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Corresponding author: Julio A. Lemos-Espinal ( lemos@unam.mx ) Academic editor: Johannes Penner
© 2019 Julio A. Lemos-Espinal, Geoffrey R. Smith, James C. Rorabaugh.
This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Citation:
Lemos-Espinal JA, Smith GR, Rorabaugh JC (2019) A conservation checklist of the amphibians and reptiles of Sonora, Mexico, with updated species lists. ZooKeys 829: 131-160. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.829.32146
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Sonora has a rich natural diversity, including reptiles and amphibians. Sonora’s location on the United States-Mexico border creates some unique conservation challenges for its wildlife. We compiled a list of the amphibian and reptile species currently known for Sonora, summarized the conservation status of these species, and compared our list of species with known species lists for adjacent states. The herpetofauna of Sonora comprises 200 species of amphibians and reptiles (38 amphibians and 162 reptiles). Overall, Sonora shares the most species with Chihuahua, Sinaloa, and Arizona. Approximately 11% of the amphibian and reptile species are IUCN listed, but 35.5% are placed in a protected category by SEMARNAT, and 32.6% are categorized as high risk by the Environmental Vulnerability Score.
United States-Mexico border states, ecoregions, herpetofauna, IUCN Red List, shared species
Sonora is a state that, due to its geographic location near the U.S. states of Arizona and California and the extraordinary natural diversity those states host, has attracted the attention of specialists and amateurs in the study of its flora and fauna. Therefore, Sonora’s biodiversity is perhaps the best known among the states of northern Mexico. Sonora’s varied topography and climate (Figs
Topographical map of the state of Sonora, Mexico (
Given its physiographic and topographic diversity, Sonora is home to high levels of biodiversity, including its herpetofauna (see
The location of Sonora along the United States-Mexico border creates some unique issues for the conservation of its wildlife. Environmental quality and ecosystem services on the Mexican side of the Sonora-Arizona border are declining (
Another challenge to Sonora’s environment is related to water usage. Watersheds in the region are subject to increasing urbanization, ranching, and losses due to irrigation (
The factors mentioned above are likely to affect several taxonomic groups, but the herpetofauna is a group of particular concern.
We only included species in the checklist for which we could confirm the record in Sonora, either by direct observation or through documented museum records or vouchers. We follow
Taxon | Explanation |
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Rhinella horribilis |
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Dryophytes | We use Dryophytes based on |
Rana |
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Isthmura sierraoccidentalis | Originally Isthmura sierraoccidentalis was described as a subspecies of Pseudoeurycea belli by |
Aspidoscelis |
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Boa |
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Chionactis annulata |
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Chionactis, Chilomeniscus, and Sonora |
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Lampropeltis | Based on the work of |
Crotalus pyrrhus |
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We recognize six herpetological ecoregions in Sonora (Eastern Mountains, High Northeastern Valleys, Western Mainland Deserts, Subtropical Lowlands and Foothills of the Sierra Madre Occidental, Islands, and Marine), each of which supports distinctive amphibian and reptile assemblages (Fig.
We recorded the conservation status of each species based on 1) the IUCN Red List 2018-2; 2) Environmental Viability Scores from
We created species accumulation curves for the total herpetofauna, amphibians, and reptiles using the year of the first recorded observation for each species. Such species accumulation curves are likely to be reasonable estimates of the species richness of amphibians and reptiles (see
Sonora hosts a total of 200 (seven of them introduced) species of amphibians and reptiles. This is an increase of four species from the list compiled by
The species accumulation curves for all species, amphibians only, and reptiles only suggest that the current list of species likely underestimates the species richness for Sonora (Fig.
