The knowledge of the herpetofauna of Costa Rica continues to grow since the publication of the comprehensive coverage in Savage (2002) through discovery of new species, establishment of new country records and recognition of taxa resurrected from synonymy. In addition, major advances in understanding of the phylogeny and status of many supraspecific groups have led to numerous name changes for previously known species. The purpose of the following checklist is to update the known composition of the Costa Rica herpetofauna and provide revisions in nomenclature that reflect the well supported conclusions of recent studies on relationships. In addition to the individual papers cited as the basis for inclusion of new taxa and records or nomenclatural changes, we have depended heavily on Faivovich et al. (2005), Frost et al. (2006), Grant et al. (2006) and Hedges et al. (2008) for revisions to amphibian nomenclature, Solórzano (2004) for names of snakes and those for turtles by Fritz and Havas (2006). In the few cases where we differ from these authors on taxonomy the basis is briefly explained. In this list, the number of families and genera are indicated by F and G, respectively. Asterisks (*) denote introduced taxa. The number within parenthesis following most valid species names indicates the page location for the appropriate account in Savage (2002). In all but one case, the original descriptions were based wholly or in part on Costa Rican specimens. When specimens are cited Leviton et al. (1985) is followed.
Click in the image to read the Document in pdf
Comments