NATURAL HISTORY AND CONSERVATION STATUS OF CROTALUS PYRRHUS COPE, 1866 (SQUAMATA: VIPERIDAE) FROM ISLA EL MUERTO, GULF OF CALIFORNIA, MEXICO

Authors

  • Elí García-Padilla Biodiversidad Mesoamericana. Oaxaca de Juárez, C.P. 68016, Oaxaca, México. https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1081-8458
  • Iván Villalobos-Juárez Organización Los Hijos del Desierto, Valle de las Delicias, Rincón de Romas, Aguascalientes, Aguascalientes, México.
  • Gustavo Arnaud Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas del Noroeste
  • David Lazcano Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León
  • Lydia Allison-Fucsko Swinburne University of Technology https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2133-6617
  • Larry David Wilson Escuela Agrícola Panamericana Zamorano

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.29105/bys7.14-133

Keywords:

Gulf of California, Isla El Muerto, rattlesnake, natural history, conservation

Abstract

The species of rattlesnakes that inhabit the islands of the Gulf of California in México represent a group of vertebrates that are endangered (García-Padilla et al., 2018). The main pressures they face are invasive species and illegal capture for commercialization (Mellinck, 1995). Presently, aspects of natural history and conservation status for many populations of various species still remain virtually unknown to science. During May-June of 2009, we visited Isla El Muerto where there exists an insular population of the rattlesnake Crotalus pyrrhus (Meik et al., 2015). The taxonomic status of this species has been discussed, but almost nothing has been published about its ecology and natural history. Here, we present new data concerning the distribution, relative abundance, and conservation status of this insular population of this species. We established that this species might be less abundant than previous authors mentioned; the estimated relative abundance we obtained is 0.22 snakes/hour. Also, we identified that the conservation status provided by Mexican (NOM-059 SEMARNAT, 2019) and international (IUCN) systems needs to be revised and modified to allocate this species to a higher level of protection. We believe that this information can be used as a basis for promoting and achieving the effective protection and conservation of this population of C. pyrrhus and its habitat for perpetuity

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Author Biographies

Elí García-Padilla, Biodiversidad Mesoamericana. Oaxaca de Juárez, C.P. 68016, Oaxaca, México.

Elí García-Padilla is a social biologist and professional photographer with more than 15 years of experience in the formal study and photodocumentation of the biological and cultural diversity of Mexico. He has published as author and co-author 3 books: “Mexican biodiversity: the snake, the jaguar and the quetzal”, “Visual guide to common frogs, toads, salamanders and sirens of Tamaulipas, Mexico” and “Visual guide to the biodiversity of Santa Martha Latuvi, Pueblos Mancomunados, Oaxaca, México” and more than 150 formal contributions – with more than a thousand citations – on the knowledge, science communication, and conservation of Mesoamerican biodiversity. Since 2006 he has invested effort in the exploration of Oaxaca and Chiapas, which are the most biodiverse and multicultural entities in Mexico. In 2017 he began to enter the mythical region of Los Chimalapas, in the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, which is the most biologically rich in all of Mexico under a community-based social conservation scheme. At present, he is immersed in the La Chinantla region in the Sierra Madre of Oaxaca, which is the most important, most biodiverse and best preserved remnant of mountain cloud forest in Mexico. He has taught several workshops on nature photography and the biocultural heritage of Mexico. He is a Red Tox expert and has taught several workshops on the identification and management of venomous snakes and the pre-hospital action protocol for snake accidents in community contexts. His photographic work has been published in prestigious magazines such as National Geographic in Spanish and Cuartoscuro. From 2020 to date, he co-founded the “Mesoamerican Biodiversity” initiative with the objective of collectively building a community around the dissemination of Mexico's most important wealth, which is its biodiversity and its native cultures. His opinion columns on socio-environmental issues, native peoples and biodiversity in general are published regularly in Oaxaca Media, Jornada Ecológica, Jornada Maya and the Ojarasca Supplement of La Jornada

Iván Villalobos-Juárez, Organización Los Hijos del Desierto, Valle de las Delicias, Rincón de Romas, Aguascalientes, Aguascalientes, México.

Iván Villalobos-Juárez is an independent researcher at Los Hijos del Desierto. Ivan obtained his undergraduate degree in Biology at the Universidad Autónoma de Aguascalientes (UAA). Ivan was an Associate Professor of Biology at UAA and a professor at Universidad Autónoma de Durango. He was also a Research Technical Assistant at the Zoological Collection in UAA. Ivan was the last Program Manager of the Viper Specialist Group of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and was a curator of the taxonomic platform Reptile Database. He has worked on the natural history of the Isla Coronado Rattlesnake (Crotalus helleri caliginis), the habitat use of rattlesnakes in Central Mexico, the trade of Mexican rattlesnakes, and the popular knowledge of reptiles. His primary interests include natural history, diversity, and conservation of amphibians and reptiles in Mexico.