We compiled a list of 17 species (three amphibians, 14 reptiles) potentially occurring in Sonora (Table
Fourteen of the 38 species of amphibians that inhabit Sonora are endemic to Mexico, one of which is restricted to small areas in the Sierra Madre Occidental in eastern Sonora and western Chihuahua (Table
The American Crocodile (Crocodylus acutus) is widely distributed from the eastern US to South America. One of the seventeen species of turtles that inhabit the state is endemic to Sonora (Table
Amphibians and reptiles of Sonora with distributional and conservation status. Ecoregion (1 = Western mainland deserts; 2 = High northeastern valleys; 3 = Eastern mountains; 4 = Subtropical lowlands and foothills; 5 = Marine; 6 = Islands); IUCN Status (DD = Data Deficient; LC = Least Concern, VU = Vulnerable, NT = Near Threatened; EN = Endangered; CE = Critically Endangered; NE = not Evaluated) according to the IUCN Red List (The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, Version 2018-1; www.iucnredlist.org; accessed 14 September 2018), conservation status in Mexico according to
IUCN | EVS | SEMARNAT | Ecoregions | GD | Source of first record | |
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Class Amphibia | ||||||
Order Anura | ||||||
Bufonidae | ||||||
Anaxyrus cognatus (Say, 1823) | LC | L (8) | NL | 1, 2 | 2 |
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Anaxyrus debilis (Girard, 1854) | LC | L (7) | Pr | 2 | 2 |
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Anaxyrus kelloggi (Taylor, 1938) | LC | H (14) | NL | 1, 4 | 1 |
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Anaxyrus mexicanus (Brocchi, 1879) | NT | M (13) | NL | 3 | 1 |
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Anaxyrus punctatus (Baird & Girard, 1852) | LC | L (5) | NL | 1, 2, 3, 4, 6 | 2 |
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Anaxyrus retiformis (Sanders & Smith, 1951) | LC | M (12) | Pr | 1 | 2 |
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Anaxyrus woodhousii (Girard, 1854) | LC | M (10) | NL | 1, 2 | 2 |
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Incilius alvarius (Girard, 1859) | LC | M (11) | NL | 1, 2, 3, 4 | 2 |
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Incilius marmoreus (Wiegmann, 1833) | LC | M (11) | NL | 4 | 1 |
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Incilius mazatlanensis (Taylor, 1940) | LC | M (12) | NL | 1, 2, 3, 4 | 1 |
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Incilius mccoyi Santos-Barrera & Flores-Villela, 2011 | NE | H (14) | NL | 3 | 1 |
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Rhinella horribilis (Wiegmann, 1833) | NE | NE | NL | 1, 4 | 3 |
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Craugastoridae | ||||||
Craugastor augusti (Dugès, 1879) | LC | L (8) | NL | 3, 4 | 2 | USNM311989 (1921) |
Craugastor occidentalis (Taylor, 1941) | DD | M (13) | NL | 3, 4 | 1 |
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Craugastor tarahumaraensis (Taylor, 1940) | VU | H (17) | Pr | 3 | 1 |
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Eleutherodactylidae | ||||||
Eleutherodactylus interorbitalis (Langebartel & Shannon, 1956) | DD | H (15) | Pr | 3, 4 | 1 |
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Hylidae | ||||||
Agalychnis dacnicolor (Cope, 1864) | LC | M (13) | NL | 3, 4 | 1 |
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Dryophytes arenicolor Cope, 1886 | LC | L (7) | NL | 2, 3, 4 | 2 |
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Dryophytes wrightorum (Taylor, 1939) | LC | L (9) | NL | 2, 3 | 2 |
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Smilisca baudinii (Duméril & Bibron, 1841) | LC | L (3) | NL | 4 | 3 |
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Smilisca fodiens (Boulenger, 1882) | LC | L (8) | NL | 1, 4 | 2 |
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Tlalocohyla smithii (Boulenger, 1902) | LC | M (11) | NL | 1, 4 | 1 |
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Leptodactylidae | ||||||
