Daniel Ariano-Sánchez, PhD, is a herpetologist focused on the conservation and ecological research of Mesoamerican herpetofauna. Daniel currently teaches several courses at the Universidad del Valle de Guatemala (UVG) and he is the coordinator of the Biodiversity division at the Research Center for Environmental and Biodiversity studies (CEAB) at UVG. He has a Master´s degree in Biology at the Universidad de Costa Rica, a Master´s degree in Protected Areas Management at the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid in Spain, and a Ph.D. in Ecology from the University of South-Eastern Norway. He is the founder of Heloderma Natural Reserve in Motagua valley, Guatemala. He had studied the Guatemalan herpetofauna for more than 20 years. His lizard research focused on Beaded Lizards (Heloderma spp.), Spiny tailed iguanas (Ctenosaura spp.) and Arboreal alligator lizards (Abronia spp.). Daniel has authored or co-authored over 40 peer-reviewed papers and notes on herpetological and conservation topics. He has described two new species to science: the salamander Bolitoglossa qeqom, and the snake Rhadinella xerophila. In 2008 he won the Young Scientist Award from The World Academy of Sciences. He is part of the steering committee of the Iguana Specialist Group of the International Union for Conservation of Nature – IUCN.