A peer-reviewed open-access journal ZooKeys 144: 21–79Integrating (2011) field surveys and remote sensing data to study distribution... 21 doi: 10.3897/zookeys.144.1648 RESEARCH ARTICLE www.zookeys.org Launched to accelerate biodiversity research Integrating field surveys and remote sensing data to study distribution, habitat use and conservation status of the herpetofauna of the Comoro Islands Oliver Hawlitschek1, Boris Brückmann1, Johannes Berger1, Katie Green2, Frank Glaw1 1 Zoologische Staatssammlung München (Bavarian State Collection of Zoology), Münchhausenstr. 21, 81247 München, Germany 2 Bristol Conservation and Science Foundation, Comoros Project Office, Anjouan, Union des Comores Corresponding author: Oliver Hawlitschek (
[email protected]) Academic editor: F. Andreone | Received 1 June 2011 | Accepted 12 October 2011 | Published 3 November 2011 Citation: Hawlitschek O, Brückmann B, Berger J, Green K, Glaw F (2011) Integrating field surveys and remote sensing data to study distribution, habitat use and conservation status of the herpetofauna of the Comoro Islands. ZooKeys 144: 21–79 doi: 10.3897/zookeys.144.1648 Abstract We studied the non-marine reptile and amphibian species of the volcanic Comoro archipelago in the Western Indian Ocean, a poorly known island herpetofauna comprising numerous microendemic species of potentially high extinction risk and widespread, non-endemic and often invasive taxa. According to our data, the Comoro islands are inhabited by two amphibian species and at least 28 species of reptiles although ongoing genetic studies and unconfirmed historical records suggest an even higher species di- versity. 14 of the 28 currently recognized species of terrestrial reptiles (50%) and the two amphibians are endemic to a single island or to the Comoro archipelago.