Yungas Southerners

The yungas are a whole of areas of South America located on the Eastern edge of the Andes cordillera between the Ecuador and Argentina, located between 600 and 2500 meters of altitude, sprinkled well often bathed fog and glaze at the origin by a very dense wet forest and of a biodiversity often surprising. The area of the yungas form a convex band since the east of the Ecuador until the south of the province of Tucumán in Argentina (sierra of Ancasti with 29° of southern latitude, not far from the town of Catamarca) and extends thus on a few 3.000 km.

Our matter is to describe the southern part of this arc, going since the east of the department of Cochabamba and the Département of Santa Cruz to Bolivia to the province of Catamarca which is the southern limit of the yungas. Both in Bolivia and in Argentina, several national parks was created there in the aim of protection the ecosystems of these areas.

Of all the Argentinian biomes that of the yunga is that which counts the most varied flora.

Argentinian Yunga of Salta and Jujuy

In the sector of Yungas of the province of Salta, one records 89 species of mammals, and among them: The Jaguar or tiger (onca will panthera), the Tapir or anta (tapirus terrestris), the Ocelot (leopardus pardalis), the otter of river (lobito of río - giant otter), the Pecari labiado or majano (tayassu peccary), the monkey capuchin or caí or tití (cebus called) and the taruca or stag (Hippocamelus antisensis) in the pastures height inter alia.

Certain mammals are exclusive of Yungas, like the Chauve-souris hocicudo (Anoura caudifer), the squirrel russet-red or nuecero (sciurus ignitus), the coendou with hawthorns (Coendou prehensilis) and the coendou with blackthorns (Coendou bicolor).

With regard to the birds, one counts in the northern sector of the yungas of Salta and Jujuy, not less than 39 exclusive species. Among them it is necessary to quote the eagle Spizaetus ornatus, the " monte" paved; or Penelope dabbenei (a Cracidae called paved being given its resemblance to turkey, which say paved Spanish ), the birds macaw militaris and macaw auricollis, the Caprimulgidae or goat-suckers Caprimulgus solitarius and Uropsalis will lyra, momotidé the Momotus momota ( motmoc houtouc ) and emberizidé the psarocolius decumanus (cassic crested), inter alia.

Among the reptiles one must underline the caiman yacaré ñato (Caiman latirostris), now rare in the area, but locally abundant in some key zones (Provincial Park Laguna Pintascayo), some Lizard S (for example Stenocercus roseiventris, stenocercus caducus, Opipeuter xestus, stenocercus marmoratus) the lizard coloured (Tupinambis rufescens), various species of snakes (for example the Colubridae Atractus canedii, leptotyphlops albipuncta, leptotyphlops striatula), and the " chelco pintado" (Tropidurus melanopleurus pictus).

Yungas are the fifth Argentinian écorégion richest in fauna of the Amphibians. One recorded 39 species of Anoure S in the area of Yungas, pertaining to 15 kinds and 4 families. Eight species are endemic: Bufo gallardoi, Melanophryniscus rubriventris sensu lato, Gastrotheca christiani, gastrotheca chrysosticta, gastrotheca gracilis, Telmatobius oxycephalus and telmatobius stephani.

The ichtyofaune is characteristic of Rios of mountain, in particular the " dientudo" (Characidium fasciatum fasciatum), the bagre of torrent (Trichomycterus alterum), and the old ones (Ixinandria steinbachi, Spatuloricaria evansii, Pterygoplichthys anisitsi). There is also the " veined of agua" (Jenynsia lineata) in the torrents, as well as species threatened by overexploitation like the " sea-bream argentine" (Salminus maxillosus), the " surubí tigré" (Pseudoplatystoma fasciatum) and the " patí" (Luciopimelodus argentinus).

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