Ptari-tepui

Ptari-tepui, also spelled Pu-tari and sometimes called Cerro Budare or Cerro del Budare, is a tepui in Bolívar state, Venezuela.^[1][2] Lying near the centre of the Sierra de Lema,^[2] it has a maximum elevation of around 2,400 metres (7,900 ft) above sea level.^[1] Its mostly bare summit plateau has an area of 1.25 km² (0.48 sq mi).^[1] Though generally flat, distinctive erosional rock formations are found on the more dissected eastern edge of the summit.^[1]

Ptari-tepui
Ptari-tepui viewed from the east
Highest point
Elevation	2,400 m (7,900 ft)[1]
Coordinates	05°46′01″N 61°48′40″W
Geography
Ptari-tepui Location in Venezuela
Location	Bolívar, Venezuela

Description

Ptari-tepui gives its name to the Ptari Massif, which also includes Carrao-tepui to the northeast and a long ridge known as Sororopán-tepui to the southeast. As a whole, the massif has a summit area of around 2.5 km² (0.97 sq mi) and an estimated slope area of 58 km² (22 sq mi) (Carrao and Ptari together contributing 28 km² (11 sq mi) and Sororopán, which is derived from a separate basement, a further 30 km² (12 sq mi)).^[1] The massif is situated entirely within the bounds of Canaima National Park.^[3]

Ptari-tepui is a prime example of the classic tepui shape, having an almost perfectly flat-topped summit and near-vertical walls. This characteristic profile is said to recall the shape of a budare, a type of griddle used for making cassava bread, and is the source of its Pemón-derived name.^[2] For this reason it is also sometimes known as Cerro Budare or Cerro del Budare.^[2]

The flat, symmetrical peak of Ptari-tepui is visible on the left, with the long southwestern face of Sororopán-tepui extending to the right.

See also

• Gran Sabana
• Distribution of Heliamphora

References

1. Huber, O. (1995). Geographical and physical features. In: P.E. Berry, B.K. Holst & K. Yatskievych (eds.) Flora of the Venezuelan Guayana. Volume 1. Introduction. Missouri Botanical Garden Press, St. Louis. pp. 1–61.
2. (in Spanish) Brewer-Carías, C. (2012). La Sierra de Lema: una bisagra de vida. Río Verde 7: 73–86.
3. (in Spanish) Torres, I.N. & D.D. Martín (November 2007). "Informe Final de la Evaluación del Parque Nacional Canaima, Venezuela, como Sitio de Patrimonio Natural de la Humanidad" (PDF). Mejorando Nuestra Herencia.

Further reading

• Hudec, I. (1998). Anomopoda (Crustacea: Branchiopoda) from some Venezuelan tepuis. Hydrobiologia 377(1–3): 205–211. doi:10.1023/A:1003260602055
• Morton, C.V. (1957). Pteridophyta: Ptari-tepuí. [pp. 729–741] In: J.A. Steyermark et al. Botanical exploration in Venezuela -- 4. Fieldiana: Botany 28(4): 679–1225.
• Spangler, P.J. (1981). New and interesting water beetles from Mt. Roraima and Ptari‐tepui, Venezuela (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae and Hydrophilidae). Aquatic Insects: International Journal of Freshwater Entomology 3(1): 1–11. doi:10.1080/01650428109361037