Leptodactylus melanonotus (Hallowell, 1861) | LC | L (6) | NL | 1, 2, 4 | 4 |
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Microhylidae | ||||||
Gastrophryne mazatlanensis (Taylor, 1943) | NE | L (8) | NL | 1, 3, 4 | 2 |
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Hypopachus variolosus (Cope, 1866) | LC | L (4) | NL | 4 | 3 |
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Ranidae | ||||||
Rana berlandieri Baird, 1859 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | IN |
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Rana catesbeiana Shaw, 1802 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | IN |
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Rana chiricahuensis Platz & Mecham, 1979 | VU | M (11) | A | 2, 3 | 2 |
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Rana forreri Boulenger, 1883 | LC | L (3) | Pr | 1, 4 | 4 | KUH 37904 (1954) |
Rana magnaocularis Frost & Bagnara, 1976 | LC | M (12) | NL | 1, 2, 3, 4 | 1 |
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Rana pustulosa Boulenger, 1883 | LC | L (3) | Pr | 4 | 1 |
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Rana tarahumarae Boulenger, 1917 | VU | L (8) | NL | 3 | 2 |
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Rana yavapaiensis Platz & Frost, 1984 | LC | M (12) | Pr | 1, 3, 4 | 2 |
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Scaphiopodidae | ||||||
Scaphiopus couchi Baird, 1854 | LC | L (3) | NL | 1, 2, 3, 4 | 2 | Allen, 1933 (1932) |
Spea multiplicata (Cope, 1863) | LC | L (6) | NL | 1, 2, 3 | 2 |
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Order Caudata | ||||||
Ambystomatidae | ||||||
Ambystoma marvortium Baird, 1850 | LC | M (10) | NL | 1, 2 | 2 |
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Ambystoma rosaceum Taylor, 1941 | LC | H (14) | Pr | 3 | 1 |
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Plethodontidae | ||||||
Isthmura sierraoccidentalis (Lowe, Jones, & Wright, 1968) | NE | NE | NL | 3 | 1 |
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Class Reptilia | ||||||
Order Crocodylia | ||||||
Crocodylidae | ||||||
Crocodylus acutus Cuvier, 1807 | VU | H (14) | Pr | 5 | 3 | PBDB 20495 (1764) |
Order Squamata | ||||||
Suborder Lacertilia | ||||||
Anguidae | ||||||
Elgaria kingii Gray, 1838 | LC | M (10) | Pr | 2, 3 | 2 |
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Crotaphytidae | ||||||
Crotaphytus collaris (Say, 1823) | LC | M (13) | A | 2, 3 | 2 |
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Crotaphytus dickersonae Schmidt, 1922 | LC | H (16) | NL | 1, 6 | 0 |
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Crotaphytus nebrius Axtell & Montanucci, 1977 | LC | M (12) | NL | 1, 3 | 2 |
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Gambelia wislizenii (Baird & Girard, 1852) | LC | M (13) | Pr | 1, 2 | 2 |
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Dactyloidae | ||||||
Anolis nebulosus (Wiegmann, 1834) | LC | M (13) | NL | 3, 4 | 1 |
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Eublepharidae | ||||||
Coleonyx fasciatus (Boulenger, 1885) | LC | H (17) | NL | 3, 4 | 1 |
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Coleonyx variegatus (Baird, 1858) | LC | M (11) | Pr | 1, 2, 4 | 2 |
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Gekkonidae (Introduced) | ||||||
Hemidactylus frenatus Schlegel, 1836 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | IN |
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Hemidactylus turcicus (Linnaeus, 1758) | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | IN |
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Helodermatidae | ||||||
Heloderma exasperatum Bogert and Martín del Campo, 1856 | NE | NE | NL | 3, 4 | 1 |
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Heloderma suspectum Cope, 1869 | NT | H (15) | A | 1, 2, 3, 4 | 2 |
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Iguanidae | ||||||
Ctenosaura conspicuosa Dickerson, 1919 | NE | H (16) | NL | 6 | 0 |
