2.3.1. Herpetological Provinces

We classified all surveyed assemblages within the five herpetological provinces proposed by Savage [13] and modified by Sasa and colleagues [49].

**Caribbean Lowlands:** This faunal area represents 30% of Costa Rica and includes the lowlands of the Caribbean versant and the northernmost region of the country, predominantly consisting of lowland wet forest. Sampling for *Bd* through PCR has been conducted in the localities of La Virgen de Sarapiquí, Puerto Viejo de Sarapiquí, Tres Equis de Turrialba, Guayacán de Siquirres, Kekoldi, and the remote Alto Lari. Alto Lari was surveyed as part of a recent expedition following an enigmatic path that connects the Caribbean Lowlands with the highlands of Cordillera de Talamanca and is known as "the Gabb's route" [69].

**Pacific Northwest:** This herpetological province includes the lowlands of the Pacific Northwest and extends into the western side of the Central Valley, in the Meseta Central Occidental (Central Valley) up to the base of Cerros de Ochomogo. The Pacific Northwest consists of predominantly Lowland Dry Forest vegetation and constitutes 24% of Costa Rica's area. This province contains a distinctive dry season that lasts five to six months. Within the Pacific Northwest, sampling for *Bd* has been conducted in the tropical dry forest at Guanacaste National Park (Santa Rosa and Santa Elena Peninsula stations).

**Pacific Southwest:** Encompassing the lowlands of the Pacific central and south, the herpetological provinces consist primarily of lowland wet forest and lowland moist forest and accounts for 15% of the country's area. This herpetological province is biogeographically related to the Caribbean Lowlands and species have more recently been di fferentiated between these herpetological provinces due to isolation caused by the uplifting of the Cordillera de Talamanca. Within the Pacific Southwest, sampling for *Bd* through PCR has been conducted in the localities of Punta Banco–Burica, Golfito, Rincón de Osa, Piro, Corcovado, and Uvita.

**Montane Slopes and Cordillera Central:** This area represents 23% of Costa Rica and occurs along all of Costa Rica's mountain ranges from 500–2100 m elevation in Cordillera de Guanacaste, 500–3400 in Cordillera Central, and 500–1600 in Cordillera de Talamanca (Lower Talamanca). The Montane Slopes and Cordillera Central province includes regions that receive the highest annual precipitation in the country. Sampling for *Bd* through PCR has been conducted in the localities of Monteverde, San Vito de Coto Brus, Las Tablas, Tinamastes de Pérez Zeledón, San Rafael de Heredia, and Santo Domingo de Heredia.

**Cordillera de Talamanca:** Found at elevations above 1600 m (Upper Talamanca). This is the smallest faunal area (8% of Costa Rica) and consists primarily of montane rainforest and subalpine pluvial paramo. This faunal area is the least explored herpetological province of Costa Rica and there is no published data for *Bd* detection through PCR or qPCR in this faunal province.
