TIMOR-LESTE REPTILE & AMPHIBIAN SURVEY
THE SOUTH COAST

In under two hours we had reached Natarbora on the south coast of Manatuto District and we sought our the guest house, which turned out to be part of the Clinica de São Francisco de Assis (St Francis of Assisi). As we settled in the tidy but small rooms a large Huntsman spider was discovered on the wall of the boy's room. As I write this now it is still there... waiting for darkness!

Clinca de São Francisco de Assis	A large Huntsman spider (Sparassidae) in one of the rooms

And when darkness fell the team went herping around the clinic, turning up an Indo-Pacific house gecko (Hemidactylus cf. garnotii) with a huge tumour, three common species: Striped treefrog (Polypedates cf. leucomystax), Rice-paddy frog (Fejervarya sp.) and Asian black-spined toad (Duttaphrynus melanostictus), and a local rarity we have only found in this area, a Pumpkin frog (Kaloula sp.).

Indo-Pacific house gecko with tumour, Hemidactylus cf. garnotii	Pumpkin frog, Kaloula sp.
Striped treefrog, Polypedates cf. leucomystax	Rice-paddy frog, Fejervarya sp.

Tomorrow we head for the Nancuro Forest Reserve 8 km south of Natarbora.

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