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Ctenosaura macrolopha Smith, 1972 | NE | H (19) | NL | 1, 3, 4 | 1 |
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Ctenosaura nolascensis Smith, 1972 | VU | H (17) | NL | 6 | 0 |
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Dipsosaurus dorsalis (Baird & Girard, 1852) | LC | M (11) | NL | 1 | 2 |
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Sauromalus ater Duméril, 1856 | LC | M (13) | Pr | 1 | 2 |
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Sauromalus hispidus Stejneger, 1891 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | IN |
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Sauromalus varius Dickerson, 1919 | NE | H (16) | A | 6 | 10 |
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Phrynosomatidae | ||||||
Callisaurus draconoides Blainville, 1835 | LC | M (12) | A | 1, 4 | 2 |
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Cophosaurus texanus Troschel, 1852 | LC | H (14) | A | 1, 2, 3 | 2 |
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Holbrookia approximans Baird, 1859 | NE | H (14) | NL | 1 | 1 |
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Holbrookia elegans Bocourt, 1874 | LC | M (13) | NL | 1, 2, 3, 4 | 2 |
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Phrynosoma cornutum (Harlan, 1825) | LC | M (11) | NL | 2 | 2 |
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Phrynosoma ditmarsi Stejneger, 1906 | DD | H (16) | NL | 3 | 0 |
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Phrynosoma goodei Stejneger, 1893 | NE | M (13) | NL | 1 | 2 | CM S4812 (1928) |
Phrynosoma hernandesi Girard, 1858 | LC | M (13) | NL | 2, 3 | 2 |
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Phrynosoma mcallii (Hallowell, 1852) | NT | H (15) | A | 1 | 2 |
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Phrynosoma modestum Girard, 1852 | LC | M (12) | NL | 2 | 2 |
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Phrynosoma orbiculare (Linnaeus, 1766) | LC | M (12) | A | 3 | 1 |
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Phrynosoma solare Gray, 1845 | LC | H (14) | NL | 1, 2, 3, 4, 6 | 2 |
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Sceloporus albiventris Smith, 1939 | NE | H (16) | NL | 3, 4 | 1 |
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Sceloporus clarkii Baird & Girard, 1852 | LC | M (10) | NL | 1, 2, 3, 4, 6 | 2 |
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Sceloporus cowlesi Lowe & Norris, 1956 | NE | M (13) | NL | 2 | 2 |
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Sceloporus jarrovii Cope, 1875 | NE | M (11) | NL | 3 | 2 |
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Sceloporus lemosespinali Lara-Góngora, 2004 | DD | H (16) | NL | 3 | 1 |
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Sceloporus magister Hallowell, 1854 | LC | L (9) | NL | 1 | 2 |
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Sceloporus nelsoni Cochran, 1923 | LC | M (13) | NL | 3, 4 | 1 |
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Sceloporus poinsettii Baird & Girard, 1852 | LC | M (12) | NL | 3 | 2 |
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Sceloporus slevini Smith, 1937 | LC | M (11) | NL | 2, 3 | 2 |
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Sceloporus virgatus Smith, 1938 | LC | H (15) | NL | 3 | 2 |
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Uma rufopunctata Cope, 1895 | NT | H (16) | NL | 1 | 2 |
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Urosaurus bicarinatus (Duméril, 1856) | LC | M (12) | NL | 4 | 1 |
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Urosaurus graciosus Hallowell, 1854 | LC | H (14) | NL | 1 | 2 |
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Urosaurus ornatus (Baird & Girard, 1852) | LC | M (10) | NL | 1, 2, 3, 4, 6 | 2 |
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Uta nolascensis Van Denburgh & Slevin, 1921 | LC | H (17) | A | 6 | 0 |
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Uta palmeri Stejneger, 1890 | VU | H (17) | A | 6 | 0 |
