-Junior et al. (2020) and Murphy (2016). Pitfall Traps Pitfalls trap arrays were designed with straight driftline fences made of plastic sheeting measuring 30 m long, trenched into soil at the bottom edge, and installed with four 60 L buckets. The buckets had holes drilled in the bottom to allow drainage, and were spaced 10 m apart (second and third buckets excluded opposing sides of the driftline), although traps at ARCC employed a mixture of 20 L, 60 L, and 120 L buckets in an experimental array. In all cases buckets were left uncovered, but natural cover was provided inside the buckets to accommodate captured animals. Traps were checked once every 24 hours. All individuals of all amphibian species were recorded and released at a predetermined release site approximately 100 m away from the trap. Quadrats Quadrat data originating from 2004 can be considered identical to that detailed by Doan (2003); utilizing a “corner-in” method on 50 quadrats from two plots run systematically. Newer quadrats quadrupled the plot size and combined random walks with the “corner-in” method. These quadrats were selected randomly from the trails and large transect plots used at LPS. Transects Non-invasive visual transect searches followed straight lines 100 m long in homogenous forest devoid of permanent water bodies or drastic shifts in relief (ridges, stream banks, etc.). Search time was limited to less than 50 minutes measured with a stopwatch to factor out specimen processing or any time spent off transect. Sampling took place during both day and nighttime, and effort was made to perform three diurnal transects for every five nocturnal transects. Nocturnal transects took place between 17:30 and 00:00 h, diurnal between 08:30 and 13:00 h, but both took place on the same plots, numbering six at LPBS and two at ARCC. In 2004 at LPBS, two plots of 24 transects were run systematically. In 2012 and 2013, two plots at ARCC contained 10 separate transects run via stratified-random post hoc resampling design. At LPBS in 2014 three more plots were run in random order over a much larger geographic scale. Opportunistic Sampling All opportunistic encounters, valued as presence/absence data, were recorded. Night walks restricted to trails between 1.5 and 5 km in length, swamp searches, and stream runs made up the opportunistic samples. References: Doan TM, Arriaga WA (2002) Microgeographic variation in species composition of the herpetofaunal communities of Tambopata Region, Peru. Biotropica 34: 101-117. https://doi.org/10.1646/0006-3606(2002)034[0101:MVISCO]2.0.CO;2 Caminer MA, Ron SR (2014) Systematics of treefrogs of the Hypsiboas calcaratus and Hypsiboas fasciatus species complex (Anura, Hylidae) with the description of four new species. ZooKeys 370: 1-68. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.370.6291 Caminer MA, Milá B, Jansen M, Fouquet A, Venegas PJ, Chávez G, Lougheed SC, Ron SR (2017) Systematics of the Dendropsophus leucophyllatus species complex (Anura: Hylidae): Cryptic diversity and the description of two new species. PLOS One 12: e0176902. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0171785 Fouquet A, Marinho P, Réjaud A, Carvalho TR, Caminer MA, Jansen M, Rainha RN, Rodrigues MT, Werneck FP, Lima AP, Hrbek T, Giaretta AA, Venegas PJ, Chávez G, Ron S (2021) Systematics and biogeography of the Boana albopunctata species group (Anura, Hylidae), with the description of two new species from Amazonia. Systematics and Biodiversity 19: 375-399. https://doi.org/10.1080/14772000.2021.1873869 Frost DR, Grant T, Faivovich J, Bain RH, Haas A, Haddad CF, Sa ROD, Channing A, Wilkinson M, Donnellan SC (2006). The amphibian tree of life. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 2006: 1‑291.https://doi.org/10.1206/0003-0090(2006)297[0001:TATOL]2.0.CO;2 Jungfer K, Faivovich J, Padial JM, Castroviejo-Fisher S, Lyra MM, Berneck BV, Iglesias PP, Kok PJ, MacCulloch RD, Rodrigues MT (2013) Systematics of spiny-backed treefrogs (Hylidae: Osteocephalus): an Amazonian puzzle. Zoologica Scripta 42: 351-380. https://doi.org/10.1111/zsc.12015 Jungfer K, Faivovich J, Padial JM, Castroviejo-Fisher S, Lyra MM, Berneck BV, Iglesias PP, Kok PJ, MacCulloch RD, Rodrigues MT (2013) Systematics of spiny-backed treefrogs (Hylidae: Osteocephalus): an Amazonian puzzle. Zoologica Scripta 42: 351-380. https://doi.org/10.1111/zsc.12015 Melo-Sampaio PR (2023) On the taxonomic status of Dendropsophus koechlini (Duellman & Trueb, 1989). Journal of Vertebrate Biology 72 (23022): 1-11. https://doi.org/10.25225/jvb.23022 Moravec J, Aparicio J, Guerrero-Reinhard M, Calderón G, Jungfer K-H, Gvoždík V (2009) A new species of Osteocephalus (Anura: Hylidae) from Amazonian Bolivia: first evidence of tree frog breeding in fruit capsules of the Brazil nut tree. Zootaxa 2215: 37-54. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.189932 Murphy JC, Jowers MJ, Lehtinen RM, Charles SP, Colli GR, Peres AK, Hendry CR, Pyron RA (2016) Cryptic, sympatric diversity in tegu lizards of the Tupinambis teguixin group (Squamata, Sauria, Teiidae) and the description of three new species. PLOS One 11 (8): e0158542. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0158542 Ribeiro-Júnior MA, Choueri E, Lobos S, Venegas P, Torres-Carvajal O, Werneck F (2020) Eight in one: morphological and molecular analyses reveal cryptic diversity in Amazonian alopoglossid lizards (Squamata: Gymnophthalmoidea). Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 190 (1): 227-270. https://doi.org/10.1093/zoolinnean/zlz155 Rivadeneira CD, Venegas PJ, Ron SR (2018) Species limits within the widespread Amazonian treefrog Dendropsophus parviceps with descriptions of two new species (Anura, Hylidae). ZooKeys 726: 25-77. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.726.13864 Uetz P, Hošek J, Hallermann J (2022) The Reptile Database. URL: https://reptile-database.reptarium.cz/

