Check List 21(5): 945-969, doi: 10.15560/21.5.945

Snake (Serpentes, Reptilia) diversity in Mera, Ecuador: a citizen‑science approach to surveying a biodiversity hotspot of the western Amazon

Alexander Griffin Bentley^‡§, Juan Pablo Reyes-Puig^§|¶#, Arley Benjamin Hidalgo^¤‡«», Josselin Alejandra Hernández Altamirano^«˄, María Elena Barragan-Paladines^˅, Mario H. Yánez-Muñoz^§, Diego Almeida-Reinoso^¦ˀ, Mónica A. Guerra^¦, Jhony Arboleda^ˁ, Jaime Culebras^₵», Dione Alexandra Fiallos Moreno^‡, Joaquín Sáenz^‡, Philip M. Yoder^ℓ₰, Don Best^‡, Ricardo Sebastián Vizcarra Vásconez^‡, Manuel Genaro Peñafiel Flores^₱, Alessandro Franchini^₳, Emma Carlson^₳, José Ignacio Segovia Larrea^¤₴, Ian Smitherman^‡, Eric C.K. Gren^₳₣₮₦

‡ Waska Amazonía, Mera, Ecuador§ Unidad de Investigación, Instituto Nacional de Biodiversidad, Quito, Ecuador| Fundación Red de Protección de Bosques ECOMINGA, Quito, Ecuador¶ Fundación Oscar Efrén Reye, Baños de Agua Santa, Ecuador# La Sapada Equipo Herpetológico, Finca La Argentina, Puyo, Ecuador¤ Universidad Estatal Amazónica, Puyo, Ecuador« Universidad Regional Amazónica Ikiam, Tena, Ecuador» Fundación Cóndor Andino, Quito, Ecuador˄ Estación Biológica Pindo Mirador, Gobierno Autónomo Descentralizado Municipal de Pastaza, Mera, Ecuador˅ Museo Fundación Herpetológica Gustavo Orcés, Quito, Ecuador¦ Escuela Politécnica Nacional, Quito, Ecuadorˀ Centro de Conservación de Anfibios SAR-RANA, Llano Chico, Quito, Ecuadorˁ Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja, San Cayetano Alto, Ecuador₵ Photo Wildlife Tours, Quito, Ecuadorℓ Reserva Ecológica Alto Anzu, Mera, Ecuador₰ Rainforest Carpentry Inc., Sarasota, United States of America₱ Town of Mera, Pastaza, Ecuador₳ Southwestern Adventist University, Keene, United States of America₴ Sapada Equipo Herpetológico, Finca La Argentina, Puyo, Ecuador₣ University of Montana, Hamilton, United States of America₮ Bitterroot Community Science Center, Hamilton, United States of America₦ Asclepius Snakebite Foundation, Centennial, United States of America

Corresponding author: Alexander Griffin Bentley ( agbentley77@gmail.com )

Academic editor: Rafael de Fraga

© Alexander Griffin Bentley, Juan Pablo Reyes-Puig, Arley Benjamin Hidalgo, Josselin Alejandra Hernández Altamirano, María Elena Barragan-Paladines, Mario H. Yánez-Muñoz, Diego Almeida-Reinoso, Mónica A. Guerra, Jhony Arboleda, Jaime Culebras, Dione Alexandra Fiallos Moreno, Joaquín Sáenz, Philip M. Yoder, Don Best, Ricardo Sebastián Vizcarra Vásconez, Manuel Genaro Peñafiel Flores, Alessandro Franchini, Emma Carlson, José Ignacio Segovia Larrea, Ian Smitherman, Eric C.K. Gren.

This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

Citation: Bentley AG, Reyes-Puig JP, Hidalgo AB, Altamirano JAH, Barragan-Paladines ME, Yánez-Muñoz MH, Almeida-Reinoso D, Guerra MA, Arboleda J, Culebras J, Fiallos Moreno DA, Sáenz J, Yoder PM, Best D, Vizcarra Vasconez RS, Peñafiel Flores MG, Franchini A, Carlson E, Segovia Larrea JI, Smitherman I, Gren ECK (2025) Snake (Serpentes, Reptilia) diversity in Mera, Ecuador: a citizen‑science approach to surveying a biodiversity hotspot of the western Amazon. Check List 21(5): 945-969. https://doi.org/10.15560/21.5.945

Abstract

Mera County is located in the eastern lowlands of the Llanganates–Sangay Connectivity Corridor (CELS) and is considered a priority conservation area due to the high degree of endemism and existing biological diversity. In the present study, we analyzed snake records from three databases as well as preserved specimens from two local informal collections, four formal collections, and five international collection databases with the participation of numerous students and citizen scientists. Collectively, we examined 85 years’ worth of material—666 individual records, representing seven families, 31 genera, and 66 species. We report seven species previously unrecorded in the study area and 14 new size and elevation records. Our results place this small county among the most snake‑diverse areas in the world. Our citizen‑science approach highlights the value of collaborative work and regional initiatives to involve local people and organizations (private, government, and universities) in scientific efforts.

Keywords

Biodiversity, citizen science, Llanganates–Sangay Connectivity Corridor, Ophidia, reptiles