Alejandro Arteaga
{{Short description|Ecuadorian-Venezuelan biologist}}
File:Alejandro Arteaga at GLEX in 2023.jpg
Alejandro Arteaga is an Ecuadorian-Venezuelan biologist and explorer best known for being the author of the "Reptiles of Ecuador",{{cite web | last=Losos | first=Jonathan | title=The Making of The Reptiles of Ecuador | website=Anole Annals | date=2023-09-10 | url=https://www.anoleannals.org/2023/09/10/the-making-of-the-reptiles-of-ecuador/ | access-date=2024-02-04}}{{cite web | title=Issue #11 September-October 2023 Content | website=RESPONSIBLE HERPETOCULTURE PROJECT | date=2023-10-16 | url=https://responsibleherpetoculture.foundation/issue-11-september-october-2023-content/ | access-date=2024-02-04}} and the discoverer of 35 new species.{{cite web | last=Zachos | first=Elaina | title=5 Snail-Eating Snake Species Discovered in Ecuadoran Forests | website=Animals | date=2018-06-14 | url=https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/snakes-new-species-ecuador-animals | access-date=2024-02-04}}{{cite web | last=Bittel | first=Jason | title=Three new snake species discovered in graveyards | website=Animals | date=2022-09-23 | url=https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/three-new-snake-species-found-in-graveyards | access-date=2024-02-04}} He co-founded the Arteaga Species Discovery Fund in collaboration with former President of Ecuador Rosalía Arteaga.{{cite web | title=Newly described DiCaprio’s snake and others threatened by mining in Ecuador and Panama | website=Mongabay Environmental News | date=2023-02-23 | url=https://news.mongabay.com/2023/02/newly-described-dicaprios-snake-and-others-threatened-by-mining-in-ecuador-and-panama/ | access-date=2024-02-04}}
Early life
Arteaga was born on September 16, 1991, in Caracas, Venezuela, and later moved to Quito, Ecuador, where he obtained his BSc in biology from the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador.{{cite web | title= Alejandro Arteaga: A Wildlife Photographer in his own word | url=https://www.animamundimag.com/PersonalPortfolios/Alejandro_Arteaga.pdf | access-date=2024-02-04}} He published his first species new to science, Pristimantis bambu, at age 19.{{cite web | title=Podcast Discovery of New Frog Species in Ecuador, Alejandro Arteaga – Laurel Neme | website=Laurel Neme – Wildlife Author | date=2011-09-05 | url=https://www.laurelneme.com/podcast-discovery-of-new-frog-species-in-ecuador-alejandro-arteaga/ | access-date=2024-02-04}}
Career
While still a student in 2009, Arteaga co-founded Tropical Herping, a tour agency offering nature photography trips and herpetological tours throughout the world's tropics.{{cite web | last=Ortiz | first=Diego | title=Alejandro Arteaga explora el Ecuador en búsqueda de nuevas especies | website=El Comercio | date=2023-06-10 | url=https://www.elcomercio.com/tendencias/ambiente/alejandro-arteaga-explora-ecuador-especies.html | language=es | access-date=2024-02-04}} After serving as president of Tropical Herping until 2022, he founded Khamai Foundation, where he now serves at CEO.{{cite web | title=Alejandro Arteaga: new species of reptiles and amphibians in the rainforest | url=https://www.paulrose.org/sites/default/files/documents/gbf_book_2023.pdf | access-date=2024-02-04}} Arteaga is the author of 26 research articles, primarily on systematic and biogeography of amphibians and reptiles.{{cite web | title=ORCID | website=ORCID | date=2024-01-10 | url=https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0014-3728 | access-date=2024-02-04}} In 2023, in collaboration with former president of Ecuador Rosalía Arteaga, he created the world's first fund devoted exclusively towards the discovery of new species.{{cite web | author=The Explorers Club | title=Three New Species of Snakes Discovered in Graveyards and Churches in Ecuador | website=Discovery | date=2022-09-16 | url=https://www.discovery.com/exploration/three-new-snake-species-discovered-in-ecuador-- | access-date=2024-02-04}}
Books
- The Amphibians and Reptiles of Mindo (2011) Universidad Tecnológica Indoamérica. ISBN 978-9942-13-496-7.
- Reptiles of the Galápagos (2019) Tropical Herping. ISBN 978-9942-36-547-7.
- Reptiles of Ecuador (2024) Khamai Foundation & Tropical Herping. {{ISBN|978-9942-7249-0-8}}. DOI 10.47051/MNHT9360.
Honors and awards
Arteaga was awarded with the Big Picture Natural World Photography Award in 2015.{{cite web | title=Grantee Symposium | website=The Explorers Club | date=2022-04-14 | url=https://www.explorers.org/calendar-of-events/grantee-symposium/ | access-date=2024-02-04}}
References
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Category:Ecuadorian biologists