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NAT U R E N OTES

Amphibia: Anura
Dendropsophus microcephalus. Predation. Dendropsophus microcephalus is a small, arboreal, insectivorous, yel-
lowish-orange or tan treefrog (snout–vent length 27–32 mm), characterized by irregular, dark markings, often in the
form of an H or X at the level of the shoulders; this species occurs at low elevations along the Gulf and Caribbean
slopes from southern Veracruz, Mexico, and across the Yucatan Peninsula to northern Honduras, and on the Pacific
slope from Nicaragua to Panama, Colombia, and to the Amazon Basin (Lee, 1996, 2000; Köhler, 2008). During
night sampling on 22 April 2016, we observed a Tiger Wandering Spider (Cupiennius salei; family Ctenidae) prey-
ing on an adult D. microcephalus at a height of 80 cm above the ground on shrubby vegetation. The spider had
subdued the frog by puncturing its dorsum with its chelicerae (Fig. 1A), and soon after began to ingest it (Fig. 1B).
The event occurred at Villahermosa, Tabasco, Mexico (17°59'26"N, 92°58'16"W; datum WGS 84; elev. 10 m) in a
patch of secondary vegetation at the División Académica de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Juárez Autónoma de
Tabasco.

Fig. 1. A Tiger Wandering Spider, Cupiennius salei, preying on a Dendropsophus microcephalus at Villahermosa, Tabasco,
Mexico. ' © Ana Laura de la Cruz-Ulín

Many studies have reported spiders attacking and consuming amphibians (e.g., Menin et al., 2005; Toledo,
2005; Maffei et al., 2010; Palumbo et al., 2012), but to our knowledge this is the first record of a ctenid spider prey-
ing on D. microcephalus, an event likely related to the preferentially nocturnal habits of both groups.

Literature Cited
Köhler, G. 2008. Amphibians of Central America. 2nd ed. Herpe- Lee, J. C. 2000. A Field Guide to the Amphibians and Reptiles of
ton, Offebach, Germany. the Maya World: The Lowlands of Mexico, Northern Guate-
Lee, J. C. 1996. The Amphibians and Reptiles of the Yucatán Pen- mala, and Belize. Comstock Publishing Associates, Cornell
insula. Comstock Publishing Associates, Cornell University University Press, Ithaca, New York, United States.
Press, Ithaca, New York, United States. Maffei, F., F. K. Ubaid, and J. Jim. 2010. Predation of herps by spi-
ders (Araneae) in the Brazilian Cerrado. Herpetology Notes
3: 167–170.

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Other Contributions Nature Notes

Menin, M., D. J. Rodrigues, and C. S. Azevedo. 2005. Predation Cycloramphus boraceiensis and the spider Trechaleoides
on amphibians by spiders (Arachnida, Araneae) in the Neo- biocellata in the Atlantic Forest of Southeastern Brazil. Her-
tropical region. Phyllomedusa 4: 39–47. petology Notes 5: 67–68.
Palumbo, M., L. R. Viera, C. J. Dias, and M. Martins. 2012. Toledo, L. F. 2005. Predation of juvenile and adult anurans by
Predator or prey? Predatory interactions between the frog invertebrates: current knowledge and perspectives. Herpeto-
logical Review 36: 395–400.

Liliana Ríos-Rodas, María del Rosario Barragán-Vazquez, and Manuel Pérez de la Cruz
Laboratorio de Colecciones. División Académica de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Juárez Autónoma de Tabasco
Carretera Villahermosa-Cárdenas km. 0.5, entronque a Bosques de Saloya, C. P. 86039, Villahermosa, Tabasco, Mexico.
E-mails: [email protected], [email protected], and [email protected]

Prevalence and characteristics of overwintering intradermal parasites in Western

Narrow-mouthed Toads, Gastrophryne olivacea (Anura: Microhylidae)
Larval Hannemania mites, commonly known as chiggers, are known to parasitize several amphibian species (Jung
et al., 2000; Sladky et al., 2000) by burrowing intradermally in the stratum spongosium, where they appear as con-
spicuous orange to red pustules (Malone and Paredes, 2005). Some of the costs associated with high chigger infec-
tions on amphibians include inflammation, necrosis, and reduced mobility (Sladky et al., 2000). One of the infected
frogs (Hyla arenicolor) examined by Sladky et al. (2000) died prior to being treated for chiggers, and two more died
during the course of treatments with Ivermectin® to remove the mites. Additionally, recent literature suggests that
reduced mobility and associated costs in treated individuals likely are a consequence of greater parasite loads on the
limbs of the anuran hosts (Malone and Paredes, 2005; Espino del Castillo et al., 2011).
Gastrophryne olivacea is one of 22 anuran species known to occur in the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas
(Dixon, 2013). The distribution of this species extends from southern Nebraska southward to Texas, with isolated
populations in Arkansas, Colorado, and New Mexico, in the United States, and in Mexico southward and westward
to Chihuahua, Durango, Tamaulipas, and San Luis Potosí (Frost, 2016). Hannemania multifemorala is the only
chigger mite known to infect G. olivacea. Intradermal parasite infections of this species, however, have not been
described extensively in Texas.
On 21 November 2014 from 1800 to 2300 h, we visited Estero Llano Grande State Park, Texas (26.126411°N,
-97.956518°W; WGS 84). During our survey, we collected and released 33 individuals of G. olivacea along hiking
trails and the fringes of shallow bodies of water throughout the site. All of the examinations were in-situ, and the
individuals were released unharmed at the site of collection. The assessment consisted of a visual count of chigger
mites, a photograph of each individual, and a record of how many of the mites were present on the dorsal side of the
head, vocal sac, forelimbs, thigh, lower hind limbs (tibia and foot), ventral trunk, dorsal trunk, and pelvic patch. For
consistency, only one researcher examined all the individuals.
During an analysis of our records, we found that the prevalence of infection was 97% (32/33). The mean and
median of intensity in the infected individuals of G. olivacea were 14.5 and 6, respectively. We then assessed the
normality of the data by using the Shapiro-Wilk test. As the data lacked normality (P < 0.5), we used Friedman’s test
to determine significant differences in the level of parasitism among the anuran body regions; this statistic confirms
the existence of significant differences in the nine infected anuran body regions (P < 0.0001). We then performed
a Nemenyi test to identify the body regions with a significantly different parasite load. We used this post-hoc test,
because the sample sizes when comparing the body regions (n = 33) were equal. After performing the post-hoc test,
we found that the parasite load on the pelvic patch differed significantly to the one on the head (P < 0.0001), the
forelimb (P < 0.01), the thigh (P < 0.0001), the dorsal trunk (P < 0.01), the ventral trunk (P < 0.05), and the vocal
sac (P < 0.0001). Additionally, the parasite load on the thigh differed significantly from the one on the head (P <
0.01), the thigh (P < 0.01), and the vocal sac (P < 0.05). Finally, we found statistical differences in parasite load

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Other Contributions Nature Notes

when comparing the limb to the head (P < 0.01) and the thigh (P < 0.01). From these results, we suggest that the
pelvic patch and the thigh might be more parasitized than the remaining predefined body regions of G. olivacea.
These results were surprising, as previous work has shown that chigger mite infections typically are greater on the
hind limbs, and not on the pelvic seat. We performed all statistical analyses using R. v. 3.1.2.
For anuran species, the energetic and physiological consequences of high parasite loads are poorly under-
stood. Beyond showing lesions and swollen extremities, which may limit locomotion, the individuals appeared
healthy. Due to the nature of the parasite/host relationship, we believe that high larval Hannemania infestations
do not cause direct mortality, but instead increase the risk of mortality by reducing the ability of the host to escape
predators, and possibly disrupt the water and electrolyte balance in the host owing to the relatively high surface
area being affected on a small species such as G. olivacea. Heavy parasitism of the pelvic seat might be particularly
deleterious in frogs, as McClanahan and Baldwin (1969) stated that in Anaxyrus punctatus the pelvic patch accounts
for only 10% of an individual’s surface area, but produces 70% of the water uptake by dehydrated A. punctatus.
Surveys and ongoing monitoring of the population of G. olivacea at this site and others are being scheduled to
encompass a full year of surveys to determine seasonal outbreaks and the possible effects on their behavior and
mortality. Additionally, we suggest a comparative study among populations from different localities to determine
if habitat characteristics (e.g. water quality parameters) create a more conducive environment for enabling greater
Hannemania infections on amphibian assemblages occurring at given sites. Finally, we were unable to identify the
Hannemania mite to species level, as we did not observe any adults. Our present goal is to identify the species of
Hannemania that infects this population of G. olivacea, as only one reported species of Hannemania, from the state
of Kansas, has been documented (Walters et al., 2011).

Fig. 1. (A, B) Two individuals of Gastrophryne olivacea examined in the current study displaying the high prevalence of
chigger mites, Hannemania sp., near near the pelvic plate and the thigh area. ' © Mayra Oyervides

Acknowledgments.––We especially thank the staff at Estero Llano Grande State Park for after hour access
to the study site and their continued support. Our collections were made under Texas Parks and Wildlife Scientific
Permit for Research (SPR-0913-130). Additionally, we thank Dr. Tamer Oraby for his advice in conducting the sta-
tistical analyses, and Michael Forstner for comments on a draft of the manuscript. RP was supported by NIH grant
5R25GM100866-02 564, awarded to Robert K. Dearth and Jason G. Parsons.

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Literature Cited

Dixon, J. R. 2013. Amphibians and Reptiles of Texas: With Keys, (Rio Grande Leopard Frog). Mite Infestation. Herpetological
Taxonomic Synopses, Bibliography, and Distribution Maps. Review 32: 33–34.
Texas A&M University Press, College Station, Texas, Unit- Malone, J. H., and R. Paredes-Leon. 2005. Characteristics of chig-
ed States. ger mite (Hannemania sp.) parasitism on Eleutherodactylus
Espino del Castillo, A., R. Paredes-Leon, and J. B. Morales- marnockii (Amphibia: Leptodactylidae). Texas Journal of
Malacara. 2011. Presence of intradermal chigger mite Science 57: 345–348.
Hannemania hylae (Ewing, 1925) (Acari: Leeuwenhoekid- McClanahan, L., Jr., and R. Baldwin. 1969. Rate of water uptake
dae) in the troglophile frog Eleutherodactylus longipes through the integument of the desert toad, Bufo punctatus.
(Anura: Brachycephalidae) at Los Riscos Cave, Querétaro, Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology 28: 381–389.
Mexico. International Journal of Acarology 37: 427–440.
Sladky, K. K., T. M. Norton, and M. R. Loomis. 2000. Trombicu-
Frost, D. R. 2016. Amphibian Species of the World: An Online lid mites (Hannemania sp.) in Canyon Tree Frogs (Hyla aren-
Reference. American Museum of Natural History, New icolor). Journal of Zoo and Wildlife Medicine 31: 570–575.
York, New York, United States. (www.research.amnh.org/
Walters, B. L., J. O. Whitaker, Jr., N. S. Gikas, and W. J.
herpetology/amphibia/index.html; accessed 2 November
Wren. 2011. Host and distribution of chiggers (Trombicu-
2016).
lidae and Leeuwenhoekiidae), of North American wild
Jung, R. E., S. Claeson, J. E. Wallace, and W. C. Welbourn, Jr. vertebrates north of Mexico. Faculty Publications from the
2001. Natural History Notes. Eleutherodactylus guttilatus Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology, University of
(Spotted Chirping Frog), Bufo punctatus (Red-spotted Toad), Nebraska – Lincoln. 184pp. (www.digitalcommons.unl.edu/
Hyla arenicolor (Canyon Tree Frog), and Rana berlandieri parasitologyfacpubs/697).

Mayra Oyervides1, Jasmine A. Hernandez1, Andrea Lozano2, Ramiro Patino2, Adriana Huerta2,
Sara Baldazo2, and Maximiliano Barbosa2
1
Texas State University- San Marcos, Texas, Department of Biology, 601 University Drive, San Marcos, Texas 78666-
4684, United States. Email: [email protected] (MO, Corresponding author)
2
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, 1201 W. University Drive, Edinburg, Texas 78539, United States.

Reptilia: Crocodylia
Crocodylus acutus (Cuvier, 1807). Diet. The American Crocodile, Crocodylus acutus, is a widely distributed spe-
cies in coastal regions of the Neotropics (Thorbjarnarson, 1989). The feeding habits of this species vary during on-
togenetic development, as during the early stages individuals feed on arachnids, aquatic and terrestrial insects, and
small fishes, and as they grow they ingest larger prey and a greater diversity of prey items, including crustaceans,
fishes, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals (Casas-Andreu and Barrios-Quiroz, 2003; Cupul-Magaña et al.,
2008; Villegas and Schmitter-Soto, 2008; Platt et al., 2013). A recent review of prey consumption across most of
the distribution of C. acutus indicated the following 53 food items identified to species-level (Cupul-Magaña et
al., 2015): arthropods (two species), crustaceans (14), fishes (10), amphibians (one), reptiles (11), birds (12), and
mammals (three).
On 29 August 2016, in a water hazard at Marina Vallarta Club de Golf, Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico
(20°39'59"N, 105°15'46"W; datum: WGS 84; elev. < 5 m), we observed and photographed an adult C. acutus (total
length ≤ 3 m; individual not captured or sexed) eating a live juvenile Green-backed Heron, Butorides virescens (Fig.
1). Hernández-Vázquez and Fernández-Aceves (1999) suggested that chicks of B. virescens falling into the water
of La Manzanilla estuary, in Jalisco, Mexico, might become easy prey for C. acutus. To our knowledge, this note
represents the first photographic record and confirmation of C. acutus preying on B. virescens.

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Other Contributions Nature Notes

Fig. 1. Predation of Butorides virescens by Crocodylus acutus in Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico. (A) A B. virescens walking
along the edge of the water hazard; (B) a C. acutus soon after capturing a B. virescens as the bird was wading in the water
hazard; (C) the C. acutus positions the B. virescens in its mouth; and (D) swallows the bird. ' © Frank Mc Cann

Literature Cited
Casas-Andreu, G., and G. Barrios-Quiroz. 2003. Hábitos ali- Jalisco, México / Reproduction of Cochlearius cochlearius
menticios de Crocodylus acutus (Reptilia: Crocodylidae) (Boat-billed Heron) and Butorides virescens (Green-backed
determinados por el análisis de sus excretas en la costa de Heron) in La Manzanilla, Jalisco, Mexico. Ciencias Marinas
Jalisco, México. Anales del Instituto de Biología, Univer- 25: 277–291.
sidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Serie Zoología 74: Platt, S. G., J. B. Throbjarnarson, T. R. Rainwater, and D. R.
35–42. Martin. 2013. Diet of the American Crocodile (Crocodylus
Cupul-Magaña, F. G., F. Mc Cann, and A. H. Escobedo-Galván. acutus) in marine environments of coastal Belize. Journal of
2015. Observación del consumo de presas en el Cocodrilo Herpetology 47: 1–10.
Americano (Crocodylus acutus Cuvier, 1807): registro Thorbjarnarson, J. B. 1989. Ecology of the American Crocodile,
fotográfico. Quehacer Científico en Chiapas 10: 11–15. Crocodylus acutus. Pp. 228–259 In Crocodiles: Their Ecology,
Cupul-Magaña. F. G., A. Rubio-Delgado, F. Molano-Rendón, Management, and Conservation. A Special Publication of the
and A. Reyes-Juárez. 2008. Contenido estomacal de neo- IUCN/SSC Crocodile Specialist Group, Gland, Switzerland.
natos de Crocodylus acutus (Cuvier, 1807) en Boca Negra, Villegas, A., and J. J. Schmitter-Soto. 2008. Feeding habits of
Jalisco. Boletín de la Sociedad Herpetológica Mexicana 16: the American Crocodile, Crocodylus acutus (Cuvier, 1807)
41–45. (Reptilia: Crocodylidae) in the southern coast of Quintana
Hernández-Vázquez, S., and G. J. Fernández-Aceves. 1999. Roo, Mexico. Acta Zoológica Mexicana (n.s.) 24: 117–124.
Reproducción de Cochlearius cochlearius (Garza Cucha-
rón) y Butorides virescens (Garza Verde) en La Manzanilla,

Fabio Germán Cupul-Magaña1, Frank Mc Cann2, and Armando H. Escobedo-Galván1

Centro Universitario de la Costa, Universidad de Guadalajara, Av. Universidad 203, Delegación Ixtapa, C.P. 48280,
1

Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico. E-mail: [email protected]

2
Condominio Girasol departamento 12, carretera a Mismaloya km 8.5, C.P. 48390, Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico.

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Reptilia: Squamata (lizards)

Basiliscus vittatus. Oviposition site. Basiliscus vittatus is an oviparous lizard with seasonal reproduction in Mexico
(Campbell, 1998; Suárez-Varón, 2015), and with a widespread distribution that extends along the lowlands of
both coasts of Mexico from southern Tamaulipas and Jalisco southward through Central America to northwestern
Colombia, and also has been introduced into Florida, in the United States (Hirth, 1963; Campbell, 1998; Castañeda-
Hernández et al., 2011). Previous studies have reported different reproductive attributes for B. vittatus (Alvarez-del
Toro, 1982; Fitch, 1985; Lee, 1996; Savage, 2002; Köhler, 2008), but other than anecdotal data (Alvarez-del Toro,
1982) information on specific traits used by females to choose their nesting sites are nonexistent and only includes
records for other species in the genus, e.g., B. basiliscus (Ortleb, 1965; Lieberman, 1980). Thus, herein we provide
observational data, egg characteristics, and the physical description of a nesting site for B. vittatus in Mexico.
On April 18 2016 at approximately 1855 h, in Ejido López Mateos, La Selva del Marinero, Catemaco,
Veracruz, Mexico (18.441361°N, -94.967611°W; WGS 84; elev. 172 m), we observed a female B. vittatus in the
process of laying eggs, roughly 2.34 m from the shore of the Río Coxcoapan. Upon noticing our presence, the fe-
male interrupted the deposition process to avoid capture by our team. Nevertheless, upon careful examination of the
nesting site we found two eggs that we marked individually for identification (Fig. 1). The nest was located among
rounded river rocks, in alluvial soil composed of gravel and fine sand; the surface of the nest was located within a
patch of sun and shade. The dimensions of the nest were 86 mm long × 70 mm wide × 32 mm deep. We recorded
the substrate temperature outside of the nest as 28.4°C, and the inside temperature as 28°C. The eggs were oval in
shape, white in coloration, and their shells were soft and pliable. The measurements and mass of the two eggs were
as follows: 18.3 mm long × 12.2 mm wide with a mass of 1.5 g (egg No. 1), and 19.4 mm long × 10.7 mm wide with
a mass of 1.5 g (egg No. 2). To our knowledge, this is the first report that describes the specific characteristics of a
natural nest and egg measurements from a recent oviposition event of B. vittatus in Mexico.

Fig. 1. A nest of Basiliscus vittatus excavated by a female in the process of laying eggs before noticing the presence of our
research team, at La Selva del Marinero, Catemaco, Veracruz, Mexico. ' © Orlando Suárez-Rodríguez

Acknowledgments.––We thank to the community of La Selva del Marinero for field assistance.

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Literature Cited
Alvarez del Toro, M. 1982. Los Reptiles de Chiapas. Instituto de Lee, J. C. 1996. The Amphibians and Reptiles of the Yucatán Pen-
Historia Natural, Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Chiapas, Mexico. insula. Comstock Publishing Associates, Cornell University
Campbell, J. A. 1998. Amphibians and Reptiles of Northern Gua- Press, Ithaca, New York, United States.
temala, the Yucatán, and Belize. University of Oklahoma Lieberman, A. 1980. Nesting of the basilisk lizard (Basiliscus bas-
Press, Norman, Oklahoma, United States. iliscus). Journal of Herpetology 14: 103–105.
Casteñada-Hernández, C., T. Ramírez-Valverde, Y. Meza-Par- Ortleb, E. 1965. Hatching of basilisk eggs. Herpetologica. 20:
ral, A. Sarmiento-Rojas, and A. Martínez-Campos. 2011. 277–279.
Ampliación de la distribución geográfica de Basiliscus vitta- Savage, J. M. 2002. The Amphibians and Reptiles of Costa Rica:
tus en el Estado de Puebla. Revista Mexicana de Biodiversi- A Herpetofauna between Two Continents, between Two Seas.
dad 82: 1,046–1,048. The University of Chicago Press, Chicago, Illinois, United
Fitch, H. S. 1985. Variation in clutch and litter size in New World States.
reptiles. Miscellaneous Publications of the Museum of Nat- Suárez-Varón, G. 2015. Ecología de Basiliscus vittatus (Squamata,
ural History, University of Kansas 76: 1–76. Corytophanidae): Estructura Poblacional y Proporción Sexu-
Hirth, H. F. 1963. The ecology of two lizards on a tropical beach. al. Unpublished Licenciatura thesis. Universidad Autónoma
Ecological Monographs 33: 83–112. del Estado de México, Mexico.
Köhler, G. 2008. Reptiles of Central America. 2nd ed. Herpeton,
Offenbach, Germany.

Gabriel Suárez-Varón1, Orlando Suárez-Rodríguez1, Kevin M. Gribbins2, and Oswaldo Hernández-

Gallegos1
1
Laboratorio de Herpetología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Mexico, Instituto Literario
100, Toluca Centro, C. P. 50000, Estado de México, Mexico. E-mails: [email protected] (GSV, Corresponding
author), [email protected], and [email protected]

Department of Biology, University of Indianapolis, 1400 E. Hanna Ave., Indianapolis, Indiana 46227, United States.
2

E-mail: [email protected]

Reproductive and parental care notes for Norops beckeri (Boulanger, 1891) in northern Guatemala
Köhler (2010) reviewed the species of anoles related to Norops (as Anolis) pentaprion in Central America, based
on an analysis of coloration, morphometrics, and scalation, and recognized seven species in the region. Of these,
Norops (as Anolis) beckeri (Boulenger, 1881) was resurrected from synonymy for the pentaprion-like populations
of anoles distributed from southeastern Mexico to northern Nicaragua. Norops beckeri can be distinguished from
species related to N. pentaprion in Central America in that the proximal subdigital scales of the toes are differentiated
as slightly broadened lamellae, and the dewlap in males contains 5–6 gorgetal-sternal scale rows, with about 16–18
scales per row. From 1 June to 14 July of 2015, during an excursion with Indigo Expeditions to Estación Biológica
Las Guacamayas, Parque Nacional Laguna del Tigre, Departamento de Petén, Guatemala, we observed the behavior
of a female N. beckeri that presumably had deposited a clutch of seven eggs in a bromeliad (Bromeliaceae).
On 9 July at approximately 1130 h, we found seven eggs within the leaves of a bromeliad in a tree, at a height
of ca. 5 m above the ground. The tree was located next to a balcony at the research station, which allowed us an
opportunity to observe the eggs. The color of one of the eggs was brown, and it was lying partially in a pool of water
at the base of the leaves. One of the eggs appeared indented, which often is a sign that hatching is imminent (Fig. 1).

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Fig. 1. Seven Norops beckeri eggs deposited on the base of a bromeliad leaf at Estación Biológica Las Guacamayas, Parque
Nacional Laguna del Tigre, Departamento de Petén, Guatemala. The top egg was indented, often a sign that hatching is
imminent, and the color of the bottom egg (partially submerged in water) was a pale brown, unlike the rest of the clutch.
' © Kimberly C. Carter

We did not observe any changes to the eggs on 10 or 11 July, but the following day at 1030 h, we witnessed an
adult female N. beckeri grasping a leaf perpendicular to the eggs. The female kept examining the eggs and appeared
to be exhaling heavily over them, and then started licking them. The female then retreated to the top of the brome-
liad, but after approximately 2 min returned to the eggs and repeated the aforementioned behaviors. She repeated
this process four times, before retreating higher up in the tree; 15 min later, however, she repeated these behaviors.
We took photographs and video footage at a distance, so as not to disturb the female (Fig. 2A–C).
On 14 July at 1000 h, we observed the female on a different leaf of the bromeliad, at a distance of ca. 30 cm
from the eggs. The female appeared to have positioned herself in an area where she could observe the eggs. On 15
July, we observed a Mexican Parrot Snake (Leptophis mexicanus) in the vicinity of the clutch, perhaps attempting to
prey on the adult female. During this time an 8th egg was deposited, and all of the other eggs apparently had hatched.
We believe the female N. beckeri displayed maternal care in two ways. The first was by guarding the eggs and
apparently distracting a potential predator. By retreating from the eggs, the female N. beckeri might have been draw-
ing the attention of the snake away from the eggs. Although the diet of L. mexicanus consists largely of anurans,
this species feeds on a variety of food items, including anoles and bird eggs (Henderson, 1982: Lee, 1996; Savage,
2002); anole eggs, therefore, might constitute part of the natural diet of this snake. The second way of displaying
maternal care was by actively tending to the eggs and the nest. The female was observed examining the clutch,
exhaling air over the eggs, and what appeared to be either cleaning of the eggs with her tongue or removing water
from the base of the bromeliad; this conclusion was difficult to confirm owing to the angle of our observations.
Cleaning the eggs seems unlikely, however, as most reptiles lay their eggs underground where they are subject to a
large amount of substrate debris, as well as bacteria. The female perhaps was exhaling air over the eggs to provide
fresh air, presumably to prevent the air around the eggs from stagnating. The eggs were deposited in an area that
likely would accumulate water, thereby resulting in unviable eggs. We propose that the female was exhibiting a
combination of the last two behaviors.
Additionally, our observations support the proposal that anoles lay independent, single eggs every 5–25 days
during the breeding season (Losos, 2009), as the female N. beckeri deposited an additional egg to the clutch we first
observed. These observations allowed us to report previously unknown behavioral traits by an interesting species,
but they also bring additional questions. Further work is necessary to answer questions regarding the selection of an
oviposition site that was prone to flooding, and to clarify the potential behaviors of the parental care we observed.

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Other Contributions Nature Notes

Fig. 2. Video stills of the female Norops beckeri: (A) grasping the edge of a bromeliad leaf; the female was observed lapping
her tongue after entering the bromeliad to lick her eggs and/or the water at the base of the leaf; (B) entering the bromeliad; and
(C) inspecting the eggs prior to exhaling air and licking them. ' © Kimberly C. Carter

Acknowledgments.––We thank the staff at Estación Biológica Las Guacamayas for their courtesies and hard
work, and Stuart Graham for providing comments on early drafts of this manuscript. The data presented in this
paper was collected under Indigo Expeditions research permit 008/2015 issued by Consejo Nacional de Areas
Protegidas (CONAP), Guatemala. Finally, we thank CONAP for their continued support of our work.

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Other Contributions Nature Notes

Literature Cited
Henderson, R. W. 1982. Trophic relationships and foraging strat- Losos, J. B. 2009. Lizards in an Evolutionary Tree: Ecology and
egies of some New World tree snakes (Leptophis, Oxybelis, Adaptive Radiation of Anoles. University of California Press,
Uromacer). Amphibia-Reptilia 3: 71–80. Berkeley, California, United States.
Köhler, G. 2010. A revision of the Central American species Savage, J. M. 2002. The Amphibians and Reptiles of Costa Rica:
related to Anolis pentaprion with the resurrection of A. beck- A Herpetofauna between Two Continents, between Two Seas.
eri and the description of a new species (Squamata: Polych- The University of Chicago Press, Chicago Illinois, United
rotidae). Zootaxa 2,354: 1–18. States.
Lee, J. C. The Amphibians and Reptiles of the Yucatán Peninsula.
Comstock Publishing Associates, Cornell University Press,
Ithaca, New York, United States.

John. B. Owens 1, Kimberley C. Carter1, Cornelio Santiago Chablé Tesucún2, and Rowland Griffin3
1
Molecular Ecology and Fisheries Genetics Lab, School of Biological Sciences, Bangor University, Bangor LL57
2UW, Wales, United Kingdom. E-mail: [email protected] (JBO, Corresponding author)
2
Estación Biológica Las Guacamayas, E13 Calle 5-75 Zona 1, Barrio 3 de Abril, San Benito, Petén, Guatemala.
3
Director of Research, Indigo Expeditions, Brooklea, John Beales Hill, Pilton, Somerset, England, United Kingdom.

Phrynosoma solare. Nocturnal activity. Several reports in the literature have noted nocturnal activity in primarily
diurnal reptiles, including Gopherus agassizii and Gambelia wislizenii (Huey, 1982), Sceloporus clarkii (Martínez-
Méndez et al., 2013), and the horned lizards P. platyrhinos, P. cornutum, P. modestum, and P. asio (Harris, 1958;
Williams, 1959; Lara-Resendiz et al., 2013; Raya-García, 2014). Most of these records are from arid environments.
On 28 August 2016 at 0049 h, we observed an adult male Regal Horned Lizard, Phrynosoma solare, active at
night in desert scrub habitat near Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico (28°48'45.74"N, 110°49'27.06"W; datum WGS 84;
elev. 235 m). We assume the individual was active because it was found in an open area, with rocky soil and no evi-
dence of a refuge (bunchgrass, shrubs, or a hole) within 4 m, and also because it was near (1.5 m) an active ant nest.
In the Sonoran Desert, diurnal lizards such as Phrynosoma are exposed to high diurnal temperatures (up to
43ºC; Lara-Resendiz et al., 2014), which shortens their time for diurnal activity and forces their retreat. After sunset,
however, they can prolong their potential foraging time, as high diurnal temperatures result in elevated temperatures
in the air, tree trunks, the soil, and rocks, which might be enough to maintain a lizard’s body temperature in the
activity range until midnight or later. Thus, this observation suggests the possibility that P. solare might complete
its biological activities at night, because of the high daytime temperatures.

Acknowledgments.––We thank Rancho La Viguita for their accommodations and use of their facilities during
our stay, and Jules Wyman for comments on the manuscript. The collection permit was SEMARNAT FAUT 074.

Literature Cited

Harris, R. W. 1958. A nocturnal tendency in Phrynosoma Horned Lizard). Nocturnal activity behavior. Herpetological
platyrhinos. Copeia 1958: 222. Review 44: 326–327.
Huey, R. B. 1982. Temperature, physiology, and ecology of rep- Lara-Resendiz, R. A., T. Jezkova, P. C. Rosen, and F. R. Méndez-de
tiles. Pp. 25–91. In C. Gans and F. H. Pough, (Eds.), Biology la Cruz. 2014. Thermoregulation during the summer season
of the Reptilia. Academic Press, New York, United States. in the Goode’s Horned Lizard Phrynosoma goodei (Iguania:
Lara-Resendiz, R. A., H. Gadsden, and F. R. Méndez-de la Cruz. Phrynosomatidae) in Sonoran Desert. Amphibia-Reptilia 35:
2013. Natural History Notes. Phrynosoma cornutum (Texas 161–172.

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Other Contributions Nature Notes

Martínez-Méndez, N., R. A. Lara-Resendiz, and C. Blair. 2013. Raya-García, E. 2014. Natural History Notes. Phrynosoma asio
Natural History Notes. Sceloporus clarkii (Clark’s Spiny (Giant Horned Lizard). Crepuscular and nocturnal activity.
Lizard). Nocturnal foraging activity. Herpetological Review Herpetological Review 45: 330.
44: 148. Williams, K. L. 1959. Nocturnal activity of some species of horned
lizards, genus Phrynosoma. Herpetologica 15: 43.

Rafael A. Lara-Resendiz1, Rodrigo Garcia-Figueroa2, and Ramón F. Ochoa-Jara3

1
Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Earth and Marine Sciences Building A316, University of California,
Santa Cruz, California 95064, United States. E-mail: [email protected] (Corresponding author)
2
Pro-Desert, Colonia Reforma Norte, 83157, Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico.
Universidad de Sonora. Blvd. Luis Encinas S/N, Col. Centro, 83000, Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico.
3

E-mail: [email protected]

Phyllodactylus xanti. Thermoregulatory activity. In ectotherms like lizards, thermoregulation is key to perform-
ing biological and social functions (Hertz et al., 1993). A plethora of thermoregulatory studies are available for
diurnal lizards (Sinervo et al., 2010), but those for nocturnal lizards are less abundant (Lara-Resendiz et al., 2013).
Moreover, little information is available on the natural history of some Mexican endemic nocturnal lizards. Such
is the case with Phyllodactylus xanti, as information on thermoregulatory activity along its distribution in the Baja
California Peninsula and the islands of Gulf of California, Mexico, remains unavailable. Moreover, lizards of the
genus Phyllodactylus have shown a tendency for high levels of genetic divergence in nearby regions (Blair et al.,
2013)tropical dry forests (TDF, and in P. xanthi insular populations might represent a different species from those
on the mainland. Here we present new data on thermoregulatory activity in P. xanti from Isla San Esteban, in the
Gulf of Baja California.
During fieldwork in 2005 (7–11 September) we captured and released 15 P. xanti at night. We recorded the
time of capture and perch site, as well as the body temperature (Tb) of the individuals via the cloaca, the substrate
temperature (Ts), and the air temperature (Ta: 2 cm above the site perch) using a Miller & Weber quick reading
thermometer. We encountered the geckos from 1700 to 2259 h. The mean Tb for all the lizards was 31.6 ± 0.41, and
the Ts and Ta were 29.05 ± 0.74 and 29.57 ± 0.75, respectively. The Tb showed a positive relationship with Ta (r =
0.57; P < 0.05) and Ts (r = 0.56, P < 0.05); nevertheless both environmental temperatures explain the same propor-
tion of variance (r2 = 0.32). Of the total number of collected geckos, 12 (80%) were found in rocks and 3(20)% in
vegetation (on columnar cacti: Pachycereus pringlei (Fig. 1A, B).
In general, members of the genus Phyllodactylus are active at night, perhaps because of the high daytime
temperatures in the regions they inhabit (tropical dry forest and desert scrub; Dixon, 1964). On Isla San Esteban,
P. xanti shows such nocturnal activity. Regarding its habitat use, P. xanti is a saxicolous species (Grismer, 2002),
although our data suggests arboreal perching for conducting thermoregulatory activities, foraging, camouflage,
and presumably for finding refuges on the crevices. Additional information on the natural history of P. xanti on the
Baja California peninsula and the islands of the Sea of Cortés is necessary to better understand the ecology of this
species, as well as its evolutionary patterns and possible risk of extinction associated with climate change.

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Other Contributions Nature Notes

Fig. 1. (A, B) Phyllodactylus xanti perching and thermoregulating on a columnar cacti (Pachycereus pringlei) in Isla San
Esteban, Gulf of Baja California, Mexico. ' © Rafael A. Lara-Resendiz

Literature Cited
Blair, C., V. H. Jiménez-Arcos, F. R. Mendez-de la Cruz, and Hertz, P. E., R. B. Huey, and R.D. Stevenson. 1993. Evaluating
R.W. Murphy. 2013. Landscape genetics of leaf-toed geckos temperature regulation by field-active ectotherms: the fal-
in the tropical dry forest of northern Mexico. PLoS ONE lacy of the inappropiate question. American Naturalist 142:
8(2) e57433. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0057433. 796–818.
Dixon, J. R. 1964. The systematics and distribution of lizards Lara-Resendiz, R. A., D. M. Arenas-Moreno, and F. R. Mén-
of the genus Phyllodactylus in North and Central Ameri- dez-de La Cruz. 2013. Termorregulación diurna y noc-
ca. New Mexico State University Science Bulletin 1: 139. turna de la lagartija Phyllodactylus bordai (Gekkota:
Grismer, L. L. 2002. Amphibians and Reptiles of Baja California: Phyllodactylidae) en una región semiárida del centro de
Including its Pacific Islands and the Islands in the Sea of México. Revista Chilena de Historia Natural 86: 127–35.
Cortés. University of California Press, Berkeley, California, Sinervo, B., et al. (25 co-authors). 2010. Erosion of lizard diversi-
United States. ty by climate change and altered thermal niches. Science 328:
894–99.

Víctor H. Jiménez-Arcos1, Aníbal H. Díaz de la Vega-Pérez2, Rafael A. Lara-Resendiz3, Ali Rabatsky4,

and Fausto R. Méndez-de la Cruz5

Laboratorio de Ecología, UBIPRO, FES Iztacala, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México. Av. de los Barrios No. 1,
1

C.P. 54090, Los Reyes Ixtacala, Tlalnepantla, Mexico. E-mail: [email protected]

2
Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología-Centro Tlaxcala de Biología de la Conducta, Universidad Autónoma de
Tlaxcala. Km 1.5 carretera Tlaxcala/Puebla, C.P. 90070, Tlaxcala, Mexico. E-mail: [email protected]
3
Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Earth and Marine Sciences Building A316, University of California,
Santa Cruz, 95064 California, United States. E-mail: [email protected]
Palmer College of Chiropractic, Department of Life Sciences, 4777 City Center Parkway, Port Orange, Florida, 32129.
4

E-mail: [email protected]
Laboratorio de Herpetología, Departamento de Zoología, Instituto de Biología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de
5

México, Ciudad Universitaria, C.P. 04510, Coyoacán, D.F., Mexico. E-mail: [email protected]

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Other Contributions Nature Notes

First record of snake predation in Xenosaurid lizards:

Xenosaurus platyceps feeding on Adelphicos quadrivirgatum
The diet of xenosaurid lizards has been relatively well documented, and in most species studied the diet has con-
sisted mostly of insects (Lemos-Espinal et al., 2012; Zamora-Abrego and Ortega-León, 2016). Nevertheless, lizards
of the genus Xenosaurus are known to feed on vertebrates. Presch (1981) reported the remains of a lizard of the
genus Sceloporus (tentatively S. formosus) and Ballinger et al. (1995) found the remains of a teiid lizard (either
Ameiva or Aspidoscelis) in the stomach contents of X. grandis. Mammal remains also have been documented in the
stomach contents of X. newmanorum (Lemos-Espinal et al., 2003) and X. phalaronatereon (García-Vázquez et al.,
2009). Snakes, however, have not been reported in the diet of Xenosaurus.
On 18 June 2003, during a mark-recapture study in sub-perennial tropical forest (= tropical semi-deciduous
forest) at an elevation of 420 m within Reserva de la Biosfera El Cielo, Gómez Farías, Tamaulipas, Mexico, we
found a gravid female of X. platyceps snout–vent length [SVL] = 123 mm, body mass = 30 g) with middle part of
its body exposed in a crevice (2.35 cm tall, 31 cm wide, 35 cm deep) positioned at a 45° angle from the horizontal
ground. The tail of a snake was visible in the lizard’s mouth, and when the lizard was extracted from the crevice she
regurgitated a dead adult female Adelphicos quadrivirgatum (SVL = 270 mm, body mass = 8.4 g).
Based on the stomach contents found in 27 specimens of X. platyceps, Lemos-Espinal et al. (2003) noted
that the diet of this species consists primarily of insects, mostly adult coleopterans (in quantity) and orthopterans (in
volume), but found no evidence of vertebrate consumption. Our finding, therefore, is the first report of vertebrate
consumption in X. platyceps. The consumption of the prey item represents a relative prey mass (dividing the prey
mass by the mass of the predator; Rodríguez-Robles, 2002) of 0.28, which suggests a preference for high body mass
prey items in xenosaurid lizards (Zamora-Abrego and Ortega-León, 2016). This information is relevant in context
of the reproductive condition, given the energetic requirements of females of X. platyceps at this site and their re-
productive stage; their relative litter mass has been reported as 0.26, and parturition begins in July (Rojas-González
et al., 2008), approximately one month before our observation. The opportunistic consumption of vertebrate prey in
xenosaurid lizards might offer an energetic advantage to members of this secretive lizard family. Further investiga-
tion is necessary to increase information on the diet of these lizards. Additionally, vertebrates need to be considered
in studies on prey availability and prey preferences for xenosaurid lizards.

Acknowledgments.––We thank Jaime Zúñiga-Vega, Angela Ortega-León and Norberto Martínez-Méndez

for field assistance, and Selene Meza for his valuable English revision. Fieldwork was conducted under permits
DOO.02.-6049,ERV06/2001, NUM/DGVS/00305 from DGVS-INE and CEVS-SE-DUE-Tamaulipas.

Literature Cited
Ballinger, R. E., J. A. Lemos-Espinal, S. Sanoja-Sarabia, and Presch, W. 1981. Life History Notes. Xenosaurus grandis. Food.
N. R. Coady. 1995. Ecological observations of the lizard, Herpetolological Review 12: 81.
Xenosaurus grandis in Cuautlapan,Veracruz, Mexico. Bio- Rodríguez-Robles, J. A. 2002. Feeding ecology of North American
tropica 27: 128–132. gopher snakes (Pituophis catenifer, Colubridae). Biological
García-Vázquez, U. O., A. L. Nolasco-Vélez, and J. G. Zamo- Journal of the Linnean Society 77: 165–183.
ra-Abrego. 2009. Natural History Notes. Xenosaurus Rojas-González, R. I., J. J. Zúñiga-Vega, and J. A. Lemos-Espinal,
phalaroanthereon, Diet. Herpetological Review 40: 93. 2008. Reproductive variation of the lizard Xenosaurus platy-
Lemos-Espinal, J. A., G. R. Smith, and R. E. Ballinger. 2003. ceps: comparing two populations of contrasting environments.
Diets of three species of knob-scaled lizards (genus Xeno- Journal of Herpetology 42: 332–336.
saurus) from Mexico. Southwestern Naturalist 48: 119–122. Zamora-Abrego, J. G., and A. M. Ortega-León. 2016. Ecología
Lemos-Espinal, J. A., G. R. Smith, and G. A. Woolrich-Piña. trófica de la lagartija Xenosaurus mendozai (Squamata: Xeno-
2012. The Family Xenosauridae in Mexico. ECO Herpe- sauridae) en el estado de Querétaro, México. Revista Mexi-
tological Publishing & Distribution, Rodeo, New Mexico, cana de Biodiversidad 87: 140–149.
United States.

