TABLE 1.--COMPOSITION OF THE HERPETOFAUNA IN SOUTHERN EL PETEN,
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)
-------------+------------+------------+------------
[Footnote A: Numbers in parenthesis indicate the number of additional
taxa that probably occur.]
A total of 78 species of amphibians and reptiles has been found in the
rainforests in southern El Peten; a break down into families and genera
is given in table 1. Another 13 species probably occur in southern El
Peten (see Hypothetical List of Species). The fauna primarily is
composed of typical humid lowland forest inhabitants, such as:
_Hyla ebraccata_
_Hyla loquax_
_Phyllomedusa callidryas taylori_
_Smilisca phaeota cyanosticta_
_Anolis biporcatus_
_Anolis capito_
_Anolis humilis uniformis_
_Eumeces sumichrasti_
_Ameiva festiva edwardsi_
_Imantodes cenchoa leucomelas_
_Leptophis ahaetulla praestans_
_Xenodon rabdocephalus mexicanus_
_Bothrops nasutus_
_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_
_Hyla staufferi_
_Hypopachus cuneus nigroreticulatus_
_Anolis sericeus sericeus_
_Eumeces schwartzei_
_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 Peten. Conspicuous absentees are the
following:
_Rhinophrynus dorsalis_
_Phrynohyas spilomma_
_Triprion petasatus_
_Anolis tropidonotus_
_Ctenosaura similis_
_Ameiva undulata_
_Cnemidophorus angusticeps_
_Conophis lineatus_
_Masticophis mentovarius mentovarius_