51 Rapid Assessment Program A Rapid Biological Assessment A Rapid Biological Assessment of the Konashen Community Owned Conservation Area, Southern Guyana A Rapid Biological Assessment RAP of the Konashen Community of the Konashen Community Bulletin Owned Conservation Area, Owned Conservation Area, of Biological Southern Guyana Southern Guyana Assessment 51 Leeanne E. Alonso, Jennifer McCullough, Piotr Naskrecki, Eustace Alexander and Heather E. Wright (Editors) Participants and Authors .............................................................. 4 Organizational Profiles ................................................................. 6 Acknowledgements ....................................................................... 7 Conservation International Report at a Glance ......................................................................... 8 2011 Crystal Drive, Suite 500 Executive Summary ..................................................................... 11 Arlington, VA 22202 Map ................................................................................................ 21 tel 703-341-2400 Images of the RAP Survey .......................................................... 22 www.conservation.org Chapters ......................................................................................... 25 www.biodiversityscience.org Appendices ................................................................................... 72 C ONSERVATION Center for Applied Biodiversity I Science (CABS) NTERNATIONAL Conservation International Conservation International – Guyana Rapid Assessment Program A Rapid Biological Assessment of the Konashen Community Owned Conservation Area, Southern RAP Guyana Bulletin of Biological Assessment Leeanne E. Alonso, Jennifer McCullough, 51 Piotr Naskrecki, Eustace Alexander and Heather E. Wright (Editors) Center for Applied Biodiversity Science (CABS) Conservation International Conservation International – Guyana The RAP Bulletin of Biological Assessment is published by: Conservation International Center for Applied Biodiversity Science 2011 Crystal Drive, Suite 500 Arlington, VA USA 22202 Tel : 703-341-2400 www.conservation.org www.biodiversityscience.org Editors: Leeanne E. Alonso, Jennifer McCullough, Piotr Naskrecki, Eustace Alexander and Heather E. Wright Design: Glenda Fabregas Map: Mark Denil Photographs: Piotr Naskrecki (except where noted) RAP Bulletin of Biological Assessment Series Editors: Jennifer McCullough and Leeanne E. Alonso ISBN # 978-1-934151-24-2 ©2008 Conservation International All rights reserved. Library of Congress Card Catalog Number 2008929199 Conservation International is a private, non-profit organization exempt from federal income tax under section 501c(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. The designations of geographical entities in this publication, and the presentation of the material, do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of Conservation International or its supporting organizations concerning the legal status of any country, territory, or area, or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. Any opinions expressed in the RAP Bulletin of Biological Assessment Series are those of the writers and do not necessarily reflect those of Conservation International or its co-publishers. RAP Bulletin of Biological Assessment was formerly RAP Working Papers. Numbers 1-13 of this series were published under the previous series title. Suggested citation: Alonso, L.E., J. McCullough, P. Naskrecki, E. Alexander and H.E. Wright. 2008. A rapid biological assessment of the Konashen Community Owned Conservation Area, Southern Guyana. RAP Bulletin of Biological Assessment 51. Conservation International, Arlington, VA, USA. This RAP survey was made possible by generous financial support from the Leon and Toby Cooperman Family Foundation. Publication of this RAP Bulletin was generously funded by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation. Table of Contents Participants and Authors ....................................................4 Chapter 6 Amphibians and reptiles of the Acarai Mountains, and Organizational Profiles ........................................................6 Sipu, Kamoa and Essequibo rivers in the Konashen COCA, Southern Guyana .......................................................................... 55 Acknowledgements .............................................................7 J. Celsa Señaris, Carlos A. Lasso, Gilson Rivas, Michelle Kalamandeen and Elisha Marawanaru Report at a Glance ................................................................8 Chapter 7 Executive Summary............................................................11 Birds of the Konashen COCA, Southern Guyana ..................... 