Urban-Wild Interface Diversity: A Comprehensive Checklist of Herpetofauna of Guayaquil, Ecuador

Biodiversity in urban environments is often underestimated, particularly in tropical regions such as Ecuador. This study presents the most comprehensive inventory to date of amphibians and reptiles in Guayaquil, Ecuador's largest and most industrially developed city, based on 17 years (2008-2025) of systematic field surveys, museum records, and literature review. Located on the Pacific coast and adjacent to two global biodiversity hotspots (the Tropical Andes and Tumbes-Chocó-Magdalena), Guayaquil has experienced significant urban expansion, resulting in extensive fragmentation of tropical dry forests and mangrove ecosystems. We document a total of 63 species (19 amphibians, 44 reptiles) occurring within the remnant forest. This inventory includes introduced species, resilient taxa that are adapted to urban environments, and sensitive species that are affected by urban pressure. Notably, species such as Hemidactylus frenatus, Anolis sagrei, and Aquarana catesbeiana thrive in these modified landscapes likely due to behavioral plasticity, rapid reproduction, and tolerance to habitat disturbance, whereas highly sensitive species, including Alopoglossus festae and Lepidoblepharis buchwaldi, are restricted to less disturbed areas. The study also highlights the presence of rare species with little previous documentation, such as Atractus microrhynchus, Caecilia tenuissima, Chironius flavopictus, and Drymobius rhombifer. In addition, expansions in the known distributions of several species in the Guayaquil area were recorded, including Caiman crocodilus and Clelia clelia, which emphasizes the ecological relevance of this region. Our results underscore the ecological importance of remnant natural habitats within Guayaquil and reveal the need for long-term monitoring to inform urban biodiversity conservation in rapidly expanding tropical cities.