Five Decades of Research on Bhutan’s Amphibian and Reptile—Priorities and Opportunities for the Future

Bhutan is a biodiverse country yet there are relatively few scientific studies on its herpetofauna. To determine research gaps and opportunities for scientific advances, we completed a literature review on amphibians and reptiles of Bhutanese origin from online databases including ResearchGate, Google Scholar, the Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS), and relevant authors. Of 63 studies on herpetofauna of Bhutan between 1972 to 2022, most focused on reptiles (45%) followed by amphibians (32%), while less (23%) included both taxa. Most studies were field based (n = 44), followed by desktop research (n = 14), and then laboratory work (n = 5). Ecology and natural history studies (n = 35) dominated the literature, while other disciplines included conservation and anthropogenic interactions (n = 22), then evolution, taxonomy, and systematics (n = 4). Single reports existed on disease, and on genetics studies. After 2009, the quantity of literature rose considerably to a total of 52 publications on Bhutanese herpetofauna. Most studies have been conducted by Bhutanese researchers (n = 36) followed by collaborations with scientists from outside the country (n = 15), work published by foreign scientists alone (n = 12) contributed some of the earliest studies. There was a bias in the taxa studied, type of research, and the location of study. Research concentrating on anatomy or physiology were absent, while studies on disease, genetics, taxonomy, and systematic classification are scarce. There is a pressing need for increased conservation-oriented studies, as they were poorly represented. These gaps offer direction for further research. In particular, there are few studies on the diversity and distribution of amphibians and reptiles – such information is key to analysing threats and developing effective conservation strategies. Such knowledge would contribute greatly towards conservation and management of Bhutan’s native amphibians and reptiles. Bhutan currently harbours ca. 83 amphibian species (31 genera, 8 families, 3 orders: Anura, Caudata, Gymnophiona) and ca. 138 reptile species (58 genera, 17 families, 2 orders: Squamata, Testudines). Bhutan does have crocodiles, but they in captivity only.