First Update to Herpetofaunal Records from Timor-Leste

Grants

Funding Acknowledgements

Our foremost thanks are for the unwavering support we have received from Their Excellencies Xanana Gusmao, Prime Minister and former President of Timor-Leste, and Jose Ramos-Horta, President and former Prime Minister of Timor-Leste. Their interest in the survey work in the educational opportunities this brings to Timorese citizens, and the welfare of wildlife in the country is deeply rooted in their understanding of nation-building and gratifying for a team of scientists. This gratitude extends further, especially to Claudia Abate-Debat, Senior Advisor in the Prime Minister's Office, for her tireless efforts to allow us to meet the right people and for helping us comport ourselves with aplomb during important meetings, and to Manuel Mendes, Director of National Parks, for issuing the necessary permits and for his dedication to the conservation of Timor-Leste. We received able assistance in the field from Jester Ceballos, Scott Heacox, Eric Leatham, Dan Suzio, Marianna Tucci, and MJ Weil during Phase II (Winter 2010), and from Dominique Fallas, Eric Leatham, and Christine LeDuc during Phase III (Summer 2010). For their assistance with the logistics of travel we thank Paulo Aniceto (Rentlo Car Rental), Faridah Suhaimi (Air Timor), Gareth Turner (Air Timor), Ed Turner (Air Timor), Ian Groucott (Emirates), and the management and staff at Timor Lodge Hotel. We gratefully acknowledge the assistance of Steve Gotte, Roy McDiarmid, and Jeremy Jacobs (United States National Museum of Natural History, Washington, D.C., USA), Annemarie Ohler and Ivan Ineich (Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris, France), Gunther Kohler and Linda Acker (Museum und Forschungsinstitut Senckenberg, Frankfurt, Germany), Wolfgang Bohme and Andre Koch (Zoologisches Forschungsinstitut und Museum Alexander Koenig, Bonn, Germany), Pim Arntzen and Ronald de Ruiter (Naturalis, Leiden, The Netherlands) for their help in all matters related to the specimens we required for our work. Financial assistance for equipment and supplies was partially provided by a Title V Grant to Victor Valley College. Partial financing of student travel was provided by the Associated Student Body at Victor Valley College, and by donations from Pamela MacKay and Melinda Fisher. This paper is Contribution No. 9 from the Tropical Research Initiative at Victor Valley College.