Endemic pit vipers of Peru: geographic distribution and human-mediated impacts

Most pit viper species present in South America belong to the genus Bothrops. This genus of pit vipers has been the focus of numerous systematic, ecological and biomedical studies. However, there are many knowledge gaps for the species, including the Peruvian endemic: Bothrops barnetti, B. chloromelas and B. pictus. This study aims to improve the understanding of the geographic distribution of these species and to assess their conservation status. We assembled a set of geographical records of these three species and used ecological niche models under the Biotic-Abiotic-Movement (BAM) theory to estimate their potential geographic distributions. We also used landcover/land use information and a GIS protocol to assess the most important human-mediated threats to these species. Our results suggest an expansion in the known distribution of B. chloromelas which needs to be corroborated in the field. In addition, our results show that the human-mediated threats were low over the distribution of the three species. However, to accurately evaluate the conservation status of the species, it would be necessary to address other causes of threats to biodiversity in Peru, such as hydroelectric dams and mining activities. Given the geographic context in which they are immersed, the construction of hydroelectric dams, mining, and the effect of global climate change, could be especially problematic for these species. Keywords: Bothrops, conservation, endemism, niche modeling, venomous snakes