Notes on misconceptions in the application of geographical names of the tepuis on the borderlands of Guyana and Venezuela and a clarification of the location of Waukauyengtipu and Cerro Venamo

Abstract

Abstract A review of recent publications concerning the South American Pantepui biogeographic region revealed recurring mistakes in the naming of several table mountains (known locally as ‘tepui’, ‘tipu’ or ‘tepuy’) located around the Guyana-Venezuela border, close to the transection of the so-called Schomburgk Line and the course of Rio Venamo. The mistakes are believed to have arisen and have been repeated as a result of a noticeable scarcity of detailed maps of the region, its short history of exploration and ongoing inaccessibility. An extensive analysis of modern satellite data and records of past research expeditions, supplemented by first-hand observations and assessment made during an expedition to Waukauyengtipu in the Cuyuni-Mazaruni Region in Guyana in January 2019, are used to clarify the nomenclatural confusion regarding the tepuis of the area. We determine that the tepuis known as Cerro Venamo and Waukauyengtipu should be treated as separate and distinct geographic formations.