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Other Contributions Nature Notes

Ramon Isaac Rojas-González1 and Joan Gastón Zamora-Abrego2

1
Centro Regional de Investigación Pesquera de Lerma, Instituto Nacional de Pesca, Carretera Campeche – Lerma Km
5, C.P. 24500, Campeche, Campeche. Mexico. E-mail: [email protected] (Corresponding author)
Grupo de Ecología y Conservación de Fauna Silvestre, Departamento de Ciencias Forestales, Facultad de Ciencias
2

Agrarias, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Medellín, Antioquia, Colombia. E-mail: [email protected]

Reptilia: Squamata (snakes)

Adelphicos quadrivirgatum. Reproduction. The Middle American Earth Snake, Adelphicos quadrivirgatum Jan,
1862, occurs in lowland moist forest, premontane wet forest, premontane moist forest, and lower montane moist
forest from central Veracruz, Mexico, to northern Nicaragua, on the Atlantic versant, and on the Pacific versant from
central Oaxaca, Mexico, to southwestern Honduras, at elevations from near sea level to 1,900 m (LaDuc, 1996;
McCranie, 2011; Farr et al., 2013). The available reproductive information on A. quadrivirgatum consists of reports
of egg clutches. Four eggs were found “in a nest” in May at San Marcos, Guatemala (Livezey and Peckham, 1953:
175); and a clutch of three eggs was discovered in a termite nest in June, Veracruz, Mexico (Pérez-Higareda and
Smith, 1989). Stuart (1948) reported that the congener A. veraepacis deposited eggs in May before the start of the
rainy season in the department of Alta Verapaz, Guatemala. Martin (1955) reported that in another congener, A. q.
newmanorum (= A. newmanorum; see Farr et al., 2013), five of seven specimens collected in April in Tamaulipas,
Mexico, contained eggs, with the largest female containing four. In this note, I add information on the reproductive
cycle of A. quadrivirgatum based on a histological examination of museum specimens.
I examined 31 specimens of A. quadrivirgatum (8 males, mean snout–vent length [SVL] = 231.3 mm ±
34.6 SD, range = 197–307 mm; 23 females, SVL = 264 mm ± 28.5 SD, range = 222–318 mm) deposited in the
herpetology collection of the Carnegie Museum (CM), Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States: GUATEMALA:
Departamento de Zapata: CM 57203, 57205, 57207, 57208, 57213, 57215, 57217, 57219, 57221, 57222, 57224,
57229, 57230, 57232, 57235, 57239, 57245, 57249, 57250, 57252– 27256, 57264, 57266, 57267, 57270, 57271;
HONDURAS: Departamento de Cortés: CM 68816; and MEXICO: Chiapas: Municipio de Ocosingo: CM 88754.
The snakes were collected from 1971 to 1972.
I removed the left ovary from females and the left testis and vas deferens from males for histological examina-
tion, and embedded the tissues in paraffin, cut into 5 µm sections, mounted on glass slides, and stained with Harris
hematoxylin followed by eosin counterstain (Presnell and Schreibman, 1997). I examined the slides to ascertain the
stage of the testicular cycle or the presence of yolk deposition. I deposited the histology slides at CM.
The testicular histology was similar to that reported by Goldberg and Parker (1975) for the colubrid snakes
Masticophis taeniatus and Pituophis catenifer (as P. melanoleucus). The only stage present in the testicular cycle
was spermiogenesis, in which the seminiferous tubules were lined by sperm or clusters of metamorphosing sperma-
tids. The vasa deferentia contained sperm. The males were collected in the following months: June (1); August (5);
and September (2). The smallest reproductively active male (spermiogenesis) measured 197 mm in SVL (LACM
68816), and was collected in June.
Two stages were present in the ovarian cycle: Table 1. Monthly stages in the ovarian cycle of 23 adult
(1) quiescent, no yolk deposition; and (2) early yolk females of Adelphicos quadrivirgatum.
deposition, basophilic granules in ooplasm (Table 1).
The smallest reproductively active female measured Month n Quiescent Yolk Deposition
227 mm in SVL (yolk deposition), and was collected August 12 10 2
in August (CM 57221).
September 9 7 2
Previous reports of the occurrence of A.
November 2 0 2
quadrivrgatum egg clutches in May and June (Livezey

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Other Contributions Nature Notes

and Peckham, 1953; Pérez-Higareda and Smith, 1989) indicates reproductive activity in the first six months of
the year. My data, however, show A. quadrivirgatum to be reproductively active during August, September, and
November, in the second six months of the year. It remains unknown when the vitellogenic females in Table 1 would
have produced egg clutches. The above information indicates that an extended reproductive season is present in A.
quadrivirgatum. Nonetheless, an examination of specimens of A. quadrivirgatum collected in additional months is
necessary before the exact duration of the reproductive cycle can be ascertained.

Acknowledgments.—I thank Jose Padial and Stephen P. Rogers for permission to examine specimens of
Adelphicos quadrivirgatum, and for facilitating the loan.

Literature Cited
Farr, W. L., D. Lazcano, and P. A. Lavín Murcio. 2014. Geo- McCranie, J. R. 2011. The Snakes of Honduras, Systematics,
graphic Distribution. New distributional records for amphib- Distribution and Conservation. Contributions to Herpetology,
ians and reptiles from the state of Tamaulipas, México III. Volume 26, Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles,
Herpetological Review 44: 631–645. Ithaca, New York, United States.
Goldberg, S. R., and W. S. Parker. 1975. Seasonal testicular Pérez-Higareda, G., and H. M. Smith. 1989. Termite nest incu-
cycle of the colubrid snakes, Masticophis taeniatus and bation of the eggs of the Mexican colubrid snake Adelphicos
Pituophis melanolecus. Herpetologica 31: 317–322. quadrivirgatus. Herpetological Review 20: 5–6.
LaDuc, T. J. 1996. A Taxonomic Revision of the Adelphicos qua- Presnell, H. K., and M. P. Schreibman. 1997. Humason’s Animal
drivirgatum Species Group (Serpentes: Colubridae). Unpub- Tissue Techniques. The Johns Hopkins University Press, Bal-
lished M.S. thesis. Department of Biological Sciences, The timore, Maryland, United States.
University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, Texas, United States. Staurt, L. C. 1948. The amphibians and reptiles of Alta Verapaz
Livezey, R. L., and R. S. Peckham. 1953. Some snakes from San Guatemala. Miscellaneous Publications, Museum of Zoology,
Marcos, Guatemala. Herpetologica 8: 175–177. University of Michigan, 69:1–109.
Martin, P. S. 1955. Herpetological records from the Gómez
Farías region of southwestern Tamaulipas, México. Copeia
1955: 173–180.

Stephen R. Goldberg
Whittier College, Department of Biology, Whittier, California 90608, United States. E-mail: [email protected]

Boa sigma (Smith, 1943). Diet. Card et al. (2016) identified extensive population structure across the range of the ge-
nus Boa, with three widely distributed clades in North-, Central-, and South America, and recognized a third species
in the genus, with Boa sigma (Smith, 1943) corresponding to the North American clade. Although Card et al, (2016:
109) noted the distribution of this taxon along “the Pacific coast of Mexico to west of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec,”
their study did not include samples from the Tres Marías Islands (= Las Islas Marías) from where the holotype and
paratypes were collected. Woolrich-Piña et al. (2016) tentatively accepted the conclusions of Card et al. (2016).
The diet of B. imperator, a congener with a distribution primarily in Mesoamerica, has been documented
relatively well (Greene, 1983; Boback et al., 2000; Bakkegard and Timm 2001; Greene et al., 2003; Leenders and
Watkins-Colwell, 2003; Bobak, 2004, 2005; Solórzano, 2004; Pérez-Higareda et al., 2007; Reed and Rodda, 2009;
Pavón-Vázquez et al., 2016). Although some regional works have reported on the varied diet of B. constrictor
(sensu lato) (e.g., García and Ceballos, 1994; Lemos-Espinal et al., 2013; Rorabaugh and Lemos-Espinal, 2016), to
our knowledge information on the diet of B. sigma is limited to an account of an individual from Las Islas Marías
in which “the digestive tract of one Boa was crammed with plant material, evidently from a Ctenosaura the snake
had eaten” (Zweifel, 1960: 99). Herein, we report an additional food item for this species.
On 1 September 2013 at ca. 0917 h, at ejido el Cora, Municipio de San Blas, Nayarit, Mexico (21.433988°N,
105.135329°W, WGS 84; elev. 230 m), we observed an adult B. sigma in an area of tropical dry forest planted with

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Other Contributions Nature Notes

teak trees (Tectona grandis) consuming a young Collie’s Squirrel (Sciurus colliaei). The squirrel had ascended one
of the teak trees to a height of ca. 7 m, where it was preyed upon by the snake. The event lasted about 17 min, from
the time of capture until the squirrel was swallowed. The B. sigma then descended and sought shelter in a burrow
among some rocks. The S. colliaei might have been distracted by our presence, as we had stopped to photograph the
animal and the squirrel perhaps did not see the snake.

Fig 1. A Boa sigma found at ejido el Cora, Municipio de San Blas, Nayarit, Mexico, consuming a young Collie’s Squirrel
(Sciurus colliaei). ' © Sandino González

Acknowledgments.––We thank Sandino González, especially for his interest in nature photography, as well
as for field assistance and some of the information included in this note.

Literature Cited
Bakkegard and Timm. 2001. Natural History Notes. Boa con- Card D. C., D. R. Schield, R. H. Adams, A. B. Corbin, B. W. Perry,
strictor (Boa Constrictor). Diet. Herpetological Review 32: A. L. Andrew, G. M. Pasquesi, E. N. Smith, T. Jezkova, S. M.
261–262 Boback, W. Booth, and T. A. Castoe. 2016. Phylogeographic
Boback, S. M., E. Burroughs, C. Ugarte, and J. Watling. 2000. and population genetic analyses reveal multiple species of
Natural History Notes. Boa constrictor (Boa Constrictor). Boa and independent origins of insular dwarfism. Molecular
Diet. Herpetological Review 31: 244–245. Phylogenetics and Evolution 102: 104–116.
Boback, S. M. 2004. Natural History Notes. Boa constrictor (Boa García, A., and G. Ceballos. 1994. Guía de Campo de los Rep-
Constrictor). Diet. Herpetological Review 35: 175. tiles y Anfibios de la costa de Jalisco, México / Field Guide to
the Reptiles and Amphibians of the Jalisco Coast. Fundación
Boback, S. M. 2005. Natural history and conservation of island
Ecológica de Cuixmala, A.C. Instituto de Bilogía, U.N.A.M.,
boas (Boa constrictor) in Belize. Copeia 879–884.
México, D.F., Mexico.

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Other Contributions Nature Notes

Greene. H. W. 1983. Boa constrictor (Boa, Béquer, Boa Constric- and the Boa Constrictor. U.S. Geological Survey Open-File
tor). Pp. 380–383 In D. H. Janzen (Ed.), Costa Rica Natural Report 2009–1202, Reston, Virginia, United States. (www.
History, The University of Chicago Press, Chicago Illinois, pubs.usgs.gov/of/2009/1202/pdf/OF09-1202.pdf).
United States. Rorabaugh, J. C., and J. A. Lemos-Espinal. 2016. A Field Guide to
Greene, M. P., S. M. Boback, and C. Guyer. 2003. Natural Histo- the Amphibians and Reptiles of Sonora, Mexico. ECO Herpe-
ry Notes. Boa constrictor (Boa Constrictor). Diet. Herpeto- tological Publishing and Distribution, Rodeo, New Mexico,
logical Review 34:146. United States.
Leenders, T. A. A. M., and G. J., Watkins-Colwell. 2003. Nat- Smith, H. M. 1943. Summary of the collections of snakes and
ural History Notes. Boa constrictor (Boa Constrictor). Diet. crocodilians made in Mexico under the Walter Rathbone
Herpetological Review. 34: 146. Bacon Traveling Scolarship. Proceedings of the United States
Lemos-Espinal, J., H. M. Smith, and A. Cruz. 2013. Amphibians National Museum 93: 393–504.
& Reptiles of the Sierra Tarahumara of Chihuahua, Mexico Solórzano, A. 2004. Serpientes de Costa Rica: Distribución,
/ Anfibios y Reptiles de la Sierra Tarahumara de Chihuahua, Taxonomía e Historia Natural / Snakes of Costa Rica: Dis-
México. ECO Herpetological Publishing & Distribution, tribution, Taxonomy, and Natural History. Instituto Nacional
Rodeo, New Mexico, United States. de Biodiversidad (INBio), Santo Domingo de Heredia, Costa
Pavón-Vázquez C. J., L. N. Gray, B. A. White, and A. S. Harri- Rica.
son. 2016. Nature Notes. Boa imperator Daudin, 1803. Diet. Woolrich-Piña, G. A., P. Ponce-Campos, J. Loc-Barragán, J. P.
Mesoamerican Herpetology. 3: 490–492. Ramírez-Silva, V. Mata-Silva, J. D. Johnson, E. García-Pa-
Pérez-Higareda, G., M. A. López-Luna, and H. M. Smith. 2007. dilla, and L. D. Wilson. 2016. The herpetofauna of Nayarit,

Serpientes de la Región de los Tuxtlas, Veracruz, México. Mexico: composition, distribution, and conservation status.
Guía de Identificación Ilustrada. Universidad Nacional Mesoamerican Herpetology 3: 376–448.
Autónoma de México, México D.F., Mexico. Zweifel, R. G. 1960. Results of the Puritan-American Museum of
Reed, R. N., and G. H. Rodda. 2009. Giant Constrictors: Bio- Natural History expedition to western Mexico. 9. Herpetology
logical and Management Profiles and an Establishment Risk of the Tres Marías Islands. Bulletin of the American Museum
Assessment for Nine Large Species of Pythons, Anacondas, of Natural History: 119: 77–128.

Jesús A. Loc-Barragán1,2, Juan Pablo Ramírez-Silva2, and Guillermo A. Woolrich-Piña2,3

Grupo Ecologista Acaponeta A.C. Jalisco 50 Col. Centro, C.P. 63430, Acaponeta, Nayarit, Mexico.
1

E-mail: [email protected] (JALB, Corresponding author)

Universidad Autónoma de Nayarit, Unidad Académica de Agricultura, Programa Académico de Biología. Km. 9
2

Carretera Tepic-Compostela, Xalisco, C.P. 63780, Nayarit, Mexico.

3
Instituto Tecnológico Superior de Zacapoaxtla, Subdirección de Investigación y Posgrado, Laboratorio de
Zoología, División de Biología, Carretera Acuaco-Zacapoaxtla Km. 8, Col. Totoltepec, Zacapoaxtla, C. P. 73680,
Puebla, Mexico.

Bothrops asper (Garman, 1883). Predation. Bothrops asper is a large pitviper found mostly in tropical lowland
wet and moist forest, premontane rainforest, and evergreen seasonal forest, and less frequently in drier regions.
This species occurs at low and moderate elevations (sea level to 1,300 m in Mexico) and ranges from south-central
Tamaulipas, Mexico, throughout much of the Atlantic versant to northeastern Venezuela, and on the Pacific versant
in an isolated population in Chiapas, Mexico and Guatemala, and from northwestern Costa Rica southward to the
Ecuador–Peru border (Campbell and Lamar, 2004, Heimes, 2016). Although substantial information is available
on the natural history of this species, little is known about its natural predators (Bogert, 1954; Buttenhoff and Vogt,
1995; Campbell and Lamar, 2004; Dehling, 2008; Heimes, 2016). Herein, we report a predation event on B. asper
by a tarantula in the Eastern Highlands physiographic region of Chiapas, Mexico (Johnson et al., 2010).

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Other Contributions Nature Notes

On 3 November 2016 at 1440 h, after a heavy rain, one of us (SLG) observed a neonate B. asper being eaten
by a Guatemalan Redrump Tarantula (Brachypelma sabulosum) (Fig. 1) at Edificio 19 (known as “El Laberinto”) in
the Zona Arqueológica de Yaxchilán, Ocosingo, Chiapas, Mexico (16°53'56.11"N, 90°57'57.38"W; WGS 84), elev.
ca 122 m. The event took place ca. 2 m above the ground on a wall in the basement of the archeological ruin. At the
time of the observation, the tarantula was ingesting and holding the snake by the head, as the snake was showing
muscle contractions. When the spider noticed the presence of SLG, it released the snake and moved backwards to-
ward its burrow. After a few seconds, however, it began to approach the snake and grabbed its body, closer to the an-
terior end. SLG photographed the event and continued his observations for an additional 5 min, and left the site with
tarantula and snake in the same position. To date, reported predators of B. asper include a land crab, Gecarcinus
quadratus (Dehling, 2008), a larger juvenile female B. asper (Buttenhoff and Vogt, 1995), a Mussurana, Clelia
clelia (Bogert, 1954), a Hog-nosed Skunk, Conepatus mesoleucus (Bogert, 1954), and a Nine-banded Armadillo,
Dasypus novemcinctus (Bogert, 1954). To the best of our knowledge this is the first published report of a prey-pred-
ator interaction between B. asper and B. sabulosum, respectively. Zona Arqueológica de Yaxchilán is a Natural
Protected Area founded in 1992, and located next to the Río Usumacinta in eastern Chiapas. The vegetation at the
site is characterized by tropical rain forest (Johnson et al., 2010).

Fig. 1. A Guatemalan Redrump Tarantula (Brachypelma sabulosum) preying on a neonate Nauyaca (Bothrops asper) at Monu-
mento Natural Yaxchilán, Ocosingo, Chiapas, Mexico. ' © Silvano López-Gómez

Acknowledgments.––A special thanks to the Siyaj Chan environmental tourism group (Turismo
Bioarqueológico) and to Silvano López-Gómez’s family for their support and company.

Literature Cited
Bogert, C. M. 1954. Amphibians and reptiles of the world. Pp. Dehling, J. M. 2008. Natural History Notes. Bothrops asper (Ter-
1,189–1,390 In F. Drimmer (Ed.), The Animal Kingdom, ciopelo). Predation. Herpetological Review 39: 230.
Volume 2, Book 3. Greystone Press, New York, United Heimes, P. 2016. Herpetofauna Mexicana Vol. 1. Snakes of Mexico.
States. Edition Chimaira, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
Buttenhoff, P. A., and R. C. Vogt. 1995. Natural History Notes. Johnson, J. D., V. Mata-Silva, and A. Ramírez-Bautista. 2010.
Bothrops asper (Nauyaca). Cannibalism. Herpetological Geographic Distribution and Conservation of the herpetofau-
Review 26: 146–147. na of southeastern Mexico. Pp. 322–369 In L. D. Wilson, H.
Campbell, J. A., and W. W. Lamar. 2004. The Venomous Reptiles Townsend, and J. D. Johnson (Eds.), Conservation of Meso-
of the Western Hemisphere. 2 Volumes. Comstock Publish- american Amphibians and Reptiles. Eagle Mountain Publish-
ing Associates, Cornell University Press, Ithaca, New York, ing, LC, Eagle Mountain, Utah, United States.
United States.

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Other Contributions Nature Notes

Silvano López-Gomez1, Jorge Iván Mendoza-Marroquín2, Elí García-Padilla3, Vicente Mata-

Silva4, Dominic L. DeSantis4, Jerry D. Johnson4, and Larry David Wilson5
1
Frontera Corozal, C. P. 20950, Ocosingo, Mexico. E-mail: [email protected]
2
Colección Nacional de Arácnidos, Departamento de Zoología, Instituto de Biología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma
de México, Ciudad Universitaria, 3er circuito exterior s/n, Apto. Postal 70-153, Coyoacán, C. P. 04510, Ciudad de
México, Mexico.
3
Oaxaca de Juárez, C. P. 04700, Oaxaca, Mexico. Email: [email protected] (Corresponding author)
Department of Biological Sciences, The University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, Texas 79968-0500, United States.
4

E-mails: [email protected], [email protected], and [email protected]

Centro Zamorano de Biodiversidad, Escuela Agrícola Panamericana Zamorano, Departmento de Francisco Morazán,
5

Honduras; 16010 SW 207th Avenue, Miami, Florida 33187-1056, United States. E-mail: [email protected]

Crotalus ravus (Cope, 1865). Predation. The Mexican Pygmy

Rattlesnake, Crotalus ravus, is distributed across the Trans-
Mexican Volcanic Belt in the states of Veracruz, Querétaro,
Hidalgo, Tlaxcala, Puebla, Oaxaca, Guerrero, México, Morelos,
and the Distrito Federal (Uribe-Peña et al., 1999; Campbell and
Lamar, 2004; Fernández-Badillo et al., 2011). This species oc-
curs in xeric shrubland, cloud forest, boreal forest, tropical de-
ciduous forest, and pine-oak forest, and is most abundant in rel-
atively flat areas such as plateaus, floodplains, and alluvial fans
or basins, at elevations from 1,490 to 3,000 m (Uribe-Peña et al.,
1999; Campbell and Lamar, 2004; CONANP, 2014). Crotalus ra-
vus is terrestrial and usually diurnal, but can be found at night
(Armstrong and Murphy, 1979; Campbell and Lamar, 2004), and
has been reported to feed on insects, lizards, snakes, and small
mammals (Díaz de la Vega-Pérez et al., 2016, and references
therein).
On 22 January 2016 at 1105 h, an individual of C. ravus was
observed attempting to eat a fledgling American Brown Creeper
(Certhia americana; Fig. 1) in pine forest at Parque Nacional La
Malinche (19°14'33.1"N, 97°58'30.6"W; datum WGS 84), at an
elevation of 2,988 m; the park is located in the states of Tlaxcala
and Puebla. At the time of the encounter the bird was moving its
wings, but a few seconds later it died, with the C. ravus in close
proximity. While examing the body, we noticed two small holes on
the breast/abdominal area of the bird, suggesting it was bitten by
the rattlesnake. The snake was not collected. This episode occured
next to a pine tree in a grassland dominated by Festuca tolucensis Fig. 1. A fledgling American Brown Creeper
and Muhlenbergia macroura, where several nests of C. americana (Certhia americana) lying on the ground after
were present among the grasses. This encounter highlights the an apparent predatory attempt by Crotalus
ravus at Parque Nacional La Malinche,
oportunistic nature of C. ravus, and to our knowledge is the first
report of an apparent predatory attempt by this species on a bird.
Mexico. ' © Mario García-Guerrero

Acknowledgments.––We thank Dr. Patricia Ramirez-Bastida for helping identify the bird species, and Dr.
Aníbal Diaz de la Vega and Mario García Guerrero for field assistance and photographs. We also want to thank

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Other Contributions Nature Notes

Dr. M. Martínez-Gómez and Dr. J. Vázquez-Pérez for their valuable help with logistics and use of the facilities at
the scientific station “La Malinche.” This work was conducted with financial support of project PAPIIT IA204416
UNAM, and under scientific permit number SGPA/DGVS/02145/16 issued by the Secretaría de Medio Ambiente y
Recursos Naturales (SEMARNAT).

Literature Cited
Armstrong, B. L., and J. B. Murphy. 1979. The Natural History Díaz de la Vega-Pérez, A. H., D Laguna-Millán, R. Cervantes-
of Mexican Rattlesnakes. The University of Kansas, Muse- Badillo, J. E. Gómez-Campos, and S. Ancona. 2016. Nature
um of Natural History, Special Publication No. 5, Lawrence, Notes. Crotalus ravus. Diet. Mesoamerican Herpetology 3:
Kansas, United States. 742–743.
Campbell, J. A., and W. W. Lamar. 2004. Venomous Reptiles of Fernández-Badillo, F. N. Morales-Capellán, and I. Goyenechea-
the Western Hemishphere. 2 Volumes. Comstock Publishing Mayer Goyenechea. 2011. Serpientes Venenosas del Estado
Associates, Cornell University Press, Ithaca, New York, de Hidalgo. Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Hidalgo,
United States. Pachuca, Hidalgo, Mexico.
CONANP, 2014. Identification file Crotalus ravus. Parque Nacio- Uribe-Peña, Z., A. Ramírez-Bautista, and G. Casas Andreu. 1999.
nal Izta-Popo Zoquiapan. Dirección del Parque Nacional Anfibios y reptiles de las serranias del Del Distrito Federal,
Iztaccíhuatl Popocatépetl, Subdirección de Cultura para la México. Instituto de Biología, Universidad Nacional Autóno-
Conservación, Departamento de Investigación y Monitoreo, ma de México. Cuadernos 32: 1–119.
Ciudad de México, Mexico.

Luis Eduardo Bucio-Jiménez1 and Hibraim Adán Pérez-Mendoza1

Laboratorio de Ecología Evolutiva de Anfibios y Reptiles. Facultad de Estudios Superiores Iztacala, Universidad
1

Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad de México, Mexico. E-mail: [email protected] (LEBJ, Corresponding author)

Micrurus browni Schmidt and Schmidt, 1943. Diet. Brown’s Coralsnake, Micrurus browni, is a medium sized
species with a relatively limited geographic distribution in Mexico and Guatemala. In Mexico it has been reported in
the states of Michoacán, Estado de México (including Ciudad de México), along the the Pacific coast of Guerrero,
Oaxaca and Chiapas, as well as in the western mountains of Guatemala (Roze, 1996; Campbell and Lamar, 2004,
and citations there in; Reyes-Velasco et al., 2012). The elevational range for M. browni has been reported from near
sea level to 2,200 m (Roze, 1996; Campbell and Lamar, 2004; Wilson and Johnson, 2010). Unfortunately, little
information is available on its natural history of this species, including its diet.
On 23 June 2016 at 2200 h, two of us (VMS and AR) found a freshly killed adult M. browni on the road
to Puerto Escondido-Oaxaca (131), 5.8 km E (straight line) of San Juan Lachao, Municipio de San Juan Lachao,
Oaxaca, Mexico (16.153878°N, -97.069861°W; WGS 84; elev. 958 m). The snake (snout–vent length [SVL] = 730
mm; tail length [T] = 90 mm; and total length = 820 mm) was nearly finished ingesting an adult male Coniophanes
fissidens (SVL = 284 mm; T = 20 mm [most of the tail missing, likely detached by a passing vehicle]) when it
was killed (Fig. 1). The coralsnake had ingested most of the body of the C. fissidens except for the tail. We were
unable to determine if the M. browni found the C. fissidens alive or dead on the road. Both specimens (CIB 5032,
CIB 5033, M. browni and C. fissidens, respectively) are deposited in the herpetological collection of the Centro de
Investigaciones Biológicas of the Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Hidalgo.
To date, M. browni has been reported to feed only on snakes, including Indotyphlops braminus, Epictia
bakewelli, Geophis sallei, Ninia sebae, Tantilla rubra, Adelphicos quadrivirgatus, and Stenorrhina freminvillei
(Roze, 1996; Campbell and Lamar, 2004; Bello-Sánchez et al., 2016). To the best of our knowledge this observation
represents the first report of C. fissidens in the diet of M. browni.

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Other Contributions Nature Notes

Fig. 1. An adult female Brown’s Coralsnake (Micrurus browni) killed while ingesting a male Yellow-bellied Snake (Coniophanes
fissidens) in Municipio de San Juan Lachao, Oaxaca, Mexico. ' © Vicente Mata-Silva

Acknowledgments.––We are grateful to Eduardo Mata-Silva for his invaluable assistance in the field, to
the Bolán-Mata family for their great hospitality, and to Raciel Crúz-Elizalde, Christian Berriozabal-Islas, and
José Daniel Lara-Tufiño for logistical support. The collecting permit (SGPA/DGVS/04287/16) was issued by
SEMARNAT to ARB with extensions to VMS, AR, EGP, DLD, and LDW. Irene G. Mayer-Goyenechea kindly
provided the voucher number.
Literature Cited
Bello-Sánchez E. A., J. E. Morales-Mávil, A. González-Chris- records for the herpetofauna of Mexico. Herpetological
ten, and A. M. Cruz-Lira. 2016. Natural History Notes. Review 43: 451–453.
Micrurus browni (Brown’s Coralsnake) and Stenorrhina Roze, J. A. 1996. Coral Snakes of the Americas: Biology, Identifi-
freminvillei (Freminville’s Scorpion-eating Snake). Herpe- cation, and Venoms. Krieger Publishing Company, Malabar,
tological Review 47: 149. Florida, United States.
Campbell, J. A., and W. W. Lamar. 2004. The Venomous Reptiles Wilson, L. D., and J. D. Johnson. 2010. Distributional patterns of
of the Western Hemisphere. 2 Volumes. Comstock Publish- the herpetofauna of Mesoamerica, a biodiversity hotspot. Pp.
ing Associates, Cornell University Press, Ithaca, New York, 32–235 In L. D. Wilson, J. H. Townsend, and J. D. Johnson
United States. (Eds.), Conservation of Mesoamerican Amphibians and Rep-
Reyes-Velasco, J., C. I. Grünwald, J. M. Jones, M. S. Price, and J. tiles. Eagle Mountain Publishing, LC, Eagle Mountain, Utah,
T. Fisher. 2012. Geographic Distribution. New distributional United States.

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Other Contributions Nature Notes

Vicente Mata-Silva1, Arturo Rocha1, Dominic L. DeSantis1, Elí García-Padilla2, Larry David Wilson3,
and Aurelio Ramírez-Bautista4

Department of Biological Sciences, The University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, Texas 79968-0500, United States.
1

E-mail: [email protected] (VMS, Corresponding author)

2
Calle Hidalgo, Colonia Santa Úrsula Coapa, Delegación Coyoacán, C. P. 04700, D.F., Mexico.
Centro Zamorano de Biodiversidad, Escuela Agrícola Panamericana Zamorano, Departmento de Francisco Morazán,
3

Honduras; 16010 SW 207th Avenue, Miami, Florida 33187-1056, United States.

Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas, Instituto de Ciencias Básicas e Ingeniería, Universidad Nacional Autónoma del
4

Estado de Hidalgo, Carretera Pachuca-Tulancingo Km 4.5, Colonia Carboneras, C. P. 42184, Mineral de la Reforma,
Hidalgo, Mexico.

Predation of Stenorrhina freminvillei (Duméril, Bibron & Duméril, 1854)

by Erythrolamprus bizona Jan, 1863
Snakes of genus Stenorrhina (Colubridae) are semi-fossorial diurnal snakes with a distribution extending from
southern Mexico to Venezuela and Ecuador (Savage, 2002; Solórzano, 2004). These snakes primarily prey on
scorpions and tarantulas, but occasionally also on other arthropods (Savage, 2002; Solórzano, 2004). The Northern
Scorpion-eater (S. freminvillei) is a relatively uncommon species that in Costa Rica is found in the northwestern
and central parts of the country (Solórzano, 2004; Abarca Alvarado, 2012; McConnell, 2014). Predation reports on
this species rarely are documented, perhaps because of its secretive behavior, much as occurs with other fossorial or
semi-fossorial herpetofauna (Ramírez-Fernández and Solís DelValle, 2014; Acosta-Chaves and Villalobos-Chaves,
2015). Based on an examination of museum material, Savage (2002) reported finding an individual of this species
in the stomach contents of a Central American Coralsnake (Micrurus nigrocinctus, Elapidae). Here we report a
predation event on S. freminvillei by a Black-ringed False Coralsnake (Erythrolamprus bizona, Dipsadidae) in the
Pacific central of Costa Rica.
On 18 October 2016 at approximately 1425 h, an E. bizona was found subduing an S. freminvillei along
a muddy road in Zona Protectora El Rodeo, Cantón de Mora, Provincia de San José, Costa Rica (9.926815°N,
84.292284°W; datum WGS 84; elev. 630 m). The E. bizona was restraining the body of the S. freminvillei, with a
wound visible next to where the E. bizona was holding on, suggesting that the S. freminvillei already had been bitten
(Fig. 1a). The event was observed for ca. 5 min, and during this time the S. freminvillei curled its body repeatedly,
as the E. bizona held on (Fig. 1B); eventually, the S. freminvillei reduced its movements. The entire swallowing
process was not observed by the eyewitness to avoid interrupting the process, as well as because of a strong, sudden
rain (M. González, pers. observ.).
Erythrolamprus bizona feeds primarily on other snakes, and occasionally on lizards (Savage, 2002; Solórzano,
2004). Reported prey items for this species include the snakes Hydromorphus sp. and Tantilla sp. (Savage, 2002).
Despite the fact that the S. freminvillei tolerates its favorite prey’s (scorpions) venom to some degree (Solórzano and
Greene, 2012), the venom of E. bizona appeared to have a significant effect on the individual because of its toxic
properties (Lemoine and Rodríguez-Acosta, 2003). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report that records
predatory interaction between these species.

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Other Contributions Nature Notes

Fig. 1. (A) An Erythrolamprus bizona firmly holding a Stenorrhina freminvillei by the body, and (B) as a response the S.
freminvillei curls its body in an attempt to lose its predator. ' © Maureen González

Acknowledgments.––I thank Maureen González for unselfishly sharing her photos and a detailed account
of the observation, and Ignacio Acosta and Víctor Acosta Chaves for corroborating with the identification of the
snakes. Víctor Acosta Chaves also provided comments that improved the manuscript.

Mesoamerican Herpetology 1023 December 2016 | Volume 3 | Number 4

Other Contributions Nature Notes

Literature Cited
Abarca Alvarado, J. G. La herpetofauna de un bosque premon- Ramírez-Fernández, J. D., and M. Solís-DelValle. 2014. Natural
tano: diversidad de anfibios y reptiles de El Rodeo. Brenesia History Notes. Rhinophrynus dorsalis (Mexican Burrowing
77: 251–270. Toad). Predation. Herpetological Review 45: 480–481.
Acosta-Chaves, V., and D. Villalobos-Chaves. 2015. Tantilla Savage, J. M. 2002. The Amphibians and Reptiles of Costa Rica:
armillata. Predation by a Central American Bark Scorpion A Herpetofauna between Two Continents, between Two Seas.
(Centruroides edwardsii). Mesoamerican Herpetology 2: The University of Chicago Press, Chicago, Illinois, United
202–203. States.
Lemoine, K., and A. Rodríguez-Acosta. 2003. Haemorrhagic, Solórzano, A. 2004. Serpientes de Costa Rica: Distribución, Taxo-
proteolytic and neurotoxic activities produced by Duver- nomía e Historia Natural / Snakes of Costa Rica: Distribution,
noy’s gland secretion from the False Coral Snake (Erythrol- Taxonomy, and Natural History. Instituto Nacional de Biodi-
amprus bizona Jan 1863) (Serpentes: Colubridae). Revista versidad (INBio), Santo Domingo de Heredia, Costa Rica.
Científica FCV-LUZ 13: 371–377. Solórzano, A., and H. W. Greene. 2012. Predation in nature by a
McConnell, G. J. 2014. A Field Guide to the Snakes of Costa scorpion-hunter, Stenorrhina freminvillei (Serpentes, Colubri-
Rica. Edition Chimaira, Frankfurt am Main, Germany. dae). Cuadernos de Investigación UNED 4: 31–32.

José D. Ramírez-Fernández
Escuela de Biología, Universidad de Costa Rica, Sede Rodrigo Facio, San Pedro, Costa Rica.
E-mail: [email protected]

Thamnophis rossmani Conant, 2000. Reproduction. Rossman’s Gartersnake (Thamnophis rossmani) was de-
scribed in 2000 by Roger Conant based on series of specimens he collected from 1949 to 1965, and others col-
lected by Douglas Rossman in 1969 in Nayarit, western Mexico. Both series of specimens were found in a very
small area––the pools, ditches, and irrigation canals near Río San Cayetano a small stream that flows northwest
from Tepic, the capital of the state of Nayarit. In his description, Conant (2000: 5) mentioned, “available evidence
indicates that Thamnophis rossmani may be in grave danger, if not already extinct.” Several years later, Luja and
Grünwald (2015) reported the finding two other T. rossmani in the same area reported years earlier by Rossman and
Conant.
As part of a project to monitor populations of T. rossmani, on 20 September 2016 at 1700 h, on the El
Pantanal–El Armadillo road, Municipio de Tepic, Mexico (21.443122°, -104.844728°W; WGS 84; elev. 923 m),
JALS and OAH found an adult female T. rossmani (snout–vent length [SVL] = 46 mm; total length [TL] = 13mm;
and body mass = 45g) in a wetland area used as a garbage dump (Fig. 1). The snake was maintained in captivity,
and on 26 September 2016 gave birth to four fully formed offspring (Fig. 2). The mean SVL of the four neonates
was 48.5 ± 2.36 (45–50 mm), the mean TL was 14.3 ± 1.65 (11.9–15.5 mm), and the mean body mass was 1.5 ±
0.37 (1.1–2 g).
Thamnophis rossmani is the only reptile species endemic to Nayarit and is one of the state’s most endangered
species (Woolrich-Piña et al., 2016); little information is available on its natural history. To our knowledge this is
the first report on the reproduction of T. rossmani.

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Other Contributions Nature Notes

Fig. 1. A Thamnophis rossmani from the El Pantanal–El Armadillo road, Municipio de Tepic, Mexico. ' © Víctor H. Luja

Fig. 2. The female Thamnophis rossmani soon after giving birth to four fully formed offspring. '© Víctor H. Luja

Acknowledgments.––The specimen was collected under scientific permit number SGPA/DGVS/01890/16

issued by the Secretaría de Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales (SEMARNAT).

Mesoamerican Herpetology 1025 December 2016 | Volume 3 | Number 4

Other Contributions Nature Notes

Literature Cited

Conant, R. 2000. A new species of garter snake from western Woolrich-Piña, G. A., P. P Campos, J. Loc-Barragán, J. P.
Mexico. Occasional Papers of the Museum of Natural Sci- Ramírez-Silva, V. Mata-Silva, J. D. Johnson, E. García-Pa-
ence, Louisiana State University 76: 1–8. dilla, and L. D. Wilson. 2016. The herpetofauna of Nayarit,

Luja, V. H., and C. I. Grünwald. 2015. New Distributional Mexico: composition, distribution, and conservation. Meso-
Records of Amphibians and Reptiles from Nayarit, México. american Herpetology 3: 376–448.
Herpetological Review 46: 223–225.

Víctor H. Luja1, Jesús Alberto López-Solís2, and Omar Alexis Hernández López2
Universidad Autónoma de Nayarit, Unidad Académica de Turismo, Coordinación y Posgrado, Ciudad de la Cultura
1

Amado Nervo s/n, C.P. 63155 Tepic, Nayarit, México. E-mail: [email protected]
Universidad Autónoma de Nayarit, Unidad Académica de Agricultura, Programa Académico de Biología. Km. 9
2

Carretera Tepic-Compostela, C.P. 63780, Xalisco, Nayarit, Mexico.

Reptilia: Testudines
Preliminary notes on caudal prehensility in the Hicatee,
Dermatemys mawii (Testudines: Dermatemydidae)
Dermatemys mawii is a Critically Endangered freshwater turtle that inhabits rivers, lagoons, and oxbow lakes in
southeastern Mexico, Guatemala, and Belize (Vogt et al., 2016). As a fully-aquatic, non-basking, and frequently
nocturnal species that is capable of remaining submerged for extended periods due to its ability to uptake oxygen
underwater through buccopharyngeal respiration (Winokur, 1988; Vogt et al., 2011), this species can be difficult
to observe in nature (Davy and Fenton, 2013). Aside from descriptions of its foraging behavior (Moll, 1989), little
information is available on its behavioral repertoire. As the only extant member of the family Dermatemydidae,
whose divergence from its closest living relatives, the kinosternids, dates back more than 72 million years (Knauss
et al., 2011), D. mawii may possess unique or unusual behavioral attributes that are not represented in other extant
chelonians.
Although uncommon in zoological collections (Smith, 2015; Mendyk and Smith, 2016), captive specimens of
D. mawii maintained in zoological parks offer valuable opportunities for studying aspects of the species’ behavior
that otherwise would be difficult to observe in the field.

Captive Observations
The Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens presently maintains an adult trio of Dermatemys mawii, comprised of a 40+
year-old male and two 20+ year-old females (Mendyk and Smith, 2016). The group is maintained together in a ca.
151,000-L pool located inside a walk-through aviary, with a maximum water depth of ca.160 cm. Heat exchangers
maintain the pool’s water temperature between 25.5 and 27.7°C, and filtration is accomplished through a combi-
nation of high pressure sand filters and a slipstream ozone system. In addition to aquatic and wading birds that
regularly utilize the pool, several other Neotropical chelonians, including Trachemys venusta, Chelus fimbriatus,
and Mesoclemmys gibba are housed together with the D. mawii, as well as several large Pirapatinga (Piaractus

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Other Contributions Nature Notes

brachypomus) and suckermouth catfish (Pterygoplichthys spp.). Several submerged logs and branches resting at the
bottom of the pool provide cover for some of the turtle species. The staff adds weekly cuttings of mulberry branches
(Moras spp.) to the pool; the leaves are consumed by many of the pool’s inhabitants, including D. mawii, and also
provide additional refuge. All of the behavioral observations described below occurred between 0730 and 1800 h.
Historically, a single female D. mawii (JZG #403307) had been maintained in the exhibit pool since October
of 2004. In October of 2015, a male (JZG #415327) was acquired from another zoo and introduced to the exhibit
with the original female, after a 30-day quarantine period. The male showed immediate interest in the female,
approaching her from behind when resting on the bottom of the pool and investigating her cloacal region and rear
limbs with his nares, in what appeared to be heavily-focused olfactory behavior similar to what has been described
in Rhinoclemmys pulcherrima (Hidalgo, 1982). Over the next two months, the male showed continued interest in
the female, following her around the pool, investigating her cloaca and rear limbs, and occasionally biting at the
supracaudal scutes of her carapace, leading to two noticeably degraded depressions in the shell. Most observed
interactions between these individuals occurred while both animals were walking along the bottom of the pool, and
in most cases the male approached or trailed the female from behind. If and when detected by the female, the male
would turn around and quickly retreat, even though no aggressive or defensive movements or displays were made
by the female. Occasionally, the male would approach the female head-on, usually stopping at a distance of around
1 m or more, but maintained eye contact with the female; in some cases, such staring behavior was observed while
the male was floating in the water column. Some unusual courtship behaviors were observed between this pair on
several occasions, particularly tandemized swimming, in which the male swims directly underneath the female and
mirrors the female’s swimming movements at top speeds around the exhibit pool. Although copulation was not
observed between this pair, a clutch of 12 eggs was deposited by the female on 25 March 2016, with an additional
egg laid in the pool a few days later.
On one occasion on 16 February 2016 at around 1100 h, the male was observed slowly approaching the fe-
male head-on along the bottom of the pool. At a distance of around 0.6 m and in full visual contact with the female,
the male halted his approach and floated his body upward at an inclination of ca. 45 degrees, with all four limbs
outstretched to the sides. The male remained motionless and maintained eye contact with the female, maintaining
his suspended positioning in the water column through the use of his tail, which partially was wrapped around a sub-
merged tree limb ca. 10 cm in diameter. After ca. 20 s of motionless visual contact with the female in this position,
the male released his grip from the limb, turned back, and quickly swam away from the female. After noticing this
peculiar usage of the tail, further observations were made of the male using his tail to gently grip onto submerged
tree limbs as he passed over them. When walking along the bottom of the pool, the tail often is angled downward so
that it catches, or comes into contact with, submerged tree limbs as he passes over them, and occasionally gripping
onto them. This behavior appears to contrast that described in other long-tailed aquatic turtles, such as Chelydra
serpentina, in which the tail is extended outward as a counterbalance to the head while traveling along the bottom
of a pool (Willey and Blob, 2004). Caudal prehensility has not been observed in either female D. mawii at JZG, and
due to the substantially shorter tails of female D. mawii (Campbell, 1972; Fig. 1), we doubt whether females of this
species are capable of physically using the tail in this capacity.

