Pantepui

Diversity of Vertebrates of the Pantepui. Several expeditions to the Pantepui area of Brazil, i.e., Apiau, Neblina, Tapirapeco, Araca and Imeri mts, on the border of Brazil and Venezuela were conducted with the objective of improving our knowledge on the vertebrate community of this isolated and little known region of South America.   In this work, a multidisciplinary team composed of specialists in the areas of Mastozoology, Ornithology, Herpetology, Botany and Ethnobotany, belonging to the institutions responsible for describing and cataloging Brazil's biodiversity (i.e. Museu Nacional do Rio de Janeiro, Museu de Zoologia da Universidade de São Paulo and the National Institute for Amazonian Research), carried out a series of expeditions to the border region of northwestern Brazil with the aim of carrying out an inventory of vertebrates in the region.  Known as the Pantepuis region, it consists of a set of mountainous plateaus that define the border between Brazil, Venezuela and the Guianas, presenting the highest and most varied relief in the Brazilian Amazon.  Due to these special physical characteristics and the existence of a large number of endemic species, adapted to the unique conditions of relief, soil, temperature and ecology, the region has been indicated as being of extreme biological importance. Recently, with the advent of illegal gold and diamond exploration, predatory fishing, mainly ornamental fish, and the territorial and demographic expansion of the Yanomami people resulting from their new post-contact socioeconomic reality, the biological heritage of the Pantepui region has been disturbed. in an unprecedented way.  For this reason, carrying out a survey of the biological potential of the area with a view to preserving this biodiversity was considered urgent by the technical team.  This work was carried out within the scope of the subproject entitled Vertebrate Biodiversity of Pantepui, AM, referring to PROBIO notice no. 02/2001, to Support the Carrying Out of Inventories in Areas Considered Priorities for Scientific Research. The collective objective of the notice was to inventory the biodiversity of little-known and at the same time biologically rich regions of the Brazilian territory, to develop national strategies for the conservation and sustainable use of its natural resources.  For this subproject, we selected the following areas to carry out fieldwork:

1. Area RN009 - Yanomami Indigenous Land. Area size: 1,767,741.877 ha, general priority for biodiversity conservation: very high.  Included here are the Marauiá, Darahá, Preto and Padauari rivers; the Tapirapecó and Gurupira mountains, in the state of Amazonas.

2. Area RN 012 - Southern Extension of PE Serra do Aracá. Area size: 220,629.586 ha, general priority for biodiversity conservation: very high. Included here are the headwaters of the Aracá and Demini rivers and the Serra do Aracá, in the State of Amazonas.

Due to the immense territorial extension of the proposed areas and the great difficulty of accessing them, we limit our expeditions to just a few points that we hope can represent the richness of the region.  As instructed in the notice to which the sub-project referred, a Rapid Assessment Program (RAP) type survey methodology was adopted, where a team of specialists carried out a survey of the biodiversity of the Pantepui region of Amazonas, more specifically, in locations in the Imeri, Tapirapecó and Aracá mountains, including stretches of the Marauiá, Padauari and Aracá rivers.  In total, three scientific expeditions were carried out: 1) Lower and Upper Marauiá River with a focus on the Serra do Xamatá, part of the Serra do Imeri group, 2) Surroundings of Pico Tamacuari, the culmination of the Serra do Tapirapecó and 3) Southwest and section of the Serra do Aracá plateau.  In each of these areas, a base camp and other outposts were established, from which inventory and collection work was carried out.  In total, 66 species of mammals were identified throughout the three expeditions of this work, with the collection of 177 specimens, in addition to a vast collection of skulls and parts of the skeleton of mammals donated by the Yanomami who used them as food.  410 species of birds were recorded, including the first record of some of the Brazilian ‘ornis’.  Sampling of reptiles and amphibians was a little more limited but even so 54 species were recorded with new records for Brazil. To truly understand the contribution that Brazilian tepuis make to the biodiversity of the entire region, it will be necessary to carry out new and more in-depth inventories. The task is very costly and time-consuming, as it depends on a complex logistical infrastructure, so much so that the development of a long-term exploration program would be appropriate.   However, the surprising discoveries made on our expeditions, even though they were short-lived, help to reveal the enormous potential that this area has to contribute to the knowledge of biodiversity, evolutionary history and conservation studies of natural resources in the north of the Brazilian Amazon.

Primate highlights. Several primate taxa previously not reported in this region were found, namely, Humboldt black-headed uacari (Cacajao melanocephalus melanocephalus), bearded saki (Chiropotes israelita) and the wedged capped capuchin (Cebus olivaceus).  In addition, isolated population of Humboldt squirrel monkey (Saimiri cf. cassiquiarensis), and a distinct morph of red howler monkey (Alouatta seniculus) were observed near the Imeri mountains on the right bank of the Cauaburi river, main watercourse of Pico da Neblina National Park.  Finally, Cheracebus lugens was found on the right bank of Rio Negro, putting in doubt the very existence of Cheracebus torquatus.  This area of Amazonia is quite pristine although Yanomami people can exert considerable hunting pressure locally.