Despite the increasing knowledge of amphibians and reptiles in
Guyana, the southern part of the country has yet to be explored.
Southern Guyana has been noted as a high research priority
because it harbors large, contiguous forests, and a high
diversity of habitats. The reptiles and amphibians of the Acarai
Mountains and the upper Essequibo River had never been surveyed
before this expedition. Sampling for reptiles and amphibians
took place in the rivers and tributaries and in the nearby
vegetation, with the exception of occasional findings by the
other RAP team members (usually the insect team). Adult and
juvenile amphibians and reptiles were captured by hand once
seen, while tadpoles were collected using fine mesh nets
(occasionally by the fish team). |Blue poison dart frog | The
team also interviewed local field guides informally, who were
able to provide information especially about medium-to-large
reptiles. The study area yielded 26 species of amphibians and 34
species of reptiles. Most of the amphibians