Method step description:

1. 1. Study Area Location: Surveys were conducted at Las Piedras Biodiversity Station (LPBS) and Amazon Research and Conservation Centre (ARCC) in the Madre de Dios region, Peru. Geographic Details: The study area spans 65 km of the Las Piedras River, near the confluence with the Huascar River, encompassing diverse habitats like terra firme forest, swamps, and floodplain forest. Seasonality: The region experiences distinct wet (October–April) and dry (May–October) seasons. 2. Sampling Methods 2.1. Pitfall Traps Arrays consisted of 30 m drift fences with four 60 L buckets for captures. Buckets had drainage holes and natural cover to accommodate captured animals. Checked every 24 hours, recording all amphibians and releasing them 100 m away. 2.2. Quadrats Early methods used 50 quadrats per plot with a systematic "corner-in" technique. Newer methods quadrupled the plot size and combined random walks with systematic searches. Quadrats were selected from trails and large transect plots. 2.3. Transects 100 m long straight-line transects in homogenous forest devoid of water bodies or steep relief. Searches were non-invasive visual surveys conducted within 50-minute periods. Sampling Schedule: Nocturnal transects: Between 17:30 and 00:00 h. Diurnal transects: Between 08:30 and 13:00 h. Stratified random resampling was employed in later stages. 2.4. Opportunistic Sampling Included night walks (1.5–5 km), swamp searches, and stream runs. Records were valued as presence/absence data. 3. Taxonomic Framework Amphibians: Taxonomy followed Frost et al. (2006) with updates from Jungfer et al. (2013) and others. Reptiles: Taxonomy adhered to Uetz et al. (2022) with updates from Ribeiro-Junior et al. (2020). 4. Data Collection and Positional Accuracy GPS Used: GarminMap 64s for geographic coordinates. Resolution: Pitfall Traps: Coordinates represented the centroid of a 30 m x 30 m cell. Transects: Coordinates represented a 100 m x 100 m cell. Quadrats: Coordinates depicted the quadrat center. 5. Temporal Coverage 2004–2024: Includes opportunistic records and structured surveys. 6. We aggregated results based on site locality and method employed. 7. We validated species information for opportunistic records against photographic evidence of occurrence. 8. We constructed the database following Darwin Core.

