EXPLORATION AND SPECIATION IN THE VOLCANOES OF THE INDONESIAN RING OF FIRE: A LARGE SCALE INVENTORY OF THE HERPETOFAUNA OF THE HIGHLANDS OF SUMATRA AND JAVA

一个由德克萨斯大学阿灵顿分校、印度尼西亚科学研究所、Broward学院和11个国家的其他15个机构组成的国际研究小组，将通过对印度尼西亚爪哇和苏门答腊山地森林中爬行动物（蛇、蜥蜴、鳄鱼和海龟）和两栖动物（青蛙和无足动物）的大规模调查，填补全球生物多样性意识上的巨大空白。时至今日，人们对这些热带山地高地的生物多样性知之甚少。先前的研究表明，这些地区可能是地球上物种最丰富的地区之一，并且可能包含大量范围有限的特有物种。这些物种代表了迄今为止科学家发现和描述的最多数量的脊椎动物。这次调查可能会从这个鲜为人知的世界地区发现数百个新物种，并将导致印度尼西亚和美国之间的教育和研究伙伴关系。作为对科学界的一个好处，该项目将为鉴定和保护管理以及遗传和生物多样性工作提供现代标本库和基于网络的资源。

An international team of researchers from the University of Texas at Arlington, the Indonesian Institute of Sciences, Broward College, and 15 other institutions in 11 countries, will fill in a massive gap in global biodiversity awareness through a large scale inventory of reptiles (snakes, lizards, crocodiles and turtles) and amphibians (frogs and caecilians) from the Javan and Sumatran montane forests of Indonesia. As of today, the biodiversity of these tropical montane highlands is very poorly known. Previous work hints that these areas may be some of the most species rich on earth, and may contain vast numbers of endemic species with restricted ranges. These species represent the largest number of vertebrate animals yet to be discovered and described by scientists.The survey will likely discover hundreds of new species from this poorly known area of the world and will result in educational and research partnerships between Indonesia and the USA. As a benefit to the scientific community, the project will produce modern specimen repositories and web-based resources for identification and conservation management, and for genetic and biodiversity work.