<html><body><div style="color:#000; background-color:#fff; font-family:tahoma, new york, times, serif;font-size:10pt"><div><span>Our first report on surveys for amphibians and reptiles in Timor-Leste, conducted in 2009, just appeared in the journal <span style="font-style: italic;">Zookeys</span> and can be downloaded at<br></span></div><div><br><span></span></div><div><span>http://www.pensoft.net/journals/zookeys/issue/109/</span></div><div><br><span></span></div><div><span>The Abstract is:</span></div><div><span><br>Fieldwork conducted throughout Timor-Leste in September 2004 and July 2009 resulted in a collection or recording of 263 herpetological specimens (100 amphibians, 163 reptiles), comprising at least seven species of frogs and toads, 20 species of lizards, seven species of snakes, two species of turtles, and one species of crocodile. Among the amphibians, the most frequently encountered species were toads (<span style="font-style:
italic;">Duttaphrynus melanostictus</span>), rice paddy frogs (genus <span style="font-style: italic;">Fejervarya</span>), and rhacophorid treefrogs (<span style="font-style: italic;">Polypedates</span> cf. <span style="font-style: italic;">leucomystax</span>). All three variants of rice paddy frogs encountered represent undescribed species similar to <span style="font-style: italic;">F. verruculosa</span> from neighboring Wetar Island. Records of <span style="font-style: italic;">F. cancrivora</span> and <span style="font-style: italic;">F. limnocharis</span> for Timor Island are apparently errors based on misidentification. We obtained voucher specimens for a total of 147 lizards and voucher photographs only for four specimens of <span style="font-style: italic;">Varanus timorensis</span>. Aside from geckos frequently associated with human habitations (e.g., <span style="font-style: italic;">Gehyra mutilata, Gekko gecko, Hemidactylus frenatus, H.
platyurus</span>), we discovered an as yet undescribed species of bent-toed gecko, genus <span style="font-style: italic;">Cyrtodactylus</span>, in the Same valley. Our specimens of <span style="font-style: italic;">H. platyurus</span> are the first record of this species from Timor-Leste. Commonly encountered skinks included four-fingered skinks (genus <span style="font-style: italic;">Carlia</span>), wedge skinks (genus <span style="font-style: italic;">Sphenomorphus</span>), and night skinks (genus <span style="font-style: italic;">Eremiascincus</span>). Notable among the 15 snakes collected was the frequency of pitvipers (<span style="font-style: italic;">Cryptelytrops insularis</span>), which amounted to over 25% of all snakes. Our specimen of the wolfsnake</span><span> <span style="font-style: italic;">Lycodon subcinctus</span> is the first record of this species for Timor-Leste. Based on these findings, it appears that the biodiversity of
amphibians and reptiles in this remote corner of Wallacea is much greater than previously thought, particularly with respect to scincid lizards. The detail we provide in the species accounts is designed to allow the use of this report as a preliminary field guide to the amphibians and reptiles of Timor-Leste. However, survey work is ongoing.<br></span></div><div><br><span></span></div><div><span>Preliminary information on our subsequent work (Phases II and III in 2010, Phases IV and V in 2011) are accessible at Mark O'Shea's website at</span></div><div>http://www.markoshea.info/research_expeditions_index_2005-2010.php (Phases II–IV) and</div><div><span>http://www.markoshea.info/home_fieldblog_index.php (the blog for the recently completed Phase V).</span></div><div><br><span></span></div><div><span>Our work confirms that the amphibian and reptile fauna of Timor-Leste is considerably more diverse than previously though, and we are in the process of
describing up to 20 new species.</span></div><div><br><span></span></div><div><span>For further information, please do not hesitate to contact me.</span></div><div><br><span></span></div><div><span>Sincerely,</span></div><div><span>Hinrich Kaiser</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div> </div><div><font face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif" size="1"><font style="font-family:tahoma, new york, times, serif;" size="2">Hinrich Kaiser PhD FLS</font><br><span style="font-family:tahoma, new york, times, serif;">Associate Professor, Department of Biology, Victor Valley College</span><br style="font-family:tahoma, new york, times, serif;"><span style="font-family:tahoma, new york, times, serif;">Research Collaborator, National Museum of Natural History</span></font></div><div style="font-family:tahoma, new york, times, serif;"><font size="1">Member, International Advisory Board, Foundation for Post-Conflict Development</font></div></div></body></html>