The amphibians and reptiles of the Los Chimalapas region, Isthmus of Tehuantepec, Oaxaca, Mexico:

composition, distributional categorization, conservation status, and biodiversity significance

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.29105/bys5.10-73

Keywords:

Community conservation, conservation status, distribution status, endemism, herpetofaunal update, high-priority regions, tropical evergreen forest, montane cloud forest

Abstract

Given the unceasing momentum of the ongoing global biodiversity crisis, we placed an elevated sense of urgency on documenting and reporting the occurrence and distribution of species, and the threats to their persistence. Further, this urgency is enhanced when dealing with secretive species from understudied regions. Herein, we present an updated taxonomic list of the 155 species of amphibians and reptiles found in the Los Chimalapas region of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, Oaxaca, Mexico. We also include data on the geographic and ecological distribution and conservation status of the species involved, which includes 44 anurans, eight salamanders, one caecilian, one crocodylian, 93 squamates, and eight turtles. The Chimalapas stand out as a high biodiversity region for amphibians and reptiles.

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Author Biographies

Elí García-Padilla, Biodiversidad Mesoamericana

Is a biologist and professional photographer, with more than 12 years of experience in the field study and photo-documentation of the biocultural diversity of Mexico. He has published one book and more than 100 formal contributions on knowledge, communication of science, and conservation of Mesoamerican biodiversity. Since 2017, he has invested effort in the exploration of the mythical region of the Los Chimalapas, in the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, which is the most biologically rich in all of Mexico under the social tenure of the land and the community conservation system.

Vicente Mata-Silva, The University of Texas at El Paso

Is a herpetologist originally from Río Grande, Oaxaca, Mexico. His interests include ecology, conservation, natural history, and biogeography of the herpetofauna of Mexico, Central America, and the southwestern United States. He received his B.S. degree from the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), and his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP). Vicente is an Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences at UTEP in the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Program, and Assistant Director of UTEP’s Indio Mountains Research Station, located in the Chihuahuan Desert of Trans-Pecos, Texas. To date, Vicente has authored or co-authored over 100 peer-reviewed scientific publications. He also was the Distribution Notes Section Editor for the journal Mesoamerican Herpetology, and, currently, he is Acting Section Editor for the journal Herpetological Review, for Geographic Distribution.

Iván Villalobos-Juárez, Universidad Autónoma de Aguascalientes

Ivan Villalobos-Juárez obtained his undergraduate degree in Biology at the Universidad Autónoma de Aguascalientes (UAA), but, in the past, he studied Marketing in the Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey, Campus Aguascalientes. Ivan is an Associate Professor of Biology at UAA and a professor in Universidad Autónoma de Durango. He is also a Research Technical Assistant at the Zoological Collection in UAA. Ivan was the last Program Manager of Viper Specialist Group of the International Union for a 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), habitat use of rattlesnakes in Central Mexico, 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.

Eduardo Alexis López-Esquivel, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México

Eduardo Alexis López-Esquivel is a Mexican biogeographer, who received a B.Sc. in Biology in the Facultad de Ciencias from the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM). Nowadays, he is a M.Sc. student in the Biological Sciences program of his “alma mater.” His main interest is the study of long-term vegetation dynamics at Middle America, which he approaches using paleoecological and macroecological methods.

Mario C. Lavariega, Instituto Politécnico Nacional

Mario C. Lavariega is an Associate Professor at the Centro Interdisciplinario de Investigation para el Desarrollo Integral Regional Unidad Oaxaca, Instituto Politécnico Nacional. His research is focused on community-based conservation.

Arturo Rocha, The University of Texas at El Paso

Arturo Rocha is a herpetologist from El Paso, Texas, USA, whose interests include the biogeography and ecology of amphibians and reptiles in the southwestern United States and Mexico. A graduate of the University of Texas at El Paso, Arturo’s thesis focused on the spatial ecology of the Trans-Pecos Rat Snake (Bogertophis subocularis) in the northern Chihuahuan Desert. To date, he has authored or co-authored over 10 peer-reviewed scientific publications.

Dominic L. DeSantis, Georgia College & State University

Dominic L. DeSantis is an Assistant Professor of Biology at Georgia College and State University, Milledgeville, Georgia, USA, in the Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences. Dominic’s research interests broadly include the behavioral ecology, conservation biology, and natural history of herpetofauna. In addition to ongoing collaborative projects associated with the Mesoamerican Research Group, much of Dominic’s current research focuses on using novel animal-borne sensor technologies to study the behavior of snakes in the field. While completing his Ph.D. at the University of Texas at El Paso, Dominic accompanied Vicente Mata-Silva, Elí García-Padilla, and Larry David Wilson on survey and collecting expeditions to Oaxaca in 2015, 2016, and 2017, and is a co-author on numerous natural history publications produced from those visits, including an invited book chapter on the conservation outlook for herpetofauna in the Sierra Madre del Sur of Oaxaca.