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Uta stansburiana Baird & Girard, 1852 | LC | M (11) | A | 1, 6 | 2 |
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Phyllodactylidae | ||||||
Phyllodactylus homolepidurus Smith, 1935 | LC | H (15) | Pr | 1, 4 | 1 |
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Phyllodactylus nocticolus Dixon, 1964 | NE | M (10) | NL | 6 | 2 |
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Phyllodactylus nolascoensis Dixon, 1964 | NE | NE | NL | 6 | 0 |
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Phyllodactylus tuberculosus Wiegmann, 1835 | LC | L (8) | NL | 4 | 4 | KUH 24117 (1948) |
Scincidae | ||||||
Plestiodon callicephalus (Bocourt, 1879) | LC | M (12) | NL | 3 | 2 |
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Plestiodon obsoletus (Baird & Girard, 1852) | LC | M (11) | NL | 1, 3 | 2 |
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Plestiodon parviauriculatus (Taylor, 1933) | DD | H (15) | Pr | 3, 4 | 1 |
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Teiidae | ||||||
Aspidoscelis bacatus (Van Denburgh & Slevin, 1921) | LC | H (17) | Pr | 6 | 0 |
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Aspidoscelis burti (Taylor, 1938) | LC | H (15) | NL | 1 | 0 |
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Aspidoscelis costatus (Cope, 1878) | NE | M (11) | Pr | 1, 3, 4 | 1 |
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Aspidoscelis estebanensis (Dickerson, 1919) | NE | NE | Pr | 6 | 0 | Dickerson, 1919 (1919) |
Aspidoscelis exsanguis (Lowe, 1956) | LC | H (14) | NL | 3 | 2 |
|
Aspidoscelis martyris (Stejneger, 1891) | VU | H (17) | Pr | 6 | 0 | Stejneger, 1891 (1891) |
Aspidoscelis opatae (Wright, 1967) | DD | H (16) | NL | 3 | 0 |
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Aspidoscelis sonorae (Lowe & Wright, 1964) | LC | M (13) | NL | 1, 2, 3 | 2 |
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Aspidoscelis stictogrammus (Burger, 1950) | NE | H (14) | NL | 1, 3 | 2 |
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Aspidoscelis tigris (Baird & Girard, 1852) | LC | L (8) | NL | 1 | 2 |
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Aspidoscelis uniparens (Wright & Lowe, 1965) | LC | H (15) | NL | 2 | 2 |
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Aspidoscelis xanthonotus (Duellman & Lowe, 1953) | NE | H (14) | NL | 1 | 2 |
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Xantusidae | ||||||
Xantusia jaycolei Bezy, Bezy, & Bolles, 2009 | NE | H (16) | NL | 1 | 0 |
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Xantusia vigilis Baird, 1859 | LC | NE | NL | 1 | 2 |
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Suborder Serpentes | ||||||
Boidae | ||||||
Boa sigma Smith, 1943 | NE | NE | NL | 1, 3, 4 | 1 |
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Lichanura trivirgata Cope, 1861 | LC | M (10) | A | 1 | 2 |
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Colubridae | ||||||
Arizona elegans Kennicott, 1859 | LC | L (5) | NL | 1 | 2 |
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Chilomeniscus stramineus Cope, 1860 | LC | L (8) | Pr | 1, 6 | 2 |
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Chionactis annulata (Baird, 1858) | LC | M (12) | NL | 1 | 2 |
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Chionactis palarostris (Klauber, 1937) | LC | M (13) | NL | 1 | 2 |
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Drymarchon melanurus (Duméril,Bibron & Duméril, 1854) | LC | L (6) | NL | 1, 3, 4 | 3 | |
Drymobius margaritiferus (Schlegel, 1837) | NE | L (6) | NL | 4 | 3 |
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Gyalopion canum Cope, 1861 | LC | L (9) | NL | 2, 3 | 2 |
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Gyalopion quadrangulare (Günther, 1893) | LC | M (11) | Pr | 1, 4 | 2 | KUH 24113 (1948) |
Lampropeltis californiae (Blainville, 1835) | NE | M (10) | NL | 1 | 2 |
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Lampropeltis knoblochi Taylor, 1940 | NE | M (10) | NL | 3 | 2 |