Discussion
These observations provide the first description of caudal prehensility in Dermatemys mawii. Caudal prehensility
has been documented in several other chelonians, although tail usage varies widely between taxa. For example,
Platysternon megacephalum and Chelydra serpentina have been reported to use their muscular, prehensile tails to
assist with righting themselves when flipped over (Ashe, 1970; Finkler and Claussen, 1997). In sea turtles, prehen-
sile tails are used in intraspecific signaling (Schofield et al., 2007) and to block rival males from gaining access
to a female during copulation (Booth and Peters, 1972). In other species, males utilize a prehensile tail in forced
insemination (Berry and Shine, 1980). The present account of caudal prehensility in D. mawii appears to be the first
documented example of a turtle using its tail to grasp onto physical elements of its environment, although Brode
(1958) speculated such “fifth limb” usage in nature for C. serpentina and Macrochelys temminckii.
Since female D. mawii do not possess large tails that would be capable of grasping objects in their environ-
ment, and younger males do not develop longer, thicker tails until maturity (RWM, pers. observ.; J. Marlin, pers.
comm.), the primary function of caudal prehensility in D. mawii unlikely is for grasping onto submerged objects

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Other Contributions Nature Notes

within their environment or it would be expected to occur in both sexes. Instead, caudal prehensility likely serves
some role in courtship and/or copulation. Dermatemys mawii does share common ancestry with the kinosternids,
of which males of several genera including Sternotherus, Kinosternon, and Staurotypus have been reported to use
their tails in forced insemination (Berry and Shine, 1980). Attempted copulation was observed at JZG on one occa-
sion between the male and a second female (JZG# 416300), shortly after her introduction to the exhibit in April of
2016. Smaller in overall size than the female, the male appeared to use its strong, muscular tail to forcibly access
the female’s tail for copulation, although actual intromission could not be observed. The female did not appear to
be receptive to the male’s advances, and retreated shortly thereafter. No further copulation attempts were observed,
and as of September 2016, no eggs have been produced by this female.
Further observations on captive D. mawii at JZG might shed additional light on the potential role and impor-
tance of caudal prehensility in courtship and copulation in this species, as well as other aspects of its behavioral
repertoire.

Fig. 1. Tail length comparison between an adult male (left) and female (right) Dermatemys mawii at the Jacksonville Zoo and
Gardens. ' © Robert W. Mendyk

Acknowledgments.––We thank the Smithsonian Institution Libraries for providing useful literature, Jason
Bell, Robert Hill, Brad Lock, and Dustin Smith for their assistance with consolidating captive Dermatemys in
AZA zoos; Dustin Smith, Jacob Marlin, Rick Hudson, Thomas Rainwater and Dick Vogt for useful discussions
on Dermatemys ecology, reproduction and behavior; and the herpetology department of the Jacksonville Zoo and
Gardens for their assistance and support.

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Other Contributions Nature Notes

Literature Cited
Ashe, V. M. 1970. The righting reflex in turtles: a description and Moll, D. 1989. Food and feeding behavior of the turtle, Dermate-
comparison. Psychonomic Science 20: 150–152. mys mawei, in Belize. Journal of Herpetology 23: 445–447.
Berry, J. F., and R. Shine. 1980. Sexual size dimorphism and Schofield, G., K. A. Katselidis, J. D. Pantis, P. Dimopoulos, and
sexual selection in turtles (Order Testudines). Oecologia 44: G. C. Hays. 2007. Female-female aggression: structure of
185–191. interaction and outcome in Loggerhead Sea Turtles. Marine
Booth, J., and J. A. Peters. 1972. Behavioural studies on the Ecology Progress Series 336: 267–274.
Green Turtle (Chelonia mydas) in the sea. Animal Behaviour Smith, D. 2015. Central American River Turtle Dermatemys mawii.
20: 808–812. North American Regional Studbook 2015. North Carolina
Brode, W. E. 1958. Prehensility of the tails of two turtles (family Zoo, Asheboro, North Carolina, United States. 16 pp.
Chelydridae). Copeia, 1958: 48–48. Vogt, R. C., J. R. Polisar, D. Moll, and G. Gonzalez-Porter.
Campbell, J. 1972. Observations on Central American River 2011. Dermatemys mawii Gray 1847 – Central American
Turtles at Fort Worth Zoo. International Zoo Yearbook 12: River Turtle, Tortuge Blanca, Hickatee. Pp. 058.1–058.12
202–204. In Rhodin, A. G. J., P. C. H. Pritchard, P. P. van Dijk, R. A.
Saumure, K. A. Buhlmann, J. B. Iverson, and R. A. Mitter-
Davy, C. M., and M. B. Fenton. 2013. Technical note: side-scan
meier (Eds.), Conservation Biology of Freshwater Turtles and
sonar enables rapid detection of aquatic reptiles in turbid
Tortoises: A Compilation Project of the IUCN/SSC Tortoise
lotic systems. European Journal of Wildlife Research 59:
and Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group. Chelonian Research
123–127.
Monographs 5. Chelonian Research Foundation, Lunenburg,
Finkler, M. S., and D. L. Claussen. 1997. Use of the tail in ter- Maryland, United States.
restrial locomotor activities of juvenile Chelydra serpentina.
Vogt, R. C., G. P. Gonzalez-Porter, and P. P. van Dijk. 2016. Der-
Copeia 1997: 884–887.
matemys mawii. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
Hidalgo, H. 1982. Courtship and mating behavior in Rhinoclem- 2016: 3.T6493A97409830. (www.iucnredlist.org; accessed 1
mys pulcherrima incisa (Testudines: Emydidae: Bataguri- August 2016).
nae). Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Sciences 85:
Willey, J. S., and R. W. Blob. 2004. Tail kinematics of juvenile
82–95.
common snapping turtles during aquatic walking. Journal of
Knauss, G. E., W. G. Joyce, T. R. Lyson, and D. Pearson. 2011. Herpetology 38: 360–369.
A new kinosternoid from the late Cretaceous Hell Creek
Winokur, R. M. 1988. The buccopharyngeal mucosa of the turtles
Formation of North Dakota and Montana and the origin of
(Testudines). Journal of Morphology 196: 33–52.
the Dermatemys mawii lineage. Paläontologische Zeitschrift
85: 125–142.
Mendyk, R. W., and D. C. Smith. 2016. Nature Notes. Dermate-
mys mawii Gray, 1847. Longevity. Mesoamerican Herpetol-
ogy 3: 477–478.

Robert W. Mendyk1,2 and Brian R. Eisele1

1
Department of Herpetology, Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens, 370 Zoo Parkway, Jacksonville, Florida 32218, United
States. E.mail: [email protected] (RWM, Corresponding author)
2
Department of Herpetology, Smithsonian National Zoological Park, 3001 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington, D.C.
20008, United States.

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Other Contributions Nature Notes

Reptilia: Testudines

Trachemys gaigeae (Hartweg, 1939). Behavior. The Big Bend Slider occurs in the Río Conchos, Río Grande, and
Río Nazas river systems of the southwestern United States and northeastern Mexico (Stuart and Ernst, 2004). This
turtle species has received little scientific attention relative to other freshwater emydids in the United States, in part
because historically it was classified as a subspecies of T. scripta (Gibbons, 1990; Stuart and Ernst, 2004; Ernst and
Lovich, 2009). Sexual dimorphism in T. gaigeae is similar to its United States congener T. scripta in that males
generally are smaller than females in carapace length, but differs in that males of T. gaigeae lack the elongated
foreclaws used during courtship by males of T. scripta (Stuart and Ward, 2009). Accordingly, male courtship in T.
gaigeae is considered to be more similar to Mesoamerican species of Trachemys than to T. scripta (Degenhardt et
al., 1996; Ernst and Lovich, 2009). For example, male courtship tactics of T. gaigeae include head nodding (up-and-
down) and wagging (side-to-side), and nasal squirting (Stuart and Miyashiro, 1998), in contrast to the facial strok-
ing and biting observed in males of T. scripta (Cagle, 1950). The reproductive behavior of T. gaigeae is known from
just a few sporadic notes (e.g., Legler, 1960; Stuart, 1995; Stuart and Painter, 1997; Stuart and Painter, 2006) and
the most detailed account describes underwater courtship from individuals in captivity (i.e., Stuart and Miyashiro,
1998). Here we report an observation on above water behavior of T. gaigeae in natural conditions, which seemed
to be associated with courtship.
Beginning at 0900 h on 23 April 2016, in the southeastern region of Big Bend National Park, Brewster
County, Texas, along the United States/Mexico border (29.204636°N, 102.913620°W; WGS 84; elev. 563 m), we
observed three adult T. gaigeae (2 males, 1 female) in the Río Grande river at Boquillas Canyon—the type locality
for T. gaigeae—engaged in pursuit behavior we interpret to be linked with courtship. The weather conditions on
the morning of our observations were overcast with light, scattered rainfall. Two of the turtles initially were found
breaking the surface of the water < 5 m from the shore, and resting upon the branches of a sunken tree (ca. depth
< 0.3 m) (Fig. 1A). A large female T. gaigeae surfaced first, and soon was followed by the surfacing of a smaller
male. Once both turtles were positioned along the surface, the male rapidly pursued the female and climbed onto
her carapace. The male made several attempts to climb onto her carapace with approaches from lateral and posterior
positions (Fig. 1A–F). When his forelimbs were positioned firmly on the female’s carapace, his movement stopped,
upon which he pressed up and elevated his head above the surface of the water (Fig. 1B). The female occasionally
dove underwater, and the male pursued her quickly. When the female resurfaced and rested upon a log, the male
reappeared and repeatedly attempted to gain position on her carapace. This process of surfacing, pursuit, position-
ing on the carapace, pressing up, and submerging was repeated several times. After nearly 10 min, a larger male T.
gaigeae surfaced simultaneously with the original two turtles (Fig. 1G). The two males quickly pursued the female
and seemed to jostle for a posterior position on her carapace (Fig. 1H). Abruptly, the female dove underwater and
both males immediately followed her. After 1 min, the larger male surfaced unaccompanied, then dove underwater
and was not observed again (Fig. 1I). Shortly thereafter, the small male surfaced alone for a short time, rested on a
submerged branch, and dove underwater again (Fig. 1J). About 7 min later, the female resurfaced and rested upon a
branch of the sunken tree. She was trailed by the small male, who again made repeated attempts to climb and settle
upon her carapace by approaching her from alternate sides (Fig. 1K–O). The duration of our observations lasted for
more than 30 min. Also encountered was a single adult Apalone spinifera during some of these observations (see
Fig. 1G–H, J).
Most courtship and mating in T. gaigeae are thought to occur in April and May, prior to the nesting season
(ca. late-May–July) (Morjan and Stuart, 2001). From wild-caught individuals of T. gaigeae maintained in outdoor
artificial ponds, both head movements and nasal squirting were observed in April–May and head nodding alone
in January–February (Stuart and Miyashiro, 1998). The limited published reports on the seasonality of courtship
(April–May) and accounts of pre-courtship pursuit by males of females in T. gaigeae generally are consistent with
our behavioral observations in the wild, suggesting that what we observed likely was associated with courtship.
This species currently is listed as Vulnerable by the IUCN, because of its restricted range in rivers subjected to
intensive hydrological management (van Dijk, 2013). Recently, Wilson et al. (2013) supported this IUCN listing
for T. gaigeae, and extended it by assigning this species to the upper level of the high vulnerability category with
an Environmental Vulnerability Score of 18. The dearth of empirical information regarding the basic reproductive
biology of T. gaigeae renders this a noteworthy observation, and more research into the natural history and behavior
of this species will be fundamental to improve its conservation outlook into the future.

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Other Contributions Nature Notes

Fig. 1. Time-stamped serial photographs documenting above surface behavior of male and female Big Bend Sliders (Trachemys
gaigeae) in the Río Grande, Boquillas Canyon, Big Bend National Park, Brewster County, Texas, along the United States/
Mexico border. ' © Daniel F. Hughes

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Other Contributions Nature Notes

Acknowledgements.—We thank the staff of both Big Bend National Park and the United States National Park
Service.
Literature Cited

Cagle, F. R. 1950. The life history of the slider turtle, Pseude- Stuart, J. N., and J. B. M. Miyashiro. 1998. Natural History Notes.
mys scripta troostii (Holbrook). Ecological Monographs 20: Trachemys gaigeae (Big Bend Slider): Courtship behavior.
31–54. Herpetological Review 29: 235–236.
Degenhardt, W. G., C. W. Painter, and A. H. Price. 1996. Stuart, J. N., and C. W. Painter. 1997. Natural History Notes.
Amphibians and Reptiles of New Mexico. University of Trachemys gaigeae (Big Bend Slider): Reproduction. Herpe-
New Mexico Press, Albuquerque, New Mexico, United tological Review 29: 235–236.
States. Stuart, J. N., and C. W. Painter. 2006. Natural History Notes.
Ernst, C. H., and J. E. Lovich. 2009. Turtles of the United States Trachemys gaigeae (Big Bend Slider): Reproductive charac-
and Canada. 2nd ed. Johns Hopkins University Press, Balti- teristics. Herpetological Review 37: 79.
more, Maryland, United States. Stuart, J. N., and J. P. Ward. 2009. Trachemys gaigeae (Hartweg
Gibbons, J. W. (Ed.). 1990. Life History and Ecology of the Slider 1939) – Big Bend Slider, Mexican Plateau Slider, Jicotea de la
Turtle. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, D.C., Meseta Mexicana. In Rhodin, A. G. J., P. C. H. Pritchard, P. P.
United States. van Dijk, R. A. Saumure, K. A. Buhlmann, J. B. Iverson, and
Legler, J. M. 1960. Remarks on the natural history of the Big R. A. Mittermeier (Eds.). Conservation Biology of Freshwater
Bend Slider, Pseudemys scripta gaigeae Hartweg. Herpeto- Turtles and Tortoises: A Compilation Project of the IUCN/
logica 16: 139–140 SSC Tortoise and Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group. Chelo-
nian Research Monographs 5: 032.1–032.12.
Morjan, C. L., and J. N. Stuart. 2001. Nesting record of a Big
Bend Slider turtle (Trachemys gaigeae) in New Mexico, and van Dijk, P. P. 2013. Trachemys gaigeae. The IUCN Red List of
overwintering of hatchlings in the nest. Southwestern Natu- Threatened Species 2013: e.T22024A9346883. (www.iucnre-
ralist 46: 230–234. dlist.org; accessed 10 June 2016).
Stuart, J. N. 1995. Notes on aquatic turtles of the Rio Grande Wilson, L. D., V. Mata-Silva, and J. D. Johnson. 2013. A conserva-
drainage, New Mexico. Bulletin of the Maryland Herpeto- tion reassessment of the reptiles of Mexico based on the EVS
logical Society 31: 147–157. measure. Amphibian & Reptile Conservation 7: 1–47.
Stuart, J. N., and C. H. Ernst. 2004. Trachemys gaigeae. Cata-
logue of American Amphibians and Reptiles 787: 1–6.

Daniel F. Hughes1, Jaclyn M. Adams2, Walter E. Meshaka, Jr.3, and Carl H. Ernst4
1
Department of Biology, University of Texas at El Paso, 500 West University Avenue, El Paso, Texas, 79968, United
States. E-mail: [email protected] (DFH, corresponding author)
2
El Paso Community College, 919 Hunter Drive, El Paso, Texas, 79915, United States.
Section of Zoology and Botany, State Museum of Pennsylvania, 300 North Street, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, 17120,
3

United States.
4
320 Willow Dell Lane, Leola, Pennsylvania, 17540, United States.

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Other Contributions Nature Notes

DIST RI BU TION N OTES

Amphibia: Anura
Family Eleutherodactylidae
Eleutherodactylus pallidus (Duellman, 1968). MEXICO: NAYARIT. Municipio de Tecuala, Ejido Las Lumbres, 3
km E of El Guastecomate (22.289436°N, 105.315871°W; WGS 84); elev. 84 m; 4 November 2015; Jesús A. Loc-
Barragán and Emmanuel Miramontes-Medina. Two frogs (Fig. 1) were found under a log at night, immediately after
a heavy rain. Photos vouchers of these individuals are deposited at The University of Texas at Arlington Digital
Collection (UTADC-8681–82). These vouchers represent a new municipality record and a range extension of 83.8
km to the N (airline) from the nearest reported locality at San Blas, Municipio de San Blas, Nayarit (Lynch, 1970).

Fig 1. Two individuals of E. pallidus (UTADC-8681, 8682; A, B, respectively) from 3 km E of El Guastecomate, Ejido Las
Lumbres, Municipio de Tecuala, Nayarit, Mexico. ' © Jesús Loc-Barragán

Acknowledgments.––We thank Carl J. Franklin for providing the photo voucher numbers.

Literature Cited
Lynch, J. D. 1970. A taxonomic revision of the leptodactylid frog genus Syrrhophus Cope. University of Kansas Publications. Museum of
Natural History 20: 1–45.

Jesús A. Loc-Barragán1, Emmanuel Miramontes-Medina2, and Guillermo A. Woolrich-Piña3

Grupo Ecologista Acaponeta A.C. Jalisco 50 Col. Centro, C.P. 63430, Acaponeta, Nayarit, Mexico.
1

E-mail: [email protected] (Corresponding author)

2
Pronatura Noroeste A.C. Rio Santiago 27 Col. Sánchez Ibarra, C.P. 63058, Tepic, Nayarit, Mexico.
Instituto Tecnológico Superior de Zacapoaxtla, Subdirección de Investigación y Posgrado, Laboratorio de Zoología,
3

División de Biología, Carretera Acuaco-Zacapoaxtla Km. 8, Col. Totoltepec, C. P. 73680, Zacapoaxtla, Puebla, Mexico.

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Other Contributions Distribution Notes

Family Hylidae
Exerodonta sumichrasti Brocchi, 1879. MEXICO: OAXACA. Municipio de Santa Catarina Juquila, near El
Obispo (16.175215°N, -97.322873°W; WGS 84), elev. 1,216 m; 16 June 2016; Vicente Mata-Silva, Dominic, L.
DeSantis, Elí García-Padilla, and Larry David Wilson. The frog (CIB-5038) was found active after a rain at 0120 h,
on a plant near a stream (Fig. 1A).
Another individual (photo voucher UTEP G-2016.29) was found in the same municipality, ca. 1 km E of El
Pedimento (16.243806°N, -97.241407°W; WGS 84), elev. 1,992 m; 20 June 2016; Vicente Mata-Silva, Dominic, L.
DeSantis, Elí García-Padilla, and Larry D. Wilson. This frog (Fig. 1B) was found calling after a rain in vegetation
near a stream, in an area surrounded by remnants of pine-oak forest.
Additionally, on 19 June 2016, one individual (photo voucher UTEP G-2016.30) was found in Municipio de
San Juan Lachao, ca. 1.5 km (straight line) N of Santa Rosa de Lima (16.182241°N, -97.095880°W; WGS 84), elev.
1,316 m; Vicente Mata-Silva, Dominic, L. DeSantis, Elí García-Padilla, and Larry D. Wilson. This frog (Fig. 1C)
was found in cloud forest, calling from vegetation after a rain.
A second individual from Municipio de San Juan Lachao was found on 26 June 2016 near El Vidrio
(16.262047°N, -97.152026°W; WGS 84), elev. 1,710 m; Vicente Mata-Silva and Arturo Rocha. This frog was
calling from a plant along a rocky stream during a light rain, in an area consisting of patches of pine-oak forest
(Fig. 1D). A photograph of this individual is deposited in the University of Texas at El Paso Biodiversity Digital
Collection (photo voucher UTEP G-2016.31).

Fig. 1. Individuals of Exerodonta sumichrasti repoted from Oaxaca, Mexico. (A) (CIB-5038) from near El Obispo, Municipio
de Santa Catarina Juquila; (B) an adult male (UTEP G-2016.29) from near El Pedimento, Municipio de Santa Catarina Juquila;
(C) an adult male (UTEP G-2016.30) from near Santa Rosa de Lima, Municipio de San Juan Lachao; and (D) an adult male
(UTEP G-2016.31) from near El Vidrio, Municipio de San Juan Lachao. ' © Vicente Mata-Silva

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Other Contributions Distribution Notes

These above individuals represent new municipality records for San Juan Lachao and Santa Catarina Juquila.
The record from near El Obispo also represents the westernmost distribution of this species along the Sierra Madre
del Sur in Oaxaca (Duellman, 2001). The collected specimen is deposited in the herpetological collection of the
Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas of the Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Hidalgo, and the photo vouchers
in the University of Texas at El Paso Biodiversity Digital Collection.

Acknowledgments.––A special thanks goes to Eduardo Mata-Silva for his invaluable assistance in the field,
to the Bolán-Mata family for their great hospitality, and to Raciel Crúz-Elizalde, Christian Berriozabal-Islas, and
José Daniel Lara-Tufiño for logistical support. The collecting permit (SGPA/DGVS/04287/16) was issued by
SEMARNAT to ARB with extensions to VMS, AR, EGP, DLD, and LDW. Irene G. Mayer-Goyenechea kindly
provided the specimen number, and Arthur Harris kindly provided the photo voucher numbers.

Literature Cited
Duellman, W. E. 2001. The Hylid Frogs of Middle America. 2nd ed. Contributions to Herpetology, Volume 18, Society for the Study of
Amphibians and Reptiles, Ithaca, New York, United States.

Vicente Mata-Silva1, Dominic L. DeSantis1, Elí García-Padilla2, Arturo Rocha1, Larry David wilson3,
and Aurelio Ramírez-Bautista4

Department of Biological Sciences, The University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, Texas 79968-0500, United States.
1

E-mail: [email protected] (VMS, Corresponding author)

2
Calle Hidalgo, Colonia Santa Úrsula Coapa, Delegación Coyoacán, C. P. 04700, D.F., Mexico.
Centro Zamorano de Biodiversidad, Escuela Agrícola Panamericana Zamorano, Departmento de Francisco Morazán,
3

Honduras; 16010 SW 207th Avenue, Miami, Florida 33187-1056, United States.

Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas, Instituto de Ciencias Básicas e Ingeniería, Universidad Nacional Autónoma del
4

Estado de Hidalgo, Carretera Pachuca-Tulancingo Km 4.5, Colonia Carboneras, C. P. 42184, Mineral de la Reforma,
Hidalgo, Mexico.

Sarcohyla ameibothalame (Canseco-Márquez, Mendelson and Gutiérrez-Mayén, 2002). MEXICO: OAXACA.

Municipio de San Felipe Tejalápam, Jalapa del Valle, Paraje El Capulín (17°02'13.7"N, 96°54'43.7"W; datum WGS
84), elev. 2,091 m; 26 August 2015; Pablo R. Simón-Salvador. The frog was found active at dusk in pine-oak for-
est. A photograph of this individual is deposited in the University of Texas at El Paso Vertebrate Digital Collection
(Photo Voucher UTEP G-2016.33). This voucher (Fig. 1) represents a new municipality record, and a range exten-
sion of ca. 82 km to the SE (airline distance) from the vicinity of Santa María Nativitas, Oaxaca (Canseco-Márquez
et al., 2002). This voucher also represents the third known locality (previously known from Yosocuno and Nativitas)
and the lowest known elevation for this species (Canseco-Márquez et al., 2002), with all three localities in the
Montañas y Valles de Occidente physiographic region (Mata-Silva et al., 2015).

Mesoamerican Herpetology 1035 December 2016 | Volume 3 | Number 4

Other Contributions Distribution Notes

Fig. 1. An adult Plectrohyla ameibothalame (UTEP G-2016.33) from Paraje El Capulín, Jalapa del Valle, Municipio de San
Felipe Tejalápam, Oaxaca, Mexico. ' © Pablo R. Simón-Salvador

Acknowledgments.––A special thanks goes to Arthur Harris for kindly providing the photo voucher number,
and to Luis Canseco-Márquez for confirming the identification of the species.

Literature Cited

Canseco-Márquez, L., J. R. Mendelson, III, and G. Gutiér- Mata-Silva, V., J. D. Johnson, L. D. Wilson, and E. García-Padil-
rez-Mayén. 2002. A New species of Hyla (Anura: Hylidae) la. 2015. The herpetofauna of Oaxaca, Mexico: composition,
from the Mixteca alta, Oaxaca, Mexico. Herpetologica 58: physiographic distribution, and conservation status. Meso-
260–269. american Herpetology 2: 6–62.

Pablo R. Simón-Salvador1, Elí García-Padilla2, Vicente Mata-Silva3, and Larry David Wilson4
Laboratorio de Investigación en Reproducción Animal, Universidad Autónoma Benito Juárez de Oaxaca, C. P. 68000,
1

Oaxaca, Mexico. E-mail: [email protected]

Calle Hidalgo, Colonia Santa Úrsula Coapa, Delegación Coyoacán, C. P. 04700, D.F., Mexico.
2

E-mail: [email protected]
Department of Biological Sciences, The University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, Texas 79968-0500, United States.
3

E-mail: [email protected] and [email protected]

Centro Zamorano de Biodiversidad, Escuela Agrícola Panamericana Zamorano, Departamento de Francisco Morazán,
4

Honduras. E-mail: [email protected]

Sarcohyla pentheter (Adler, 1965). MEXICO: OAXACA. Municipio de Santa Catarina Juquila, 3.8 km E of
Santa Catarina Juquila (16.236936ºN, -97.255507ºW; datum WGS 84), elev. 1,794 m.; 16 June 2016. Dominic L.
DeSantis, Vicente Mata-Silva, Elí García-Padilla, and Larry David Wilson. A photograph of this specimen is depos-
ited in the University of Texas at El Paso Vertebrate Digital Collection (Photo Voucher UTEP G-2016.37, Fig. 1A).

Mesoamerican Herpetology 1036 December 2016 | Volume 3 | Number 4

Other Contributions Distribution Notes

In addition, two more individuals (Fig. 1B, C) were found near El Obispo, in the same municipality
(16.175215ºN -97.322873ºW; WGS 84), elev. 1,216 m; 14 June 2016. Dominic L. DeSantis, Vicente Mata-Silva,
Elí García-Padilla, and Larry David Wilson. The two specimens (CIB-5074 and CIB-5075) are deposited in the
herpetological collection of the Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas of the Universidad Autónoma del Estado de
Hidalgo.
These three individuals represent new municipality records, and also slightly extend the distribution of S.
pentheter in the state ca. 16 and 24 km (3.8 km from Santa Catarina Juquila and near El Obispo, respectively) to the
west of various records in the Municipio de San Juan Lachao (Duellman, 2001; Köhler et al., 2016). The individual
encountered near Santa Catarina Juquila was an adult female found on a paved road through fragmented pine-oak
forest during light rain. The individuals from near El Obispo also were found during light rain, but on riparian
vegetation along a large stream in pine-oak forest. In addition to the two males collected, several more were heard
calling at the same locality.

A B C
Fig. 1. An adult female Sarcohyla pentheter (UTEP G-2016.37) from 3.8 km E of Santa Catarina Juquila (A), and two adult
males (CIB-5074 and CIB-5075) from near El Obispo, in Municipio de Santa Catarina Juquila (B and C), Oaxaca, Mexico.
' © Vicente Mata-Silva

Acknowledgments.––We are grateful to Eduardo Mata-Silva for his invaluable assistance in the field, to
the Bolán-Mata family for their great hospitality, and to Raciel Crúz-Elizalde, Christian Berriozabal-Islas, and
José Daniel Lara-Tufiño for logistical support. The collecting permit (SGPA/DGVS/04287/16) was issued by
SEMARNAT to ARB with extensions to VMS, AR, EGP, DLD, and LDW. Irene G. Mayer-Goyenechea kindly
provided the voucher number, and Arthur Harris the photo voucher number.

Literature Cited
Duellman, W. E. 2001. The Hylid Frogs of Middle America. 2 Köhler, G., R. G. Trejo-Pérez, V. Reuber, G. Wehrenberg, and F.
Volumes. 2nd ed. Contributions to Herpetology, Volume 18, Méndez-de la Cruz. 2016. A survey of tadpoles and adult anu-
Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles, Ithaca, ras in the Sierra Madre del Sur of Oaxaca, Mexico (Amphibia:
New York, United States. Anura). Mesoamerican Herpetology 3: 640–660.

Dominic L. DeSantis1, Vicente Mata-Silva1, Elí García-Padilla2, Arturo Rocha1, Larry David Wilson3,
and Aurelio Ramírez-Bautista4

Department of Biological Sciences, The University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, Texas 79968-0500, United States.
1

E-mail: [email protected] (VMS, Corresponding author)

2
Calle Hidalgo, Colonia Santa Úrsula Coapa, Delegación Coyoacán, C. P. 04700, D.F., Mexico.
Centro Zamorano de Biodiversidad, Escuela Agrícola Panamericana Zamorano, Departmento de Francisco Morazán,
3

Honduras; 16010 SW 207th Avenue, Miami, Florida 33187-1056, United States.

Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas, Instituto de Ciencias Básicas e Ingeniería, Universidad Nacional Autónoma del
4

Estado de Hidalgo, Carretera Pachuca-Tulancingo Km 4.5, Colonia Carboneras, C. P. 42184, Mineral de la Reforma,
Hidalgo, Mexico.

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Other Contributions Distribution Notes

Family Microhylidae

Hypopachus variolosus (Cope, 1866). MEXICO: HIDALGO: Municipio de San Felipe Orizatlán, near Piedra
Hincada (21.28855ºN, -98.55405ºW; WGS 84); elev. 133 m; 25 June 2015; Hansel Hernández-Córdoba. The
specimen was deposited in the herpetological collection of the Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas, Universidad
Autónoma del Estado de Hidalgo (CH CIB 4787). The frog was found in tropical forest, after it fell into a pitfall trap
used in a dung beetle survey for HHC’s Master’s project.
This specimen represents a new municipality record, with the closest known locality 88.4 km to the SE
(airline distance) in the municipality of Hueuetla, Hidalgo (Berriozabal-Islas, 2012; Ramírez-Bautista et al., 2010;
2014), and 72.3 km to the NE (airline distance) in the municipality of Jacala de Ledezma, Hidalgo (Cruz-Elizalde et
al., 2016). This specimen also represents the fifth published record of Hypopachus variolosus in the state. Previous
records for this species in Hidalgo are from the municipalities of Acaxochitlán (Lemos-Espinal and Dixon, 2016),
Huehuetla (Berriozabal-Islas, 2012; Ramírez-Bautista et al., 2010; 2014), Jacala de Ledezma (Cruz-Elizalde et
al., 2016), and Huautla (Ramírez-Bautista et al., 2010; 2014). The last record, however, lacks locality information
(Ramírez-Bautista et al., 2010), as the specimen and its collecting data no longer are available in the herpetological
collection of the Instituto Tecnológico de Huejutla.

Acknowledgments.––We thank SEP-CONACyT Ciencia Básica 222632 project for funding and logistic sup-
port, and SEMARNAT for the collecting permit (FAUT-0052) provided to Irene Goyenechea. We are especially
grateful to the Barragan family for their hospitality during our stay in San Felipe Orizatlán.

Literature Cited
Berriozabal-Islas, C. S. 2012. Riqueza y Diversidad Herpeto- Ramírez-Bautista, A., U. Hernández-Salinas, R. Cruz-Elizande,
faunística del Bosque Tropical, Cafetales y Potreros del C. Berrizobal-Islas, D. Lara-Tufiño, I. Goyenechea, and J.
Municipio de Huehuetla, Hidalgo, México. Unpiblished the- M. Castillo-Cerón. 2014. Los Anfibios y Reptiles de Hidal-
sis, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Hidalgo, Pachuca, go, México. Sociedad Herpetológica Mexicana, A.C., Mexico.
Hidalgo, Mexico. Ramírez-Bautista, A., U. Hernández-Salinas, F. Mendoza-Quija-
Cruz-Elizalde, R., C. Moreno and A. Ramírez-Bautista. 2016. no, R. Cruz-Elizande, B. P. Stephenson, V. Vite-Silva, and
Miscellaneous Notes. Hypopachus variolosus (Cope, 1866). A. Leyte-Manrique. 2010. Lista Anotada de los Anfibios y
New range extension in a different vegetation type. Meso- Reptiles del Estado de Hidalgo, México. Universidad Autóno-
american Herpetology 3: 799–801. ma del Estado de Hidalgo, Pachuca, Hidalgo, and Comisión
Lemos-Espinal, J. A., and J. R. Dixon. 2016. Anfibios y Reptiles Nacional para el Uso y Conocimiento de la Biodiversidad,
de Hidalgo, México. Comisión Nacional para el Cono- México, D.F., Mexico.
cimiento y Uso de la Biodiversidad, México, D.F., Mexico.

Leonardo Fernández-Badilllo1,2, Raúl Valencia-Herverth3, Hansel Hernández-Cordóba4, Ilse Jaque-

line Ortega-Martínez4, and Irene Goyenechea5

Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas (CIB), Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Hidalgo, Ciudad del conocimiento,
1

Km 4.5 Carretera Pachuca-Tulancingo, Col. Carboneras, 42181 Mineral de la Reforma, Hidalgo, Mexico.
E-mail: [email protected] (LFB, Corresponding author)
Predio Intensivo de Manejo de Vida Silvestre X-Plora Reptilia, Carretera Mexico-Tampico s/n, Pilas y granadas, 43350,
2

Metztitlan, Hidalgo, Mexico. E-mail: [email protected]

Instituto Tecnológico de Huejutla, carretera Huejutla-Chalahuiyapa, km 5.5.Huejutla de Reyes, Hidalgo.
3

E-mail: [email protected]
4
Laboratorio de Ecología de Comunidades, Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas (CIB), Universidad Autónoma del
Estado de Hidalgo, Ciudad del conocimiento, Km 4.5 Carretera Pachuca-Tulancingo, Col. Carboneras, 42181 Mineral
de la Reforma, Hidalgo, Mexico.
5
Laboratorio de Sistemática Molecular, Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas (CIB), Universidad Autónoma del Estado
de Hidalgo, Ciudad del conocimiento, Km 4.5 Carretera Pachuca-Tulancingo, Col. Carboneras, 42181 Mineral de la
Reforma, Hidalgo, Mexico.

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Other Contributions Distribution Notes

Amphibia: Caudata
Family Plethodontidae

Bolitoglossa striatula (Noble, 1918). NICARAGUA: BOACO: Municipio de Camoapa, southern slope of Cerro
Masigüe, Finca Santa Elena (12.53579°N, 85.35665°W; WGS 84); elev. 540 m; 15 October 2015; Lenin Alexander
Obando. A photo voucher of this individual is deposited at The University of Texas at Arlington Collection of
Vertebrates Digital Collection (UTADC-8764; Fig. 1). The adult male salamander was found active at 2000 h during
heavy rain, ca. 20 m away from a river and about 0.7 m above the ground on a leaf, in an area secondary vegetation
in Lowland Moist Forest (Holdridge, 1967; Savage, 2002). This locality represents a new record for the department
of Boaco. In Nicaragua, this relatively common species has been recorded from at elevations from near sea level
to 1,380 m, in the following departments: Atlántico Norte, Atlántico Sur, Chontales, Granada, Jinotega, Matagalpa,
Nueva Segovia, Río San Juan, and Rivas (Noble, 1918; Villa, 1972; Köhler and McCranie, 1999; Köhler, 2001;
Sunyer et al., 2008, 2009, 2012, 2014; Barquero et al., 2010; García-Roa et al., 2014; HerpetoNicas, 2015).

Fig. 1. An adult male Bolitoglossa striatula from Finca Santa Elena, Departamento de Boaco, Nicaragua.
' © Lenin Alexander Obando

Acknowledgments.––We thank Carl J. Franklin for providing the photo voucher number. The authors are
members of the Amphibian Specialist Group of Nicaragua.

Literature Cited
Barquero, M. D., M. Salazar-Saavedra, L. Sandoval, D. HerpetoNicas. 2015. Guía Ilustrada de Anfibios y Reptiles de
Brenes, F. Martínez, and A. Figueroa. 2010. Composition Nicaragua. Dirección de Biodiversidad/MARENA, Managua,
and species richness of herpetofauna in two isolated regions Nicaragua.
of southern Nicaragua. Herpetology Notes 3: 341–352. Holdridge, L. R. 1967. Life Zone Ecology. Tropical Science Cen-
García-Roa, R., J. Sunyer, A. Fernández-Loras, and J. Bosch. ter, San José, Costa Rica.
2014. First record of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis in Köhler, G. 2001. Anfibios y Reptiles de Nicaragua. Herpeton,
Nicaragua. Herpetological Journal 24: 65–68. Offenbach, Germany.

Mesoamerican Herpetology 1039 December 2016 | Volume 3 | Number 4

Other Contributions Distribution Notes

Köhler, G., and J. R. McCranie. 1999. A new species of salaman- Sunyer, J., J. G. Martínez-Fonseca, M. Salazar-Saavedra, D. M.
der from Volcán Mombacho, Nicaragua, formerly referred to Galindo-Uribe, and L. A. Obando. 2014. Range extensions
Bolitoglossa striatula (Amphibia, Caudata, Plethodontidae. and new departmental records for amphibians in Nicaragua.
Senckenbergiana Biologica 79: 89–93. Mesoamerican Herpetology 1: 165–175.
Noble, G. K. 1918. The amphibians collected by the American Sunyer, J., G. Páiz, M. Dehling, and G. Köhler. 2009. A collection
Museum expeditions to Nicaragua in 1916. Bulletin of the of amphibians from Río San Juan, southeastern Nicaragua.
American Museum of Natural History 38: 311–347. Herpetology Notes 2: 189–202.
Savage, J. M. 2002. The Amphibians and Reptiles of Costa Rica: Sunyer, J., D. B. Wake, and L. A. Obando. 2012. Distributional
A Herpetofauna between Two Continents, between Two data for Bolitoglossa (Amphibia, Caudata, Plethodontidae)
Seas. The University of Chicago Press, Chicago, Illinois, from Nicaragua and Costa Rica. Herpetological Review 43:
United States. 560–564.
Sunyer, J., S. Lotzkat, A. Hertz, D. B. Wake, B. Alemán, S. Villa, J. D. 1972. Anfibios de Nicaragua: Introducción a su
Robleto, and G. Köhler. 2008. Two new species of sala- Sistemática, Vida y Costumbres. Instituto Geográfico Nacion-
manders (genus Bolitoglossa) from southern Nicaragua al & Banco Central de Nicaragua, Managua, Nicaragua.
(Amphibia, Caudata, Plethodontidae). Senckenbergiana
Biologica 88: 319–328.

Lenin Alexander Obando1 and Javier Sunyer1, 2

Museo Herpetológico de la UNAN-León (MHUL), Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias y Tecnología,
1

Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Nicaragua-León, León, Nicaragua.

2
Grupo HerpetoNica (Herpetólogos de Nicaragua), Nicaragua.
E-mails: [email protected] and [email protected]

Pseudoeurycea mixteca (Cope, 1885). MEXICO: OAXACA. Municipio de San Agustín Etla, Paraje Ex-planta
Hidroeléctrica (17°12'14.68"N, 96°43'34.21"W; WGS 84), elev. 1,986 m; 8 July 2016; César Mayoral-Halla. The
specimen was found under a log near a river, in oak forest. A photograph of this specimen is deposited in the
University of Texas at El Paso Vertebrate Digital Collection (Photo Voucher UTEP G-2016.32). This individual
(Fig. 1) represents a new municipality record, as well as the first record for the Sierra Madre de Oaxaca physio-
graphic region (Mata-Silva et al., 2015), with the closest reported locality ca. 80 km NNW in the vicinity of the type
locality at San Pedro Jocotipac, Oaxaca (Canseco-Márquez and Gutiérrez-Mayén, 2005).

Fig. 1. A Pseudoeurycea mixteca (UTEP G-2016.32) from Paraje Ex-planta Hidroeléctrica, Municipio de San Agustín Etla,
Oaxaca, Mexico. ' © Pablo R. Simón-Salvador

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Other Contributions Distribution Notes

Acknowledgments.––A special thanks goes to Arthur Harris for kindly providing the photo voucher number,
and to Luis Canseco-Márquez for confirming the identification of the species.

