Chinajá.--Lat. 16° 02´, long. 90° 13´, elev. 140 m. Camp of
the Ohio Oil Company of Guatemala and formerly a small
settlement. On some maps Chinajá is located just to the north
of the Alta Verapaz--El Petén boundary; recent surveys place
the location just to the south of the imaginary line through
the rainforest. Field work was conducted in the immediate
vicinity of the camp, on the lower slopes of the Serrania de
Chinajá, and at several sites to the northwest and
north-northwest of Chinajá, where the forest was being
cleared. The entire area supports rainforest.
La Libertad.--Lat. 16° 47´, long. 90° 07´, elev., 170 m. A
town on the savannas in central El Petén; although we
collected there in the rainy season, the specimens obtained on
the savannas are not included in this report.
Paso Subín.--Lat. 16° 38´, long. 90° 12´, elev. 90 m. A small
settlement on the Río Subín, a tributary of the Río de la
Pasión. Specimens were obtained in rainforest in the immediate
vicinity of the settlement.
Río de la Pasión.--A large river flowing northward through
southern El Petén and thence westward into the Río Usumacinta.
Specimens were obtained along the river between the Río Subín
and Sayaxché.
Río San Román.--A river flowing northward in south-central El
Petén to the Río Salinas (Usumacinta). We collected along the
river at a place about 16 kilometers north-northwest of
Chinajá, approximately at Lat. 16° 10´, long. 90° 17´, elev.
110 m. In the dry season the river was clear; it is surrounded
by rainforest.
Sayaxché.--Lat. 16° 31´, long. 90° 09´, elev. 80 m. A town on
the southern bank of the Río de la Pasión. Specimens were
obtained in the rainforest and in cleared areas in the
immediate vicinity of the town.
Toocog (formerly Sojío).--Lat. 16° 41´, long. 90° 02´, elev.
140 m. A camp of the Ohio Oil Company of Guatemala located at
the rainforest-savanna edge, 15 kilometers southeast of La
Libertad. Although we collected on the savannas as well as in
the forest, especially to the east of the camp, only species
obtained in the forest are considered in this report.
THE HERPETOFAUNA OF THE RAINFOREST
In presenting an account of the herpetofauna of southern El Petén three
items need to be considered: (1) The composition of the fauna; (2) the
ecology of the fauna; (3) the relationships of the fauna. Each of these
topics is discussed briefly below. Logically a discussion of the origin
of the fauna should follow, but this is being withheld for inclusion in
a report on the herpetofauna of the entire El Petén by L. C. Stuart and
the author; at that time the above topics will be expanded to cover the
herpetofauna of the whole region.
Composition of the Fauna
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