Problems with imperfect locality data distribution and conservation status of an enigmatic pitviper
Vague geospatial biodiversity data can lead to confusion regarding the biogeography of poorlyknown species, and also complicate efforts for their conservation. The Guatemalan Palm-pitviper, Bothriechis bicolor (Squamata: Viperidae), a striking yet rarely encountered inhabitant of wet Middle American montane forests, offers a case study germane to this problem. Using a literature- and specimen-based review coupled with novel feld observations, this study shows that despite the high-profle status of B. bicolor, much of the current understanding of its distribution is conficted. The results of this review clarify the lack of records for B. bicolor from Honduras, underscore its existence on both the Pacifc and interior (Gulf of Mexico) slopes of the Sierra Madre de Chiapas, call into question its presumed minimum occupied elevation, and indicate a 68-km range extension into a Biosphere Reserve. Based in part on these fndings, we recommend that B. bicolor be recategorized as Vulnerable (criteria A4c+B1ab[iii]+B2ab[iii]) under the International Union for the Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species. Several ambiguous localities for B. bicolor have helped to cloud both historical and contemporary conceptualizations of the distribution of this species, highlighting issues that often confront biodiversity scientists. Simple approaches for optimizing representations of the geographic range of a species are thus presented.
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Texto biblioteca |
| Language: | eng |
| Subjects: | Bothriechis bicolor, Serpientes, Zoogeografía, Conservación de la vida silvestre, Artfrosur, |
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