Literature Cited
Canseco-Márquez, L., and G. Gutiérrez-Mayén. 2005. New Mata-Silva, V., J. D. Johnson, L. D. Wilson, and E. García-Padil-
species of Pseudoeurycea (Caudata: Plethodontidae) from la. 2015. The herpetofauna of Oaxaca, Mexico: composition,
the mountains of the Mixteca region of Oaxaca. Journal of physiographic distribution, and conservation status. Meso-
Herpetology 39: 181–185. american Herpetology 2: 6–62.

César Mayoral-Halla1, Francisco Ramírez-Jiménez2, Pablo R. Simón-Salvador3, Elí García-Padilla4,

Vicente Mata-Silva5, and Larry David Wilson6
Calle Emiliano Zapata, Colonia Reforma Oaxaca, C. P. 68050, Oaxaca, Mexico.
1

E-mail: [email protected]
Calle Cruz del rio, fraccionamiento Santa Cruz Amilpas Oaxaca, C. P. 71226, Oaxaca, Mexico.
2

E-mail: [email protected]
Laboratorio de Investigación en Reproducción Animal, Universidad Autónoma Benito Juárez de Oaxaca, C. P. 68000,
3

Oaxaca, Mexico. E-mail: [email protected]

Calle Hidalgo, Colonia Santa Úrsula Coapa, Delegación Coyoacán, C. P. 04700, D.F., Mexico.
4

E-mail: [email protected]
Department of Biological Sciences, The University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, Texas 79968-0500, United States.
5

E-mail: [email protected]
Centro Zamorano de Biodiversidad, Escuela Agrícola Panamericana Zamorano, Departamento de Francisco Morazán,
6

Honduras. E-mail: [email protected]

Reptilia: Squamata (lizards)

A new locality for Corytophanes hernandesii (Wiegmann, 1831), (Squamata: Corytophanidae) in
western Honduras, with comments on its distribution
Members of the Neotropical genus Corytophanes (Boie, 1827) are moderate-sized lizards that are characterized by
the presence of a conspicuous parietal blade (Lang, 1989), and which primarily are arboreal (Pianka and Vitt, 2003;
Vitt and Caldwell, 2009). On the Atlantic versant their distribution extends from southeastern San Luis Potosí,
Mexico, to northwestern Colombia, and on the Pacific versant from Chiapas, Mexico, to western El Salvador and
southwestern Honduras, and then from northwestern Costa Rica to central Panama, at elevations from near sea level
to 2,200 m. (Townsend et al., 2004). The genus consists of three species: C. cristatus (Merren, 1820), C. hernandesii
(Wiegmann, 1831), and C. percarinatus (Duméril, 1856) (Savage, 2002; Köhler, 2003; Townsend et al., 2004). All
three species are found in Honduras (Solís et al., 2014; McCranie, 2015).
Hernandez’s Helmeted Basilisk (Turipache de Montaña), C. hernandesii, occurs on the Atlantic versant from
southeastern San Luis Potosí, Mexico, to northwestern Honduras, at elevations from near sea level to 1,300 m
(Townsend et al., 2004). In Honduras C. hernandesii is an uncommon species, known only from four localities in
the departments of Cortés and Santa Barbara (McCranie and Espinal, 1998; McCranie et al., 2004; J. McCranie,
pers comm. [see below]). Here we report a new locality for this species, and discuss the provenance of other records
from the country.
In October of 2015, we conducted a field survey in western Honduras. On 4 November 2015 at 2023 h,
we collected an adult female C. hernandesii in the community of El Bijao, Trinidad, Departamento de Copán
(14°58'19.3"N, 88°46'27.0"W; WGS 84; elev. 731 m). The lizard was sleeping on a branch at a height of 0.5 m.

Mesoamerican Herpetology 1041 December 2016 | Volume 3 | Number 4

Other Contributions Distribution Notes

A photo voucher of this individual is deposited at The University of Texas at Arlington Collection of Vertebrates
Digital Collection (UTADC-8772; Fig. 1A). The measurements for the lizard were as follows: head length = 42.1
mm; total length = 362 mm; shank length = 36.9 mm; snout–vent length = 105.9 mm; and tail length = 256.1 mm.
Like other members of Corytophanes, the cryptic and disruptive coloration of C. cristatus is typical of a highly
specialized sit-and-wait predator (Andrews, 1979; Lang,
1989; Sasa and Monrós, 2000). The dark shades in the indi-
vidual of C. hernandesii ranged from sepia in the cephalic
region and conspicuous spots in the dorsolateral, scapular,
and sacral regions, to a network of mahogany shades in
the scapular region, and pale (olive yellow/color 52) lines
on the supralabials, infralabials, and the venter and limbs
(colors based on Smithe, 1975).
The lizard was found in a patch of Premontane Wet
Forest (Holdridge, 1987; see map in McCranie and Wilson,
2002: 20) near a road and close to a farm with livestock.
The individual represents a new departmental record and
the southernmost record for the species, with the nearest
known locality at Las Rosas, in the department of Santa
Bárbara (McCranie and Espinal, 1998; Fig. 2). McCranie
et al. (2004) indicated two localities for C. hernande-
sii in Honduras, of which one is the record provided by
McCranie and Espinal (1998). We were unable to find
the second locality, but according to J. McCranie (pers.
comm.) it was based on an old record. Although C. her-
nandesii first was recorded from Honduras by McCranie
and Espinal (1998), previously Campbell (1982) noted a
specimen from the Northwestern Honduran Highlands at
an elevation of 850 m. Apparently, the specimen was col-
lected in 1973 in the department of Cortés and deposited in
the Carnegie Museum, and it actually represents the first
record of this species from the country. Additionally, in an
Operacion Wallacea expedition in 2006, a C. hernandesii
was reported from a buffer zone camp (Buenos Aires) at
Parque Nacional Cusuco (McInnes et. al., 2006). According Fig. 1. Individuals of Corytophanes hernadesii in this
to Jonathan Kolby (pers. comm.), the presence of this spe- report. (A) UTADC-8772 from El Bijao, Trinidad,
cies was based on a photograph; this photo represents the Departamento de Copán; and (B) CM 158769) from
second individual known from the Sierra de Omoa. In Totoca, Departamento de Santa Barbara.
2008, ME found a C. hernandesii (CM 158759; Fig. 1B) at ' © Josue Ramos (A) and Mario Espinal (B)
Totoca, Departamento de Santa Barbara, the second record
from the department.
Based on a review of the literature, with the specimen of C. hernandesii reported herein four specimens of
this species are known from Honduras, in addition to the individual in the Cusuco report. Of these records, three
are from the Sierra de Merendón and one from the Sierra de Omoa, parallel mountain ranges separated by a depres-
sion formed by the Río Chamelecón. All of the records are from the Northern Cordillera of Serranía Region (see
McCranie and Wilson 2002: 15). Whereas records from the Sierra de Omoa lack precise data or were not collected,
the mountain systems of Omoa, Espiritu Santo, and Merendón are interconnected, so this species likely occurs in
the Sierra Espiritu Santo. Corytophanes hernandesii has been evaluated as Least Concern by IUCN, based on its
wide distribution (Ariano-Sánchez et al., 2013), and using an environmental vulnerability measure Johnson et al.,
(2015) assessed this species a medium vulnerability score (EVS = 13). In Honduras, forests where this species has
been found have become highly fragmented due to human disturbance, and conserving the remaining forest patches
and connectivity among these areas is important for the survival of this species and much of the accompanying
herpetofauna.

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Other Contributions Distribution Notes

Fig. 2. Recorded localities for Corytophanes hernandesii in Honduras. The square represents the locality in McCranie and
Espinal (1998), the star the locality in McInnes et. al. (2006), the triangle the locality for the specimen cited in Campbell (1982),
and the pentagon the locality provided by ME. The circle represents the new record from the department of Copán.

Fig. 3. Map showing localities for all the known Corytophanes hernandesii in northwestern and western Honduras. The shaded
area in blue is the Sierra de Omoa; the one in orange the Sierra Espiritu Santo; and the one in green the Sierra de Merendón.
The star represents the locality in McInnes et. al., 2006; the triangle the locality for the specimen cited in Campbell (1982); and
the square the locality provided by ME. The circle indicates the new record from El Bijao, Trinidad, Departamento de Copán.

Mesoamerican Herpetology 1043 December 2016 | Volume 3 | Number 4

Other Contributions Distribution Notes

Acknowledgments.––We thank José Mario Solís for providing literature, “Marlon” for assisting with our
fieldwork, and Said Lainez and Roberto Downing of the Instituto Nacional de Conservación y Desarrollo Forestal,
Áreas Protegidas y Vida Silvestre [ICF]), Tegucigalpa for other courtesies. We also thank Carl J. Franklin for pro-
viding the photo voucher number.

Literature Cited
Andrews, R. M. 1979. The lizard Corytophanes cristatus: an McCranie, J. R., J. H. Townsend, and L. D. Wilson. 2004. Cory-
extreme “sit-and-wait” predator. Biotropica 11: 136–139. tophanes hernandesii. Catalogue of American Reptiles and
Ariano- Sánchez, D., L. Canseco-Márquez, J. Lee, R. C. Mandu- Amphibians 790.1–790.6.
jano, J. Sunyer, and M. A. López-Luna. 2013. Corytophanes McCranie, J. R., and L. D. Wilson. 2002. The Amphibians of Hon-
hernandesii. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species duras. Society for the study of Amphibians and Reptiles, Con-
2013: e. T197474A2488010. (www.dx.doi.org/10.2305/ tribution to Herpetology 19, Ithaca, New York, United States.
IUCN.UK.2013_2.RLTS.T197474A88010.en; accessed 7 McInnes, L., S. Petrovan, S. Micklets, A. Monie, D. Fraser. 2006.
January 2016). Herpetology team. In Field Report: University of Nottingham/
Campbell, J. A. 1982. The Biogeography of the Cloud Forest Opperation Wallacea Forest Project, Honduras 2006. (www.
Herpetofauna of Middle America with Special Reference to opwall.com/wp-content/uploads/Cusuco-Field-Report-2006.
the Sierra de Las Minas of Guatemala. Unpublished Ph.D. pdf; accessed 7 January 2016)
dissertation, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas, Unit- Pianka, E. R., and L. J. Vitt. 2003. Lizards: Windows to the Evo-
ed States. lution of Diversity. University of California Press, Berkeley,
Holdridge, L. R. 1987. Ecología Basada en Zonas de Vida. Insti- California, United States.
tuto Interamericano de Cooperación para la Agricultura, San Sasa, M., and J. S. Monrós. 2000. Dietary analysis of helmeted
José, Costa Rica. basilisks, Corytophanes (Reptilia: Corytophanidae). The
Johnson, J. D., V. Mata-Silva, and L. D. Wilson. 2015. A conser- Southwestern Naturalist 45: 358–361.
vation reassessment of the Central American Herpetofauna Savage, J. M. 2002. The Amphibian and Reptiles of Costa Rica:
based on the EVS measure. Amphibian & Reptile Conserva- A Herpetofauna between Two Continents, between Two Seas.
tion 9(2) [General Section]: 1–94 (e100). The University of Chicago Press, Chicago, Illinois, United
Köhler, G. 2003. Reptiles of Central America. Herpeton, Offen- States.
bach, Germany. Smithe, F. B. 1975. Naturalist’s Color Guide. American Museum of
Lang, M. 1989. Phylogenetic and biogeographic patterns of Natural History, New York, New York, United States.
basiliscine iguanians (Reptilia: Squamatha: “Iguanidae”). Solís J. M., L. D. Wilson, and J. H. Townsend. 2014. An updated
Bonner Zoologische Monographien 28: 1–172. list of the amphibians and reptiles of Honduras, with com-
McCranie, J. R. 2015. A checklist of the amphibians and reptiles ments on their nomenclature. Mesoamerican Herpetology 1:
of Honduras, with additions, comments on taxonomy, some 123–144.
recent taxonomic decisions, and areas of further studies Townsend, J. H., J. R. McCranie, and L. D. Wilson. 2004. Cory-
needed. Zootaxa 3,931: 352–386. tophanes. Catalogue of American Amphibians and Reptiles
McCranie, J. R., and M. R. Espinal. 1998. Geographic Distri- 788: 1–4.
bution. Corytophanes hernandezii (Hernandez’s Helmeted Vitt, L. J., and J. P. Caldwell. 2009. Herpetology: An Introductory
Basilisk). Herpetological Review 29: 174 Biology of Amphibians and Reptiles, 3rd ed. Academic Press,
Burlington Massachusetts, United States.

Josue Ramos Galdamez1,2, Luis Gualberto Zuñiga1,2, and Mario Espinal3

1
Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Honduras, Bulevar Suyapa, Tegucigalpa, Francisco Morazán, Honduras.
E-mail: [email protected]
2
Grupo de Investigación de Anfibios y Reptiles de Honduras (GIRAH).
Centro Zamorano de Biodiversidad (CZB), Escuela Agrícola Panamericana, El Zamorano, Departamento de Francisco
3

Morazán, Honduras.

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Other Contributions Distribution Notes

Family Eublepharidae
Coleonyx fasciatus (Boulenger, 1885). MEXICO: SONORA: Municipio de Nacozari de García, Pilares de
Nacozari, 6.5 km (airline distance) SE of Nacozari de García, Sierra Nacozari (30.32833°N, -109.62972°W; WGS
84), elev. 1,413 m; 9 August 2015; Patrick H. H. Brown. The individual was found at ca. 2230 h, emerging from a
crack in a concrete staircase among the abandoned buildings of Pilares de Nacozari. A photo voucher (UAZ 57635-
PSV) was deposited in the University of Arizona Museum of Natural History Amphibian and Reptile Collection.
Data collection and an image of the same individual (Fig. 1) also are available in the Madrean Discovery Expedition
database (www.madreandiscovery.org; record mde-3993). This observation represents a new municipality record,
with the closest published locality ca. 47 km to the W in the vicinity of Arizpe (Rorabaugh, 2005). The burnt orange
coloration on the head and neck of this voucher is unusual for this species.
The transition between the New World tropics and the northern temperate zone lies at about 29°N in east-central
Sonora. Foothills thornscrub (matorral espinoso) is an important biotic community in Sonora, which is transitional
between Sonoran desertscrub and tropical deciduous forest in southern Sonora and oak woodland in eastern Sonora
(Van Devender et al., 2013). The transition between foothills thornscrub (FTS) and desert grassland in the north
is limited by freezing temperatures. In the north FTS is replaced by desert grassland, as winters become colder
and periodic fires become ecological processes. The northern limits of FTS in Sonora are at about 30°11'N east of
Sinoquipe in the Río Sonora Valley (just north of Arizpe) and 30°26'N at Presa Angostura on the Río Bavispe at the
southern end of the Sierra El Tigre. FTS
does not reach Arizona, but the distribu-
tions of several squamates that inhabit
thornscrub extend into southern Arizona
in desert grassland or oak woodland (e.g.,
Gyalopion quadrangulare and Oxybelis
aeneus). On the south side of the Sierra de
Nacozari there are local patches of thorn-
scrub with tree ocotillo (Fouquieria mac-
dougallii) near Pilares de Nacozari. Other
tropical species, including Boa sigma,
reach their northern distributional limits in
the Río Sonora Valley just north of Arizpe.
Coleonyx fasciatus at Arizpe and Pilares
de Nacozari are similar records of a trop-
ical species reaching its northern limits. Fig. 1. A Coleonyx fasciatus (UAZ 57635-PSV) from Pilares de
This species mostly is known from trop- Nacozari, Municipio de Nacozari de García, Sonora, Mexico.
ical deciduous forest in southern Sonora, ' © Patrick H. H. Brown
375 km to the SSE of Pilares de Nacozari.

Acknowledgments.––We thank Mario Cirett-Galán, the staff of the Reserva Forestal Nacional y Refugio de
Fauna Silvestre Ajos-Bavispe, and the the Madrean Discovery Expeditions volunteers.

Literature Cited
Rorabaugh, J. C. 2005. An introduction to the herpetofauna of F. Ffolliott, B. S. Gebow, L. G. Eskew, and L. C. Collins
mainland Sonora, México, with comments on conservation (Compilers). Merging Science and Management in a Rap-
and management. Journal of the Arizona-Nevada Academy idly Changing World: Biodiversity and Management of the
of Science 40: 20–65. Madrean Archipelago III and 7th Conference on Research
Van Devender, T. R., G. Yanes-Arvayo, G., A. L. Reina-Guer- and Resource Management in the Southwestern Deserts.
rero, M. Valenzuela-Yánez, M. P. Montañez-Armenta, 2012 May 1–5, Tucson, AZ. Proceedings RMRS-P-67. U.S.
and H. Silva-Kurumiya. 2013. Comparison of the tropical Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain
floras of the Sierra la Madera and the Sierra Madre Occi- Research Station, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States.
dental, Sonora, Mexico. Pp. 240–242 In G. J. Gottfried, P.

Mesoamerican Herpetology 1045 December 2016 | Volume 3 | Number 4

Other Contributions Distribution Notes

Patrick H. H. Brown1, Tom R. Van Devender2, and Dale S. Turner3

1
1316 East Silver Street, Tucson, Arizona 85719, United States. E-mail: [email protected]
GreaterGood.org, 6262 N. Swan Rd., Suite 150, Tucson, Arizona 85718, United States.
2

E-mail: [email protected]
3
The Nature Conservancy, 1510 E. Fort Lowell Road, Tucson, Arizona 85719, United States. E-mail: [email protected]

Family Phrynosomatidae

Phrynosoma orbiculare (Linnaeus, 1758). MEXICO: OAXACA. Municipio de Santo Domingo Yanhuitlán,
Cruz de Tabla (17.575927°N, -97.352579°W; WGS 84), elev. 2,539 m; 28 September 2012. Clarita Alicia Ibarra-
Contreras. A photograph of this individual is deposited in the University of Texas at El Paso Vertebrate Digital
Collection (Photo Voucher UTEP G-2016.38). This voucher (Fig. 1) represents the first record of P. orbiculare in
the state of Oaxaca, and extends the range ca. 95 km to the S from the closest known published locality at San Diego
Chalma, Puebla, Mexico (Smith and Taylor, 1950). The lizard was found at noon on rocky substrate with scarce
vegetation, with the surrounding area consisting of pine-oak forest; this location lies in the Montañas y Valles del
Occidente physiographic region (Mata-Silva et al., 2015). While researching the distribution of this species in the
state of Puebla, we became aware of a specimen of P. orbiculare (CM 38890) deposited at the Carnegie Museum of
Natural History, and its information is available on VertNet (2016). The locality for this specimen is Zapotitlán de
Las Salinas, and it was collected by Epping Otto M. in 1963. We decided, however, to omit this record as the nearest
locality because this species has not been reported from this region (Mata-Silva, 2003; Woolrich-Piña et al., 2005;
Canseco-Márquez and Gutiérrez-Mayén, 2006; Canseco-Márquez and Gutiérrez-Mayén, 2010), and the site does
not correspond with the typical habitat of P. orbiculare. At VertNet (2016) we also found information on a speci-
men (ROM 0849) deposited at the Royal Ontario Museum, which was identified as P. orbiculare and supposedly
was found in Oaxaca; however, we verified that the specimen actually was found in northern Puebla (10 km S of
Zaragoza by M. Villegas in 1969).

Fig. 1. An adult Phrynosoma orbiculare (UTEP G-2016.38) from Cruz de Tabla, Municipio de Santo Domingo Yanhuitlán,
Oaxaca, Mexico. ' © Clarita Alicia Ibarra-Contreras

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Other Contributions Distribution Notes

Acknowledgments.––A special thanks goes to the people of the community of Santo Domingo Yanhuitlán
and to the Naturalista-CONABIO platform (www.naturalista.mx), where this observation initially was shared. We
also are grateful to David C. Evans and Kevin Seymour of the Royal Ontario Museum and Stephen P. Rogers of
the Carnegie Museum of Natural History for providing information on specimens ROM 0849 and CM 38890,
respectively.

Literature Cited

Canseco-Márquez, L., and M. G. Gutiérrez-Mayén. 2006. Guía Mata-Silva, V. 2003. Estudio comparativo del ensamble de anfibi-
de Campo de los Anfibios y Reptiles del Valle de Zapotitlán, os y reptiles de Zapotitlán de las Salinas, Puebla, México.
Puebla. Sociedad Herpetológica Mexicana, A.C. y Escuela Boletín de la Sociedad Herpetológica Mexicana 11: 9–20.
de Biología, Benemérita Universidad de Puebla, Puebla, Mata-Silva, V., J. D. Johnson, L. D. Wilson, and E. García-Padil-
Mexico. la. 2015. The herpetofauna of Oaxaca, Mexico: composition,
Canseco-Márquez, L., and M. G. Gutiérrez-Mayén. 2010. physiographic distribution, and conservation status. Meso-
Anfibios y Reptiles del Valle de Tehuacán-Cuicatlán. Comis- american Herpetology 2: 6–62.
ión Nacional para el Conocimiento y Uso de la Biodiversi- Woolrich-Piña, G. A., L. Oliver-López, and J. Lemos-Espinal.
dad, Fundación para la Reserva de la Biósfera Cuicatlán A. 2005. Anfibios y Reptiles del Valle de Zapotitlán Salinas,
C., Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, México, Puebla. Universidad Autónoma Nacional de México. Comis-
D.F., Mexico. ión Nacional para el Conocimiento y Uso de la Biodiversidad,
México, D.F., Mexico.

Clarita Alicia Ibarra-Contreras1, Uri Omar García-Vázquez2, Elí García-Padilla3, Vicente

Mata-Silva4, Dominic L. DeSantis4, Jerry D. Johnson4, and Larry David Wilson5
1
Santo Domingo Yanhuitlán, Oaxaca, México.
Laboratorio de Herpetología, Museo de Zoología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México.
2

Apartado postal 70-399, 04510 México, D. F., Mexico

Calle Hidalgo, Colonia Santa Úrsula Coapa, Delegación Coyoacán, C. P. 04700, D.F., Mexico.
3

E-mail: [email protected]
Department of Biological Sciences, The University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, Texas 79968-0500, United States.
4

E-mail: [email protected] and [email protected]

Centro Zamorano de Biodiversidad, Escuela Agrícola Panamericana Zamorano, Departamento de Francisco Morazán,
5

Honduras. E-mail: [email protected]

Family Xenosauridae

Xenosaurus tzacualtipantecus Woolrich-Piña and Smith, 2012. MEXICO: HIDALGO: near Alumbres, Municipio
de Metztitlán (20.6714630ºN, -98.6904373ºW; WGS 84) elev. 2,090 m; 28 August 2016; Miguel Ángel Flores-
Hernández. This individual (CH-CIB 79; Fig. 1A) represents a new municipality record, with the closest known
locality 9.9 km to the NW (airline distance) in the vicinity of La Mojonera, Municipio de Zacualtipán de Ángeles,
Hidalgo (Woolrich-Piña and Smith, 2012; Ramírez-Bautista et al., 2014; Lemos-Espinal and Dixon, 2016; Nieto-
Montes de Oca et al., 2016). The lizard was found inside a rock crevice in pine-oak forest. A rock mine was located
ca. 200 m from the site where we saw the lizard. Local residents indicated seeing other individuals near the mine,
and thus the species at this locality would seem to be at high risk of disappearing.

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Other Contributions Distribution Notes

We saw two other individuals of Xenosaurus

tzacualtipantecus. The first (CH-CIB 80; Fig. 1B)
was north of Alumbres, Municipio de Zacualtipán
de Ángeles (20.679452ºN, -98.685174ºW; WGS
A
84) elev. 2,002 m; 25 September 2015; Miguel
Ángel Flores-Hernández. This individual was found
within construction panels behind a cabin located in
oak-sweetgum/pine-forest, and represents the first re-
cord for this species known to use a human modified
environment as a microhabitat. This record is located
1.0 km N of the Municipio de Metztitlán locality (see
above), and 9.6 km to the NW from the vicinity of
La Mojonera, Municipio de Zacualtipán de Ángeles
(Woolrich-Piña and Smith, 2012; Ramírez-Bautista
et al., 2014; Lemos-Espinal and Dixon, 2016). The
second individual (CH-CIB 81; Fig. 1C) was found
near La Mojonera, Municipio de Zacualtipán de
Ángeles (20.635478°N, -98.617732°W; WGS 84) B
elev. 1,976 m; 7 August 2016; Cristian Raúl Olvera-
Olvera. This record is located 1.7 km to the E from
the previous locality.
The records from Alumbres fill a distribu-
tion gap between the locality of La Mojonera,
Municipio de Zacualtipán de Ángeles (Woolrich-
Piña and Smith, 2012), and the other two known lo-
calities (Aguatitla and Atezca) from the Municipio
de Molango de Escamilla (Ramírez-Bautista et al.,
2014; Juárez-Escamilla, 2016).
The photo vouchers (CH-CIB 79–81), are
deposited in the photographic collection of the
Herpetological Collection of the Centro de Investi- C
gaciones Biológicas, Universidad Autónoma del
Estado de Hidalgo. All of the photographs were
taken in-situ, and the lizards were not collected.

Acknowledgments.––We thank Christian Said

Berriozabal-Islas for helping to identify the liz-
ards, and Luis Canseco-Márquez for corroborating
their identification. We also thank Diego Juárez-
Escamilla for providing information on the locali-
ties in Molango de Escamilla, Hidalgo, and Carlos
Maciel-Mata for providing information on the spe-
Fig 1. Individuals of Xenosaurus tzacualtipantecus from
cies. Irene Goyenechea graciously allowed us to de-
Hidalgo, Mexico: (A) near Alumbres, Municipio de
posit the photographs in the CH-CIB herpetological
Metztitlán (CH-CIB 79); (B) near Alumbres, Municipio
collection. de Zacualtipán de Ángeles (CH.-CIB 80); and (C) near la
Mojonera, Municipio de Zacualtipán de Ángeles (CH-CIB
81).
' © Miguel Ángel Flores-Hernández (A), Leonardo
Fernández-Badillo (B), and Cristian R. Olvera-Olvera (C)

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Other Contributions Distribution Notes

Literature Cited

Juárez-Escamilla, J. 2016. Diversidad de Anfibios y Reptiles en Xenosaurus (Squamata: Xenosauridae) using ddRADseq data
Bosques y Potreros del Municipio de Molango de Escamilla, reveal a substantial underestimaton of diversity. Molecular
Hidalgo, Mexico. Unpublished Licenciatura thesis, Univer- Phylogenetics and Evolution. 106: 241–253. doi: 10.1016/j.
sidad Autónoma del Estado de Hidalgo, Mexico. ympev.2016.09.001.
Lemos-Espinal, J. A., and J. R. Dixon. 2016. Anfibios y Reptiles Ramírez-Bautista, A., U. Hernández-Salinas, R. Cruz-Elizalde,
de Hidalgo, Mexico / Amphibians and Reptiles of Hidalgo, C. Berriozabal-Islas, D. Lara Tufiño, I. Goyenechea May-
Mexico. Comisión Nacional para el Conocimiento y Uso de er-Goyenechea, and J. M. Castillo-Cerón. 2014. Los Anfibi-
la Biodiversidad, México, D.F., Mexico. os y Reptiles de Hidalgo, México: Diversidad, Biogeografía
Nieto-Montes de Oca, A., A. J. Barley, R. N. Meza-Lázaro, U. y Conservación. Sociedad Herpetológica Mexicana, Mexico.
O. García-Vázquez, J. G. Zamora-Abrego, R. C. Thomson Woolrich-Piña, G. A., and G. R. Smith.2012. A new species of
and A. D. Leaché. 2016 (dated 2017) Phylogenomics and Xenosaurus from the Sierra Madre Oriental, Mexico. Herpe-
species delimitation in the knob-scaled lizards of the genus tologica 68: 551–559.

Miguel Ángel Flores-Hernández1, Leonardo Fernández-Badillo2,3, and Cristian R. Olvera-Olvera4

1
Laboratorio de Conservación Biológica, Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas (CIB), Universidad Autónoma del Estado
de Hidalgo, Ciudad del conocimiento, Km 4.5 Carretera Pachuca-Tulancingo, Col. Carboneras, 42181 Mineral de la
Reforma, Hidalgo, Mexico. E-mail: [email protected]
Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas (CIB), Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Hidalgo, Ciudad del conocimiento,
2

Km 4.5 Carretera Pachuca-Tulancingo, Col. Carboneras, 42181 Mineral de la Reforma, Hidalgo, Mexico.
E-mail: [email protected] (LFB, Corresponding author).
Predio Intensivo de Manejo de Vida Silvestre X-Plora Reptilia, Carretera México-Tampico s/n, Pilas y granadas, 43350,
3

Metztitlán, Hidalgo, Mexico. E-mail: [email protected]

4
Laboratorio de Morfología Animal, Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas (CIB), Universidad Autónoma del Estado
de Hidalgo, Ciudad del conocimiento, Km 4.5 Carretera Pachuca-Tulancingo, Col. Carboneras, 42181 Mineral de la
Reforma, Hidalgo, Mexico. E-mail: [email protected]

New departmental records for lizards in Nicaragua

Nicaragua is one of the poorest (if not the poorest) herpetologically surveyed countries in Mesoamerica, and tradi-
tionally has fallen behind in the distributional knowledge of its herpetofauna. Although several attempts have been
made to compile the available records of amphibians and reptiles from the country, a detailed picture of their distri-
butions is far from complete (Sunyer and Köhler, 2010). Most of the 17 political departments in Nicaragua have not
been surveyed adequately, and considerable gaps are apparent in the distribution of many species.
As a result of recent field surveys, herein we report several new departmental records and range extensions
for selected lizard species in Nicaragua. Searches were made during the day and night, and individuals or specimens
were photographed and/or captured by hand. We handled all animals according to the approved IACUC standards
and protocols (IACUC #16–13). For euthanasia, we applied an intracardial injection of T61 (Intervet) the day after
capture. For preservation, we injected the soft parts of each specimen with a solution of formalin [4], and after fix-
ation submerged it in a closed bottle filled with the same solution. We include photographs for all the records that
lack voucher specimens; the photographs are vouchered at The University of Texas at Arlington Digital Collection
(UTADC). The acronyms for the museum collections follow Sabaj-Pérez (2013).

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Other Contributions Distribution Notes

We placed each of the mentioned localities (Fig. 1) within the nine forest formations recognized for the
country based on the life zone concept proposed by Holdridge (1967) and used by Savage (2002) and Sunyer and
Köhler (2010), as follows [all elevations asl]: Lowland Wet Forest (Río Pijibaye); Lowland Moist Forest (portions
of Cerros Masigüe and Saslaya below 600 m); Premontane Moist Forest (portions of Cerro Masigüe above 600
m); and Lower Montane Moist Forest (portions of Departamento Estelí above 1,200 m). Portions of Departamento
Madriz ranging from 600 to 1,200 m correspond to a transitional area between Premontane Moist and Dry forests.
Reserva Silvestre Privada La Conga, and to a lesser degree Reserva Silvestre Privada El Abuelo, correspond to a
transitional area between Lowland Moist and Dry forests.

Fig. 1. Map of Nicaragua showing the collecting localities mentioned in the text: (1) Monumento Nacional Cañón de Somoto;
(2) Laguna La Bruja; (3) Reserva Natural Miraflores; (4) Parque Nacional Cerro Saslaya; (5) Finca Santa Elena; (6) Reserva
Silvestre Privada La Conga; (7) Reserva Silvestre Privada El Abuelo; and (8) Río Pijibaye. Water surfaces = pale gray; areas
600–1,200 m in elevation = gray; and areas above 1,200 m in elevation = dark gray.

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Other Contributions Distribution Notes

Order Squamata (lizards)

Family Anguidae
Diploglossus monotropis (Kuhl, 1820). ATLÁNTICO SUR: Río Pijibaye (11.46726°N, 83.88084°W; WGS 84);
elev. 15 m; 20 April 2014; Milton Salazar-Saavedra, Daniel Urbina, José Antonio Orozco, and Arcadio Gómez;
MHUL 179 (see below). Additionally, a photo voucher of an adult female is deposited at The University of Texas
at Arlington Digital Collection (UTADC-8766; Fig. 2B). The two individuals were collected in a pitfall trap on the
same day, a juvenile male (MHUL 179) during the morning and an adult female (Fig. 2B) during the afternoon.
In Nicaragua, this species only has been recorded from a single locality in the department of Río San Juan (Villa,
1971; Köhler, 2001). The records from Atlántico Sur previously were included in HerpetoNicas (2015) based on
photographs, but because of the relatively low number of copies of this free, limited edition publication, which
only is available at the national level, herein we are providing these records. The Río Pijibaye locality, therefore,
corresponds to the second known locality for Nicaragua and the northernmost record for this species, and extends
its distribution ca. 71 km to the NE.

Family Corytophanidae
Basiliscus vittatus Wiegmann, 1828. BOACO: Municipio de Camoapa, southern slope of Cerro Masigüe, Finca
Santa Elena (12.53579°N, 85.35665°N; WGS 84); elev. 535 m; 18 September 2009; Javier Sunyer and Lenin A.
Obando; MHUL 174. We found an adult male at night, sleeping on low vegetation. RIVAS: Municipio de Cárdenas,
Reserva Silvestre Privada El Abuelo (11.12435°N, 85.28355°W; WGS 84); elev. 35 m; 18 March 2015; José G.
Martínez-Fonseca and Luis Gutiérrez-López. A photo voucher of this individual is deposited at The University of
Texas at Arlington Digital Collection (UTADC-8767; Fig. 2C). This young female was found active at 1750 h,
perched ca. 2 m above the ground on the trunk of a Panama Tree (Sterculia apetala) located near the mouth of a
small stream that empties into Lago de Nicaragua. Several individuals of both sexes and different age classes were
seen in the same general area. In Nicaragua, this relatively abundant species has been recorded from the depart-
ments of Atlántico Norte, Atlántico Sur, Chinandega, Chontales, Estelí, Jinotega, Managua, Matagalpa, and Río San
Juan (Köhler, 2001; Gómez et al., 2011).

Family Dactyloidae
Norops biporcatus (Wiegmann, 1834). MADRIZ: Laguna de la Bruja, El Pegadero (13.35494°N, 86.62511°W;
WGS 84); elev. 1,155 m; 15 October 2010; Javier Sunyer, Lenin A. Obando, and Liliana Solano; MHUL 175.
We found an individual sleeping at night on vegetation. In Nicaragua, this relatively abundant species has been
recorded from the departments of Atlántico Norte, Atlántico Sur, Boaco, Carazo, Granada, Jinotega, Managua,
Matagalpa, Río San Juan, and Rivas (Köhler, 2001; Köhler and Veselý, 2003; Salazar et al., 2009; Travers et al.,
2011; HerpetoNicas, 2015).

Norops capito (Peters, 1863). BOACO: Municipio de Camoapa, southern slope of Cerro Masigüe, Finca Santa
Elena (12.53437°N, 85.36208°W; WGS 84); elev. 740 m; 29 May 2010; Javier Sunyer, Lenin A. Obando, Kirsten
E. Nicholson, John G. Phillips, and Jenny A. Gubler; MHUL 176. We found an adult male at night sleeping on a
branch ca. 1.5 m above a stream. In Nicaragua, this species has been recorded from the departments of Atlántico
Norte, Atlántico Sur, Estelí, Jinotega, Matagalpa, and Río San Juan (Köhler, 2001; Köhler et al., 2005).

Norops laeviventris (Wiegmann, 1834). ESTELÍ: Reserva Natural Miraflores (13.24722°N, 86.25750°W; WGS
84); elev. 1,325 m; 17 October 2010; Javier Sunyer, Lenin A. Obando, and Liliana Solano; MHUL 177. We found
an individual at night sleeping on vegetation. In Nicaragua, this species has been recorded from the departments of
Jinotega and Matagalpa (Köhler, 2001).

Norops oxylophus (Cope, 1875). RIVAS: Municipio de Cárdenas, Reserva Silvestre Privada La Conga (11.23386°N,
85.57801°W; WGS 84); elev. 57 m; 15 October 2011; José G. Martínez-Fonseca and Luis Gutiérrez-López. A photo
voucher of this individual is deposited at The University of Texas at Arlington Digital Collection (UTADC-8768;
Fig. 2D). This young male was found at 2130 h, sleeping on a branch ca. 1.2 m above a three meter-wide stream. In

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Other Contributions Distribution Notes

Nicaragua, this species has been recorded from the departments of Atlántico Norte, Atlántico Sur, Boaco, Chontales,
Jinotega, Matagalpa, and Río San Juan (Köhler, 2001; HerpetoNicas, 2015). The La Conga locality also represents
the westernmost record for this species in Nicaragua and the first on the Pacific versant of the country, and extends
its distribution ca. 138 km to the W from the closest locality at Refugio Bartola (Köhler, 2001).

Family Mabuyidae
Marisora alliacea (Cope, 1876). ATLÁNTICO SUR: Río Pijibaye, Caño Indio (11.42775°N, 83.87397°W; WGS
84); elev. 25 m; 2 December 2013; Milton Salazar-Saavedra, Daniel Urbina, José Antonio Orozco, and Arcadio
Gómez; MHUL 178. We collected an individual (Fig. 2E) at night, sleeping under a fallen rotten log near a stream.
In Nicaragua, this species only has been recorded from the department of Río San Juan (Köhler, 2001; Sunyer et al.
2015), and thus the Río Pijibaye locality represents the northernmost record for this species, extending its distribu-
tion over 40 km to the N from its closest record at Dos Bocas de Río Indio (Sunyer et al., 2015).

Family Polychrotidae
Polychrus gutturosus Berthold, 1845. ATLÁNTICO NORTE: Parque Nacional Cerro Saslaya (13.75306°N,
84.94267°W; WGS 84); elev. 465 m; 18 May 2011; Milton Salazar-Saavedra and Juan Mena. A photo voucher
of this individual is deposited at The University of Texas at Arlington Collection of Vertebrates Digital Collection
(UTADC-8769; Fig. 2F). We found the lizard at 2140 h, perched on herbaceous vegetation. In Nicaragua, this spe-
cies has been recorded from the departments of Atlántico Sur, Chontales, and Río San Juan (Köhler, 2001; Ruiz et
al., 2016). The Saslaya record, therefore, represents the first locality in northern Nicaragua and fills in a gap of over
220 km in the distribution of this species, between central Nicaragua and southern Honduras.

Family Teiidae
Aspidoscelis motaguae (Sackett, 1941). MADRIZ: Monumento Nacional Cañón de Somoto (13.46468°N,
86.69594°W; WGS 84); elev. 700 m; 20 September 2015; José G. Martínez-Fonseca and Abigail Arauz-Jirón. A photo
voucher of this individual is deposited at The University of Texas at Arlington Digital Collection (UTADC-8770;
Fig. 2G). We photographed a juvenile on the ground at 1440 h, near some pine trees in the canyon above the river
at an elevation of ca. 130 m, and saw another adult individual 20 min later on the lower portion of the canyon. In
Nicaragua, this species only has been recorded from a single locality in the department of Nueva Segovia (Köhler et
al., 2013). The Somoto locality represents a new departmental record, the second record of this species in Nicaragua,
and the southernmost record for this species, extending its distribution ca. 32 km to the S.

Family Xantusiidae
Lepidophyma flavimaculatum Duméril, 1851. RIVAS: Municipio de Cárdenas, Reserva Silvestre Privada El
Abuelo (11.11079°N, 85.26960°W; WGS 84); elev. 42 m; 6 July 2013; Milton Salazar-Saavedra and José G.
Martínez-Fonseca. A photo voucher of this individual is deposited at The University of Texas at Arlington Digital
Collection (UTADC-8771; Fig. 2H). The lizard was found under a log at 0650 h, ca. 150 m from the edge of Lago
de Nicaragua. In Nicaragua, this species has been recorded from the departments of Atlántico Norte, Atlántico Sur,
Jinotega, Matagalpa, and Río San Juan (Köhler, 2001; Gómez et al., 2011). Additionally, Bezy (1989) and Bezy and
Camarillo (2002) included AMNH 16402 from Tule or Tuli Creek in the department of Chontales, whereas Köhler
(2001) regarded this specimen as from the department of Río San Juan. Although Tule is a locality in each of these
adjacent departments, the Rivas locality represents the westernmost record for this species in Nicaragua.

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Fig. 2. (A) A juvenile male and an adult female and (B) the same adult female of Diploglossus monotropis from the department
of Atlántico Sur; (C) Basiliscus vittatus from the department of Rivas; (D) Norops oxylophus from the department of Rivas; (E)
Marisora alliacea from the department of Atlántico Sur; (F) Polychrus gutturosus from the department of Atlántico Norte; (G)
Aspidoscelis motaguae from the department of Madriz; and (H) Lepidophyma flavimaculatum from the department of Rivas.
' © José Gabriel Martínez-Fonseca (C, D, G, H) and Milton Salazar-Saavedra (A, B, E, F)

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Other Contributions Distribution Notes

Acknowledgments.––Collecting and exportation permits were provided by the personnel of MARENA

(Ministerio del Ambiente y los Recursos Naturales), Managua, Nicaragua. We thank Lenin A. Obando, Liliana
Solano, Luis Gutiérrez-López, Daniel Urbina, José Antonio Orozco, Arcadio Gómez, Juan Mena, Abigail Arauz-
Jirón, Kirsten E. Nicholson, John G. Phillips, and Jenny A. Gubler, for field assistance. We also thank Carl J.
Franklin for providing the photo voucher numbers.