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Lampropeltis nigrita Zweifel & Norris, 1955 | NE | NE | NL | 1, 2, 3, 4, 6 | 2 |
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Lampropeltis polyzona Cope, 1860 | NE | L (7) | NL | 3, 4 | 1 |
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Lampropeltis splendida (Baird & Girard, 1853) | NE | M (12) | NL | 2, 3 | 2 |
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Leptophis diplotropis (Günther, 1872) | LC | H (14) | A | 3, 4 | 1 |
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Masticophis bilineatus Jan, 1863 | LC | M (11) | NL | 1, 2, 3, 4, 6 | 2 |
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Masticophis flagellum Shaw, 1802 | LC | L (8) | A | 1, 2, 3, 4, 6 | 2 |
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Masticophis mentovarius (Duméril, Bibron & Duméril, 1854) | LC | L (6) | A | 3,4 | 4 |
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Masticophis slevini Lowe & Norris, 1955 | LC | H (17) | NL | 6 | 0 |
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Mastigodryas cliftoni (Hardy, 1964) | NE | H (14) | NL | 4 | 1 |
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Oxybelis aeneus (Wagler, 1824) | NE | L (5) | NL | 1, 3, 4 | 3 |
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Phyllorhynchus browni Stejneger, 1890 | LC | M (13) | Pr | 1, 4 | 2 |
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Phyllorhynchus decurtatus (Cope, 1868) | LC | M (11) | NL | 1 | 2 |
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Pituophis catenifer (Blainville, 1835) | LC | L (9) | NL | 1, 2, 3, 4, 6 | 2 |
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Pituophis deppei (Duméril, 1853) | LC | H (14) | A | 3 | 1 | T.R. Van Devender (son-trv-5147) (1997) |
Pseudoficimia frontalis (Cope, 1864) | LC | M (13) | NL | 4 | 1 |
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Rhinocheilus lecontei Baird & Girard, 1853 | LC | L (8) | NL | 1, 2, 3, 4 | 2 |
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Salvadora bairdii Jan & Sordelli, 1860 | LC | H (15) | Pr | 3 | 1 |
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Salvadora deserticola Schmidt, 1940 | NE | H (14) | NL | 1, 2, 3 | 2 |
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Salvadora grahamiae Baird & Girard, 1853 | LC | M (10) | NL | 2, 3 | 2 |
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Salvadora hexalepis (Cope, 1867) | LC | M (10) | NL | 1 | 2 |
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Senticolis triaspis (Cope, 1866) | LC | L (6) | NL | 1, 3, 4 | 3 |
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Sonora aemula (Cope, 1879) | NT | H (16) | Pr | 3, 4 | 1 |
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Sonora semiannulata Baird & Girard, 1853 | LC | L (5) | NL | 1, 2 | 2 |
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Sympholis lippiens Cope, 1862 | NE | H (14) | NL | 4 | 1 |
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Tantilla hobartsmithi Taylor, 1936 | LC | M (11) | NL | 1, 2, 3 | 2 |
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Tantilla wilcoxi Stejneger, 1902 | LC | M (10) | NL | 3 | 2 |
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Tantilla yaquia Smith, 1942 | LC | M (10) | NL | 1, 3, 4 | 2 |
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Trimorphodon lambda Cope, 1886 | NE | M (13) | NL | 1, 3, 4, 6 | 2 |
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Trimorphodon tau Cope, 1870 | LC | M (13) | NL | 3, 4 | 1 |
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Dipsadidae | ||||||
Coniophanes lateritius Cope, 1862 | DD | M (13) | NL | 4 | 1 |
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Diadophis punctatus (Linnaeus, 1766) | LC | L (4) | NL | 1, 2, 3 | 2 |
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Geophis dugesii Bocourt, 1883 | LC | M (13) | NL | 3 | 1 |
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Heterodon kennerlyi Kennicott, 1860 | NE | M (11) | Pr | 2 | 2 |
