Conservation of insular herpetofaunas in the West Indies

摘要: There are approximately 700 species of amphibians and reptiles that have been described from the West Indies, here defined as excluding Trinidad Tobago which adjacent to South America continental faunas. This includes 180 520 reptiles. The conservation status only has assessed comprehensively, 84% those considered threatened. chapter provides brief overview origin evolution Indian herpetofauna. is followed by a discussion two aspects vital its conservation: stopping deforestation facilitating systematic research. For some species, especially large reptiles, it claimed introduced predators had greater negative impact than habitat alteration. Although this probably true in instances, point made destruction-in particular, deforestation-is major primary threat survival most species. Keywords:amphibians; deforestation; alteration; reptiles; herpetofauna