Literature Cited
Bezy, R. L. 1989. Morphological differentiation in unisexual and Ruiz, J. E., A. Gutiérrez, and O. Flóres Rocha. 2016. Nuevo reg-
bisexual Xantusiid lizards of the genus Lepidophyma in Cen- istro de la Iguanita de Bosque, Polychrus gutturosus Berthold,
tral America. Herpetological Monographs 3: 61–80. 1846 para la región de Santo Domingo (Chontales) Nicaragua.
Bezy, R. L. and J. L. Camarillo R. 2002. Systematics of Xan- Cuadernos de Herpetología 30: 39–40.
tusiid lizards of the genus Lepidophyma. Contributions in Sabaj-Pérez, M. H. (Ed.). 2013. Standard symbolic codes for
Science 493: 1–41. institutional resource collections in herpetology and ichthy-
Gómez, M. J., I. Gutiérrez, T. Benjamin, F. Casanoves, and F. ology: an Online Reference. Version 4.0. American Society of
DeClerck. 2011. Conservación y conocimiento local de la Ichthyologists and Herpetologists, Washington, D.C., United
herpetofauna en un paisaje ganadero. Avances de Investi- States. (www.asih.org).
gación. Agroforestería en las Américas 48: 65–75. Salazar, M., C. Gómez-Fuentes, H. Salgado, P. Torres, and A.
HerpetoNicas. 2015. Guía Ilustrada de Anfibios y Reptiles de Gutiérrez. 2009. Anfibios y Reptiles de Chacocente. Flora y
Nicaragua. Dirección de Biodiversidad/MARENA, Mana- Fauna Internacional. Proyecto zonas costeras. Flora & Fauna
gua, Nicaragua. International, Managua, Nicaragua.
Holdridge, L. R. 1967. Life Zone Ecology. Revised ed. Tropical Savage, J. M. 2002. The Amphibians and Reptiles of Costa Rica:
Science Center, San José, Costa Rica. A Herpetofauna between Two Continents, between Two Seas.
The University of Chicago Press, Chicago, Illinois, United
Köhler, G. 2001. Anfibios y Reptiles de Nicaragua. Herpeton,
States.
Offenbach, Germany.
Sunyer, J., and G. Köhler. 2010. Conservation status of the her-
Köhler, G., M. Salazar-Saavedra, J. Martínez, G. Lopez, and J.
petofauna of Nicaragua. Pp. 488–509 In L.D. Wilson, J. H.
Sunyer. 2013. First record of Aspidoscelis motaguae (Sack-
Townsend, and J. D. Johnson (Eds.), Conservation of Meso-
ett, 1941) (Reptilia: Squamata: Teiidae) from Nicaragua.
american Amphibians and Reptiles. Eagle Mountain Publish-
Check List 9: 475.
ing, LC, Eagle Mountain, Utah, United States.
Köhler, G., A. Schulze, and M. Veselý. 2005. Morphological
Sunyer, J., T. W. Pierson, M. F. Ubeda-Olivas, and T. J. Papenfuss.
variation in Norops capito (Peters, 1863), a wide-spread
2015. Geographic Distribution. Marisora alliacea (Costa
species in southeastern Mexico and Central America. Sala-
Rican Four-lined Skink). Herpetological Review 46: 384.
mandra 41: 129–136.
Villa, J. D. 1971. Notes on some Nicaraguan reptiles. Journal of
Herpetology 5: 45–48.

Javier Sunyer1,2, José Gabriel Martínez-Fonseca2,3, and Milton Salazar-Saavedra1,2,4

Museo Herpetológico de la UNAN-León (MHUL), Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias y Tecnología,
1

Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Nicaragua-León, León, Nicaragua.

2
Grupo HerpetoNica (Herpetólogos de Nicaragua), Nicaragua.
3
Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Nicaragua-Managua (UNAN-Managua), Managua, Nicaragua.
4
Red Mesoamericana y del Caribe para la Conservación de Anfibios y Reptiles.
E-mails: [email protected] (Corresponding Author); [email protected];
and [email protected]

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Other Contributions Distribution Notes

Reptilia: Squamata (snakes)

Noteworthy records of snakes of the Lampropeltis mexicana complex
from northeastern Mexico
The geographic distribution of kingsnakes in the Lampropeltis mexicana complex in Mexico remains poorly
known. Species in this complex range across rocky regions of the Chihuahuan Desert, Central Mexican Plateau,
Sierra Madre Occidental, and northern Sierra Madre Oriental. Over the past decade, several reports have enhanced
our knowledge of the distribution of these snakes in Mexico (Ingrasci et al., 2008; Farr et al., 2009; Hansen and
Bryson, 2009; Savage and Hansen, 2009; Ahumada-Carrillo et al., 2011; Hansen et al., 2011; Roth-Monzón et al.,
2011; Price et al., 2012; Ahumada-Carrillo et al., 2014; Carbajal-Márquez and Quintero-Díaz, 2014; Hansen et al.,
2015; Hernández-Melo and Fernández-Badillo, 2015; Terán-Juárez et al., 2015; Grünwald et al., 2016; Hansen et
al., 2016). Here we present new records for two species in the complex, L. alterna and L. mexicana, from the states
of Coahuila and Nuevo León in northeastern Mexico. We follow the most recent taxonomy for the L. mexicana
complex (Bryson et al., 2007). Previous studies, however, allocated L. mexicana from Coahuila and Nuevo León
to the subspecies L. m. thayeri (Gehlbach, 1967; Hilken and Schlepper, 1998). We determined the geocoordinates
using map datum WGS 84. The museum acronyms follow Sabaj (2016).

Lampropeltis alterna: NUEVO LEÓN: Municipio de Hidalgo, Sierra El Fraile y San Miguel, Potrero Chico
(25.949634°N, 100.476592°W); elev. 710 m; 8 June 2013; Adriana González-Martínez. Photo voucher TNHC
100686 (Fig. 1A). The snake was active during the day and photographed by rock climbers. This voucher represents
a new municipality record.

Lampropeltis alterna: NUEVO LEÓN: Municipio de Bustamante, Cañón de Bustamante (26.549595°N,

100.579611°W); elev. 521 m; 22 May 2016; Manuel Nevárez-de los Reyes; UANL 7662 (Fig. 1B). Camino de las
Grutas (26.502450°N, 100.526222°W); elev. 840 m; 2 July 2016; Manuel Nevárez-de los Reyes; UANL 7672 (Fig.
1C). These specimens, both from the Sierra Gomas, represent a new municipality record and the northernmost re-
cords for this species in Nuevo León. Both collection sites are located in steep, rocky terrain within a submontane
shrub (matorral) plant community. At the first site, the characteristic vegetation consists of Populus nigra, Salix sp.,
Prosopis glandulosa, and Acacia farnesiana. The dominant vegetation at the second locality includes Acacia rigida,
Fraxinus greggi, and Helietta parvifolia.

Lampropeltis alterna: NUEVO LEÓN: Municipio de García, vic. of Industrias del Alcali (25.758655°N,
100.558685°W); elev. 724 m; 13 June 2014; Iván Sánchez-Montiel; UANL 7405 (Fig. 1D). This specimen rep-
resents a new municipality record.

Lampropeltis cf. mexicana: COAHUILA: Municipio de Saltillo, ca. 1.0 map km SW of Jagüey de Ferniza
(25.222670°N, 101.045218°W); elev. 2,024 m; 16 July 2016; Arturo Cruz-Anaya; Photo voucher TNHC 100687
(Fig. 1E). This voucher, a field photo of a live snake partly obscured by vegetation, represents a new municipality
record. Based on the dorsal pattern of the snake, we provisionally assign this individual to L. mexicana. Although
a pattern of black-bordered orange blotches is found in both L. alterna and L. mexicana, the brown ground color
is a better fit for the latter rather than regionally proximate L. alterna. The habitat consists of scrub dominated by
Larrea tridentata, and was bordered by a cultivated area. Additional material from this area is necessary to confirm
the identification of the species.

Lampropeltis mexicana: COAHUILA: Municipio de Saltillo: Mina de La Lechuza, Ejido Cuauhtémoc, Sierra
Zapalinamé (25.279037°N, 100.956886°W); elev. 2,283 m; 28 July 2016; Javier Banda-Leal and Arturo Cruz-
Anaya; UANL 7693 (Fig. 1F). This specimen represents the second record for the municipality of Saltillo, and the
first documented example of a melanistic individual found in the wild. Although anecdotal field reports exist for
melanistic specimens from Nuevo León, and the genetic basis for melanism in captive L. mexicana is well known
(Osborne, 1983), there are no melanistic specimens in museum collections and the geographic distribution of mel-
anistic phenotypes is unknown. The collection site is located within an open pine forest with Agave, Hechtia, and
Opuntia.

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Other Contributions Distribution Notes

Lampropeltis mexicana: COAHUILA: Municipio de Arteaga, Carretera entronque a El Diamante (25.367818°N,

100.814711°W); elev. 2,025 m; 13 September 2016; Arturo Cruz Anaya; UANL 7705 (Fig. 1G). this specimen
represents the third record from the municipality of Arteaga (Garstka, 1982), which spans an extensive area and
range of habitats in the northern Sierra Madre Oriental.

Fig. 1. Records of the Lampropeltis mexicana complex from

northeastern Mexico: (A) L. alterna (TNHC 100686) from Sierra
El Fraile y San Miguel, Potrero Chico, Municipio de Hidalgo,
Nuevo León; (B, C) L. alterna (UANL 7662, 7672) from Sierra
Gomas, Municipio de Bustamante, Nuevo León; (D) L. alterna
(UANL 7405) from vic. of Industrias del Alcali, Municipio de
García, Nuevo León; (E) L. mexicana (TNHC 100687) from ca.
1.0 km (by air) SW of Jagüey de Ferniza, Municipio de Saltillo,
Coahuila; (F) L. mexicana, melanistic phenotype (UANL 7693)
from Sierra Zapalinamé, Municipio de Saltillo, Coahuila; and
(G) L. mexicana (UANL 7705) from Municipio de Arteaga,
Coahuila. ' © Adriana González-Martínez (A), Manuel
Nevárez-de los Reyes (B, C, and F), Robert W. Bryson, Jr. (D),
and Arturo Cruz-Anaya (E, G)

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Acknowledgments.—We thank the Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León (Programa de Apoyo a la

Investigación Científica y Tecnológica [PAICYT CN315-15]) for support, and Arturo Cruz-Anaya, Jonathan
Campbell, Joseph Forks, and Gerry Salmon for assistance. Travis LaDuc processed the photo vouchers at TNHC.
Fieldwork was partly funded by a grant (No. 445411) to MNR by Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología
(CONACYT). Field research and specimen collection were conducted under permits SGPA/DGVS/08371/16 and 
SGPA/DGVS/08377/16 from 11 August 2016, issued to David Lazcano by Dirección General de Vida Silvestre of
the Secretaría de Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales (SEMARNAT).

Literature Cited
Ahumada-Carrillo, I. T., O. Vázquez-Huizar, J. Vázquez-Diaz, Hansen, R. W., R. Hernández-Arciga, and R. F. Savage. 2015.
and U. O. Vázquez-García. 2011. Geographic Distribution. Geographic Distribution. Lampropeltis ruthveni (Ruthven’s
Noteworthy records of amphibians and reptiles from Zacate- Kingsnake). Herpetological Review 46: 574.
cas, México. Herpetological Review 43: 397–398. Hansen, R. W., L. Fernández-Badillo, A. Ramírez-Bautista, and
Ahumada-Carrillo, I. T., N. Pérez Rivera, J. Reyes-Velasco, C. O. Avalos- Torales. 2016. Geographic Distribution: Lam-
I. Grünwald, and J. M. Jones. 2014. Geographic Distribu- propeltis mexicana (Mexican Kingsnake). Herpetological
tion. Notable records of amphibians and reptiles from Coli- Review 47: 262–263.
ma, Nayarit, Jalisco, and Zacatecas, México. Herpetological Hernández-Melo, J. A., and L. Fernández-Badillo. 2015. Lam-
Review 45: 287–291. propeltis ruthveni (Blanchard, 1920): Mexico: Hidalgo. Dis-
Bryson, R. W., Jr., J. Pastorini, F. T. Burbrink, and M. R. J. tribution Notes. Mesoamerican Herpetology 2: 545–546.
Forstner. 2007. A phylogeny of the Lampropeltis mexicana Hilken, G., and R. Schlepper. 1998. Der Lampropeltis mexi-
complex (Serpentes: Colubridae) based on mitochondrial cana-Komplex (Serpentes, Colubridae): naturgeschichte und
DNA sequences suggests evidence for species-level poly- terrarienhaltung. Salamandra 34: 97–127.
phyly within Lampropeltis. Molecular Phylogenetics and
Ingrasci, M. J., K. Setser, and J. Reyes-Velasco. 2008. Geographic
Evolution 43: 674–684.
Distribution. Lampropeltis alterna (Gray-banded Kingsnake).
Carbajal-Márquez, R. A., and G. E. Quintero-Díaz. 2014. Herpetological Review 39: 371–372.
Natural History Notes. Lampropeltis mexicana (Mexican
Osborne, S. T. 1983. Life History Notes. Lampropeltis mexicana
Kingsnake). Maximum elevation. Herpetological Review
thayeri (Gray-banded Kingsnake). Coloration. Herpetological
45: 711.
Review 14: 120.
Farr, W. L., D. Lazcano, and P. A. Lavín-Murcio. 2009. Geo-
Price, M. S., C. R. Harrison, and D. Lazcano. 2012. Geographic
graphic Distribution. New distributional records for amphib-
Distribution. Lampropeltis alterna (Gray-banded Kingsnake).
ians and reptiles from the state of Tamaulipas, México II.
Herpetological Review 43: 106.
Herpetological Review 40: 459–467.
Roth-Monzón, A. J., A. A. Mendoza-Hernández, and O. A.
Garstka, W. R. 1982. Systematics of the mexicana species group
Flores-Villela. 2011. Lampropeltis ruthveni (Serpentes:
of the colubrid genus Lampropeltis, with an hypothesis [of]
Colubridae) from the state of Hidalgo, Mexico. Southwestern
mimicry. Breviora 466: 1–35.
Naturalist 56: 430–431.
Gehlbach, F. R. 1967. Lampropeltis mexicana (Garman):
Sabaj, M. H. 2016. Standard symbolic codes for institutional
Gray-banded Kingsnake. Catalogue of American Amphibi-
resource collections in herpetology and ichthyology: An
ans and Reptiles 55.1–55.2.
Online Reference. Version 6.5 American Society of Ichthy-
Grünwald, C. I., N. Pérez-Rivera, I. Trinidad Ahumada-Car- ologists and Herpetologists, Washington, DC, United States.
rillo, H. Franz-Chávez, and B. T. La Forest. 2016. Geo- (www.asih.org; accessed 16 August 2016).
graphic Distribution. New distributional records for the
Savage, R., and R. W. Hansen. 2009. Geographic Distribution.
herpetofauna of Mexico. Herpetological Review 47: 85–90.
Lampropeltis mexicana. Herpetological Review 40: 114–115.
Hansen, R. W., and R. W. Bryson, Jr. 2009. Geographic Dis-
Terán-Juárez, S. A., E. García-Padilla, F. E. Leyto-Delgado, and
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and distributional range extensions for amphibians and rep-
Hansen, R. W., C. M. Rodriguez, and C. I. Grünwald. 2011. tiles from Tamaulipas, Mexico. Mesoamerican Herpetology
Geographic Distribution. Lampropeltis mexicana (Mexican 2: 208–214.
Kingsnaske). Herpetological Review 42: 243.

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Manuel Nevárez-de los Reyes1, Javier Banda-Leal1, David Lazcano1, Robert W. Bryson, Jr.2, and

Robert W. Hansen3
Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Laboratorio de Herpetología, Ciudad
1

Universitaria, San Nicolás de los Garza, Nuevo León, Mexico.

E-mails: [email protected], [email protected], and [email protected]
2
Department of Biology and Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture, University of Washington, Box 351800,
Seattle, Washington 98195-1800, United States; and Moore Laboratory of Zoology, Occidental College, 1600 Campus
Road, Los Angeles, California 90041, United States. E-mail: [email protected]
16333 Deer Path Lane, Clovis, California 93619-9735, United States.
3

E-mail: [email protected] (Corresponding author)

Family: Colubridae
Stenorrhina freminvillii (Duméril, Bribon and Duméril, 1854). MEXICO: OAXACA. Municipio de San Bartolo
Coyotepec, Paraje El Palenque (16°56'51.4"N, 96°40'31.7"W; datum WGS 84), elev. ca. 1,600 m; 20 March 2016;
Pablo R. Simón-Salvador. The snake, an adult male (Fig. 1), was found in riparian vegetation. A photograph of
this individual is deposited in the University of Texas at El Paso Vertebrate Digital Collection (Photo Voucher
UTEP G-2016.34). This voucher (Fig. 1) represents a new municipality record, and fills a gap between the closest
reported localities at ca. 16 km to the N (airline distance) in the vicinity of Agencia de San Luis Beltrán, Municipio
de Oaxaca de Juárez, and at ca. 43 km to the ESE (airline distance) in the vicinity of Hierve El Agua, Municipio de
San Lorenzo de Albarradas (García-Padilla and Mata-Silva, 2014).

Fig. 1. An adult Stenorrhina freminvillii (UTEP G-2016.34) from Paraje El Palenque, Municipio de San Bartolo Coyotepec,
Oaxaca, Mexico. ' © Pablo R. Simón-Salvador

Acknowledgments.––A special thanks goes to Arthur Harris for kindly providing the photo voucher number.

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Other Contributions Distribution Notes

Literature Cited
García-Padilla, e., and V. Mata-Silva. 2014. Geographic Distribution. Noteworthy distributional records for the herpetofauna of Oaxaca,
México. Herpetological Review 45: 468–469.

Pablo R. Simón-Salvador1, Elí García-Padilla2, Vicente Mata-Silva3, and Larry David Wilson4
Laboratorio de Investigación en Reproducción Animal, Universidad Autónoma Benito Juárez de Oaxaca, C. P. 68000,
1

Oaxaca, Mexico. E-mail: [email protected]

Calle Hidalgo, Colonia Santa Úrsula Coapa, Delegación Coyoacán, C. P. 04700, D.F., Mexico.
2

E-mail: [email protected]
Department of Biological Sciences, The University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, Texas 79968-0500, United States.
3

E-mails: [email protected] and [email protected]

Centro Zamorano de Biodiversidad, Escuela Agrícola Panamericana Zamorano, Departamento de Francisco Morazán,
4

Honduras. E-mail: [email protected]

Tantilla rubra Cope, 1863. MEXICO: OAXACA. Municipio de Santa Catarina Juquila, near El Obispo
(16.175215°N, -97.322873°W; WGS 84), elev. 1,216 m.; 16 June 2016. Vicente Mata-Silva, Dominic, L. DeSantis,
Elí García-Padilla, and Larry David
Wilson. The specimen (CIB-5036)
was found dead on road through pine-
oak forest, and is deposited in the her-
petological collection of the Centro
de Investigaciones Biológicas of the
Universidad Autónoma del Estado de
Hidalgo. This snake (female, snout–
vent length = 235 mm, tail length =
21 mm; Fig. 1) represents a new mu-
nicipality record, and fills a gap be-
tween the closest reported localities
at ca. 24.7 km to the E in the vicin-
ity of Santa Rosa, Municipio de San
Juan Lachao (UCM-52611–12) and
ca. 339 km to the WNW in a locality
described as “11.3 mi (= 18.1 km) NE
Atoyac, on road to Puerto del Gallo, Fig. 1. An adult Tantilla rubra (CIB-5036) from near El Obispo, Municipio
Sierra Madre del Sur” (MVZ 17193); de Santa Catarina Juquila, Oaxaca, Mexico.
both localities are listed in Wilson ' © Vicente Mata-Silva
and Mata-Silva (2014).

Acknowledgments.––A special thanks goes to Eduardo Mata-Silva for his invaluable assistance in the field,
to the Bolán-Mata family for their great hospitality, and to Raciel Crúz-Elizalde, Christian Berriozabal-Islas, and
José Daniel Lara-Tufiño for logistical support. The collecting permit (SGPA/DGVS/04287/16) was issued by
SEMARNAT to ARB with extensions to VMS, AR, EGP, DLD, and LDW. Irene G. Mayer-Goyenechea kindly
provided the photo voucher number.

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Other Contributions Distribution Notes

Literature Cited
Wilson, L. D., and V. Mata-Silva. 2014. Snakes of the genus Tantilla (Squamata: Colubridae) in Mexico: taxonomy, distribution, and con-
servation. Mesoamerican Herpetology 1: 5–95.

Vicente Mata-Silva1, Dominic L. DeSantis1, Elí García-Padilla2, Arturo Rocha1, Larry David Wil-
son3, and Aurelio Ramírez-Bautista4

Department of Biological Sciences, The University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, Texas 79968-0500, United States.
1

E-mails: [email protected], [email protected], and [email protected]

Calle Hidalgo, Colonia Santa Úrsula Coapa, Delegación Coyoacán, C. P. 04700, D.F., Mexico.
2

E-mail: [email protected]
Centro Zamorano de Biodiversidad, Escuela Agrícola Panamericana Zamorano, Departamento de Francisco Morazán,
3

Honduras. E-mail: [email protected]

Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas, Instituto de Ciencias Básicas e Ingeniería, Universidad Nacional Autónoma del
4

Estado de Hidalgo, Carretera Pachuca-Tulancingo Km 4.5, Colonia Carboneras, C. P. 42184, Mineral de la Reforma,
Hidalgo, Mexico. E-mail: [email protected]

Family Dipsadidae

Coniophanes fissidens (Günther, 1858).

MEXICO: OAXACA. Municipio de Santa
Catarina Juquila, 2.6 km SSW of Zacatepec
(16.117266°N, -97.377425°W; WGS 84), elev.
419 m.; 16 June 2016; Vicente Mata-Silva,
Dominic, L. DeSantis, Elí García-Padilla,
and Larry David Wilson. The specimen (CIB-
5035) was found dead on road across rem-
nants of tropical dry forest, and is deposited in
the herpetological collection of the Centro de
Investigaciones Biológicas of the Universidad
Autónoma del Estado de Hidalgo. This snake
(female; snout–vent length = 298 mm; tail
length = 41 mm; Fig. 1) represents a new mu-
nicipality record, with the closest reported lo-
cality ca. 33 km to the E in the vicinity of San
Juan Lachao, Municipio de San Juan Lachao
(Mata-Silva et al., This Issue). Fig. 1. A Coniophanes fissidens (CIB-5035) from 2.6 km SSW of
Zacatepec, Municipio de Santa Catarina Juquila, Oaxaca, Mexico.
' © Vicente Mata-Silva

Acknowledgments.––A special thanks goes to Eduardo Mata-Silva for his invaluable assistance in the field,
to the Bolán-Mata family for their great hospitality, and to Raciel Crúz-Elizalde, Christian Berriozabal-Islas, and
José Daniel Lara-Tufiño for logistical support. The collecting permit (SGPA/DGVS/04287/16) was issued by
SEMARNAT to ARB with extensions to VMS, AR, EGP, DLD, and LDW. Irene G. Mayer-Goyenechea kindly
provided the photo voucher number.

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Other Contributions Distribution Notes

Literature Cited
Mata-Silva, V., A. Rocha, D. L. DeSantis, E. García-Padilla, and L. D. Wilson. 2016. Nature Notes. Micrurus browni Schmidt and
Schmidt, 1943. Diet. Mesoamerican Herpetology 3: 1,020–1,021.

Vicente Mata-Silva1, Dominic L. DeSantis1, Elí García-Padilla2, Arturo Rocha1, and Larry David
Wilson3, and Aurelio Ramírez-Bautista4
Department of Biological Sciences, The University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, Texas 79968-0500, United States.
1

E-mails: [email protected] and [email protected]

Calle Hidalgo, Colonia Santa Úrsula Coapa, Delegación Coyoacán, C. P. 04700, D.F., Mexico.
2

E-mail: [email protected]
Centro Zamorano de Biodiversidad, Escuela Agrícola Panamericana Zamorano, Departamento de Francisco Morazán,
3

Honduras. E-mail: [email protected]

Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas, Instituto de Ciencias Básicas e Ingeniería, Universidad Nacional Autónoma del
4

Estado de Hidalgo, Carretera Pachuca-Tulancingo Km 4.5, Colonia Carboneras, C. P. 42184, Mineral de la Reforma,
Hidalgo, Mexico. E-mail: [email protected]

Tropidodipsas sartorii (Cope, 1863). MEXICO: HIDALGO: Municipio de Metztitlán (20.47684ºN, -98.67752ºW;
WGS 84) elev. 1,315 m; 22 June 2016; Guillermo Sánchez-Martínez. The specimen (CH-CIB 5027) was found
dead on a road through xeric scrub and donated to the Herpetological Collection of the Centro de Investigaciones
Biológicas, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Hidalgo. It represents a new record for the municipality and for
the Reserva de la Biósfera Barranca de Metztitlán, with the closest known locality ca. 46.38 km to the SE (airline
distance) in the vicinity Tetipanchalco, Municipio de Molango de Escamilla (Juárez-Escamilla, 2016). This spe-
cies is uncommon in areas of Meztitlán where walnuts are grown, but is abundant in other municipalities (e.g.,
Ixmiquilpan) that contain alfalfa fields.

Acknowledgments.––We thank Ferdinand Torres Angeles for fixing the specimen and Diego Juárez Escamilla,
for providing the collecting data from the Molango de Escamilla’s specimen. We also are grateful to SEMARNAT
for the collecting permit (FAUT-0052) provided to Irene Goyenchea.

Literature Cited
Juárez-Escamilla, J. D. 2016. Diversidad de Anfibios y Reptiles en Bosques y Potreros del Municipio de Molango de Escamilla, Hidalgo,
México. Unpublished Licenciatura thesis, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Hidalgo, Pachuca, Hidalgo, Mexico.

Leonardo Fernández-Badillo1, 2, Guillermo Sánchez-Martínez 2, 3, and Irene Goyenechea4

Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas (CIB), Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Hidalgo, Ciudad del conocimiento,
1

Km 4.5 Carretera Pachuca-Tulancingo, Col. Carboneras, 42181 Mineral de la Reforma, Hidalgo, Mexico.
E-mail: [email protected] (LFB, Corresponding author).
Predio Intensivo de Manejo de Vida Silvestre X-Plora Reptilia, Carretera Mexico-Tampico s/n, Pilas y granadas, 43350,
2

Metztitlan, Hidalgo, Mexico. E-mail: [email protected]

3
Unidad de Manejo para la Conservación de la Vida Silvestre (UMA) Santa Ana, Carretera Mexico-Tampico s/n, Pilas
y granadas, 43350, Metztitlan, Hidalgo, Mexico.
4
Laborartorio de Sistemática Molecular, Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas (CIB), Universidad Autónoma del Estado
de Hidalgo, Ciudad del conocimiento, Km 4.5 Carretera Pachuca-Tulancingo, Col. Carboneras, 42181 Mineral de la
Reforma, Hidalgo, Mexico. Mexico. E-mail: [email protected]

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Other Contributions Distribution Notes

Family Elapidae

Micrurus browni Cope, 1863. MEXICO: OAXACA. Municipio de Santa Catarina Juquila, near Santa Catarina
Juquila (16.237544°N, -97.266829°W; datum WGS 84), elev. 1,582 m; 27 June 2016; Vicente Mata-Silva and
Arturo Rocha. A photograph of this individual is deposited in the University of Texas at El Paso Vertebrate Digital
Collection (Photo Voucher UTEP G-2016.36, Fig. 1A).
Another Micrurus browni (Fig. 1B) was found in the town of Pie del Cerro, in the same municipality
(16.098357°N, -97.396050°W; WGS 84), elev. 128 m.; 24 June 2016; Vicente Mata-Silva and Arturo Rocha. The
specimen (CIB-5034) is deposited in the herpetological collection of the Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas of
the Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Hidalgo.

Fig. 1. Adult Micrurus browni: (A) from near Santa Catarina Juquila (UTEP G-2016.36), and (B) from Pie del Cerro (CIB-
5034, B), both in Municipio de Santa Catarina Juquila, Oaxaca, Mexico. ' © Vicente Mata-Silva

Mesoamerican Herpetology 1062 December 2016 | Volume 3 | Number 4

Other Contributions Distribution Notes

Both snakes were found dead on paved roads, and represent new records for the municipality. These records
fill a gap between the closest reported localities at ca. 23 km SE and 35 km E (from near Santa Catarina and Pie del
Cerro, respectively) from several records in the municipality of San Juan Lachao, Oaxaca (Mata-Silva et al., This
Issue; UCM 40079–40082, 41228, 52519–52522, 52524, 52526, 52569, 52570, 52613, www.vernet.org; accessed
1 November 2016), and ca. 80 km to the NW in a locality reported as “46 km S of Putla (= Putla de Guerrero),”
(MVZ 106869; www.vernet.org; accessed 1 November 2016). The habitat near Santa Catarina Juquila consists of
fragmented pine-oak forest, and that of Pie del Cerro is comprised of secondary tropical dry forest and pastureland.

Acknowledgments. ––A special thanks goes to Eduardo Mata-Silva for his invaluable assistance in the field,
and to the Bolán-Mata family for their great hospitality. We also thank Raciel Crúz-Elizalde, Christian Berriozabal-
Islas, and José Daniel Lara-Tufiño for logistical support. The collecting permit (SGPA/DGVS/04287/16) was issued
by SEMARNAT to ARB with extensions to VMS, AR, EGP, DLD, and LDW. Irene G. Mayer-Goyenechea kindly
provided the specimen number, and Arthur Harris the photo voucher number.

Literature Cited
Mata-Silva, V., A. Rocha, D. L. DeSantis, E. García-Padilla, L. D. Wilson, and A. Ramírez-Bautista. 2016. Nature Notes. Micrurus
browni Schmidt and Schmidt, 1943. Diet. Mesoamerican Herpetology 3: 1,020–1,021.

Vicente Mata-Silva1, Arturo Rocha1, Dominic L. DeSantis1, Elí García-Padilla2, Larry David
Wilson3, and Aurelio Ramírez-Bautista4
Department of Biological Sciences, The University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, Texas 79968-0500, United States.
1

E-mail: [email protected]
Calle Hidalgo, Colonia Santa Úrsula Coapa, Delegación Coyoacán, C. P. 04700, México, D.F., Mexico.
2

E-mail: [email protected]
Centro Zamorano de Biodiversidad, Escuela Agrícola Panamericana Zamorano, Departamento de Francisco Morazán,
3

Honduras. E-mail: [email protected]

Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas, Instituto de Ciencias Básicas e Ingeniería, Universidad Nacional Autónoma del
4

Estado de Hidalgo, Carretera Pachuca-Tulancingo Km 4.5, Colonia Carboneras, C. P. 42184, Mineral de la Reforma,
Hidalgo, Mexico. E-mail: [email protected]

Micrurus ephippifer (Cope, 1886). MEXICO: OAXACA. Municipio de Santa Catarina Ixtepeji, Carretera Oaxaca–
Tuxtepec, km 198 (17°8'29.19"N, -96°37'1.00"W; datum WGS 84), elev. 2,251 m; 28 July 2016; Elí García-Padilla,
Emiliano Méndez-Salinas, and Elfilia G. Sandoval. The specimen is deposited in the herpetological collection of the
Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas of the Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Hidalgo (CIB-5039). The indi-
vidual was found at ca. 1630 h, and recently had been killed by workers removing roadside vegetation in an area of
pine-oak forest. The specimen (Fig. 1) represents a municipality record, with the closest reported locality ca. 8.4 km
to the WSW, at Cerro San Felipe, Agencia de San Felipe del Agua, Municipio de Oaxaca de Juárez (UCM-41229,
www.vernet.org; accessed 2 August 2016).

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Other Contributions Distribution Notes

Fig. 1. A Micrurus ephippifer (CIB-5039) from Carretera Oaxaca-Tuxtepec km 198, Municipio de Santa Catarina Ixtepeji,
Oaxaca, Mexico. ' © Elí García-Padilla

Acknowledgments.––A special thanks goes to Aurelio Ramírez-Bautista, Raciel Crúz-Elizalde, Christian

Berriozabal-Islas, and José Daniel Lara-Tufiño for logistical support. The collecting permit (SGPA/DGVS/04287/16)
was issued by SEMARNAT to Aurelio Ramírez-Bautista, with extensions to VMS, EGP, DLD, and LDW. Irene G.
Mayer-Goyenechea kindly provided the voucher number.

Elí García-Padilla1, Emiliano Méndez-Salinas2, Elfilia García-Sandoval3, Vicente Mata-Silva4,

Dominic L. DeSantis4, and Larry David Wilson5
Calle Hidalgo, Colonia Santa Úrsula Coapa, Delegación Coyoacán, C. P. 04700, D.F., Mexico.
1

E-mail: [email protected]
2
Camino Real #298, El Faisán, Villa de Santiago, N.L. 67300, Mexico E-mail: [email protected]
Calle: Constitución #106 Barrio San Antonio, Tlalixtac de Cabrera, Oaxaca, C. P. 68270, Mexico.
3

E-mail: [email protected]
Department of Biological Sciences, The University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, Texas 79968-0500, United States.
4

E-mail: [email protected] and [email protected]

Centro Zamorano de Biodiversidad, Escuela Agrícola Panamericana Zamorano, Departamento de Francisco Morazán,
5

Honduras. E-mail: [email protected]

Family Viperidae
Bothriechis schlegelii (Berthold, 1845). NICARAGUA: BOACO: Municipio de Camoapa, southern slope of
Cerro Masigüe, Finca Santa Elena (12.53579°N, 85.35665°W; WGS 84); elev. 550 m; 23 September 2016; Lenin
Alexander Obando. A photo voucher of this individual is deposited at The University of Texas at Arlington Collection
of Vertebrates Digital Collection (UTADC-8765; Fig. 1A.). The viper was found during the day ca. 0.5 m above
the ground on the trunk of a tree in a young cacao plantation located in disturbed Lowland Moist Forest (Fig. 1B;
Holdridge, 1967; Savage, 2002). This locality represents a new record for the department of Boaco. In Nicaragua,
this relatively common species has been recorded from the following departments: Atlántico Norte, Atlántico Sur,
Chontales, Jinotega, Matagalpa, and Río San Juan (Günther, 1895; Boulenger, 1896; Villa, 1984; Köhler, 2001).

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Other Contributions Distribution Notes

Fig. 1. (A) Closeup of a Bothriechis schlegelii from Finca Santa Elena, Departamento de Boaco, Nicaragua; and (B) an in situ
photograph of the snake. ' © Lenin Alexander Obando

Acknowledgments.––We thank Carl J. Franklin for providing the photo voucher number.

Literature Cited

Boulenger G. A. 1896. Catalogue of the Snakes in the British Köhler, G. 2001. Anfibios y Reptiles de Nicaragua. Herpeton,
Museum (Natural History). Volume III. Trustees of the Brit- Offenbach, Germany.
ish Museum (Natural History), London, United Kingdom. Savage, J. M. 2002. The Amphibians and Reptiles of Costa Rica:
Günther, A. C. L. G. 1885–1902. Reptilia and Batrachia. In O. A Herpetofauna between Two Continents, between Two Seas.
Salvin and F. D. Godman (Eds.), Biologia Centrali-Ameri- The University of Chicago Press, Chicago, Illinois, United
cana. Taylor and Francis, London, United Kingdom. States.
Holdridge, L. R. 1967. Life Zone Ecology. Tropical Science Cen- Villa, J. D. 1984. The venomous snakes of Nicaragua: a synopsis.
ter, San José, Costa Rica. Milwaukee Public Museum Contributions in Biology and
Geology 59: 1–41.

Lenin Alexander Obando1, and Javier Sunyer1, 2

Museo Herpetológico de la UNAN-León (MHUL), Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias y Tecnología,
1

Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Nicaragua-León, León, Nicaragua.

2
Grupo HerpetoNica (Herpetólogos de Nicaragua), Nicaragua.
E-mails: [email protected] and [email protected]

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Other Contributions Distribution Notes

First report of Bothriechis schlegelii (Serpentes: Viperidae: Crotalinae)

from the state of Oaxaca, Mexico
Bothriechis schlegelli is a widely distributed New World species of pitviper, with a distribution extending from
northern Chiapas, Mexico, to northern Peru and western Venezuela; in Chiapas it has been reported from various
localities in the state (Alvarez del Toro, 1982; Campbell and Lamar, 2004; Grünwald et al., 2016). Campbell and
Lamar (2004) included southern Tabasco in the shaded portion of their distribution map, and while this species
possibly occurs there, we are unaware of any specimens from that state. During a recent examination of specimens
of Bothriechis from Mexico, DBW encountered a specimen of B. schlegelii from Oaxaca in the collection at the
University of Illinois Museum of Natural History (UIMNH). Since this species has not been reported from Oaxaca
and is not considered part of the state’s herpetofauna (Köhler, 2008; Johnson et al., 2010, Mata-Silva et al., 2015;
Schätti and Stutz, 2016), we report this specimen below.

Bothriechis schlegelii (Berthold 1846). MEXICO: OAXACA: Municipio de Santa María Chimalapa, “near La
Gloria” probably Rancho La Gloria (16.803972°N, -94.609012°W); elev. 520 m; 12 January 1950; Thomas B.
MacDougall. The specimen (UIMNH 27839), an adult female, represents the first record of B. schlegelii from
the state of Oaxaca, and extends the known distribution 93 km to the west W of the nearest record at Selvas de
Mercadito, Municipio de Cintalapa, Chiapas (Alvarez del Toro, 1982). This record suggests the continuous distri-
bution of this species along the Atlantic piedmont of southeastern Mexico to the Isthmus of Tehuantepec in Oaxaca,
lends credibility to the species occurring in southern Tabasco, as well as its possible occurrence in extreme south-
eastern Veracruz. To our knowledge this species has not been collected in either state, but we stress the potential for
students of herpetology to search for B. schlegelii in those areas.

Fig 1. (A, B) Dorsal and lateral views of an adult female Bothriechis schlegelii from “near La Gloria,” Municipio de María
Chimalapa, Oaxaca, Mexico. ' © Daniel B. Wylie

Acknowledgments.—We thank the late Thomas B. MacDougall for his extraordinary field collecting activ-
ities and for his insurmountable contributions to the University of Illinois Museum of Natural History Collection.
We also are grateful to Jacobo Reyes-Velasco for verifying the identification of the specimen.

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Other Contributions Distribution Notes

Literature Cited
Alvarez del Toro, M. 1982. Los Reptiles de Chiapas. 3rd ed. Johnson, J. D., V. Mata-Silva, and A. Ramírez-Bautista. 2010.
Gobierno del Estado, Publicación del Instituto de Historia Geographic distribution and conservation of the herpetofauna
Natural del Estado, Departamento de Zoología, Tuxtla Guti- of southeastern Mexico. Pp. 322–369 In L. D. Wilson, J. H.
érrez, Chiapas, Mexico. Townsend, and J. D. Johnson (Eds.), Conservation of Meso-
Berthold, A. A. 1846. Über verschiedene neue oder seltene Rep- american Amphibians and Reptiles. Eagle Mountain Publish-
tilien aus New Granada und Crustacien aus China. Abhan- ing, LC, Eagle Mountain, Utah, United States.
dlungen der Gesellschaft der Wissenschaften zu Göttingen Köhler, G. 2008. Reptiles of Central America. 2nd ed. Herpeton,
3: 3–32. Offenbach, Germany.
Campbell, J. A., and W. W. Lamar. 2004. The Venomous Reptiles Mata-Silva, V., J. D. Johnson, L. D. Wilson, and E. García-
of the Western Hemisphere. 2 Volumes. Comstock Publish- Padilla. 2015. The herpetofauna of Oaxaca, Mexico: com-
ing Associates, Cornell University Press, Ithaca, New York, position, physiographic distribution, and conservation status.
United States. Mesoamerican Herpetology 2: 5–62.
Grünwald, C. I., N. Pérez-Rivera, I. T. Ahumada-Carrillo, H. Schätti, B., and A. Stutz. 2016. A short account of the snakes of
Franz-Chávez, and B. T. La Forest. 2016. Geographic Dis- southern Oaxaca, Mexico. Published by the authors, Oaxaca
tribution. New distributional records for the herpetofauna of de Juárez, Mexico. 40 pp.
Mexico. Herpetological Review 47: 85–90.

Daniel B. Wylie1 and Christoph I. Grünwald2,3,4

1
Illinois Natural History Survey, Prairie Research Institute, 1816 South Oak Street, Champaign, Illinois 61820, United
States.
Biencom Real Estate, Carretera Chapala - Jocotepec #57-1, C.P. 45920, Ajijic, Jalisco, Mexico.
2

E-mail: [email protected]
3
Biodiversa A. C., Avenida de la Ribera #203, C.P. 45900, Chapala, Jalisco, Mexico.
Herpetological Conservation International, Mesoamerica Division, 450 Jolina Way, Encinitas, California 92024,
4

United States.

Crotalus culminatus (Klauber, 1952). MEXICO: ESTADO DE MÉXICO: Municipio de Tonatico, San Miguel
Tonatico, Parque Niltze (18.786°N, -99.6701°W; datum WGS 84); elev. 1,591 m; March 2016; Luis Pera-Gómez.
A subadult individual was found along the entrance of a rural home, with the surrounding habitat consisting of
Juniperus flaccida trees in disturbed tropical deciduous forest. A photo voucher of the snake was deposited in The
University of Texas at Arlington Collection of Vertebrates Digital Collection (UTADC-8747, Fig. 1). This voucher
represents the third verified record for the state and first for the municipality of Tonatico, and extends the known
distribution of this species ca. 24.2 km to the SW (airline distance) from the nearest locality at Ciudad de Malinalco
(Peralta-Fonseca and García-Padilla, 2015), and fills a distributional hiatus of 100.3 km between the Malinalco and
the Tejupilco records in the Sierra de Nanchichitla (Casas-Andreu and Aguilar-Miguel, 2005).
Crotalus culminatus is widely distributed in southwestern Mexico from southern Michoacán to about the
Isthmus of Tehuantepec, particularly along semiarid and arid regions in dry tropical forest, thorn woodland, arid
scrub forest, and limestone outcroppings in more mesic forests (Campbell and Lamar, 2004). These habitats are
extensive throughout much of the Depresión del Balsas region, near our record, but many areas in the vicinity lack
records for this or other herpetofaunal species.

