Maringma-tepui
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Maringma-tepui, also written Mount Maringma and historically known as Mount Marima,[2] is a small tepui of the Pacaraima Mountains in Cuyuni-Mazaruni, Guyana. It is known as Malaima-tepui in the local Akawaio language.[1] Most published sources place it just inside Guyanese territory, very close to the border with Brazil, and around 17 kilometres (11 mi) east of Roraima-tepui.[1][3][4][5][6][7] However, the mountain remains the subject of considerable toponymic confusion and its name has been applied to at least one other nearby peak.[nb a]
| Maringma-tepui | |
|---|---|
  Maringma-tepui Location in Guyana | |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 2,147 m (7,044 ft)[1] |
| Coordinates | 05°13′N 60°35′W[1] |
| Geography | |
| Location | Cuyuni-Mazaruni, Guyana |
The village of Wayalayeng lies at the base of Maringma-tepui and it is from here that the mountain was explored in May–July 2004 by a botanical team of the Smithsonian Institution.[3] Led by David Clarke, this was the first expedition to reach the mountain's summit.[5] It was followed by two further expeditions in February 2006 and late 2007, by Bruce Means and Philippe J. R. Kok et al., respectively.[5]
Maringma-tepui has a maximum elevation of around 2,147 m (7,044 ft)[1] or 2,134 m (7,001 ft).[3] The summit plateau has an area of roughly 170 hectares (420 acres) and is highly uneven, allowing water to collect in many deep, swamp-like pools.[5] It is predominantly covered in low-growing "tepui meadow" vegetation, quaking peat bog, and some dwarf forests of Bonnetia roraimae, with few areas of exposed rock.[1][5] The dominant plant families include Bonnetiaceae, Bromeliaceae, Clusiaceae, Orchidaceae, Rapateaceae, Sarraceniaceae, and Xyridaceae.[1] Temperatures vary widely on the summit plateau, with extremes of 13.5 and 37.5 °C recorded over a five-day period.[5]
Native herpetofauna include the lizard species Arthrosaura hoogmoedi[1] and Pantepuisaurus rodriguesi[5] (Gymnophthalmidae), as well as the frog species Adelophryne patamona (Eleutherodactylidae);[8] Anomaloglossus kaiei,[7] Anomaloglossus megacephalus,[9] and Anomaloglossus praderioi[7] (Aromobatidae); and Oreophrynella macconnelli and Oreophrynella seegobini (Bufonidae).[10]
See also
Notes
- a.^ The maps provided in Sarraceniaceae of South America place Maringma-tepui on the Brazil–Venezuela border, some distance southeast of Roraima-tepui.[11] The book's authors also state that Maringma-tepui was incorrectly called "Mount Yakontipu" by Fleischmann et al. (2007)[12] in their description of Drosera solaris.[11]