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Rediscovering the richness and endemism of the tetrapod fauna within the Utcubamba River Key Area for Biodiversity, in northwestern Peru
* 1 , 1, 2, 3 , 3 , 1 , 3 , 1, 4 , 2
1  Instituto de Investigación para el Desarrollo Sustentable de Ceja de Selva (INDES-CES) de la, Universidad Nacional Toribio Rodríguez de Mendoza de Amazonas, Chachapoyas 01001, Peru
2  División de Ornitología, Centro de Ornitología y Biodiversidad (CORBIDI), Lima, Santiago de Surco 15038, Peru
3  Naturaleza y Cultura Internacional (NCI), La Laguna de Chipe, Manzana C, Lote 14, Piura 20009, Peru
4  Department for Innovation in Biological, Agri-Food and Forest Systems, Università degli Studi della Tuscia, via san Camillo de Lellis, snc, 01100 Viterbo, Italy
Academic Editor: Matthieu Chauvat

Abstract:

The tropical Andes in South America top the world list of endemism hotspots, for their wide species richness per unit area. Thus, our study focuses on the Key Area for Biodiversity (ACB) Utcubamb River(PER-84) one of the 96 ACB, with an area of 35,534 hectares, located northwest of Peruvian territory within the hotspot of the tropical Andes. Our field of study is also known as the valley of waterfalls and includes the third highest waterfall in the world “Gocta", being an important national and international tourist attraction. However, despite its great ecological and tourist value and exist poor research reports. That is why we carry out a biological inventory during the wet season of 2019 to register and identify species of tetrápoda fauna and promoting actions for their conservation. From the field assessments, the following number of species were recorded: amphibians (14), reptiles (6), birds (229), and mammals (20). The highlight of our study is the registration for the first time of 2 species of amphibians (Gastrotheca aguaruna and Gastrotheca spectabilis) and 2 reptiles (Dipsaspalmeri and Tachymenis affinis), added to this, the existence of endemic species: amphibians (3), reptiles (2), birds (3) and mammals (1) that have not yet been reported for the ACB, which increases the number of endemisms in this part of Peruvian territory. Thus, our study aims to be the basis for promoting new research that allows the discovery of new species for science and added to this to propose strategies for their conservation over time.

Keywords: biodiversit; ornithology; herpetofauna; mastozology; Amazon.
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