Wei-Assipu-tepui

Wei-Assipu-tepui, also known as Little Roraima or Roraimita,^[2] is a minor tepui of the Eastern Tepuis chain. It lies just off the northeastern flank of Roraima-tepui in the country of Brazil, directly on the border with neighboring Guyana in the disputed Essequibo territory, and very close to the tripoint of all three countries.^[3] The mountain is known for its extensive cave systems, with one extending for over a kilometre.^[3]

Wei-Assipu-tepui
Landsat image of the southern part of the Eastern Tepuis chain. The two large central plateaus are Kukenán-tepui (left) and Roraima-tepui. Wei-Assipu-tepui is the small peak to the northeast of Roraima. Also visible in the top left of the frame is Yuruaní-tepui.
Highest point
Elevation	2,400 m (7,900 ft)[1]
Coordinates	05°13′08″N 60°42′18″W
Geography
Wei-Assipu-tepui Location in Guyana
Location	Roraima, Brazil / Cuyuni-Mazaruni, Guyana

Wei-Assipu-tepui has a maximum elevation of around 2,400 metres (7,870 ft).^[1] Its summit plateau is highly dissected and generally inclined south-southwest (towards the Brazilian side).^[3] The rocky summit is partially forested, with flowering plants of the genus Bonnetia featuring prominently.^[4] It also hosts a number of carnivorous plants, including Heliamphora glabra, Heliamphora nutans, and the natural hybrid between the two.^[2] The various rock cavities of Wei-Assipu-tepui are home to nesting colonies of white-collared swifts (Streptoprocne zonaris) and oilbirds (Steatornis caripensis).^[3] For the latter species, Wei-Assipu-tepui is the easternmost recorded locality in mainland South America, and the first known nesting site in Brazil.^[3] The mountain's summit supports a greater variety of herpetofauna than the less vegetated plateaus of nearby Roraima-tepui, Kukenán-tepui, Yuruaní-tepui, and Ilú-tepui.^[1] Day temperatures of 17 °C (63 °F) have been recorded on the summit plateau, falling to 12 °C (54 °F) overnight, with slightly lower values in the more sheltered caves.^[4]

In the first expedition of its type to Wei-Assipu-tepui, an Italian–Venezuelan team of speleologists explored the mountain's summit plateau in July 2000, surveying four caves and several minor cavities.^[3][5] On this expedition were also discovered four previously unknown species of frogs (one of which was later described as Oreophrynella weiassipuensis^[6]), and at least two of harvestmen.^[4]

According to Carreño et al. (2002), the oldest biblio-cartographic reference to the mountain is likely that of Marie Penelope Rose Clementi (wife of Cecil Clementi), circa 1920,^[7] who recounted how its location was determined with a prismatic compass during an English expedition of 1915.^[3]

Surveyed caves and cavities of Wei-Assipu-tepui^[3][5]

Name	Extent	Depth	Altitude
Sima de los Guácharos de Wei-Assipu-tepui	1,194 m (3,917 ft)	111 m (364 ft)	2,280 m (7,480 ft)
Sima Wei-Assipu-tepui Oeste	280 m (920 ft)	92 m (302 ft)	~2,100 m (6,900 ft)
Abrigo Superior de Wei-Assipu-tepui	136 m (446 ft)	20 m (66 ft)	2,355 m (7,726 ft)
Hotel de Wei-Assipu-tepui	54 m (177 ft)	4 m (13 ft)	2,330 m (7,640 ft)
"Gruta de la Colecta" de Wei-Assipu-tepui	20 m (66 ft)	3 m (9.8 ft)

See also

• Distribution of Heliamphora