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Other Contributions Distribution Notes

Fig. 1. A subadult Crotalus culminatus (UTADC-8747), found in Parque Niltze, Municipio de Tonatico, Estado de México,
Mexico. ' © J. Diego Arias-Montiel

Acknowledgments.––We thank Carl J. Franklin for providing the photo voucher number, and Luis Pera-
Gómez and Cristina Leticia Delgado-Ayala for their assistance and hospitality during our fieldwork.

Literature Cited
Campbell J. A., and W. W. Lamar. 2004. The Venomous Reptiles Lista, distribución y conservación. Ciencia Ergo Sum 12:
of the Western Hemisphere. 2 Volumes. Comstock Publish- 44–53.
ing Associates, Cornell University Press, Ithaca, New York, Peralta-Fonseca, Z. A., and E. García-Padilla. 2015. Distribution
United States. Notes. Crotalus culminatus (Klauber, 1952). Mesoamerican
Casas-Andreu, G., and X. Aguilar-Miguel. 2005. Herpetofauna Herpetology 2: 208.
del Parque Sierra de Nanchititla, estado de México, México.

Ricardo Palacios-Aguilar1, Thalia E. Cruz-Machuca2,3, and J. Diego Arias-Montiel3

1
Museo de Zoología “Alfonso L. Herrera”, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México. A.P. 70-
399, México D.F., C. P. 04510, Mexico. E-mail: [email protected]
Laboratorio de Ecología, UBIPRO, Facultad de Estudios Superiores Iztacala, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de
2

México, A.P. 314, Tlalnepantla, 54090 México, Mexico.

3
Facultad de Estudios Superiores Iztacala, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Av. de los Barrios, CP.
54090, Tlalnepantla de Baz, Estado de México, Mexico.

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Other Contributions Distribution Notes

Ophryacus undulatus (Jan, 1859). MEXICO: OAXACA. Municipio de San Agustín Etla, Paraje Mano de León
(17°12'37.7"N, 96°41'25.2"W; WGS 84), elev. ca. 2,200 m; 16 October 2015; Francisco Ramírez-Jiménez. The
snake (Fig. 1) was found on a log in an ecotone consisting of tropical deciduous forest and oak forest. A photograph
of this individual is deposited in the University of Texas at El Paso Vertebrate Digital Collection (Photo Voucher
UTEP G-2016.35). This voucher (Fig. 1) represents a new municipality record, with the closest reported localities
ca. 12 km to the S (airline distance) in Cerro de San Felipe near Oaxaca de Juarez (Lynch and Smith 1966), and ca.
10 km to the E (airline distance) at 25 km NE of Ciudad de Oaxaca (KU 116949; www.herpnet.org; accessed 28
October 2016).

Fig. 1. Ophryacus undulatus (UTEP G-2016.35) from Paraje Mano de León, Municipio de San Agustín Etla, Oaxaca, Mexico.
' © Francisco Ramírez-Jiménez

Acknowledgments.––A special thanks goes to Arthur Harris for kindly providing the photo voucher number.

Literature Cited
Lynch, J. D., and H. M. Smith. 1966. New or unusual amphibians and reptiles from Oaxaca, Mexico. II. Transactions of the Kansas Academy
of Science 69: 57–75.

Francisco Ramírez-Jiménez1, Pablo R. Simón-Salvador2, Elí García-Padilla3, Vicente Mata-Silva4,

and Larry David Wilson5

Calle Cruz del Río, Fraccionamiento Santa Cruz Amilpas, C. P. 71226, Oaxaca, Mexico.
1

E-mail: [email protected]
Laboratorio de Investigación en Reproducción Animal, Universidad Autónoma Benito Juárez de Oaxaca, C. P. 68000,
2

Oaxaca, Mexico. E-mail: [email protected]

Calle Hidalgo, Colonia Santa Úrsula Coapa, Delegación Coyoacán, C. P. 04700, D.F., Mexico.
3

E-mail: [email protected]
Department of Biological Sciences, The University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, Texas 79968-0500, United States.
4

E-mail: [email protected]
Centro Zamorano de Biodiversidad, Escuela Agrícola Panamericana Zamorano, Departamento de Francisco Morazán,
5

Honduras. E-mail: [email protected]

Mesoamerican Herpetology 1069 December 2016 | Volume 3 | Number 4

Other Contributions Nature Notes

MISCEL LA N EOU S N OTE S

Rediscovery of the Critically Endangered frog, Craugastor angelicus, in Costa Rica

Craugastor angelicus (Savage, 1975) has been rediscovered in the Cordillera de Tilarán, Provincia de Guanacaste,
Costa Rica, at an elevation of ca. 1,550 m. Along with my wife, Aura Reyes, we discovered a single adult male C. an-
gelicus (Fig. 1) in July of 2016, during one of our regular amphibian surveys in the country. We found the individual
at night while making a random stop along the road between Santa Elena de Monteverde and San Gerardo to listen
to anuran vocalizations. The C. angelicus was not heard vocalizing, but was observed on the gravel substrate along
the edge of the road. The frog was collected and deposited in the taxonomic reference collection of the Costa Rican
Amphibian Research Center (CRARC 0243). This discovery comes more than two decades after the last reported
observation of this species, which in recent years has been considered as possibly extinct (Pounds et al., 2008).
Craugastor angelicus is endemic to Costa Rica, with populations recorded from the Cordillera de Guanacaste
(Cerro Cacao), the Cordillera de Tilarán, and the Cordillera Volcánica Central at elevations from 656 to 1,600 m
(Savage, 2002). This species has been assigned to the Craugastor punctariolus species group, which is comprised
of 34 species that are endemic to Central America (Chaves et al., 2014). Eight species from this group have been
documented in Costa Rica, and all are believed to have suffered major declines, with seven of the eight species
listed on the IUCN Red List as Critically Endangered (IUCN, 2016); extant populations of only three of the eight
species native to Costa Rica (i.e., C. fleischmanni, C. ranoides, and C. taurus) were known to exist due to confirmed
observations or collections made during the last decade (Puschendorf et al., 2005; Ryan et al., 2011; Chaves et al.,
2014). Herein I confirm the presence of a fourth species (C. angelicus) in Costa Rica.
Craugastor angelicus is distinguished from the other members of the C. punctariolus species group in lower
Mesoamerica based on the presence of white nuptial pads and the absence of vocal slits (Savage, 1975, 2002). The
male specimen we rediscovered displays white nuptial pads (Fig. 2) and lacks vocal slits, confirming its identi-
fication as C. angelicus according to our current taxonomic understanding of the C. punctariolus species group.
Craugastor angelicus is one of two species in the C. punctariolus species group that has been documented to inhabit
the Cordillera de Tilarán; the other species documented from this area is C. ranoides, but at elevations below 1,300
m (Savage, 2002).

Fig. 1. An adult male Craugastor angelicus (SVL 50.8 mm) Fig. 2. The white nuptial pad structure evident on
discovered in the Cordillera de Tilarán, Provincia de Guanacaste, Finger I of the male Craugastor angelicus discovered
Costa Rica, in July of 2016. ' © Brian Kubicki in the Cordillera de Tilarán, Provincia de Guanacaste,
Costa Rica, in July of 2016. ' © Brian Kubicki

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Other Contributions Miscellaneous Notes

Acknowledgments.––I collected the specimen under scientific collecting permit SINAC-SE-CUS-

PI-R-058-2016, issued to me by the Ministerio de Ambiente y Energía (MINAE).

Literature Cited
Chaves, G., H. Zumbado-Ulate, A. García-Rodríguez, E. Gómez, Puschendorf, R., G. Chaves, A. J. Crawford, and D. R. Brooks.
V. T. Vredenburg, and M. J. Ryan. 2014. Rediscovery of 2005. Natural History Notes. Eleutherodactylus ranoides
the Critically Endangered streamside frog, Craugastor tau- (NCN). Dry forest population, refuge from decline? Herpeto-
rus (Craugastoridae), in Costa Rica. Tropical Conservation logical Review 36: 53.
Science 7: 628–638. Ryan, M.J., Bolaños, F., and Chaves, G. 2011. Museums help pri-
IUCN 2016. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version oritize conservation goals. Science. 329(5,997): 1,272–1,273.
2016-2. (www.iucnredlist.org; accessed 1 October 2016). Savage, J. M. 1975. Systematics and distribution of the Mexican
Pounds, J., F. Bolaños, and G. Chaves. 2008. Craugastor and Central American stream frogs related to Eleutherodacty-
angelicus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2008: lus rugulosus. Copeia: 254–306.
e.T56418A11473990. (www.dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN. Savage, J. M. 1975. Systematics and distribution of the Mexican
UK.2008.RLTS.T56418A11473990.en; accessed 1 October and Central American stream frogs related to Eleutherodacty-
2016). lus rugulosus. Copeia: 254–306.

Brian Kubicki
Costa Rican Amphibian Research Center, Guayacán, Provincia de Limón, Costa Rica. E-mail: [email protected]

Comments on the distribution and conservation of Morelet’s Leaf Frog,

Agalychnis moreletii (Amphibia: Hylidae), in Oaxaca, Mexico
Agalychnis moreletti (Dumeril, 1853) is distributed in disjunct populations on the Atlantic versant from northeastern
Puebla and southeastern Veracruz, Mexico, to northwestern Honduras, and on the Pacific versant from south-central
Guerrero, Mexico, to central El Salvador, at elevations from 200 to 2,130 m (Köhler, 2011; Frost, 2016).
On 17 June 2016 at 1940 h, we observed an adult female A. moreletii crossing Mexican federal highway 131
at ca. 1.7 km (straight line) SSW of San Gabriel Mixtepec, Municipio de San Gabriel Mixtepec, Oaxaca, Mexico
(16.079700ºN, -97.085831ºW; WGS 84), elev. ca. 781 m. The frog was found next to a small roadside stand of
coffee trees, where we then found a single adult male. We returned to the same site on 19 June at 2200 h, and found
four additional adult males calling from branches in coffee trees (Fig. 1). A photograph of one of these individuals
is deposited in the University of Texas at El Paso Biodiversity Digital Collection (Photo Voucher UTEP G-2016.28).
Agalychnis moreletii has been reported from several localities in Oaxaca: Campamento Vista Hermosa, K.U.
(2, 1 tadpole); Mirador, A.M.N.H. (10); Nuevo Raza Zacatepec, U.I.M.N.H. (1); 28.2 km N of Pochutla, U.M.M.Z.;
7.1 km N of San Gabriel Mixtepec, U.T.A. (1); 13 km S of San Gabriel Mixtepec, U.S.N.M. (2, 1 egg, 1 tadpole*);
2 km S of Vista Hermosa, K.U. (23, 2 tadpoles, 2 eggs) (Duellman, 2001). Caldwell (1974) also reported A. mo-
reletii N of San Gabriel, in 1969 and 1970. This species, however, was not detected during surveys conducted by
Lips et al. (2004) at the same localities in July of 2000. Consequently, Lips et al. (2004) suggested that A. moreletii
potentially had been extirpated from the Sierra Madre del Sur in Oaxaca, and Guerrero, since it had not been col-
lected in this region since 1984. Delia et al. (2013) reported rediscovering the species when they revisited the region
in 2007. Additionally, Caviedes-Solis et al. (2015) reported finding A. moreletii in 2007 at Pluma Hidalgo, in the
Sierra Madre del Sur, and Vázquez-Vega et al. (2015) also found this species in Pluma Hidalgo in 2008, and then

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Other Contributions Miscellaneous Notes

in San José Tenango in 2013 (a new locality), in the

Sierra Madre de Oaxaca. The locality we report here
lies between two preexisting localities (7.1 km N of
San Gabriel Mixtepec, and 13 km S of San Gabriel
Mixtepec) reported by Duellman (2001). These re-
cent discoveries of A. moreletii from historical local-
ities, and new localities within its distribution, sug-
gests that the species might be recovering from the
declines reported in the 1970s and 80s, which were
attributed to Batrachochytridium dendrobatidis in-
fection and habitat loss.
Although we view ongoing habitat loss as a se-
rious problem throughout this region, it is encourag-
ing to find a breeding colony of A. moreletii within
modified habitat (coffee plantation and second-
ary forest). Currently, this species is categorized as
Critically Endangered (CR) by the IUCN, but it was Fig. 1. One of the adult Agalychnis moreletii (UTEP
assigned a low Environmental Vulnerability Score (= G-2016.28) found ca. 1.7 km (straight line) SSW of San
7) by Wilson et al. (2013) based on geographic dis- Gabriel Mixtepec, Municipio de San Gabriel Mixtepec,
tribution, habitat characteristics of reported localities, Oaxaca, Mexico. ' © Vicente Mata-Silva
and reproductive mode. This species was not assigned
a conservation status by SEMARNAT (2010).

Acknowledgments.––A special thanks to Eduardo Mata-Silva for his invaluable assistance in the field, to the
Bolán-Mata family for their great hospitality, and to Aurelio Ramírez-Bautista, Raciel Crúz-Elizalde, and Christian
Berriozabal-Islas for logistical support. The collecting permit (SGPA/DGVS/04287/16) was issued by SEMARNAT
to Aurelio Ramírez-Bautista with extensions to VMS, AR, EGP, DLD, and LDW. Arthur Harris kindly provided the
photo voucher number.

Literature Cited
Caldwell, J. P. 1974. Tropical Treefrog Communities: Patterns Köhler, G. 2011. Amphibians of Central America. Herpeton,
of Reproduction Size, and Utilization of Structural Habitat. Offenbach, Germany.
Unpublished Ph. D. dissertation, University of Kansas, Law- Lips, K. R., J. R. Mendelson III, A. Muñoz-Alonso, L. Canseco-
rence, Kansas, United States. Márquez, and D. G. Mulcahy. 2004. Amphibian population
Caviedes-Solis, I. W., L. F. Vázquez-Vega, I. Solano-Savaleta, declines in montane southern Mexico: resurveys of historical
E. Pérez-Ramos, S. M. Rovito, T. J. Devitt, P. Heimes, O. A. localities. Biological Conservation 119: 555–564.
Flores-Villela, J. A. Campbell, and A. Nieto-Montes de Semarnat (Secretaría de Medio Ambiente y Recursos Natu-
Oca. 2015. Everything is not lost: recent records, rediscov- rales). 2010. Norma Oficial Mexicana NOM-059-SEMAR-
eries, and range extensions of Mexican hylid frogs. Meso- NAT-2010, protección ambiental-especies nativas de México
american Herpetology 2: 230–241. de flora y fauna silvestre-categorías de riesgo y especifica-
Delia, J. R. J., J. L. Whitney, and T. Burkhardt. 2013. Rediscov- ciones para su inclusión, exclusión o cambio-lista de especies
ery of ‘lost’ treefrogs from Oaxacan highlands of Mexico. en riesgo. Diario Oficial de la Federación. México, Mexico.
Biodiversity Conservation 22: 1,405–1,414. Vázquez-Vega, L. F., I. W. Caviedes-Solis, I. Solano-Zavelata, R.
Duellman, W. E. 2001. The Hylid Frogs of Middle America. 2nd Villegas-García, and O. A. Flores-Villela. 2015. Distribu-
ed. 2 Volumes. Contributions to Herpetology, Volume 18, tion Notes. Agalychnis moreletii (Duméril, 1853). Mesoamer-
Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles, Ithaca, ican Herpetology 2: 538–539.
New York, United States. Wilson, L. D., J. D. Johnson, and V. Mata-Silva. 2013. A conser-
Frost, D. 2016. Amphibian Species of the World: An Online Ref- vation reassessment of the amphibians of Mexico based on
erence. Version 6.0. American Museum of Natural History, the EVS measure. Amphibian and Reptile Conservation 7:
New York, New York, United States. (www.research.amnh. 97–127.
org/her[etology/amphibia/index/html; accessed 13 Novem-
ber 2016).

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Other Contributions Miscellaneous Notes

Vicente Mata-Silva1, Dominic L. DeSantis1, Elí García-Padilla2, Arturo Rocha1, Larry David
Wilson3, and Aurelio Ramírez-Bautista4
Department of Biological Sciences, The University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, Texas 79968-0500, United States.
1

E-mail: [email protected] (VMS, Corresponding author)

2
Calle Hidalgo, Colonia Santa Úrsula Coapa, Delegación Coyoacán, C. P. 04700, D.F., Mexico.
Centro Zamorano de Biodiversidad, Escuela Agrícola Panamericana Zamorano, Departmento de Francisco Morazán,
3

Honduras; 16010 SW 207th Avenue, Miami, Florida 33187-1056, United States.

Additional comments on the geographic distribution and conservation

status of the recently rediscovered Voiceless Treefrog, Charadrahyla altipotens
(Duellman, 1968) from Oaxaca, Mexico
Long considered a rare species, C. altipotens is known from only a handful of localities along the Pacific slopes of
the Sierra Madre del Sur and Montañas y Valles de Occidente physiographic regions in Oaxaca, Mexico (Duellman,
1970; Mata-Silva et al., 2015). Among the many cloud forest frog populations of southern Mexico (Guerrero,
Oaxaca, and Chiapas) reported to be in severe decline by Lips et al. (2004), Charadrahyla altipotens was among
those species considered to be possibly extinct (Stuart et al., 2008). This montane stream-breeding hylid had not
been collected since 1970 (VertNet, 2016), presumably due to a population decline driven by a combination of hab-
itat loss and Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis infections (Santos-Barrera and Canseco-Márquez, 2004).
Recently, Barrio-Amorós et al. (2016) reported the rediscovery of this species with the finding of three adult
individuals from three new localities, two in Municipio de San Pedro El Alto, and one in Municipio de San Agustín
Loxicha, as well as “hundreds” of tadpoles that presumably were those of C. altipotens.
Herein we report additional distribution and life history information for C. altipotens, and make additional
comments regarding its conservation status. In June of 2016, we encountered three individuals of C. altipotens
from two new localities in the Sierra Madre del Sur, Oaxaca, Mexico, both representing slight westward extensions
from the type locality (Duellman, 1968; 37 km N (by road) San Gabriel Mixtepec, Oaxaca, Mexico). On 16 June
2016 at 2311 h, we found a single adult female (Fig. 1) on the branch of a broadleaf tree overhanging a fast-flowing
stream (Fig. 2). The stream intersects a road approximately 5.6 km E of the town of Santa Catarina Juquila, Oaxaca,
Mexico (16.243931°N, -97.241367°W; elev. 1,995 m). This locality lies ca. 10 km W of a paratype locality and ca.
11 km WSW of the type locality. Our locality also represents an elevational extension for the species from 1,900
to 1,995 m. The individual was found approximately 2.5 m above the surface of the water, perched within 2 m of
a calling male of another imperiled and recently rediscovered hylid, Plectrohyla hazelae (Heimes and Aguilar,
2011; Caviedes-Solis et al., 2015). In addition to this adult, on 16 and 18 June 2016 we encountered two juvenile
C. altipotens (Fig. 3) on a paved road approximately 3.6 km (16.235620°N, -97.257109°W; 1,750 m) and 3.8 km
E (16.236936°N, -97.255507°W; 1,794 m) of Santa Catarina Juquila. These two frogs likely were recent meta-
morphs, as the SVL of the individual we examined (19.0 mm) was similar to that of two metamorphs reared from
tadpoles in captivity (17.5 and 19.7 mm) (Duellman, 1970). Both juveniles were found shortly after heavy rains in
the area. The adult frog is deposited in the herpetological collection of the Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas
of the Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Hidalgo (CIB-5037) and a photograph of each of the two juveniles
is deposited in the University of Texas at El Paso Biodiversity Collection (Photo Vouchers UTEP G-2016.26 and
G-2016.27).

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Other Contributions Miscellaneous Notes

Fig 1. Adult female Yellow-bellied Voiceless Treefrog (Charadrahyla altipotens; CIB-5037), from Municipio de Santa Catarina
Juquila, Oaxaca, Mexico. ' © Vicente Mata-Silva

Fig 2. Habitat where an adult female Charadrahyla alitpotens was found. ' © Vicente Mata-Silva

During a study of hylid frogs in the Sierra Madre del Sur from September of 1969 to August of 1970, Caldwell
(1974) documented most of what is known regarding the natural history of C. altipotens. During those surveys,
adults and juveniles seldom were encountered away from streams, and no individuals were observed more than
120 cm from the water’s edge (Caldwell, 1974). Caldwell’s (1974) surveys also indicated that C. altipotens breeds
during the dry season (November–May) with metamorphosis occurring during the rainy season (June–October),
further corroborating our presumption that the juveniles we encountered on 16 and 18 June 2016 were recent

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Other Contributions Miscellaneous Notes

metamorphs. Interestingly, neither of the two juveniles reported here were found near streams, indicating that meta-
morphs might use frequent summer rains to facilitate dispersal across otherwise unfavorable habitats in search of
new streamside haunts.
The habitat where all three individuals were found was moderately- to heavily-disturbed montane pine-oak
forest, with the adult being found in dense riparian streamside vegetation. The stream where the adult was collected
was under anthropogenic pressure from logging on its banks and associated pollution from those activities (oil and
gasoline in water, littered plastics, etc.). Santos-Barrera and Canseco-Márquez (2004) noted that the range of C. al-
tipotens encompasses no protected areas, and in the light of this species’ recent rediscovery, increased efforts for the
protection of the dwindling remaining habitat for this montane streamside specialist must occur. The discovery of
this species in multiple new localities, as well as those reported here proximate to the type locality, is an encourag-
ing sign that this species is persisting despite being found in unprotected and altered habitats. Currently, this species
is assigned to the Critically Endangered (CR) threat category by the IUCN (Santos-Barrera and Canseco-Márquez,
2004), designated as Protected (Pr) by SEMARNAT (2010), and assessed as a species with medium environmental
vulnerability (score = 12) with the EVS system (Wilson et al., 2013; Mata-Silva et al., 2015). Until further infor-
mation regarding this species’ current geographic distribution is gathered, we recommend maintaining the current
conservation statuses designated by both the IUCN and SEMARNAT systems.
In addition to C. altipotens, we discovered breeding colonies of several other hylids of conservation concern
in the same area, including P. hazelae, Ptychohyla leonhardshultzei, and Sarcohyla pentheter (DeSantis et al., This
Issue). Thus, despite being modified by human activities and likely exposed to Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis
(Lips et al., 2004), the areas surrounding the town of Santa Catarina Juquila appear to allow for the persistence of
seemingly sensitive cloud forest hylid populations. Further, this situation is illustrated by the recent rediscovery of
breeding colonies of another “lost” hylid from near Santa Catarina Juquila, Plectrohyla thorectes (Caviedes-Solis et
al., 2015). Lastly, the appropriately named Yellow-bellied Voiceless Treefrog (C. altipotens) lacks vocal slits and a
vocal sac (Duellman, 1970), and the absence of conspicuously calling males might have contributed to the extensive
period of time between the last known specimens and those recently reported by Barrio-Amorós et al., (2016) and
herein. In support of the report by Delia et al. (2013), we further emphasize the value of continued survey efforts in
areas of past occurrence for other “lost” anurans even when historical localities are under increasing human related
pressures (Mata-Silva et al., 2015).

Fig 3. Two juvenile Charadrahyla alitpotens, found on a paved road in the Municipio de Santa Catarina Juquila on 16 (A) and
18 (B) June 2016 (UTEP G-2016.26 and G-2016-27, respectively). ' © Vicente Mata-Silva

Acknowledgments.––Our sincere gratitude to Eduardo Mata-Silva for assisting in the field; to the Bolán-
Mata family for their great hospitality; to Raciel Crúz-Elizalde, and Christian Berriozabal-Islas for logistical sup-
port; and to William E. Duellman for species confirmation. The collecting permit (SGPA/DGVS/04287/16) was
issued by SEMARNAT to ARB with extensions to DLD, VMS, EGP, AR, and LDW. Irene G. Mayer-Goyenechea
kindly provided the specimen number, and Arthur Harris the photo voucher numbers.

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Other Contributions Miscellaneous Notes

Literature Cited
Barrio-Amorós, C. L., U. O. García-Vásquez, M. Domínguez- Heimes, P., and R. Aguilar. 2011. Plectrohyla hazelae (Taylor,
Laso, and A. Nieto-Montes de Oca. 2016. Charadrahyla 1940) not extinct. Herpetological Review 42: 41–42.
altipotens (Anura: Hylidae), a Critically Endangered tree- Lips, K. R., J. R. Mendelson, III, A. Muñós-Alonzo, L. Canseco-
frog rediscovered in Oaxaca, Mexico. Mesoamerican Her- Márquez, and D. G. Mulcahy. 2004. Amphibian populations
petology 3: 787–790. decline in montane southern Mexico: resurveys of historical
Caldwell, J. A. 1974. Tropical Treefrogs Communities: Patterns localities. Biological Conservation 119: 555–564.
of Reproduction, Size, and Utilization of Structural Habitat. Mata-Silva, V., J. D. Johnson, L. D. Wilson, and E. García-
Unpublished Ph. D. dissertation, University of Kansas, Law- Padilla. 2015. The herpetofauna of Oaxaca, Mexico: com-
rence, Kansas, United States. position, physiographic distribution, and conservation status.
Caviedes-Solis, I. W., L. F. Vásquez-Vega, I. Solano-Zavaleta, Mesoamerican Herpetology 2: 6–62.
E. Pérez-Ramos, S. M. Rovito, T. J. Devitt, P. Heimes, O. A. Santos-Barrera, G., and L. Canseco-Márquez. 2004. Charadra-
Flores-Villela, J. A. Campbell, and A. Nieto-Montes de hyla altipotens. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
Oca. 2015. Everything is not lost: recent records, rediscov- e.T55384A11288683. Version 2016-3. (www.iucnredlist.org;
eries, and range extensions of Mexican hylid frogs. Meso- accessed 3 November 2016).
american Herpetology 2: 230–241.
Semarnat (Secretaría de Medio Ambiente y Recursos Natu-
Delia, J. R., J. L. Whitney, and T. Burkhardt. 2013. Rediscovery rales). 2010. Norma Oficial Mexicana NOM-059-SEMAR-
of ‘lost’ treefrogs from the Oaxacan highlands of Mexico. NAT-2010, protección ambiental-especies nativas de México
Biodiversity Conservation 22: 1,405–1,414. de flora y fauna silvestre-categorías de riesgo y especifica-
DeSantis, D. L., V. Mata-Silva, E. García-Padilla, A. Rocha, ciones para su inclusión, exclusión o cambio-lista de especies
L. D. Wilson, and A. Ramírez-Bautista. 2016. Distribution en riesgo. Diario Oficial de la Federación, México, D.F.,
Notes. Sarcohyla pentheter (Adler, 1965). Mesoamerican Mexico.
Herpetology 3: 1,073–1,076. Stuart, S. N., M. Hoffmann, J. S. Chanson, N. A. Cox, R. J.
Duellman, W. E. 1968. Descriptions of new hylid frogs from Berridge, P. Ramani, and B. E. Young. 2008. Threatened
Mexico and Central America. University of Kansas Publica- Amphibians of the World. Lynx Editions, Barcelona, Spain;
tions, Museum of Natural History 17: 559–578. International Union for the Conservation of Nature, Gland,
Duellman, W. E. 1970. The Hylid Frogs of Middle America. 2 Switzerland; and Conservation International, Arlington, Vir-
Volumes. Monograph of the Museum of Natural History, ginia, United States.
The University of Kansas, Number 1, Lawrence, Kansas, VertNet. 2016. (www.vertnet.org; accessed 26 November 2016).
United States. Wilson, L. D., J. D. Johnson, and V. Mata-Silva. 2013. A conser-
Duellman, W. E. 2001. The Hylid Frogs of Middle America. 2nd vation reassessment of the amphibians of Mexico based on the
ed. Contributions to Herpetology, Volume 18, Society for EVS measure. Special Mexico Issue. Amphibian and Reptile
the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles, Ithaca, New York, Conservation 7: 97–127.
United States.

Dominic L. DeSantis1, Vicente Mata-Silva1, Elí García-Padilla2, Arturo Rocha1, Larry David
Wilson3, and Aurelio Ramírez-Bautista4
Department of Biological Sciences, The University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, Texas 79968-0500, United States.
1

E-mail: [email protected] (VMS, Corresponding author)

2
Calle Hidalgo, Colonia Santa Úrsula Coapa, Delegación Coyoacán, C. P. 04700, D.F., Mexico.
Centro Zamorano de Biodiversidad, Escuela Agrícola Panamericana Zamorano, Departmento de Francisco Morazán,
3

Honduras; 16010 SW 207th Avenue, Miami, Florida 33187-1056, United States.

Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas, Instituto de Ciencias Básicas e Ingeniería, Universidad Nacional Autónoma del
4

Estado de Hidalgo, Carretera Pachuca-Tulancingo Km 4.5, Colonia Carboneras, C. P. 42184, Mineral de la Reforma,
Hidalgo, Mexico. E-mail: [email protected]

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Notes on a leucistic Ambystoma flavipiperatum Dixon, 1963

(Caudata: Ambystomatidae)
The Yellow-peppered Salamander, Ambystoma flavipiperatum Dixon, 1963, is endemic to the Mexican state of
Jalisco (Frost, 2016). The known distribution of A. flavipiperatum is restricted to the Sierra de Quila in the munic-
ipality of Tecolotlán, Jalisco (Santiago-Pérez, et al., 2012; Rosas-Espinoza, et al., 2013; Ahumanda-Carrillo, et al.,
2014).
This mountain range has been established as a wildlife refuge (as Área de Protección de Flora y Fauna Sierra
de Quila), and its principal vegetation type is pine-oak forest (Santiago-Pérez et al., 2012). The herpetofauna of this
range was studied by Santiago-Pérez et al. (2012), who recorded 69 species, including 21 anurans, two salamanders,
45 squamates, and one turtle.
On 2 October 2016, we conducted vegetation sampling at a site in oak-pine forest (20°17'05.92"N,
104°01'12.24"W; WGS 84), elev. 2,179 m, located ca. 23 km E of Atengo and ca. 9 km NNE of Tecolotlán, Jalisco.
During our sampling, we came across a stream about 30 m from our campsite, along which closed-canopy gallery
forest was growing. The spring was spring-fed and submerged and reemerged at intervals. About 100 m downstream
from a point where the water resurfaced, we found a pool that measured 65.5 cm in depth, 5.07 m in width, and 2.6m
in length (Fig. 1B). We encountered approximately six aquatic individuals of A. flavipiperatum in the pool, of which
one lacked the typical coloration and displayed the characteristics of a leucistic individual Bechtel (1995). We found
approximately 50 other individuals in the stream, all with normal coloration.
In the original description of A. flavipiperatum, Dixon (1963) did not indicate the body shape or coloration of
the larvae. Santiago-Pérez et al. (2012), however, mentioned that the larvae and neotenic individuals are brown to
yellowish brown in coloration, with rounded black spots and small yellow spots on the dorsal portion of the body
(Fig. 2B).
The leucistic individual (Figs. 2A, 3) measured 122.9 mm in total length and 65.2 mm in snout–vent length.
The coloration of this individual was recorded as follows: anterodorsal portion of head Pinkish White (Color 216),
becoming Smokey White (Color 261) on the remainder of head; dorsum of body with a Pinkish White (Color 216)
stripe from nuchal region along middorsum to tail, with scattered punctations; lateral portions of body Smoky White
(Color 261), with irregularly distributed Pale Buff (Color 1) spots and very small black punctations (description
based on Köhler, 2012). This leucistic individual is paedomorphic, with three external gills on either side, each with
numerous black-tipped reddish filaments; the reddish coloration apparently is the result of vascularization, as at or
near maturity some Axolotls (A. mexicana) are known to acquire a degree of pigmentation (Bechtel, 1995). A thesis
on the population ecology of A. flavipiperatum at the same locality makes no mention of the presence of atypically
colored individuals (Urzúa Sánchez, 2016).
This individual represents the first record of leucism in A. flavipiperatum. The salamander was easy to locate
and collect in the wild (Fig. 4), whereas normally colored individuals were well camouflaged against the debris on
the bottom of the pool.
Ambystoma flavipiperatum is one of two herpetofaunal species endemic to Jalisco; the other species is
Eleutherodactylus grunwaldi (D. Cruz-Sáenz et al., F. Muñoz-Nolasco, V. Mata-Silva, J. Johnson, E. García-
Padilla, and L. Wilson, unpublished). This salamander has been assessed as Endangered by the IUCN, as a species
of Special Protection by SEMARNAT, and was given an Environmental Vulnerability Score of 14, placing it at the
lower limit of the high vulnerability category (Wilson et al., 2013). Given the relatively imperiled conservation sta-
tus of this salamander, fortunately its entire known range lies within a state-level protected area (D. D. Cruz-Sáenz,
F. Muñoz-Nolasco, V. Mata-Silva, J. Johnson, E. García-Padilla, and L. Wilson, unpublished).

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Fig. 1. (A) Oak-pine forest at the collection site of the leucistic individual of Ambystoma flavipiperatum. (B) The stream in
which the leucistic individual of A. flavipiperatum was found. ' © Erika Sugey Mata-García

Fig. 2. Neotenic individuals of Ambystoma flavipiperatum from the Área de Protección de Flora y Fauna Sierra de Quila,
Jalisco. (A) The leucistic individual of Ambystoma flavipiperatum; and (B, C ) the earlier and later stages of normally-colored
individuals of A. flavipiperatum. ' © Erika Sugey Mata-García

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Fig. 3. A leucistic paedomorphic individual of Ambystoma flavipiperatum from the Área de Protección de Flora y Fauna Sierra
de Quila, Jalisco. ' © Erika Sugey Mata-García

Fig. 4. A leucistic individual of Ambystoma flavipiperatum in a pool in the stream at the collection site.
' © Erika Sugey Mata-García

Acknowledgments.—We thank Lizett Carolina Núñez-Carrillo, Julio Alejandro Arias-Hernández, and Diego
Brizuela-Torres for field assistance, and Erika Sugey Mata-García for the use of her photographs. The collecting
permit was issued to Fausto R. Mendez-de la Cruz by SEMARNAT OFICIO NÚM. (SGPA/DGVS/01629/16) with
an extension to DCS.

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Literature Cited
Ahumada-Carrillo, I. T., O. F. Reyna-Bustos, and C. Vázquez- Distribution of some amphibians from central western Mexi-
Ruiz. 2014. Geographic distribution: Ambystoma flavipiper- co: Jalisco. Revista Mexicana de Biodiversidad 84: 690–696.
atum. Herpetological Review 45: 85. Santiago-Pérez, A. L., M. Domínguez-Laso, V. C. Rosas-Espinoza,
Bechtel, H. Bernard. 1995. Reptile and Amphibian Variants: and J. M. Rodríguez-Canseco. 2012. Anfibios y Reptiles
Colors, Patterns, and Scales. Krieger Publishing Company, de las Montañas de Jalisco: Sierra de Quila. Universidad de
Malabar, Florida, United States. Guadalajara / CONABIO (Comisión Nacional para el Con-
Dixon, J. R. 1963. A new species of salamander of the genus ocimiento y Uso de la Biodiversidad), Jalisco, Mexico, and
Ambystoma from Jalisco, Mexico. Copeia 1963: 99–101. México, D.F., Mexico.
Frost, D. R. 2016. 2016. Amphibian Species of the World: an Urzúa Sánchez, A. 2016. Variación genética y flujo genético del
Online Reference. Version 6.0. American Museum of Natu- ajolote (Ambystoma flavipiperatum) en Sierra de Quila, Jalis-
ral History. New York, United States. (www.research.amnh. co, México. Unpublished Licenciatura thesis, Universidad de
org/ herpetology/amphibia/index.html; accessed 14 October Guadalajara, Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico.
2016). Wilson, L. D., J. D. Johnson, and V. Mata-Silva. 2013. A con-
Köhler, G. 2012. Color Catalogue for Field Biologists Bilingual servation reassessment of the amphibians of Mexico based
Edition. Herpeton, Offenbach, Germany. on the EVS measure. Contribution to Special Mexico Issue.
Amphibian & Reptile Conservation 7: 97–127.
Rosas-Espinoza, V. C., J. M. Rodríguez-Canseco, A. L. Santiago-
Pérez, A. Ayón-Escobedo, and M. Domínguez-Laso. 2013.

Santiago Cortés-Vázquez1, Daniel Cruz-Sáenz1, and Larry David Wilson2

1
Centro de Estudios en Zoología, CUCBA, Universidad de Guadalajara, Apartado Postal 1-1919, Zapopan, Jalisco,
44101, México. E-mail: [email protected] and [email protected]
Centro Zamorano de Biodiversidad, Escuela Agrícola Panamericana Zamorano, Departamento de Francisco Morazán,
2

Honduras. E-mail: [email protected]

Aquiloeurycea quetzalanensis (Parra-Olea, Canseco-Márquez, and García-París, 2004). Elevation. The

plethodontid genus Pseudoeurycea (sensu lato) recently was partitioned into the genera Isthmura, Aquiloeurycea,
and Pseudoeurycea (sensu stricto) (Rovito et al., 2015). Together with Ixalotriton, these genera comprise a highly
speciose clade of morphologically divergent salamanders, generally occurring at high (> 2,000 m) elevations along
mountain chains in Mexico and Guatemala (Wiens et al., 2007). Ongoing research efforts, however, revealed that
some species occur at much lower elevations (e.g. Parra-Olea et al., 2005; Wiens et al., 2007; Rovito et al., 2015).
Aquiloeurycea quetzalanensis can be found at mid- to high elevations along the northern versant of the Sierra Madre
Oriental in northeastern Puebla, Mexico (Parra-Olea et al., 2004; Mociño-Deloya et al., 2007). During the evening
of 13–14 February 2015, we observed two adult individuals of A. quetzalanensis walking on top of large leaves
along the banks of the Río Cuichat, at ca. 500 m S of San Andrés Tzicuilan, Municipio de Cuetzalan del Progreso,
Puebla, Mexico (20.009086°N, -97.506067°W, WGS 84; elev. 830 m). The individuals were identified as A. quet-
zalanensis based on their small size, the presence of glandular convergent ridges on the tail, nearly fully-webbed
hands and feet, pale brown tail tips, and presence of scattered metallic blue spots on the flanks (Fig. 1). Syntopic
herpetofauna included Ecnomiohyla miotympanum, Craugastor decoratus, and Norops cf. naufragus.
Aquiloeurycea quetzalanensis has been reported to inhabit elevations from 905 to 1,400 m, with its distribu-
tion largely restricted to mesophilic forest (Parra-Olea et al., 2004; Canseco-Márquez and Gutierrez Mayen, 2006).
Subsequently, Mociño-Deloya et al. (2007) reported this species from pine-oak forest and montane cloud forest, and
also reported an individual found at an elevation of 1,900 m, the highest known for this species. Although modest
in absolute extent, the record we report expands the elevational range of this species, a significant finding because it
represents an exceptionally low occurrence for Pseudoeurycea (sensu lato). Of the 54 species previously attributed

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Other Contributions Miscellaneous Notes

to this taxon, only Isthmura maxima is known to occur at even lower elevations (730 m; Parra-Olea et al., 2005).
Perhaps A. quetzalanensis has reached this low elevation and persists there by adapting to the largely undisturbed,
humid, mesophilic forest along the steep and deeply carved valley of the Río Cuichat (Fig. 2). Determining if
Mesoamerican salamanders, or other generally montane herpetofaunal species, often occupy such peripheral habi-
tats would be an interesting research project.

Fig. 1. An adult individual of Aquiloeurycea quetzalanensis found along the banks of the Río Cuichat, at ca. 500 m S of San
Andrés Tzicuilan, Municipio de Cuetzalan del Progreso, Puebla, Mexico. ' © Wouter Beukema

Fig. 2. Mesophilic forest along the steep and deeply carved valley of the Río Cuichat, in Puebla, Mexico. ' © Wouter Beukema

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Literature Cited
Canseco-Márquez, L. and M. G. Gutierrez Mayen. 2006. Her- Parra-Olea, G., M. García-París, T. J. Papenfuss, and D. B.
petofauna del Municipio de Cuetzalan del Progreso, Puebla. Wake. 2005. Systematics of the Pseudoeurycea belli (Cau-
Pp. 180–196 In A. Ramírez-Bautista, L. Canseco-Márquez data: Plethodontidae) species complex. Herpetologica 61:
and F. Mendoza-Quijano (Eds.), Inventarios Herpeto- 145–158.
faunísticos de México: Avances en el Conocimiento de su Rovito, S. M., G. Parra-Olea, E. Recuero, and D. B. Wake. 2015.
Biodiversidad. Sociedad Herpetológica Mexicana, México, Diversification and biogeographical history of Neotropical
D.F., Mexico. plethodontid salamanders. Zoological Journal of the Linnean
Mociño-Deloya, E., U. O. García-Vásquez, I. Solano-Zavaleta Society 175: 167–188.
and M. Zosado-Luna. 2007. Geographic Distribution. Pseu- Wiens, J. J., G. Parra-Olea, M. García-París, and D. B. Wake.
doeurycea quetzalanensis (Cuetzalan Salamander). Herpeto- 2007. Phylogenetic history underlies elevational biodiversity
logical Review 38: 213. patterns in tropical salamanders. Proceedings of the Royal
Parra-Olea, G., L. Canseco-Márquez ,and M. García-París. Society B 274: 919–928.
2004. A morphologically distinct new species of Pseudo-
eurycea (Caudata: Plethodontidae) from the Sierra Madre
Oriental of Puebla, México. Herpetologica 60: 78–84.