Gustavo Arnaud, Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas del Noroeste

Gustavo Arnaud-Franco. Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas del Noroeste. Gustavo has a Doctor of Sciences degree from the University of Paris XIII, in France. His Master’s degree is from the National Autonomous University of Mexico and his Bachelor's degree in Biology from the UANL. He is a senior researcher at the Northwest Biological Research Center (CIBNOR) (1986-current), assigned to the Environmental Planning and Conservation Program, and a member of the Strategic Line on Biodiversity of Mexico. He is responsible for the Animal Ecology Laboratory and a member of the faculty of the CIBNOR Graduate Program. He has published more than 60 scientific articles and book chapters and has supervised three doctoral students, 15 master's students and 15 bachelor's students. He is a member of the Advisory Councils of the Bahía de Loreto National Park and the Flora and Fauna Protection Area of the Gulf of California Islands, of the CONANP. He has worked on the islands of the Gulf of California in aspects of natural history and conservation of the native fauna. He currently focuses his studies on the ecology and venoms of rattlesnakes of the genus Crotalus of northwestern Mexico.

David Lazcano, Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León

David Lazcano is a herpetologist who earned a bachelor’s degree in chemical science in 1980, and a bachelor’s degree in biology in 1982. In 1999 he earned a master’s degree in wildlife management and later a PhD degree in biological sciences with a specialty in wildlife management (2005), all gained from the Facultad de Ciencias Biólogicas of the Universidad Autonóma de Nuevo León (FCB/UANL), Mexico. Currently, has retired from this institution after 42 years of teaching courses in soil sciences, general ecology, herpetology, herpetological ecology, animal behavior, biogeography, biology in English, diversity and biology of chordates, and wildlife management. He had been the head of the Laboratorio de Herpetología from 1993-2022, teaching and providing assistance in both undergraduate and graduate programs. In 2006 he was honored to receive the Joseph Lazlo award for his herpetological trajectory, from the IHS. In October 2017 he was awarded national recognition by the Asociación para la Investigación y Conservación de Anfibios y Reptiles (AICAR), due to his contribution to the study of ecology and conservation of herpetofauna in northeastern Mexico (Tamaulipas, Nuevo León, Coahuila). He participated in the development of the Program of Action for the Conservation of the Species (PACE) Rattlesnakes (Crotalus spp.). His research interests include the study of the herpetofaunal diversity of northeastern Mexico, as well as the ecology, herpetology, biology of the chordates, biogeography, animal behavior, and population maintenance techniques of montane herps. He had been thesis advisor for many Bachelor’s, Master’s, and PhD degrees dealing with the study of the herpetofauna of the region as well as nationally. David has published more 270 scientific notes and articles in indexed and general diffusion journals, concerning the herpetofauna of the northeastern portion of Mexico. His students named a species in honor of his work, Gerrhonotus lazcanoi. David is still an active herpetologist.

Lydia Allison-Fucsko, Swinburne University of Technology

Lydia Allison Fucsko is an amphibian conservationist and environmental activist. She is also a gifted photographer who has taken countless pictures of amphibians, including photo galleries of mostly southeastern Australian frogs. Dr. Fucsko has postgraduate degrees in computer education and in vocational education and training from The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Melbourne, Australia. Lydia also holds a Master’s Degree in Counseling from Monash University, Clayton, Melbourne, Australia. She received her Ph.D. in Environmental Education, which promoted habitat conservation, species perpetuation, and global sustainable management from Swinburne University of Technology, Hawthorn, Melbourne, Australia. In addition, Dr. Fucsko is a sought-after educational consultant. Recently, the species Tantilla lydia was named in her honor.

Larry David Wilson, Escuela Agrícola Panamericana Zamorano

Larry David Wilson is a herpetologist with extensive experience in Mesoamerica. He was born in Taylorville, Illinois, USA, and received his university education at the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana (B.S. degree) and at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge (M.S. and Ph.D. degrees). He has authored or co-authored more than 485 peer-reviewed papers and books on herpetology. Larry is the senior editor of Conservation of Mesoamerican Amphibians and Reptiles and the co-author of seven of its chapters. His other books include The Snakes of Honduras, Middle American Herpetology, The Amphibians of Honduras, Amphibians &Reptiles of the Bay Islands and Cayos Cochinos, Honduras, The Amphibians and Reptiles of the Honduran Mosquitia, and Guide to the Amphibians & Reptiles of Cusuco National Park, Honduras. To date, he has authored or co-authored the descriptions of 76 currently-recognized herpetofaunal species, and six species have been named in his honor, including the anuran Craugastor lauraster, the lizard Norops wilsoni, and the snakes Oxybelis wilsoni, Myriopholis wilsoni, and Cerrophidion wilsoni; also the coccidian parasite Isospora wilsoni is another patronym. In 2005, he was designated a Distinguished Scholar in the Field of Herpetology at the Kendall Campus of Miami-Dade College. Currently, Larry is a Co-chair of the Taxonomic Board for the website Mesoamerican Herpetology.

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Published

2024-07-01

How to Cite

García-Padilla, E., Villalobos-Juárez, I., Arnaud, G., Lazcano, D., Allison-Fucsko, L., & Wilson, L. D. (2024). NATURAL HISTORY AND CONSERVATION STATUS OF CROTALUS PYRRHUS COPE, 1866 (SQUAMATA: VIPERIDAE) FROM ISLA EL MUERTO, GULF OF CALIFORNIA, MEXICO. Biología Y Sociedad, 7(14), 81–93. https://doi.org/10.29105/bys7.14-133

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Vol. 7 No. 14 (2024): Julio-Diciembre 2024

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