Amphibians & reptiles in a peri-urban wetland: El Estero, San Ramón, Costa Rica.

Abstract

Many species of amphibians and reptiles have reduced their populatios due expansion of the agricultural border, urban growth and climate change. Particularly in Costa Rica, few researchs have done in the urban environment with this group of animals. Then, this is a first effort to generate baseline data in the periphery of San Ramón city, Alajuela; at micro-basin of El Estero. Different sampling methods, as transects and leaf litter quadrants, were used. Also, species seen at occasional encounters were registered. A total of 19 species in 14 families, 8 of reptiles and 6 of amphibians, were found after 120 hours/person effort. Most of them were recorded during the samplings (63 %, n=12); only one species, Incilius coccifer toad, was registered in both, the samplings and occasional encounters. Six species are associated with water bodies and they are known to tolerate moderate contamination, so its permanence in the area is not surprising. Bosque Demostrativo at Sede de Occidente was the site of greatest species richness, because it is the place with the greatest microhabitats variety for the herpetofauna of the area.