Lucía Manzanares1 and Wouter Beukema2

Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, 2610, Belgium.
1

E-mail: [email protected] (Corresponding author)

2
Department of Pathology, Bacteriology and Avian Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University,
Salisburylaan 133, 9820 Merelbeke, Belgium.

Second individual of a recently discovered species of salamander,

Bolitoglossa chucantiensis (Caudata: Plethodontidae), from eastern Panama
Bolitoglossa is the largest and most widely distributed genus of plethodontid salamanders, which includes about
16% of the recognized species (Parra-Olea et al., 2004). In total, 131 species of Bolitoglossa are distributed from
northeastern Mexico to Peru, Bolivia, and Brazil (AmphibiaWeb, 2016; Kubicki and Arias, 2016). Four species of
this genus, regarded as in the adspersa group, were known from eastern Panama (B. biseriata, B. cuna, B. medemi,
and B. taylori; Jaramillo et al., 2010), and Batista et al. (2014) described a new species (B. chucantiensis) of this
group from this region. Bolitoglossa chucantiensis differs from these congeners by the presence of a greater number
of maxillary teeth in proportion to the snout–vent length (SVL), a brown dorsal coloration with large patches with
yellow speckling, and the feet are completely webbed, with a slight indentation present between the tips of the toes
and fingers.
After the description of B. chucantiensis, two trips were made to the type locality to search for additional
specimens, specifically to gather data for evaluating the morphological variation and ecology of this species. During
the first trip to this area (2–4 April 2015), three of us (AB, MM, and MP) conducted an unsuccessful search. On the
second trip we spent five nights (10–14 October 2016) camping in cloud forest in the vicinity of the type locality,
at elevations from 1,200 and 1,449 m. On 14 October 2016 at 0118 h, we found a specimen of B. chucantiensis
(08.80467°N, 78.45896°W; datum WGS 84), 200 m N from where the holotype was collected. This specimen (de-
posited at the Museo Herpetológico de Chiriquí, MHCH 3217, original field number AB 2087; Fig. 1) was found
at an elevation of 1,424 m, 100 m N from the top of Cerro Chucantí, at a temperature of 21°C. The salamander was
found 2 m above the ground on a bromeliad leaf, when a gentle breeze was blowing. A heavy rain, however, had
fallen the previous evening from 1500 to 1700 h. Characteristics of the new specimen resembled the description of
the B. chucantiensis (Batista et al., 2014), as it measured 52 mm in snout–vent length (SVL), 59 mm in tail length

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(TL), and had a count of 65 maxillary teeth (MT), (Table. 1); compared to the holotype (SMF 97141), however, it
also shows marginal differences, with the number of teeth being the most conspicuous (Table 1). Nonetheless, no
significant morphometric differences are present between the holotype and this topotypic specimen, as the propor-
tions are similar (Table 1).

Fig. 1. The second specimen of Bolitoglossa chucantiensis found at the type locality. (A) At the site of encounter; (B) a lateral
view of the head, one day after collection; (C, D) a frontal view; and (E) a lateral view of the body.
' © Abel Batista (A, C, and E) and Madian Miranda (B)

Bolitoglossa chucantiensis only is known from premontane cloud forest on Cerro Chucantí, with the two
specimens having been found on a bromeliad and a palm leaf, at elevations above 1,200 m; its known distribution
currently is estimated at fewer than 2 km2, at the summit of Cerro Chucantí (see Batista et al., This issue). To date,
we have spent 147 man/h searching for amphibians and reptiles in the vicinity of the type locality, and encountered
only two specimens. Because of the intensive surveys we have conducted on Cerro Chucantí and other areas of the
Cordillera de Majé, in addition to other fieldwork in cloud forests in eastern Panama (in the province of Darién),
we presume that the distribution of B. chucantiensis is restricted to Cerro Chucantí. Accordingly, we suggest that by
applying the IUCN red list criteria B1ab(ii,iii)+2ab(ii,iii) (IUCN, 2012), this species should be assessed as Critically
Endangered. The distribution of this species is extremely restricted, as it has been found in only one isolated peak, in
an area where the quality of the habitat and area of occupancy of this species continues to decline as a result of hab-
itat degradation caused by logging for pastures. This species also has been assessed an Environmental Vulnerability
Score of 18, placing it in the upper portion of the high vulnerability category (Johnson et al., 2015).

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Table 1. Measurements and proportions of the two known specimens of Bolitoglossa

chucantiensis. Abbreviations are the same as in Batista et al. (2014).
Measurements Proportions
Characters (mm) Holotype Topotype Characters Holotype Topotype
SLV 47 52 TL/SVL 1.17 1.13
TL 55 59 HW/SVL 0.16 0.15
SG 11.74 12 MT/SVL 1.6 1.25
HW 7.63 8 VT/SVL 0.53 0.44
HD 6.41 4 HAW/SVL 0.08 0.06
AX 23.18 27 FW/SVL 0.1 0.08
HLL 10 10 SG/SVL 0.25 0.23
FLL 11 9 VT/MT 0.33 0.35
HAW 3.67 3 SVL/HW 6.6 6.5
FW 4.63 4      
LI 13 27      
PMT 2 3      
MT right 38 30      
MT left 37 32      
MT total 75 65      
VT right 13 11      
VT left 12 12      
VT total 25 23      

Acknowledgments.––We thank Jesus Pérez, Benjamín, Luis de León, Sr. Juan Zarzavilla from Rio Pavo and
Austin Garrido for field assistance and help with the translation, and Guido Berguido for his support during our stay
at the Chucanti private reserve. This work was supported financially by ADOPTA Panama.

Literature Cited
AmphibiaWeb. 2016. Information on Amphibian Biology and Amphibians and Reptiles. Eagle Mountain Publishing, LC,
Conservation. Berkeley, California, United States. (www. Eagle Mountain, Utah, United States.
amphibiaweb.org; accessed 23 October 2016). Johnson J. D., V. Mata-Silva, and L. D. Wilson. 2015. A conserva-
Batista, A., G. Köhler, K. Mebert, and M. Vesely. 2014a. A tion reassessment of the Central American herpetofauna based
new species of Bolitoglossa (Amphibia: Plethodontidae) on the EVS measure. Amphibian & Reptile Conservation 9(2)
from eastern Panama, with comments on other species of the [General Section}: 1–94 (e100).
adspersa species group from eastern Panama. Mesoameri- Kubicki, B., and E. Arias. 2016. A beautiful new salamander, genus
can Herpetology 1: 97–121. Bolitoglossa (Caudata: Plethodontidae), from the northeastern
Batista A., K. Merbert, S. Lotzkat, and L. D. Wilson. 2016. slopes of the Cordillera de Talamanca, Costa Rica. Zootaxa
A new species of centipede snake of the genus Tantilla 4,184: 329–346.
(Squamata: Colubridae) from an isolated premontane forest Parra-Olea, G., M. García-París, and D. B. Wake. (2004) Molec-
in eastern Panama. Mesoamerican Herpetology 3: 948–959. ular diversification of salamanders of the tropical American
Jaramillo, C. A., L. D. Wilson, R. Ibáñez, and F. E. Jaramillo. genus Bolitoglossa (Caudata: Plethodontidae) and its evolu-
2010. The herpetofauna of Panama: distribution and conser- tionary and biogeographical implications. Biological Journal
vation status. Pp. 604–671 In L. D. Wilson, J. H. Townsend, of the Linnean Society of London, 81: 325–346.
and J. D. Johnson (Eds.), Conservation of Mesoamerican

Orlando Garcés, Madian Miranda, Rogemif Fuentes, and Abel Batista

Los Naturalistas, P.O. Box 0426-01459, David, Chiriquí, Panama.
E-mails: [email protected] and [email protected] (AB, Corresponding author)

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A new locality for the Endangered Abronia gaiophantasma Campbell and Frost,
1993 (Squamata: Anguidae) in Alta Verapaz, Guatemala, with notes on morphology
Abronia gaiophantasma is endemic to the mountains of central Guatemala (Campbell and Frost, 1993; Köhler,
2008; Acevedo et al., 2010). Because of its small range with no more than five known sites of occurrence, com-
bined with a projected population decline, this species has been classified as Endangered in the IUCN Red List
of Threatened Species (Ariano-Sánchez et al., 2014). Herein we provide information on a new site record for this
species. We used software ESRI ArcView 3.2 for the spatial analyses.
During bird observations in Reserva Natural Privada (RNP) Chelemhá, Montaña Yalijux, Municipio San
Pedro Carchá, Departamento de Alta Verapaz, Guatemala, on 21 May 2016 at 1200 h KE encountered two lizards
of the genus Abronia at (15°23'03.8"N 90°03'51.9"W; WGS 84) elev. 2,270 m. Both individuals were found at-
tached to each other (probably mating) on the ground, in primary cloud forest (30–40 m tall) at approximately 100
m from the forest edge. One of the individuals was photographed at the site of the encounter. MA identified the
individual from the images as adult male A. gaiophantasma (Figs. 1, 2). Voucher photographs are deposited at the
University of Texas at Arlington Digital Collection (UTADC-8675–80). An unidentified Abronia sp. as prey of a
female Resplendent Quetzal, Pharomachrus mocinno (Aves: Trogonidae) in RNP Chelemhá, elev. 2,530 m, was
photographed in 2011 (Eisermann, 2013), and might pertain to the same species. The nearest confirmed record of
A. gaiophantasma is from Chicacnab at Montaña Caquipec (Franzen and Haft, 1999), 13 km to the west (Fig. 3A).
The cloud forest at Montaña Caquipec has become isolated from the forest at Montaña Yalijux as a result of defor-
estation (Fig. 3A).
The observation of A. gaiophantasma in RNP Chelemhá is noteworthy because it represents the first record
of this globally Endangered species for this reserve, and also represents an increase in its documented area of dis-
tribution (Fig. 3). The extent of occurrence (polygon with the shortest continuous boundary encompassing all sites
and all inner angles < 180°) covers approximately 650 km2. Abronia gaiophantasma has been recorded at elevations
from 1,600 to 2,350 m (Wilson and Johnson, 2010) in two life zones: subtropical wet forest (cold), and subtropical
lower montane rain forest (Acevedo et al., 2010). The potential area of distribution according to IUCN (Ariano-
Sánchez et al., 2014) covers approximately 2,700 km2, which includes an arid valley in the western part with un-
suitable habitat (Fig. 3B). A more realistic extent of the potential area of distribution, based on continuous elevation
above 1,500 m, covers 2,300 km2 (Fig. 3B).
According to the coverage of protected areas in Guatemala (CONAP, 2013), of the 2,300 km2 of potential
area of distribution of A. gaiophantasma, 1,190 km2 (52%) are legally protected (Table 1), but only 12.1 km2
(0.5%) are covered by strictly protected areas of IUCN categories I or II (IUCN, 2008). The only protected area of
this category with records of A. gaiophantasma is Biotopo Protegido Mario Dary Rivera, which covers 11.5 km2.
Most of the protected areas within the range of A. gaiophantasma are private nature reserves (Reservas Naturales
Privadas). Although many of these reserves currently are among the best protected in Guatemala, driven by strong
personal interests of the owners, the national law of protected areas (Decreto 4–89, Congreso de la República de
Guatemala, Acuerdo Gubernativo 759–90) does not require a long-term commitment for conservation, or continued
conservation efforts by future land owners. The long-term protection of A. gaiophantasma is threatened by the lack
of strict legal area protection, combined with ongoing habitat fragmentation caused by deforestation (Fig. 3A; see
also Renner et al., 2006; Pope et al., 2015).
Photographs of the adult male A. gaiophantasma in RNP Chelemhá taken at the site of encounter show the
number of longitudinal scale rows. The individual displayed 15 longitudinal rows of large dorsal scales, with scales
1–7 being the lateral scales and number 8 the central scale (Fig. 2). We counted the scale rows based on Campbell
and Frost (1993: p. 11, footnote), who noted that the number of scale rows used in the key refers only to the large
scales, and not the smaller scales along the ventrolateral fold. The number of longitudinal dorsal scale rows differed
from the 12 rows indicated by Campbell and Frost (1993) and Köhler (2008), the latter in a more recent key for the
genus in Central America. Franzen and Haft (1999), however, reported 12 dorsal scale rows in a male, and 14 in
a female. The color of the throat, belly, and ventral surface of the hind legs and tail of the male in RNP Chelemhá
closely matched the Light Greenish Yellow in the color catalogue of Köhler (2012) (Fig. 1C, D, G). The ventral
coloration of individuals in life has not been indicated previously in identification keys (Campbell and Frost, 1993;

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Köhler, 2008), but Franzen and Haft (1999: 152) noted a “yellowish” venter in a male. The observations on the
higher number of scale rows and the ventral coloration, based on photographs, may be useful for future revisions of
a key to species of the genus Abronia.

Fig. 1. A male Abronia gaiophantasma observed at Reserva Natural Privada Chelemhá, Montaña Yalijux, Municipio San Pedro
Carchá, Departamento de Alta Verapaz, Guatemala. (A) A dorsolateral view of the head and abdomen (UTADC-8675); (B) a
dorsal view of the head (UTADC-8676); (C) a lateral view of the head and throat; (D) a dorsolateral view; (E) a dorsal view
of the body and tail (UTADC-8678); (F) a view of the individual next to a metric scale (150 mm) (UTADC-8679); and (G) a
lateral view of the body. ' © Knut Eisermann

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Fig. 2. A close-up of the head and anterolateral portion of the body of the male Abronia gaiophantasma in Figure 1. The white
numbers indicate the longitudinal scale rows (scale 8 is the central scale). High-resolution voucher photograph UTADC-8680.
' © Knut Eisermann

Table 1. Coverage of protected areas within the potential area of distribution of Abronia gaiophantasma (blue
polygon in Fig. 3B).

CONAP (2013) Number of IUCN (2008)

Area in km2
Protected Area Category Reserves Protected Area Category

Parque Nacional 1 0.6 I

Biotopo Protegido 1 11.5 II

Reserva Natural Privada 30 146.8 V

Reserva de Biosfera 1 999.8 VI

Zona de Veda Definitiva 1 31.3 ––

Total 34 1,190.0

Much of the natural history of members of the genus Abronia remains to be discovered (Campbell and
Frost, 1993; Köhler, 2008), including demography, population density, food, and predators. A Resplendent Quetzal
(Pharomachrus mocinno) preying on Abronia (Eisermann, 2013) in RNP Chelemhá, most likely A. gaiophantasma,
therefore is noteworthy.

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Fig. 3. Distribution of Abronia gaiophantasma. (A) Forest cover based on a satellite image from May of 2011 at Montaña
Caquipec and Montaña Yalijux. The red dots mark the sites of encounter of A. gaiophantasma in Chicacnab (Franzen and
Haft, 1999) and in RNP Chelemhá. Note the broken connection between the forests of Caquipec and Yalijux, as a result of
deforestation. Isohypses of the lower and upper limits of the documented distribution of A. gaiophantasma (1,600 and 2,400
m) are marked in bold. (B) Sites of A. gaiophantasma (red dots): 1–RNP Chelemhá; 2–Chicacnab (Franzen and Haft, 1999); 3–
Finca Rubel Chaim (Griffin and Mei, 2015); 4–Cerro Verde and Cerro Quisís (Campbell and Frost, 1993), and 5–surroundings
of Chilascó (Campbell and Frost, 1993). The red polygon marks the potential area of distribution according to IUCN (Ariano-
Sánchez et al., 2014); and the blue polygon marks a more realistic delimitation of the potential area of distribution.

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Other Contributions Miscellaneous Notes

Acknowledgments.––We thank the association Unión para Proteger el Bosque Nuboso (UPROBON) for
logistical support in RNP Chelemhá. Carl. J. Franklin kindly incorporated photographs in the University of Texas
at Arlington Digital Collection (UTADC) and provided the voucher numbers. We appreciate comments on the
manuscript by Louis W. Porras. The observation was made during a trip supported by Cayaya Birding, Guatemala.

Literature Cited
Acevedo, M., L. D. Wilson, E. B. Cano, and C. Vásquez-Al- Griffin, R., and A. Mei. 2015. The Herpetofauna of Finca Rubel
mazán. 2010. Diversity and conservation status of the Chaim, Alta Verapaz, Guatemala: A Preliminary Investigation.
Guatemalan herpetofauna. Pp. 407–434 In L. D. Wilson, Indigo Expeditions. (www.explorewithindigo.com/wp-con-
J. H. Townsend, and J. D. Johnson (Eds.), Conservation of tent/uploads/2015/09/CONAP-Alta-Verapaz-2015-EN.pdf;
Mesoamerican Amphibians and Reptiles. Eagle Mountain accessed 15 August 2016).
Publishing, LC, Eagle Mountain, Utah, United States. IUCN. 2008. Guidelines for Applying Protected Area Management
Ariano-Sánchez, D., M. Acevedo, and J. Johnson. 2014. Abronia Categories. International Union for Conservaion of Nature,
gaiophantasma. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species Gland, Switzerland.
2014: e.T203016A2758597. (www.dx.doi.org/10.2305/ Köhler, G. 2008. Reptiles of Central America. 2nd ed. Herpeton,
IUCN.UK.2014-1.RLTS.T203016A2758597.en; accessed 3 Offenbach, Germany.
August 2016).
Köhler, G. 2012. Color Catalogue for Field Biologists. Herpeton,
Campbell, J. A., and D. R. Frost. 1993. Anguid lizards of the Offenbach, Germany.
genus Abronia: revisionary notes, description of four new
Pope, I., D. Bowen, J. Harbor, G. Shao, L. Zanotti, and G. Burni-
species, a phylogenetic analysis, and key. Bulletin of the
ske. 2015. Deforestation of montane cloud forest in the central
American Museum of Natural History 216: 1–121.
highlands of Guatemala: contributing factors and implications
CONAP. 2013. Lista de Áreas Protegidas Inscritas en el SIGAP. for sustainability in Q’eqchi’ communities. International
Consejo Nacional de Áreas Protegidas (CONAP), Guate- Journal of Sustainable Development and World Ecology 22:
mala. (Geographic Information System database; accessed 201–212.
11 September 2013).
Renner, S. C., M. Voigt, and M. Markussen. 2006. Regional
Eisermann, K. 2013. Noteworthy nesting record and unusual bill deforestation in a tropical montane cloud forest in Alta Ver-
coloration of Resplendent Quetzal Pharomachrus mocinno. apaz, Guatemala. Ecotropica 12: 43–49.
Cotinga 35 OL: 74–78.
Wilson, L.D. and J. D. Johnson. 2010. Distributional patterns of
Franzen, M., and J. Haft. 1999. Range extension and morpho- the herpetofauna of Mesoamerica, a biodiversity hotspot. Pp.
logical variation in Abronia gaiophantasma Campbell and 30–235 In L. D. Wilson, J. H. Townsend, and J. D. Johnson
Frost (Sauria: Anguidae). Caribbean Journal of Science 35: (Eds.), Conservation of Mesoamerican Amphibians and Rep-
151–152. tiles. Eagle Mountain Publishing, LC, Eagle Mountain, Utah,
United States.

Knut Eisermann1 and Manuel Acevedo2

PROEVAL RAXMU Bird Monitoring Program, Cobán, Alta Verapaz, Guatemala.
1

E-mail: [email protected]
Centro de Estudios Conservacionistas – Centro de Datos para la Conservación, Universidad de San Carlos de
2

Guatemala. E-mail: [email protected]

Aspidoscelis costata. Scale variation. Aspidoscelis costata (formerly Cnemidophorus costatus) is the available
name for an assemblage of moderately large whiptail lizards (Squamata: Teiidae) in continental western Mexico,
which has not been adequately subjected to genetic analyses for reliable species partitioning (Duellman and Zweiflel,
1962; Maslin and Secoy, 1986; Reeder et al., 2002). Nevertheless, Duellman and Zweifel (1962) correctly indicated
that all populations tentatively allocated to the A. costata complex possess enlarged postantebrachial scales on the
posterior aspect of each forearm (Fig. 1A). This conclusion, and that this typically is an invariable character, was
based on their analyses of several hundred specimens, as well as our collective observations. Here, we offer the first

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report of the occurrence of an unusual individual of A. costata with slightly enlarged postantebrachial scales, from
an area in Mexico where morphological variation in this species has not been assessed.
On 27 May 2016, during an ecological investigation at Ixtapan de la Sal, Estado de México, Mexico
(18°50'34.5"N, 99°40'51.8"W; datum WGS 84; elev. 1,800 m), we captured and released individuals of A. costata (n
= 51). Field examinations of these lizards revealed that one male presented slightly enlarged postantebrachial scales
(Fig. 1B). These individuals were captured within private property in an urban habitat near an asphaltic road where
A. costata was the only whiptail lizard species present. We verified our diagnosis by comparing other morphological
characters and dorsal and ventral color patterns in the lizards with the account of A. costata provided by Duellman
and Zweifel (1962). This finding deserves additional research to evaluate the extension of this character variation
to other populations, and suggests that the field diagnosis for A. costata should also include additional scutellation
traits than just the morphology of postantebrachial scales.

Fig. 1. (A) Forearm of a male (110 mm SVL) Aspidoscelis costata showing enlarged postantebrachial scales; and (B)
forearm of a male (96 mm SVL) showing slightly enlarged postantebrachial scales. Both individuals are from Ixtapan de
la Sal, Estado de México, Mexico. SVL = snout vent length. ' © Aldo Gómez-Benitez

Acknowledgments.––We thank the Delgado family for permission to capture and release individuals of
Aspidoscelis costata on their property.

Literature Cited
Duellman, W. E., and R. G. Zweifel. 1962. A synopsis of the Reeder, T. W., C. J. Cole, and H. C. Dessauer. 2002. Phylogenetic
lizards of the sexlineatus group (genus Cnemidophorus). relationships of whiptail lizards of the genus Cnemidophorus
Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 123: (Squamata: Teiidae): a test of monophyly, reevaluation of
155–210. karyotypic evolution, and review of hybrid origins. American
Maslin, T. P., and D. M. Secoy. 1986. A checklist of the lizard Museum Novitates 3,365: 1–61.
genus Cnemidophorus (Teiidae). University of Colorado
Museum Contributions in Zoology 1: 1–60.

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Aldo Gómez-Benitez1, Ana Esthela López-Moreno1, James Martin Walker2, Edgar Vásquez-Alcán-
tara1, Daniel Sánchez-Manjarrez1, Orlando Suárez-Rodríguez1, and Oswaldo Hernández Gallegos1

1
Laboratorio de Herpetología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México, Instituto Literario
# 100, Colonia Centro, C. P. 50000, Toluca, Estado de México, Mexico. E-mail: [email protected] (AGB,
Corresponding author)
2
Department of Biological Sciences, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas 72701, United States.

First record and distributional extension for Polychrus gutturosus Berthold, 1845
(Squamata: Polychrotidae) in the Península de Nicoya of northwestern Costa Rica,
with a new record from Provincia de San José
The genus Polychrus is widely distributed in Latin America, but of the seven recognized species only P. gutturosus
occurs in Central America (Köhler, 2003; Koch et al., 2011). The distribution of P. gutturosus has been reported to
extend from northern Honduras to northwestern Colombia, on the Atlantic versant, and on the Pacific versant from
northwestern Costa Rica to northwestern Ecuador (Peters, 1967; Peters and Donoso-Barros, 1970; Ayala, 1986;
Köhler, 2001, 2008; Savage, 2002; Koch et al., 2011; Gómez-Hoyos et al., 2015). This species is widely distributed
in Costa Rica at elevations to at least 1,000 m, but to date has not been recorded from the subhumid northwestern
part of the country (Leenders, 2001; Savage, 2002; Köhler, 2008; Herr and Herr, 2014); in Colombia, P. gutturosus
is known to occur at a maximum elevation of 1,300 m (Castro-Herrera and Vargas-Salinas, 2008). In northwestern
Costa Rica this species has been recorded from the Cordillera de Guanacaste and the Cordillera de Tilarán (Taylor,
1956; Savage, 2002: map 10.11), but it has not been reported from Tropical Dry Forest.
Polychrus gutturosus predominantly is a canopy-dweller that apparently occurs in low population densities,
and thus rarely is seen in the wild (Köhler, 2003). Accordingly, Taylor (1956) noted that this species is rare in mu-
seum collections. Herein, we report three new records of P. gutturosus from Costa Rica, including one from dry
habitat in the Península de Nicoya, and also another record from a nearby locality. Because relatively few specimens
of P. gutturosus have been deposited in museum collections, we also report one individual from the southwestern
part of Provincia de San José.
On 7 September 2016, OAS observed two male P. gutturosus fighting in low scrub vegetation at a height of ca.
3 m above the ground along a dirt road 800–900 m S of Hojancha, Provincia de Guanacaste, Costa Rica (10.0456°N,
85.4197°W; WGS 84; elev. 355 m). Both individuals subsequently fell to the ground, where one remained in low
vegetation and the other started walking slowly across the road. OAS photographed the latter individual using a
mobile phone camera (Fig. 1A, B); neither individual appeared startled by the presence of OAS. This observation
was made during the wet season, after heavy rains seemingly had triggered an increase in reptile activity.

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Fig. 1. (A) Lateral and (B) dorsal views of a male Polychrus gutturosus
found on 7 September 2016 just south of Hojancha, Península de Nicoya,
Costa Rica. The individual was observed walking slowly on a road in the
vicinity of a shrub where it had been involved in a fight with a conspecific.
' © Olman Alfaro Sánchez

The area consisted of dry cultivated land and pastures with a scattering of human settlements, among which
were patches of xerophytic scrub vegetation. Within this area, the habitat of P. gutturosus consisted of a ca. 50 m
wide belt of dense scrub vegetation along a 3–4 m wide permanent stream. During the dry season, however, the
width of the stream is reduced substantially, as much of it turns into small ponds or puddles. The small amount of
microhabitat along the stream does not dry out completely, but during the dry season most of the scrub dries out.
In 2011 or 2012, OAS also observed one individual of P. gutturosus in a shrub at a height of ca. 3 m, approx-
imately 200 m N from the above-mentioned locality (10.0476°N, 85.4194°W; WGS 84; elev. 352 m); the habitat
was similar to the one in the 2016 observation. Although the lizard undoubtedly was a P. gutturosus, unfortunately
no verification for this observation exists.
On 13 December 2015, HOH and HB found one adult male P. gutturosus in rainforest habitat at Reserva Los
Campesinos, ca. 25 km E of Quepos, in the southwestern part of Provincia de San José (9.4568°N, 84.0033°W;
WGS 84; elev. 180–185 m). The individual was encountered sleeping at 1822 h on top of twigs and large leaves on a
shrub, at a height of ca. 4 m. The shrub was growing on a steep slope, and the lizard was spotted from above (Fig. 2).
The two records of P. gutturosus from Hojancha constitute an important range extension into the dry Península
de Nicoya. In terms of habitat, in the pertinent literature cited in this note P. gutturosus has been noted to occur
exclusively in humid forest or rainforest (e.g., Savage, 2002; Köhler, 2003, 2008). Leenders (2001: 189) mentioned
that this species “is absent from very dry areas like Guanacaste Province,” and thus, our records from Tropical Dry
Forest in the Península de Nicoya represent a new habitat for this species. We believe that the riparian habitat in this
area, although limited in extent during the dry season, is crucial for the survival of P. gutturosus and suggest that
populations of this species likely occur in other riparian areas of the peninsula.
Although expected, the record of P. gutturosus from Reserva Los Campesinos contributes new distributional
information. According to Savage (2002: map 10.11), the nearest localities are 60 km (straight line) to the NW, N,
NE, and SE.

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Fig. 2. A male Polychrus gutturosus found on 13 December 2015 at Reserva Los Campesinos, ca. 25 km E of Quepos, in the
southwestern part of Provincia de San José, Costa Rica. ' © Henrik Bringsøe

Certain areas of the Península de Nicoya contain semi-humid forest (e.g., along a large stream 4–5 km to the S
of our new reported locality), which likely constitute suitable habitat for P. gutturosus. Would it be possible to judge
when P. gutturosus dispersed into the Península de Nicoya? Deforestation in the peninsula has continued into recent
years, especially during the 1950s, after which it began to decrease markedly (Sader and Joyce, 1988). Evidence
indicates that major deforestation occurred on the lower slopes of Volcan Miravalles from 5,000 to 5,500 years ago
(Arford and Horn, 2004; Horn and Haberyan, 2016). Was the climate of the Península de Nicoya more humid in
earlier times? Over the last 100,000 years, the climate of the northern part of the Península de Nicoya probably was
neither wetter nor more humid than today (Lachniet et al., 2009: fig. 5; M. Lachniet, pers. comm.), but according to
Horn (1985) the vegetation of southern Central America changed during the late Quaternary and during this interval
moist tropical forest covered the Península de Nicoya. Consequently, the peninsula likely was covered with rainfor-
est during the late Quaternary, more than 100,000 years ago, which would have provided the conditions necessary
for the survival of P. gutturosus. Although in more recent times the Península de Nicoya generally has been covered
with Tropical Dry Forest, P. gutturosus might have been able to disperse into the peninsula along riparian corridors.

Acknowledgments.––We thank Sally P. Horn (Department of Geography, University of Tennessee, Knoxville,

Tennessee), Gunther Köhler (Senckenberg Forschungsinstitut und Naturmuseum, Frankfurt am Main, Germany),
Matthew Lachniet (Department of Geoscience, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Nevada), and Jay M. Savage
(Department of Biology, San Diego State University, San Diego, California) for valuable help and comments. Jan
Grathwohl (Næstved, Denmark) kindly provided literature.

Literature Cited
Arford, M. R., and S. P. Horn. 2004. Pollen evidence of the Ayala, S. C. 1986. Saurios de Colombia: lista actualizada y distri-
earliest maize agriculture in Costa Rica. Journal of Latin bución de ejemplares colombianos en los museos. Caldasia
American Geography 3: 108–115. 15: 555–575.

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Other Contributions Miscellaneous Notes

Castro-Herrera, F., and Vargas-Salinas, F. 2008. Anfibios y Köhler, G. 2003. Das Leguanportrait: Polychrus gutturosus Ber-
reptiles en el departemento del Valle del Cauca, Colombia. thold 1845. Iguana-Rundschreiben 16: 5–8.
Biota Colombiana 9: 251–277. Köhler, G. 2008. Reptiles of Central America. 2nd ed. Herpeton,
Gómez-Hoyos, D. A, S. Escobar-Lasso, T. Suarez-Joaqui, and Offenbach, Germany.
J. A. Velasco. 2015. Predation on the bush anole Polychrus Lachniet, M. S., L. Johnson, Y. Asmerom, S. J. Burns, V. Polyak,
gutturosus by the parrot snake Leptophis ahaetulla, with a W. P. Patterson, L. Burt, and A. Azouz. 2009. Late Quaterna-
new record of the bush anole for the Gorgona Island Nation- ry moisture export across Central America and to Greenland:
al Natural Park, Colombia. Herpetology Notes 8: 297–301. evidence for tropical rainfall variability from Costa Rican
Herr, M. W., and D. Herr. 2014. Geographic Distribution. Poly- stalagmites. Quaternary Science Reviews 28: 3,348–3,360.
chrus gutturosus (Berthold’s Bush Anole). Herpetological Leenders, T. 2001. A Guide to Amphibians and Reptiles of Costa
Review 45: 662. Rica. Distribuidores Zona Tropical, Miami, Florida, United
Horn, S. P. 1985. Preliminary pollen analysis of Quaternary States.
sediments from Deep Sea Drilling Project Site 565, western Peters, J. A. 1967. The lizards of Ecuador, a check-list and key.
Costa Rica. Initial Reports of the Deep Sea Drilling Project Proceedings of the United States National Museum 119: 1–49.
84: 533–547.
Peters, J. A., and R. Donoso-Barros. 1970. Catalogue of the Neo-
Horn, S. P., and K. A. Haberyan. 2016. The lakes of Costa Rica. tropical Squamata: Part II. Lizards. Smithsonian Institution,
Pp. 656–682 In M. Kappelle (Ed.), Costa Rican Ecosystems. United States National Museum, Washington, D.C., United
The University of Chicago Press, Chicago, Illinois, United States.
States.
Sader, S. A., and A. T. Joyce. 1988. Deforestation rates and trends
Koch, C., P. J. Venegas, A. Garcia-Bravo, and W. Böhme. 2011. in Costa Rica, 1940 to 1983. Biotropica 20: 11–19.
A new bush anole (Iguanidae, Polychrotinae, Polychrus)
Savage, J. M. 2002. The Amphibians and Reptiles of Costa Rica:
from the upper Marañón basin, Peru, with a redescription of
A Herpetofauna between Two Continents, between Two Seas.
Polychrus peruvianus (Noble, 1924) and additional informa-
The University of Chicago Press, Chicago, Illinois, United
tion on P. gutturosus Berthold, 1845. ZooKeys 141: 79–107.
States.
Köhler, G. 2001. Anfibios y Reptiles de Nicaragua. Herpeton,
Taylor, E. H. 1956. A review of the lizards of Costa Rica. Univ.
Offenbach, Germany.
Kansas Sci. Bull. 38 (part 1): 3–322.

Henrik Bringsøe1, Olman Alfaro Sánchez2, and Hans Ole Hansen3

1
Irisvej 8, DK-4600 Køge, Denmark. E-mail: [email protected] (Corresponding author)
2
Hojancha, Costa Rica.
3
Pilebakken 1, DK-4400 Kalundborg, Denmark.

Elevational range extension and new habitat for

Thamnophis fulvus (Bocourt, 1893) (Squamata: Natricidae)
The Mesoamerican Gartersnake, Thamnophis fulvus, is endemic to the highlands of central Chiapas, Mexico,
through southern Guatemala into southwestern Honduras and adjacent El Salvador, at elevations from 1,400 to
3,500 m (Rossman, 1996; Köhler, 2008; Wilson and Johnson, 2010).
During bird observations at a site locally known as Planes del Diablo (15°31'14"N, 91°33'56"W; datum WGS
84), in the central part of Parque Regional Municipal “K’ojlab’l Tze’ Te’ Tnom Todos Santos Cuchumatán” (hereaf-
ter PRM Todos Santos Cuchumatán), Sierra de los Cuchumatanes, Departamento de Huehuetenango, Guatemala, on
27 August 2016 at 1230 h, CA, KE, and EM encountered and photographed two individuals of Thamnophis fulvus.
Voucher photographs are deposited at the University of Texas at Arlington Digital Collection (UTADC-8716–19).
Both snakes were similar in length (ca. 40 cm). The dorsal ground color of one individual was grayish brown,

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whereas that of the other was rufous brown (Fig. 1). MA confirmed the identification of both individuals after view-
ing the photographs. Both individuals were observed for approximately 5 min in an area dominated by rocks, small
patches of low grasses and herbs, and sparsely distributed, short (30 cm) juniper shrubs (Juniperus standleyi), at an
elevation of 3,710 m, before the snakes retreated into cavities among the rocks.

Fig. 1. Two individuals of Thamnophis fulvus found at an elevation of 3,710 m in PRM Todos Santos Cuchumatán, Sierra de
los Cuchumatanes, Departamento de Huehuetenango, Guatemala. (A, B) individual with a rufous brown dorsal ground color
(UTADC-8716, 8717); and (C, D) individual with a grayish brown dorsal ground color (UTADC-8718, 8719).
' © Knut Eisermann

Within a radius of 100 m around the site of the encounter, temporary, small and shallow water bodies are
formed during the rainy season. The principal vegetation in the immediate vicinity is páramo grassland dominated
by Agrostis tolucensis (Poaceae) (Fig. 2), but open pine woodland dominated by Hartweg’s Pine, Pinus hartwegii,

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occurs at a distance of 150 m. Glaciers shaped the area during the late Quaternary (Lachniet and Roy, 2011). A tem-
perate climate prevails in the area, with a mean minimum annual temperature of 5°C and mean maximum annual
temperature of 20°C. The mean annual precipitation is 1,500 mm, and the mean monthly precipitation ranges from
10 to 25 mm during the dry season (December–March), and from 70 to 300 mm during the rainy season (April–
November) (MAGA, 2002).

Fig. 2. Habitat of Thamnophis fulvus at 3,700 m in PRM Todos Santos Cuchumatán, Sierra de los Cuchumatanes, Departamento
de Huehuetenango, Guatemala, a páramo grassland in a landscape shaped by glaciers during the late Quaternary.
' © Knut Eisermann

This observation expands the upper elevational limit of T. fulvus by more than 200 m (to 3,710 m), as
Köhler (2008) and Wilson and Johnson (2010) had reported the elevational range of this species as 1,400–3,500
m. Thamnophis fulvus also had been recorded in the Sierra de los Cuchumatanes, but at elevations of ca. 2,800 m
(Campbell et al., 1998; Acevedo, 2006). Thamnophis fulvus is known to occur in different montane forest types,
including broadleaf forests (rain and cloud forest) and mixed and coniferous forests (pine-oak and pine forest)
(Johnson et al., 2010; Acevedo et al., 2010). To our knowledge, T. fulvus has not been reported from páramo grass-
land, similar to the site in PRM Todos Santos Cuchumatán. In national conservation status assessments, T. fulvus has
been evaluated as medium to highly vulnerable in all the countries of occurrence (Acevedo et al., 2010; Greenbaum
and Komar, 2010; Johnson et al., 2010; Townsend and Wilson, 2010), suggesting the need to reassess this taxon
in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, where it is currently listed as Least Concern (Campbell and Muñoz-
Alonso, 2013).

Acknowledgments.–We thank Carl. J. Franklin for incorporating the photographs into the University of Texas
at Arlington Digital Collection (UTADC), and for providing the voucher numbers. We appreciate relevant literature
and comments on the manuscript provided by Louis W. Porras. The observation was made during a trip supported
by Cayaya Birding, Guatemala.

Literature Cited
Acevedo, M. 2006. Anfibios y reptiles de Guatemala: una breve Acevedo, M., L. D. Wilson, E. B. Cano, and C. Vásquez-Almazán.
síntesis con bibliografía. Pp. 487–524 In E. Cano (Ed.) Bio- 2010. Diversity and conservation status of the Guatemalan
diversidad de Guatemala. Volumen 1. Universidad del Valle herpetofauna. Pp. 407–434 In L. D. Wilson, J. H. Townsend,
de Guatemala, Guatemala Ciudad, Guatemala. and J. D. Johnson (Eds.), Conservation of Mesoamerican
Amphibians and Reptiles. Eagle Mountain Publishing, LC,
Eagle Mountain, Utah, United States.

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Other Contributions Miscellaneous Notes

Campbell, J. A. and A. Muñoz-Alonso. 2013. Thamnophis Lachniet, M. S., and A. J. Roy. 2011. Guatemala and Costa Rica.
fulvus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2013: Developments in Quaternary Science 15: 843–847.
e.T63980A3132450. (www.dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN. MAGA (Ministerio de Agricultura, Ganadería y Alimentación).
UK.2013-2.RLTS.T63980A3132450.en; accessed 8 Sep- 2002. Atlas de Guatemala. CD-Rom. Ministerio de Agri-
tember 2016). cultura, Ganadería y Alimentación, Ciudad de Guatemala,
Campbell, J. A., M. Sasa, M. Acevedo, and J. R. Mendelson III. Guatemala.
1998. A new species of Abronia (Squamata: Anguidae) from Rossman, D. A., N. B. Ford, and R. A. Siegel. 1996. The Garter
the high Cuchumatanes of Guatemala. Herpetologica 54: Snakes: Evolution and Ecology. University of Oklahoma
221–234. Press, Norman, Oklahoma, United States.
Greenbaum, E., and O. Komar. 2010. A conservation assessment Townsend, J. H. and L. D. Wilson. 2010 Conservation of the Hon-
of Salvadoran protected areas: priorities and recommen- duran herpetofauna: issues and imperatives. Pp. 461–486 In
dations based on amphibian and reptile conservation. Pp. L. D. Wilson, J. H. Townsend, and J. D. Johnson (Eds.), Con-
437–459 In L. D. Wilson, J. H. Townsend, and J. D. Johnson servation of Mesoamerican Amphibians and Reptiles. Eagle
(Eds.), Conservation of Mesoamerican Amphibians and Mountain Publishing, LC, Eagle Mountain, Utah, United
Reptiles. Eagle Mountain Publishing, LC, Eagle Mountain, States.
Utah, United States.
Wilson, L. D. and J. D. Johnson. 2010. Distributional patterns of
Johnson, J. D., V. Mata-Silva, and A. Ramírez-Bautista. 2010. the herpetofauna of Mesoamerica, a biodiversity hotspot. Pp.
Geographic distribution and conservation of the herpetofau- 30–235 In L. D. Wilson, J. H. Townsend, and J. D. Johnson
na of southeastern Mexico. Pp. 323–369 In L. D. Wilson, (Eds.), Conservation of Mesoamerican Amphibians and Rep-
J. H. Townsend, and J. D. Johnson (Eds.), Conservation of tiles. Eagle Mountain Publishing, LC, Eagle Mountain, Utah,
Mesoamerican Amphibians and Reptiles. Eagle Mountain United States.
Publishing, LC, Eagle Mountain, Utah, United States.
Köhler, G. 2008. Reptiles of Central America. 2nd ed. Herpeton,
Offenbach, Germany.

