Survey of Arid Region Herpetofauna of Madagascar

小行星9322600 马达加斯加是一个大的大陆岛屿，位于非洲东海岸的西印度洋，南纬12度至25度之间。 它已经完全与世隔绝了至少1亿年。 由于其面积大和长期与世隔绝，它已发展出高度多样化和基本上是特有的动植物群和植物群。 它有许多小而不寻常的群体，例如只有24个物种的狐猴，以及其他同样独特的物种。 其中包括1,00多个物种的兰花，以及估计有500个物种的两栖动物和爬行动物。 马达加斯加动物群和植物群的高度特有性和多样性，加上栖息地破坏速度惊人，促使保护组织将马达加斯加的保护工作置于首要地位。 对马达加斯加日益减少的热带雨林中的两栖动物和爬行动物进行的为期三年的调查已经完成了两年。 本次调查的主要目的是：（1）确定特有和高度多样性的中心，以了解两栖爬行动物区系的进化历史，并帮助开发新的雨林保护区;（2）获得标本进行系统研究，这将有助于更好地了解马达加斯加两栖爬行动物区系的起源和关系;（3）出版分类学专著和野外指南;（4）培训马达加斯加学生、科学家和其他负责管理自然资源的人员。 前两年的成果包括：对雨林两栖动物和爬行动物的分布、生态、生活史和进化关系的了解急剧增加;重新发现了31种极其罕见的物种;发现了132种新物种。 在马达加斯加建立了一个两栖动物和爬行动物的国家研究和教学收藏馆，两名马达加斯加研究生已完成硕士学位。与此项目相关的学位。 目前的建议是继续调查马达加斯加的两栖动物和爬行动物群落，但将注意力从东部雨林转移到马达加斯加西部的干燥森林。 这些干燥的森林包含了世界上一些最有趣和最不寻常的植物和动物物种;它们的分布，丰度，栖息地要求和适应性知之甚少。 干旱森林已经退化，受到的威胁程度至少与雨林相同，而且随着对资源需求的增加，其破坏正在加速。 几乎没有保护区存在，以保护马达加斯加的干燥森林独特的栖息地。 将在5年期间内对整个干旱地区的22个地点进行调查，包括所有四种主要类型的干旱森林（落叶林、廊道林、多刺石灰质峡谷）的地点。 将采用在雨林调查中成功使用的同样方法。 这些目标与雨林调查的目标大致相同，当与雨林调查的结果相结合时，将全面了解马达加斯加爬虫动物群的多样性、生态学、进化、系统学和保护挑战。

9322600 Nussbaum Madagascar is a large, continental island located in the western Indian Ocean off the east coast of Africa between 12 degree and 25 degree S latitude. It has been completely isolated for at least 100 million years. Because of its large size and long isolation, it has developed a highly diverse and largely endemic fauna and flora. It has many small and unusual groups, such as the lemurs with only 24 species, and other equally distinctive groups that have speciated spectacularly. These include the orchids with more than 1,00 species and the amphibians and reptiles with an estimated 500 species. The high degree of endemism and the great diversity of Madagascar's fauna and flora combined with an astonishing rate of habitat destruction has prompted conservation organizations to give Madagascar top priority for conservation efforts. Two years of a 3-year survey of the amphibians and reptiles of the diminishing tropical rainforests of Madagascar have been completed. The main purposes of this survey are to (1) identify centers of endemism and high diversity in order to understand the evolutionary history of the herpetofauna and to aid in developing new rainforest reserves; (2) obtain specimens for systematic studies which will result in a better understanding of the origins and relationships of the Madagascan herpetofauna; (3) publish taxonomic monographs and field guides; and (4) train Malagasy students, scientists and other personnel charged with managing natural resources. Results from the first two years include a dramatic increase in the knowledge of the distribution, ecology, life history, and evolutionary relationships of rainforest amphibians and reptiles; the rediscovery of 31 extremely rare species; and the discovery of 132 new species. A national research and teaching collection of amphibians and reptiles has been established in Madagascar, and two Malagasy graduate students have completed their M.S. degrees in association with this project. The current proposal is to continue surveying amphibian and reptile communities in Madagascar, but to shift attention from the eastern rainforests to the dry forests of western Madagascar. These dry forests contain some of the most interesting and unusual species of plants and animals in the World; and their distributions, abundance's, habitat requirements, and adaptations are poorly understood. The dry forests are already degraded and threatened to at least the same degree as the rainforests, and their destruction is accelerating as the demand for resources increases. Very few reserves exist to protect the unique habitats of madagascar's dry forests. Twenty-two sites throughout the arid regions would be surveyed over a 5-year period, including sites in all four major types of dry forest (deciduous, gallery, spiny calcareous-canyon). The same methods used successfully during the rainforest surveys would be employed. The goals are much the same as for the rainforest surveys, and when combined with the results of the rainforest surveys would give a comprehensive picture of the diversity, ecology, evolution, systematics, and conservation challenges of the Madagascan Herpetofauna.