Ana Iris Melgar-Martínez, Tres Lagunas, San Javier, Lacanjá Chansayab, Ocosingo,

Ana Iris Melgar-Martínez is a biologist graduated from the Universidad de Ciencias y Artes de Chiapas. She has dedicated effort in the study of the traditional knowledge of the Mayan Lacandon indigenous peoples of the north and south, currently belonging to the Hach Winik ancient tribe. She has dedicated work in wildlife monitoring, herpetofauna management, and snake bites accidents, thanks to which she can carry out rescue work, workshops, and environmental education programs. Among her interests, she practices photography and video of nature and wildlife to generates impact images to share them on digital platforms and speed up the dissemination of the importance of conservation. She is currently part of the CEC - IUCN and the AMC (Women and Conservation Association).

Jerry D. Johnson, The University of Texas at El Paso

Jerry D. Johnson is Professor of Biological Sciences at The University of Texas at El Paso, and has extensive experience studying the herpetofauna of Mesoamerica, especially that of southern Mexico. Jerry is the Director of the 40,000-acre “Indio Mountains Research Station,” was a co-editor on Conservation of Mesoamerican Amphibians and Reptiles and co-author of four of its chapters. He is also the senior author of the recent paper “A conservation reassessment of the Central American herpetofauna based on the EVS measure” and is Mesoamerica/Caribbean editor for Geographic Distribution section of Herpetological Review. Johnson has authored or co-authored over 130 peer-reviewed papers, including two 2010 articles, “Geographic distribution and conservation of the herpetofauna of southeastern Mexico” and “Distributional patterns of the herpetofauna of Mesoamerica, a Biodiversity Hotspot.” One species, Tantilla johnsoni, has been named in his honor. Presently, he is an Associate Editor and Co-chair of the Taxonomic Board for the journal Mesoamerican Herpetology.

Lydia Allison Fucsko, Swinburne University of Technology

Lydia Allison Fucsko, who resides in Melbourne, Australia, is an environmental activist and amphibian conservationist. As a photographer with international publications, she has taken countless amphibian photographs, including photo galleries of frogs mostly from southeastern Australia. Dr. Fucsko has a Bachelor of Humanities from La Trobe University (Bundoora, Victoria, Australia) and a Diploma in Education from the University of Melbourne (Parkville, Victoria, Australia). She has postgraduate diplomas in computer education and in vocational education and training from the University of Melbourne (Parkville). Additionally, Dr. Fucsko has a Master’s Degree in Counseling from Monash University (Clayton, Victoria, Australia). She received her Ph.D. on Environmental Education, which promoted habitat conservation, species perpetuation, and global sustainable management, from Swinburne University of Technology (Hawthorn, Victoria, Australia), while being mentored by the late Australian herpetologist and scholar Dr. Michael James Tyler (Order of Australia recipient). Dr. Fucsko, a sought-after educational consultant, has academic interests that include: clinical psychology, focusing on psychopathology; neuroscience and empathy; environmental education for sustainable development; sentient ecology; academic writing; and creative writing, which includes poetry and creative non-fiction books for children and young adults. Dr. Fucsko also is the senior author (with Boria Sax) of a chapter in the 2019 Springer Encyclopedia of Sustainability in Higher Education entitled “Learning Activities for Environmental Education for Sustainable Development.” Recently, Dr. Fucsko has co-authored an obituary of Jaime D. Villa, a study of the introduced Mesoamerican herpetofauna, a treatment of conservation prospects of the Mesoamerican salamander fauna, papers on the herpetofauna of Veracruz and Querétaro, Mexico, a review of the book Advances in Coralsnake Biology, and a study on the biological and cultural diversity of Oaxaca, Mexico, among several other academic papers. In 2020, the species Tantilla lydia, with the suggested common name, Lydia’s little snake, was named in her honor.

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 250 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.

Larry David Wilson, Escuela Agrícola Panamericana Zamorano

Larry David Wilson is a herpetologist with lengthy experience in Mesoamerica. He was born in Taylorville, Illinois, United States, 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 460 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 75 currently recognized herpetofaunal species, and seven 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. 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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2022-07-27

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García-Padilla, E., Mata-Silva, V., Villalobos-Juárez, I., López-Esquivel, E. A., Lavariega, M. C., Rocha, A., … Wilson, L. D. (2022). The amphibians and reptiles of the Los Chimalapas region, Isthmus of Tehuantepec, Oaxaca, Mexico: : composition, distributional categorization, conservation status, and biodiversity significance. Biología Y Sociedad, 5(10), 37–76. https://doi.org/10.29105/bys5.10-73

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Vol. 5 No. 10 (2022): Julio-Diciembre 2022

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