Knut Eisermann1, Claudia Avendaño1, Manuel Acevedo2, and Esteban Matías3

PROEVAL RAXMU Bird Monitoring Program, Cobán, Alta Verapaz, Guatemala.
1

E-mails: [email protected] and [email protected]

Centro de Estudios Conservacionistas – Centro de Datos para la Conservación, Universidad de San Carlos de
2

Guatemala. E-mail: [email protected]

3
Coordinator of Commissions of Natural Resources in the Parque Regional Municipal “K’ojlab’l Tze’ Te’ Tnom
Todos Santos Cuchumatán”, Consejo Nacional de Áreas Protegidas (CONAP), Todos Santos Cuchumatán, dpto.
Huehuetenango, Guatemala. E-mail: [email protected]

Confirmation of the night snake Hypsiglena tanzeri in Hidalgo, Mexico,

and a new record for Reserva de la Biósfera de la Barranca de Metztitlán
The genus Hypsiglena is comprised of nine described species (Mulcahy, 2008; Mulcahy et al., 2014; Uetz et al.,
2016). Six species (H. affinis, H. catalinae, H. tanzeri, H. torquata, H. sleveni, and H. unaocularus) are endemic to
Mexico, and the distribution of five species is restricted to western Mexico; H. affinis and H. torquata are known
from the mainland, H. slevini from the central and southern portion of the Baja California Peninsula and some
Pacific islands, and the distribution of H. catalinae and H. unocularis is restricted to islands in the Pacific Ocean
(Mulcahy, 2008; Mulcahy et al., 2014; Uetz et al., 2016). Conversely, the distribution of H. tanzeri is restricted to
central Mexico, where it inhabits arid areas in south-central San Luís Potosí and northeastern Querétaro (Mulcahy,
2008; Dixon and Lemos-Espinal, 2010; Lemos-Espinal and Dixon, 2013; Mulcahy et al., 2014). Recently, Heimes
(2016) suggested its presence in northwestern Hidalgo, but did not indicate a specific locality. Presently, therefore,
there is no evidence to verify the distribution of this species in Hidalgo.

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Other Contributions Miscellaneous Notes

Confirmed records for H. jani are avail-

able for the state of Hidalgo (Fernández-Badillo
and Goyenechea, 2010; Ramírez-Bautista et
al., 2014, Lemos-Espinal and Smith, 2015;
Lemos-Espinal and Dixon, 2016), from the
municipalities of Ixmiquilpan (Fernández-
Badillo and Goyenechea, 2010; Lemos-
Espinal and Dixon, 2016) and Tasquillo
(Morales-Capellán, 2010). Herein, we
provide evidence for the occurrence of H.
tanzeri in southwestern and central Hidalgo.
Additionally, we report a record for this species
from Reserva de la Biósfera de la Barranca de
Metztitlán.
While conducting a herpetofaunal sur-
vey, a juvenile H. tanzeri was found (CH-CIB
1949; Fig. 1) at La Paila, Río Verde, Municipio
de Tecozautla, Hidalgo (20. 566825°N,
-99.617083°W; WGS 84) elev. 1,600 m; 15
March 2009; Nallely Morales-Capellán. The Fig. 1. Hypsiglena tanzeri (CH-CIB 1949), from La Paila, Teco-
snake was found in xerophytic scrub and er- zautla, Hidalgo. ' © Adriana López-Mejía
roneously recorded as H. jani (López-Mejía,
2011), but after a detailed examination its iden-
tification was determined to be H. tanzeri. The
specimen measured 153.8 mm in snout–vent
length (SVL) and 197.5 mm in total length
(TL), and the scalation characters are as fol-
lows: preoculars 1-1; postoculars; loreals 1;
temporals 1+2+3, supralabials 7, infralabials
10; ventrals 178, and dorsal scale rows 21-21-
17. The above scalation characters coincide
with those reported for H. tanzeri (Dixon and
Lieb, 1979; Dixon and Lemos-Espinal, 2010;
Lemos-Espinal and Dixon, 2013).
Additionally, on 26 April 2016 a spec-
imen of H. tanzeri (CH-CIB 78; Fig. 2) was
found at Reserva de la Biósfera de la Barranca
de Metztitlán, in Tlatepexe, Municipio
de Metztitlán, Hidalgo (20.611272°N,
-98.781795°W; WGS 84) elev., 1,302 m. The
snake was found within a quarry surrounded
by xerophytic shrub. This record increases the
snake richness within the reserve to 21 species;
previous records were reported by Vite-Silva
et al. (2010), Cruz-Elizalde et al. (2015), and Fig. 2. Hypsiglena tanzeri (CH-CIB 78), from Tlatepexe, Metz-
Fernández-Badillo et al. (2016a). The snake titlán, Hidalgo. ' © Cristián Raúl Olvera-Olvera
was measured, photographed, and realesed.
The measuremnts were 163 mm (SVL) and
215.2 mm (TL) and the remaining scalation
characters coincide with those reported for this species (Dixon and Lieb, 1972; Dixon and Lemos-Espinal, 2010;
Lemos-Espinal and Dixon, 2013). Luis Canseco-Márquez corroborated the identification of both specimens.

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Other Contributions Miscellaneous Notes

These are the southernmost records for H. tanzeri, and increase the distribution of this species 73.46 km to
the SW and 86 km to the SE (respectively) from the closest know locality (Fig. 3) at 4 mi (= 6.4 km) W of Landa
de Matamoros, Querétaro (Dixon and Lieb, 1979). This records also increases the herpetofaunal list reported for
both ecoregions of the Hidalgo arid zone to 83 species, as previously reported by Fernández-Badillo et al. (2016b).

Fig. 3. Distribution map of Hypsiglena jani in Hidalgo; first records of H. tanzeri from Hidalgo, including both ecoregions in
the arid zone of Hidalgo; CMM = Central Mexican Matorral; MCM = Meseta Central Matorral, the Reserva de la Biósfera de
la Barranca de Metztitlán (RBBM), and the closest record of H. tanzeri in Querétaro.

Acknowledgments.––Funding and logistical support was provided by Projects FOMIX-CONACyT-

HGO-2012-191908. We thank SEMARNAT for issuing the collecting permit to Irene Goyenechea FAUT 022. We
also are grateful to Maximino Sánchez-Cabrera for finding the second snake and allowing us to take the data, and
to Cristián Raúl Olvera-Olvera for providing photos of the animal.

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Other Contributions Miscellaneous Notes

Literature cited
Cruz-Elizalde, R., A. Ramírez-Bautista, L. D. Wilson, and U. Lemos-Espinal, J. A., and J. R. Dixon. 2016. Anfibios y Reptiles
Hernández-Salinas. 2015. Effectiveness of protected areas de Hidalgo, Mexico / Amphibians and Reptiles of Hidalgo,
in herpetofaunla conservation in Hidalgo, Mexico. Herpeto- Mexico. Comisión Nacional para el Conocimiento y Uso de la
logical Journal 25: 41–48. Biodiversidad, México, D.F., Mexico.
Dixon, J. R., and C. S. Lieb. 1972. A new night snake from Mex- López-Mejía, A. 2011. Herpetofauna de la Localidad de La Paila,
ico (Serpentes: Colubridae). Los Angeles County Museum Municipio de Tecozautla, Hidalgo. Unpublished Licenciature
Contributions in Science 222: 1–7. thesis, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Hidalgo, Pachu-
Dixon, J. R., and J. A. Lemos-Espinal. 2010. Anfibios y Reptiles ca, Hidalgo, Mexico.
del Estado de Querétaro, México / Amphibians and Reptiles Morales-Capellán, N. 2010. Herpetofauna de Dos Ambientes
of State of Queretaro, Mexico. Texas A&M University, Contrastantes del Municipio de Tasquillo, Hidalgo. Unpub-
College Station, Texas, United States, Universidad Nacio- lished Licenciature thesis, Universidad Autónoma del Estado
nal Autónoma de México, Los Reyes Iztacala Tlalnepantla, de Hidalgo, Pachuca, Hidalgo, Mexico.
México, Mexico, and Comisión para el Conocimiento y Uso Mulcahy, D. G. 2008. Phylogeography and species boundaries of
de la Biodiversidad, México, D. F. Mexico. the western North American Night Snake (Hypsiglena torqua-
Fernández-Badillo, L., and I. Goyenechea. 2010. Anfibios y ta): revisting the subespecies concept. Molecular Phylogenet-
reptiles del Valle del Mezquital, Hidalgo, México. Revista ics and Evolution 46: 1,095–1,115.
Mexicana de Biodiversidad 81: 705–712. Mulcahy, D. G., J. E. Marínez-Gómez, G. Aguirre-León, J. A.
Fernández-Badillo, L., C. R. Olvera-Olvera, R. Valdez-Lares, Cervantes-Pasquialli, and G. R. Zug. 2014. Rediscovery of
F. Torres-Angeles, and I. Goyenechea. 2016a. Distribu- an endemic vertebrate from the remote Islas Revillagigedo
tion Notes. New records of Thamnophis pulchrilatus in the in the eastern Pacific Ocean: the Clarión Nightsnake lost and
state of Hidalgo, México. Mesoamerican Herpetology 3: found. Plos One 9: 1–8.
519–523. Ramírez-Bautista, A., U. hernández-Salinas, R. Cruz-Elizalde,
Fernández-Badillo, L., N. L. Manríquez-Morán, J. M. Cas- C. Berriozabal-Islas, D. Lara-Tufiño, I. Goyenechea, and
tillo-Cerón, and I. Goyenechea. 2016b. Analisis herpeto- J. M. Castillo-Cerón. 2014. Los Anfibios y Reptiles de
faunístico de la zona árida del estado de Hidalgo. Revista Hidalgo, México: Diversidad, Biogeografía y Conservación.
Mexicana de Biodiversidad 87: 156–170. Pachuca, Hidalgo, México: Sociedad Herpetológica Mexi-
Heimes, P. 2016. Herpetofauna Mexicana Vol. 1: Snakes of Mexi- cana, México, D.F., México.
co. Edition Chimaira, Frankfurt am Main, Germany. Uetz, P., P. Freed., and J. Hošek. 2016. The Reptile Database.
Lemos-Espinal, J. A., and J. R. Dixon. 2013. Amphibians and (www.reptile-database.reptarium.cz/advanced_search?tax-
Reptiles of San Luis Potosí. Eagle Mountain Publishing, LC, on=Dipsadinae&submit=Search; accessed 25 December
Eagle Mountain, Utah, United States. 2016)
Lemos-Espinal, J. A., and G. Smith. 2015. Amphibians and rep- Vite-Silva, V. D., A. Ramírez-Bautista, and U. Hernández-Sali-
tiles of the state of Hidalgo, Mexico. Check List 11: 1–11. nas. 2010. Diversidad de anfibios y reptiles de la Reserva de
la Biosfera Barranca de Metztitlán, Hidalgo, México. Revista
Mexicana de Biodiversidad 81: 473–485.

Nallely Morales-Capellán1, Leonardo-Fernández-Badillo1,2, Adriana López-Mejía3, Guillermo

Sánchez-Martínez1,4, and Irene Goyenechea5
Predio Intensivo de Manejo de Vida Silvestre X-Plora Reptilia, Carretera México-Tampico s/n, Pilas y granadas, 43350,
1

Metztitlán, Hidalgo, Mexico. E-mail: [email protected]

Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas (CIB), Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Hidalgo, Ciudad del conocimiento,
2

Km 4.5 Carretera Pachuca-Tulancingo, Col. Carboneras, 42181 Mineral de la Reforma, Hidalgo, Mexico.
E-mail: [email protected] (Corresponding author)
Secretaria de Salud de Hidalgo, Subdirección de prevención de enfermedades, Boulevard Luis Donaldo Colosio # 516,
3

Colonia Calabazas, Plaza vía montaña, Local 1. E-mail: [email protected]

4
Unidad de Manejo para la Conservación de la Vida Silvestre (UMA) Santa Ana, Carretera México-Tampico s/n, Pilas y
granadas, 43350, Metztitlán, Hidalgo, México.
5
Laboratorio de Sistemática Molecular, Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas (CIB), Universidad Autónoma del Estado
de Hidalgo. Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Hidalgo, Ciudad del conocimiento, Km 4.5 Carretera Pachuca-
Tulancingo, Col. Carboneras, 42181 Mineral de la Reforma, Hidalgo, México. E-mail: [email protected]

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Other Contributions Miscellaneous Notes

Captive longevity for Micrurus nigrocinctus (Serpentes: Elapidae)

at Insituto Clodomiro Picado, Costa Rica
As presently understood, the distribution of the Central American Coralsnake, Micrurus nigrocinctus, extends from
Mexico to northwestern Colombia (Campbell and Lamar, 2004). In Costa Rica, this species is found in lowlands
and premontane slopes, including the Meseta Central, and marginally into lower montane areas, at elevations from
sea level to 1,500 m (Savage, 2002). The average adult length of M. nigrocinctus is 60–75 cm, but the maximum
known total length is 115 cm (Savage, 2002; Campbell and Lamar, 2004). Its diet consists of a variety of amphibians
and reptiles, but primarily snakes (Savage, 2002; Solórzano, 2004).
In captivity most coralsnakes refuse to feed and generally die within a few months (Serapicos and Merusse,
2002b); feeding them, therefore, is a major problem to overcome when maintaining a substantial collection to pro-
vide enough venom for the production of antivenom (Chacón et al., 2012). Herein, we report a captive longevity
record for an individual of M. nigrocinctus maintained for venom production at the Instituto Cloromiro Picado
(ICP), located in Dulce Nombre de Coronado, Provincia de San José, Costa Rica.

Husbandry and Venom Extraction

A male Micrurus nigrocinctus was brought to the ICP on 6 November 1989 and assigned collection number 89-08,
and then placed in quarantine. The individual had been collected in Orotina, Provincia de Alajuela. Housing for the
snake consisted of an enclosure with a metal frame that provided support for the acrylic plastic used for the floor
and walls, with metallic mesh on the top for ventilation. The enclosure was divided into two parts, in which individ-
ual snakes were maintained. Each side of the enclosure measured 34 × 35 × 15.5 cm (L × W × H). Paper was used
as a substrate and water was supplied ad libitum, and both these were changed twice per week. A heating pad that
provided a temperature gradient of 23–26°C was placed beneath the enclosure, and the relative humidity within the
enclosure ranged from 77 to 88%.
The M. nigrocinctus was fed a diet of three different food items (Fig. 1). The first was snakes of the genus
Geophis, which were maintained at the serpentarium; the snakes were euthanized with CO2, and kept frozen until
they were used. When the coralsnake was fed, a Geophis sp. was selected according to its body mass and length,
then thawed in water at room temperature. The food item was held with forceps and presented to the M. nigrocinc-
tus, moving it slowly to stimulate feeding behavior (Chacón et al., 2012) (Fig. 3). Later, the snake accepted a second
diet consisting of laboratory mice (Mus musculus) with a body mass of 1.2–2.2 g (1–8 neonates were offered every
15 days). The mice were dead and presented to the snake with forceps, again to stimulate a feeding response (Fig.
3). The snake then was offered a third diet, fish consisting of tilapia (Oreochromis sp.) fillets, which were presented
every 15 days; Chacón et al. (2012) described the preparation of this diet. The size of the elongated piece of fish was
based on the body mass and length of the snake, considering the potential size of a natural prey item, and presented
with forceps while simulating snake-like movements to elicit a feeding response (Chacón et al., 2012; Fig. 3).
During the time the M. nigrocinctus was maintained in captivity, it subjected to venom extractions on an aver-
age of about three times per year, followed by an interval of four months to reduce stress on the animal (Fig. 1). The
snake was grasped carefully behind the head, and the venom was extracted from each fang while gently massaging
the corresponding venom gland. The length and body mass of the snake were recorded during each extraction.

Results and Conclusions

The staff of the serpentarium maintained the Micrurus nigrocinctus alive for nearly 25 years, from 6 November
1989 to 14 August 2014, and during this time the individual was fed on three different food items (Fig. 1). After the
coralsnake adapted to captivity, it began to accept the Geophis; it was maintained on this diet from 23 January 1990
to 9 February 2000. Because of the difficulty of maintaining a constant supply of Geophis, however, the serpen-
tarium staff decided to begin feeding the snake on young laboratory mice; this diet was maintained from 19 March
2000 to 3 May 2005.

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Other Contributions Miscellaneous Notes

In 2005, unforeseen problems with the breeding program at the ICP rodent facility led to a scarcity of labora-
tory mice, which prompted the staff to search for another food item that also would provide the necessary nutritional
requirements. Consequently, the third food item consisting of tilapia fillets was offered and accepted by the snake,
and it was maintained on this diet from 1 June 2005 to 8 August 2014 (Fig. 3). Venom extraction during the first 10
years (when the diet consisted of Geophis) was more intensive, but during the last nine years (when it consisted of
tilapia) venom only was extracted three times per year (Fig. 1).
The body mass of the M. nigrocinctus fluctuated during its time in captivity (Fig. 2). A significant loss in body
mass was recorded during the first two years, but during the next 17 years, an increase in body mass was recorded,
including during the transition from the snake-based to the fish-based diet. During the last four years of captivity,
however, the body mass began to decrease; nevertheless, the body mass of the snake increased a total of 23.2 g from
the time the snake entered quarantine and until the last time it was recorded.
Maintaining snake colonies in captivity for general or specific purposes, whether in museums (including
scientific collections), zoos, or in private collections can be a complicated process (Ashley and Burchfield, 1969;
Murphy and Armstrong, 1978). Furthermore, with snakes, a preference for keeping vipers, boids/pythons, and
non-venomous snakes exists over elapids, and especially coralsnakes (Serapicos and Meruse, 2002a, 2002b; Braz
et al., 2012). Nevertheless, with regard to species of Micrurus, three snakes in this genus have been maintained in
captivity from between 10+ and 19+ years (Slavens and Slavens, 2016). The M. nigrocinctus reported herein was
maintained in captivity for 24 years, nine months, and eight days, which to our knowledge represents a longevity
record not only for the species, but also for members of this genus.
Chacón et al. (2012: 252) used two groups of M. nigrocinctus that were fed on different food items (one group
on snakes, the other on fish), and their results indicated that the “two groups do not differ significantly in terms of
body weight gain, venom yield, venom HPLC pattern and LD50; additionally, snakes fed with fish showed a signifi-
cantly higher survival time in captivity.” The results shown in this note further corroborate those findings.

Venom Extractions and Diet Offered per Year

Venom Extractions

Fig. 1. Venom extraction processes performed per year and the period of food items offered to the Micrurus nigrocinctus.

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Body Mass (g) Variation Across the Years

Body Mass (g)

Fig. 2. Variation in the body mass of the Micrurus nigrocinctus throughout its time in captivity.

A B C

Fig. 3. Three different food items accepted by the Micrurus nigrocinctus. (A).A snake based diet; (B) a mouse based diet, and
(C) a fish based diet. ' © Greivin Corrales (A), Danilo Chacón (B), and Aarón Gómez (C)

Acknowledgments.––We thank Santos Rodríguez for help with the maintenance of this coralsnake.

Literature Cited
Ashley, B. D., and P. M. Burchfield. 1968. Maintenance of a Chacón, D., S. Rodríguez, J. Arias, G. Solano, F. Bonilla, and
snake colony for the purpose of venom extraction. Toxicon. A. Gómez. 2012. Maintaining coral snakes (Micrurus nigro-
5: 267–275. cinctus, Serpentes: Elapidae) for venom production on an
Braz H.B., M. M. T. Rocha, and M. F. D. Furtado. 2012. alternative fish-based diet. Toxicon. 60: 249–25.
Maintaining rear-fanged snakes for venom production: an Murphy J. B., and B. L. Armstrong. 1978. Maintenance of Rat-
evaluation of mortality and survival rates for Philodryas tlesnakes in Captivity. Special Publication No. 3, University
olfersii and P. patagoniensis in captivity. The Journal of of Kansas Museum of National History, The University of
Venomous Animals and Toxins including Tropical Diseases. Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas, United States.
2: 164–172. Savage, J. M. 2002. The Amphibians and Reptiles of Costa Rica:
Campbell, J. A., and W. W. Lamar. 2004. The Venomous Reptiles A Herpetofauna between Two Continents, between Two Seas.
of the Western Hemisphere. 2 Volumes. Comstock Publish- The University of Chicago Press, Chicago, Illinois, United
ing Associates, Cornell University Press, Ithaca, New York, States.
United States.

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Other Contributions Miscellaneous Notes

Serapicos, E. O., and J. L. B. Merusse. 2002a. Variação de peso e Slavens, F. L., and K. Slavens. 2016 (data accumulation discontin-
sobrevida de Micrurus corallinus sobre diferentes condições ued in 2000). Reptiles and Amphibians in Captivity: Breeding
de alimentação em biotério (Serpentes, Elapidae). Iheringia ––Longevity. (www.pondturtle.com/lsnaked.html#Micrurus;
Série Zoologia. 92: 105–109. accessed 25 November 2016)
Serapicos, E. O., and J. L. B. Merusse. 2002b. Análise compara- Solórzano, A. 2004. Serpientes de Costa Rica: Distribución,
tiva entre tipos de alimentação de Micrurus corallinus (Ser- Taxonomía e Historia Natural / Snakes of Costa Rica: Dis-
pentes, Elapidae) em cautiverio. Iheringa Série Zoologia. 92: tribution, Taxonomy, and Natural History. Instituto Nacional
99–103. de Biodiversidad (INBio), Santo Domingo de Heredia, Costa
Rica.

Danilo Chacón1, Aarón Gómez1, and Greivin Corrales1

Instituto Clodomiro Picado, Sección Serpentario, Facultad de Microbiología, Universidad de Costa Rica, San José,
1

Costa Rica. E-mail: [email protected] (GC, Corresponding author)

First report of Porthidium ophryomegas (Serpentes: Viperidae: Crotalinae) from

Mexico, with comments on the status of an endangered biogeographical formation
An effort was made to determine if any medically important venomous snakes with a known distribution limited
to Central America might occur within the boundaries of Mexico. A review of literature on the venomous snakes
of Central America (Köhler, 2008; Campbell and Lamar, 2004) revealed the distribution of two venomous snakes
in western Guatemala that have not been reported from Mexico (Micrurus stuarti and Porthidium ophryomegas).
In 2016 we made an effort to determine if the distribution of P. ophryomegas extends into Mexico. The clos-
est known record of this species to Mexican territory is at Champerico, Departamento de Retalhuleu, Guatemala
(Campbell and Lamar, 2004), a locality in Guatemalan Tropical Dry Forest (sensu Grünwald et al., 2015). Using
rainfall data and municipality border overlays available online (Herp MX, 2009), and data from INEGI, we deter-
mined that an 80 km × 20 km stretch of Guatemalan Tropical Dry Forest exists (or existed) along the coastal plain of
the Socunusco region of Chiapas. We searched this area and interviewed local residents about the venomous snakes
inhabiting this region, and discuss the results below. Museum abbreviations are UTADC for the University of
Texas-Arlington Digital collection and CBUVG for the Universidad del Valle de Guatemala Colección Biológica.

Porthidium ophryomegas (Bocourt, 1868). MEXICO: CHIAPAS: Municipio de Tapachula, Tinajas 1a. Sección
(14.694986°N, -92.346860°W); elev. 12 m; 17 September 2016; Omar Aguilar-Moreno. An adult of unknown sex
(Photo vouchers UTADC-8741–42) was found dead on a trail in the afternoon near a mango (Mangifera sp.) or-
chard in Tropical Dry Forest (Fig. 1A, B). This voucher represents the first record of this species for Mexico, as
well as for the state of Chiapas. It also extends the known distribution of Porthidium ophryomegas 64 km to the
NW from the nearest record (CBUVG 2777), which was collected at Finca Ixtlán, in Champerico, Departamento de
Retalhuleu, Guatemala (14.3139°N, -91.89788°W). A second adult of unknown sex was killed in the vicinity of the
same orchard on 8 October 2016 (Photo vouchers UTADC-8743–44) by local farmers and photographed by Omar
Aguilar-Moreno (Fig. 1C, D). Neither snake was collected.

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Fig 1. (A, B, C, D) Dorsal views (A,C) and close-ups of the heads (B, D) of two individuals of Porthidium ophryomegas that
were found dead by locals in Municipio de Tapachula, Chiapas, Mexico in 2016. ' © Omar Aguilar Moreno

In Mexico, P. ophryomegas only is known from the Guatemalan Tropical Dry Forest biogeographic forma-
tion (sensu Grünwald et al., 2015; Fig. 2), This species is not expected to occur elsewhere in the country, as the
Guatemalan Tropical Dry Forest biogeographical formation extends only along the coast in the municipalities of
Suchiate, Tapachula, and Mazatán. This habitat has been decimated by agricultural activities and only tiny “islands”
of the original habitat remain (see Fig. 2), including the Aeropuerto Internacional de Tapachula and a series of
hammocks in the mangroves between Puerto Chiapas and Playa El Gancho, where agricultural activities have not
commenced because of the inaccessability of the mangroves for tractors. A final “island” of what might be consid-
ered suitable habitat is present around Barra San Simón, although this habitat is more mesic and might not support
the same fauna. Importantly, Guatemalan Tropical Dry Forest is the most degredaded biogeographical formation in
Mexico, and species in Mexico restricted to this habitat should be regarded as endangered in the country.
The authors observed two individuals of this species at the same mango orchard on 14 December 2016 (Fig.
3A, B) while this note was in press, and included these photos here to supplement the photographic material avail-
able for this species in Mexico.

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Fig 2. Map of former and new northernmost record of Porthidium ophryomegas, depicting the former extent of the Guatemalan
Tropical Dry Forest in Mexico and the remnants thereof.

Fig 3. (A, B) Lateral views of two live individuals of Porthidium ophryomegas from Municipio de Tapachula, Chiapas, Mexico,
observed by the authors in December of 2016 while this note was in press. ' © Christoph I. Grünwald

Acknowledgments.­­—We thank Nadia Pérez-Rivera for her untiring assistance in the field, and for help
with other logistics in the municipalities of Huixtla, Tapachula and Suchiate. We also are grateful to Jonathan
Campbell and Jacobo Reyes-Velasco for identifying the snakes and providing information on specimens collected
in Guatemala.We thank Omar Aguilar-Moreno for providing photographs of the snakes, and Carl J. Franklin of the
University of Texas-Arlington for cataloguing the digital photographs.

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Literature Cited
Bocourt, M. F. 1868. Descriptions de quelques crotaliens nou- Viperidae: Crotalinae) from eastern Mexico, with comments
veaux appartenant au genre Bothrops, recueillis dans le on the taxonomy of related pitvipers. Mesoamerican Herpe-
Guatemala. Annales des Sciences Naturelles—Zoologieet tology 2: 387–416.
Biologie Animale, 5th ser., 10: 201­–202. Herp MX - Mexico Map Pack. 2009. Map Pack v.1.0. (www.herp.
Campbell, J. A. and W. W. Lamar. 2004. The Venomous Reptiles mx/pubs/HERPMX-Mexico-Map-Pack-v1.0.kmz; accessed
of the Western Hemisphere. 2 Volumes. Comstock Publish- 14 October 2015).
ing Associates, Cornell University Press, Ithaca, New York, Köhler, G. 2008. Reptiles of Central America. 2nd ed. Herpeton,
United States. Offenbach, Germany.
Grünwald, C. I., J. M. Jones, H. Franz-Chávez and I. T. Ahuma-
da-Carrillo. 2015. A new species of Ophryacus (Serpentes:

Christoph I. Grünwald1,2,3, Karen I. Morales-Flores2,4, Héctor Franz-Chávez2,4, Alexander I.

Hermosillo-López2,4, and Jason M. Jones2,3
Biencom Real Estate, Carretera Chapala - Jocotepec #57-1, C.P. 45920, Ajijic, Jalisco, Mexico.
1

E-mail: [email protected]
2
Biodiversa A. C., Avenida de la Ribera #203, C.P. 45900, Chapala, Jalisco, Mexico.
Herpetological Conservation International, Mesoamerica Division, 450 Jolina Way, Encinitas, California 92024,
3

United States.
4
Centro Universitario de Ciencias Biológicas y Agropecuarias, Carretera a Nogales Km. 15.5. Las Agujas, Nextipac,
Zapopan, C.P. 45110, Jalisco, Mexico.

New herpetofaunal records for Parque Nacional Montecristo, El Salvador

Historically, amphibians and reptiles have been relatively understudied in El Salvador, with the first major work
conducted by Mertens (1952). Since that time, several works on the herpetofauna of the country involving mu-
seum specimens, conservation, or geographic distribution have been published (Köhler et al., 1998; Leenders and
Watkins-Colwell, 2004; Greenbaum and Komar, 2010; Morán-Hidalgo and Ruballo-Marroquín, 2012; Hidalgo et
al., 2013; Ruballo-Marroquín and Moran-Hidalgo, 2013; Morán et al., 2015).
In a conservation assessment of protected areas in El Salvador, Greenbaum and Komar (2010) reported the
number of amphibian and reptiles species in the department of Santa Ana as 22 and 66, respectively. The most
current list for Parque Nacional Montecristo (PNM), located in the department of Santa Ana and the municipialty
of Metapán (Fig. 1), indicates records for 15 species of amphibians and 34 of reptiles (Ministerio de Ambiente y
Recursos Naturales, 2010). In this note we provide information on new herpetofaunal records for PNM (5 amphib-
ians, 10 reptiles), and range extensions for areas within the department of Santa Ana. All of the localities for the
vouchers below are within PNM, except where noted (1 species). We deposited the digital vouchers at the University
of Texas Arlington Digital Collection (UTADC), and express all geographic coordinates in map datum WGS 84.

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Other Contributions Miscellaneous Notes

Fig. 1. Map of El Salvador, with star indicating the location of the study site in Parque Nacional Montecristo.

Amphibia: Caudata
Family Plethodontidae
Bolitoglossa mexicana (Duméril, Bibron & Duméril, 1854). SANTA ANA: Municipio de Metapán (14.380160°N,
89.400700°W; WGS 84); elev. 1,225 m; 23 February 2015; Carlos Juárez Peña; UTADC-8724; Fig. 2A. The indi-
vidual was found active on a road in a transition zone between semi-deciduous and oak-pine forest. This voucher
represents an elevational record for this species in the country, with an increase of 222 m, as well as the second
reported locality for the country and the first for the department (Morán et al., 2015).

Oedipina taylori (Stuart, 1952). SANTA ANA: Municipio de Metapán (14.361987°N, 89.402643°W; WGS 84);
elev. 845 m; 12 April 2007; Nohemi Guerra; UTADC-8725; Fig. 2 B. The salamander was found in an area of heli-
conias ca. 500 m from the park boundary. This voucher represents a new departmental record, with the closest local-
ities in the departments of Ahuachapán, La Libertad, and Sonsonate (Greenbaum and Komar, 2010; VertNet, 2016).

Amphibia: Anura
Family Hylidae
Dendropsophus robertmertensi (Taylor, 1937). SANTA ANA: Municipio de Metapán (14.376898°N, 89.400599°W;
WGS 84) elev. 1,210 m; 8 August 2015; Carlos Juárez Peña; UTADC-8726; Fig. 2 C. The frog was found vocal-
izing in a fishpond called Majaditas, located in a transition zone between semi-deciduous and oak-pine forest. CJP
observed more individuals at a lower elevation in subdeciduous forest. This voucher represents a new departmental
record, with the closest localities in the departments of Chalatenango, La Libertad, and Sonsonate (Greenbaum and
Komar, 2010; VertNet, 2016).

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Family Leptodactylidae
Leptodactylus fragilis (Brocchi, 1877). SANTA ANA: Municipio de Metapán (14.376898°N, 89.400599°W; WGS
84) elev. 1,210; 24 May 2015; Carlos Juárez Peña; UTADC-8727; Fig. 2 D. The frog was found in a transition
zone between semi-deciduous and oak pine forest, in a fishpond called Majaditas. This voucher represents a new
departmental record, with the closest localities in the departments of Chalatenango, La Libertad, and Sonsonate
(Greenbaum and Komar 2010; VertNet, 2016).
Family Microhylidae
Hypopachus ustus (Cope, 1866). SANTA ANA: Municipio de Metapán (14.376898°N, 89.400599°W; WGS 84)
elev. 1210 m. 24 May 2015. Carlos Juárez Peña. UTADC-8728; Fig. 2 E. Two males (calling) and one female were
found in a transition zone between semi-deciduous and oak-pine forest, in a fishpond called Majaditas. These in-
dividuals represent the ninth reported locality for this species in the country, which includes some records in the
department of Santa Ana, with the closest records in the department of La Libertad (Greenbaum and Komar, 2010).

Reptilia: Testudines
Family Geoemydidae
Rhinoclemmys pulcherrima (Gray, 1855). SANTA ANA: Municipio de Metapán (14.365092°N, 89.399697°W;
WGS 84) elev. 936 m; 3 September 2015; Carlos Juárez Peña; UTADC-8729; Fig. 2 F. Three individuals were
found in the semi-deciduous forest, within a stream that traverses the community of San José; a fourth individual
also was observed at a higher elevation in cloud forest. The records the twenty-first and twenty-second locality for
this species in the country, respectively. The nearest reported localities are in the departments of Ahuachapán, La
Libertad, and Sonsonate (Greenbaum and Komar 2010; VertNet, 2016).

A B C

E
F

D E F
Fig. 2. (A) Bolitoglossa mexicana; (B) Oedipina taylori; (C) Dendropsophus robertmertensi; (D) Leptodactylus fragilis;
(E) Hypopachus ustus; and (F) Rhinoclemmys pulcherrima. ' © Carlos Peña (A, C, D, E, F) and Nohemí Guerra (B)

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Family Kinosternidae
Kinosternon scorpioides (Linnaeus, 1766). SANTA ANA: Municipio de Metapán (14.366246°N, 89.402221°W;
WGS 84) elev. 920 m; 21 November 2015; Carlos Juárez Peña; UTADC-8730; Fig. 3 A. The turtle was found
in semi-deciduous forest, in a fishpond. This species has been recorded in all the departments in the country
(Greenbaum and Komar, 2010; VertNet, 2016).

Reptilia: Squamata (lizards)

Family Anguidae
Celestus bivittatus (Boulenger, 1869). SANTA ANA: Municipio de Metapán (14.383333°N, 89.350000°W; WGS
84) elev. 1,731 m; 2 September 2015; Fredi Arnoldo Magaña; UTADC-8731–32; Fig. 3 B. The lizard was found
in disturbed pine forest, in the buffer zone outside the park and along the periphery of a school. This voucher rep-
resents the second locality for department and for third the country, with the nearest locality in the department of
Ahuachapán (Greenbaum and Komar, 2010).

Reptilia: Squamata (snakes)

Family Colubridae
Enulius flavitorques (Cope, 1869). SANTA ANA: Municipio de Metapán (14.361987°N, 89.402643°W; WGS 84)
elev. 845 m; 22 May 2015; Carlos Juárez Peña; UTADC-8733; Fig. 3 C. The snake was found in semi-deciduous
forest. This voucher represents the eleventh locality in the country, which includes some records in the department
of Santa Ana, with the nearest record the the department of La Libertad (Greenbaum and Komar, 2010; VertNet,
2016).

Leptophis mexicanus (Duméril, Bibron & Duméril, 1854). SANTA ANA: Municipio de Metapán (14.350000°N,
89.383333°W; WGS 84) elev. 941 m; May 2012; Jeniffer Abrego; UTADC-8734; Fig. 3 D. The snake was found
in semi-deciduous forest, and represents the ninth locality for the country. The nearest recorded localities are in the
departments of Chalatenango and La Libertad (Greenbaum and Komar, 2010; VertNet, 2016).

Mastigodryas dorsalis (Bocourt, 1890). SANTA ANA: Municipio de Metapán (14.383333°N, 89.350000°W; WGS
84) elev. 1493 m; 7 April 2016; José Ruiz; UTADC-8735; Fig. 3 E. The snake was found in cloud forest inside a
house. This voucher represents the fourteenth locality for the country, with the nearest recorded localities in the
departments of Ahuachapán, Chalatenango, and La Libertad (Greenbaum and Komar, 2010; VertNet, 2016).

Mastigodryas melanolomus (Cope 1868). SANTA ANA: Municipio de Metapán (14.350000°N, 89.240000°W;
WGS 84) 830 m; 30 April 2013; Nohemi Guerra; UTADC-8736; Fig. 4 A. The snake was found in semi-deciduous
forest, and represents the fourth locality in the country, which includes some records in the department of Santa Ana
(Greenbaum and Komar, 2010).
Ninia sebae (Duméril, Bibron & Duméril, 1854). SANTA ANA: Municipio de Metapán (14.362800°N, 89.400923°W;
WGS 84) elev. 872 m; 9 August 2015; Carlos Juárez Peña; UTADC-8737; Fig. 4 B. The snake was found in
semi-deciduous forest, crossing the road through the town at night. This voucher represents the first record for the
department, with other records in the neighboring departments of Ahuachapán, Chalatenango, and La Libertad
(Greenbaum and Komar, 2010; VertNet, 2016).

Scolecophis atrocinctus (Schlegel, 1837). SANTA ANA: Municipio de Metapán (14.388056°N, 89.374722°W;
WGS 84) elev. 1,800 m; 30 April 2015; Nohemi Guerra; UTADC-8738; Fig. 4 C. The snake was found in oak pine
forest, and represents a departmental record. This species has been recorded in the neighboring departments of
Ahuachapán, La Libertad, and Sonsonate (Greenbaum and Komar, 2010; VertNet, 2016).

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Other Contributions Miscellaneous Notes

A B

C B

D E

D E

Fig. 3. (A) Kinosternon scorpioides; (B) Celestus bivittatus; (C) Enulius flavitorques; (D) Leptophis mexicanus; and
(E) Mastigodryas dorsalis. ' © Carlos Peña (A, C), Fredi Magaña (B), Jennifer Abrego (D), and José Ruíz (E)

Sibon anthracops (Cope, 1868). SANTA ANA: Municipio de Metapán (14.370561°N, 89.404405°W; WGS 84)
elev. 1,060 m; 25 May 2015; Carlos Juárez Peña; UTADC-8739; Fig. 4 D. The snake was found in semi-deciduous
forest, crossing the road at night. This voucher represents the first record for the park and the fourth locality for the
country; this species previously was recodeed in the departments of Cuscatlán and San Salvador (Greenbaum and
Komar, 2010).

Stenorrhina freminvillei (Duméril, Bibron & Duméril, 1854). SANTA ANA: Municipio de Metapán
(14.362363°N, 89.407184°W; WGS 84) elev. 858 m; 16 July 2013; Alvin Melara; UTADC-8740; Fig. 4 E. The
snake was found dead along the edge of a road through semi-deciduous forest. Other records are available for the
department of Santa Ana (Greenbaum and Komar, 2010; VertNet, 2016).

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Other Contributions Miscellaneous Notes

A B

C D

Fig. 4. (A) Mastigrodryas melanolomus; (B) Ninia sebae; (C) Scolecophis atrocinctus; (D) Sibon anthracops; and (E)
Stenorrhina freminvillei. ' © Nohemí Guerra (A, C), Carlos Peña (B, D), and Alvin Melara (E)

Acknowledgments.––We thank Maritza Guido, Nohemi Guerra, forest rangers at Parque Nacional Montecristo
field assistance, Eli Greenbaum and Vladlen Henriquez for confirming the species identification, Carl J. Franklin
for providing the photo voucher numbers, Jaime Mejía for assisting with literature, and Louis Porras for his com-
ments and recommendations.

Literature Cited
Greenbaum, E., and O. Komar. 2010. A conservation assessment Reptiles. Eagle Mountain Publishing, L.C., Eagle Mountain,
of Salvadoran protected areas: priorities and recommen- Utah, United States.
dations based on amphibians and reptiles distribution. Pp. Hidalgo, E. S. M., V. E. Henríquez, and N. E. R. Marroquin.
437–459. In L. D. Wilson, J. H. Townsend, and J. D. John- 2013. Nueva localidad y gradiente altitudinal de Oedipina
son (Eds.), Conservation of Mesoamerican Amphibians and taylori (Stuart, 1952) (Caudata: Plethodontidae) en El Salva-
dor. Revista Biodiversidad Neotropical 3: 69–74.

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 Other Contributions Miscellaneous Notes

Köhler, G., M. Veselý, and E. Greenbaum. 2006. The Amphibi- Morán-Hidalgo, E. S., and N. E. Ruballo-Marroquín. 2012.
ans and Reptiles of El Salvador. Krieger Publishing Compa- Nueva localidad de Plectrohyla guatemalensis (Brocchi,
ny, Malabar, Florida, United States. 1987) (Anura: Hylidae) en el departamento de Chalatenango,
Leenders, T., and G. J. Watkins-Colwell. 2004. Notes on a col- El Salvador. Revista Biodiversidad Neotropical 2: 126-130.
lection of amphibians and reptiles from El Salvador. Postilla Morán, E. S., N. E Ruballo, and R. A. Vásquez. 2015. Primer reg-
231: 1–31. istro de Bolitoglossa mexicana (Dumeril, Bibron & Dumeril,
Mertens, R. 1952. Die Amphibien und Reptilien von El Salvador. 1854) (Caudata: Plethodontidae) en El Salvador. Cuadernos
Abhandlungen der Senckenbergischen Naturforschenden de Herpetología 29: 161–162.
Gesellschaft. 487: 1–120. Ruballo-Marroquín, N. E., and E. S. Morán-Hidalgo. 2013. Nue-
Ministerio de Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales. 2010. vo registro de Hypopachus variolosus (Cope, 1866) (Anura:
Guía de Anfibios y Reptiles Parque Nacional Montecristo. Microhylidae) en el departamento de La Libertad, El Salva-
20 pp. dor. Revista Biodiversidad Neotropical 3: 65–68.
VertNet. 2016. (www.vertnet.org; accessed 18 September 2016).

Carlos-Juárez-Peña1,2, Ángel Sosa Bartuano2,3, and Silvia Sigüenza-Mejia1

1
Facultad Multidisciplinaria de Occidente, Universidad de El Salvador, Santa Ana, El Salvador.
Red Mesoamericana y del Caribe para la Conservación de Anfibios y Reptiles (Red MesoHerp).
2

E-mail: [email protected] (Corresponding Author)

3
Colaborador, Museo de Vertebrados de la Universidad de Panamá, Ciudad de Panamá, Panama.

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