Bibliographic Citations

1. Caminer MA, Ron SR (2014) Systematics of treefrogs of the Hypsiboas calcaratus and Hypsiboas fasciatus species complex (Anura, Hylidae) with the description of four new species. ZooKeys 370: 1-68. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.370.6291
2. Caminer MA, Milá B, Jansen M, Fouquet A, Venegas PJ, Chávez G, Lougheed SC, Ron SR (2017) Systematics of the Dendropsophus leucophyllatus species complex (Anura: Hylidae): Cryptic diversity and the description of two new species. PLOS One 12: e0176902. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0171785
3. Doan TM, Arriaga WA (2002) Microgeographic variation in species composition of the herpetofaunal communities of Tambopata Region, Peru. Biotropica 34: 101-117. https://doi.org/10.1646/0006-3606(2002)034[0101:MVISCO]2.0.CO;2
4. Fouquet A, Marinho P, Réjaud A, Carvalho TR, Caminer MA, Jansen M, Rainha RN, Rodrigues MT, Werneck FP, Lima AP, Hrbek T, Giaretta AA, Venegas PJ, Chávez G, Ron S (2021) Systematics and biogeography of the Boana albopunctata species group (Anura, Hylidae), with the description of two new species from Amazonia. Systematics and Biodiversity 19: 375-399. https://doi.org/10.1080/14772000.2021.1873869
5. Frost DR, Grant T, Faivovich J, Bain RH, Haas A, Haddad CF, Sa ROD, Channing A, Wilkinson M, Donnellan SC (2006). The amphibian tree of life. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 2006: 1‑291. https://doi.org/10.1206/0003-0090(2006)297[0001:TATOL]2.0.CO;2
6. Jungfer K, Faivovich J, Padial JM, Castroviejo-Fisher S, Lyra MM, Berneck BV, Iglesias PP, Kok PJ, MacCulloch RD, Rodrigues MT (2013) Systematics of spiny-backed treefrogs (Hylidae: Osteocephalus): an Amazonian puzzle. Zoologica Scripta 42: 351-380. https://doi.org/10.1111/zsc.12015
7. Melo-Sampaio PR (2023) On the taxonomic status of Dendropsophus koechlini (Duellman & Trueb, 1989). Journal of Vertebrate Biology 72 (23022): 1-11. https://doi.org/10.25225/jvb.23022
8. Moravec J, Aparicio J, Guerrero-Reinhard M, Calderón G, Jungfer K-H, Gvoždík V (2009) A new species of Osteocephalus (Anura: Hylidae) from Amazonian Bolivia: first evidence of tree frog breeding in fruit capsules of the Brazil nut tree. Zootaxa 2215: 37-54. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.189932
9. Murphy JC, Jowers MJ, Lehtinen RM, Charles SP, Colli GR, Peres AK, Hendry CR, Pyron RA (2016) Cryptic, sympatric diversity in tegu lizards of the Tupinambis teguixin group (Squamata, Sauria, Teiidae) and the description of three new species. PLOS One 11 (8): e0158542. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0158542
10. Ribeiro-Júnior MA, Choueri E, Lobos S, Venegas P, Torres-Carvajal O, Werneck F (2020) Eight in one: morphological and molecular analyses reveal cryptic diversity in Amazonian alopoglossid lizards (Squamata: Gymnophthalmoidea). Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 190 (1): 227-270. https://doi.org/10.1093/zoolinnean/zlz155
11. Rivadeneira CD, Venegas PJ, Ron SR (2018) Species limits within the widespread Amazonian treefrog Dendropsophus parviceps with descriptions of two new species (Anura, Hylidae). ZooKeys 726: 25-77. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.726.13864
12. Uetz P, Hošek J, Hallermann J (2022) The Reptile Database. https://reptile-database.reptarium.cz/

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