63 Brian J. O’Shea Map .......................................................................................21 Chapter 8 Images of the RAP Survey .................................................22 Non-Volant Mammals of the Konashen COCA, Southern Guyana ............................................................................................ 69 Chapters James G. Sanderson, Eustace Alexander, Vitus Antone and Charakura Yukuma Chapter 1 Katydids of selected sites in the Konashen COCA, Appendices Southern Guyana .......................................................................... 25 Piotr Naskrecki Appendix 1 Preliminary list of ant genera collected in the Konashen Chapter 2 COCA, October 2006...................................................................... 72 Ants of Southern Guyana - a preliminary report ..................... 31 Ted R. Schultz and Jeffrey Sosa-Calvo Ted R. Schultz and Jeffrey Sosa-Calvo Appendix 2 Chapter 3 Abundance matrix of fish species collected during the Dung Beetles of Southern Guyana - a preliminary 2006 RAP survey in the Acarai Mountains, Sipu, Kamoa survey.............................................................................................. 33 and Essequibo rivers, Konashen Indigenous District of Christopher J. Marshall Southern Guyana .......................................................................... 73 Carlos A. Lasso, Jamie Hernández-Acevedo, Eustace Chapter 4 Alexander, Josefa C. Señaris, Lina Mesa, Hector Samudio, Water quality at selected sites in the Konashen COCA, Antoni Shushu, Elisha Mauruwanaru and Romel Shoni Southern Guyana .......................................................................... 35 Maya Trotz Appendix 3 Preliminary Bird Species Checklist of the Konashen Chapter 5 COCA, Southern Guyana .............................................................. 78 Aquatic Biota: Fishes, Decapod Crustaceans and Brian J. O’Shea Mollusks of the Upper Essequibo Basin (Konashen COCA), Southern Guyana .......................................................................... 43 Appendix 4 Carlos A. Lasso, Jamie Hernández-Acevedo, Eustace Alexander, Preliminary Checklist of Non-Volant Mammals of the Josefa C. Señaris, Lina Mesa, Hector Samudio, Julián Mora- Konashen COCA, Southern Guyana ........................................... 87 Day, Celio Magalhaes, Antoni Shushu, Elisha Mauruwanaru and James G. Sanderson, Eustace Alexander, Vitus Antone and Romel Shoni Charakura Yukuma A Rapid Biological Assessment of the Konashen Community Owned Conservation Area, Southern Guyana 3 Participants and Authors Eustace Alexander (coordination, editor) Michelle Kalamandeen (field assistance) Conservation Science Manager Centre for the Study of Biological Diversity Conservation International-Guyana Department of Biology, Faculty of Natural Sciences 266 Forshaw St., Queenstown University of Guyana, Turkeyen Campus, ECD Georgetown, Guyana Guyana, South America [email protected] [email protected] Leeanne E. Alonso (reconnaissance, editor) Carlos A. Lasso (fishes and crustaceans) Rapid Assessment Program Fundación La Salle de Ciencia Naturales Center for Applied Biodiversity Science Apartado 1930 Caracas 1010 A Conservation International Caracas, Venezuela 2011 Crystal Drive, Suite 500 [email protected] Arlington, VA USA 22202 [email protected] Celio Magalhaes (decapod crustaceans) Instituto de Pesquisas do Amazonia Vitus Antone (videography, coordination) Caixa Postal 478, 69011-970 Manaus Field Program Assistant Amazonas, Brasil Conservation International-Guyana [email protected] Upper Takatu / Upper Essequibo Region 9 Christopher Marshall (beetles) Lethem, Guyana Oregon State University [email protected] Department of Zoology, Cordley 4082 Corvallis, Oregon USA 97331 Curtis Bernard (coordination) [email protected] Biodiversity Analyst Conservation International-Guyana Jennifer McCullough (editor) 266 Forshaw St., Queenstown Rapid Assessment Program Georgetown, Guyana Center for Applied Biodiversity Science [email protected] Conservation International 2011 Crystal Drive, Suite 500 Andrew DeMetro (indigenous relations, coordination) Arlington, VA USA 22202 Indigenous Relations Advisor [email protected] Conservation International-Guyana Upper Takatu / Upper Essequibo Lina Mesa (fishes) Region 9 Fundación La Salle de Ciencia Naturales Lethem, Guyana Museo de Historia Natural La Salle [email protected] Apartado 1930 Caracas 1010 A Caracas, Venezuela [email protected] 4 Rapid Assessment Program Participants and Authors Jeffrey Sosa-Calvo (ants) Julián Mora-Day (fishes and aquatic invertebrates) Department of Entomology Fundación La Salle de Ciencia Naturales