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Hypsiglena chlorophaea Cope, 1860 | NE | L (8) | NL | 1, 2, 3, 4, 6 | 2 |
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Imantodes gemmistratus (Cope, 1861) | NE | L (6) | Pr | 4 | 4 |
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Leptodeira punctata (Peters, 1866) | LC | H (17) | NL | 4 | 1 |
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Leptodeira splendida Günther, 1895 | LC | H (14) | NL | 3, 4 | 1 |
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Tropidodipsas repleta Smith, Lemos-Espinal, Hartman & Chiszar, 2005 | DD | H (17) | NL | 3, 4 | 1 |
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Elapidae | ||||||
Hydrophis platurus (Linnaeus, 1766) | LC | NE | NL | 5 | 6 |
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Micruroides euryxanthus (Kennicott, 1860) | LC | H (15) | A | 1, 3, 4, 6 | 2 |
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Micrurus distans (Kennicott, 1860) | LC | H (14) | Pr | 3, 4 | 1 |
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Leptotyphlopidae | ||||||
Rena humilis Baird & Girard, 1853 | LC | L (8) | NL | 1, 3, 4 | 2 |
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Natricidae | ||||||
Storeria storerioides (Cope, 1865) | LC | M (11) | NL | 3 | 1 |
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Thamnophis cyrtopsis (Kennicott, 1860) | LC | L (7) | A | 1, 2, 3, 4 | 3 |
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Thamnophis eques (Reuss, 1834) | LC | L (8) | A | 1, 2, 3, 4 | 2 |
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Thamnophis marcianus (Baird & Girard, 1853) | LC | M (10) | A | 1, 2, 3 | 3 |
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Thamnophis melanogaster (Peters, 1864) | EN | H (15) | A | 3 | 1 |
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Thamnophis unilabialis Tanner, 1985 | NE | NE | NL | 3 | 1 |
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Thamnophis validus (Kennicott, 1860) | NE | M (12) | NL | 4 | 1 | KUH 47567 (1959) |
Typhlopidae | ||||||
Indotyphlops braminus (Daudin, 1803) | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | IN | MZFC 6147 (1991) |
Viperidae | ||||||
Agkistrodon bilineatus (Günther, 1863) | NT | M (11) | Pr | 4 | 4 |
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Crotalus atrox Baird & Girard, 1853 | LC | L (9) | Pr | 1, 2, 3, 6 | 2 |
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Crotalus basiliscus (Cope, 1864) | LC | H (16) | Pr | 1, 4 | 1 |
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Crotalus cerastes Hallowell, 1854 | LC | H (16) | Pr | 1 | 2 |
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Crotalus estebanensis (Klauber, 1949) | LC | H (19) | NL | 6 | 0 |
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Crotalus lepidus (Kennicott, 1861) | LC | M (12) | Pr | 3 | 2 |
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Crotalus molossus Baird & Girard, 1853 | LC | L (8) | Pr | 1, 2, 3, 4, 6 | 2 |
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Crotalus pricei Van Denburgh, 1895 | LC | H (14) | Pr | 3 | 2 |
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Crotalus pyrrhus (Cope, 1866) | NE | NE | NL | 1 | 2 |
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Crotalus scutulatus (Kennicott, 1861) | LC | L (11) | Pr | 1, 2 | 2 |
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Crotalus tigris Kennicott, 1859 | LC | H (16) | Pr | 1, 3, 4, 6 | 2 |
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Crotalus viridis (Rafinesque, 1818) | LC | M (12) | Pr | 2 | 2 |
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Crotalus willardi Meek, 1905 | LC | M (13) | Pr | 3 | 2 |
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Order Testudines | ||||||
Chelonidae | ||||||
Caretta caretta (Linnaeus, 1758) | VU | NE | P | 5 | 5 |
|
Chelonia mydas (Linnaeus, 1758) | EN | NE | P | 5 | 5 |
|
Eretmochelys imbricata (Linnaeus, 1766) | NE | NE | P | 5 | 5 | Grismer, 2002 (2002) |
Lepidochelys olivacea (Eschscholtz, 1829) | VU | NE | P | 5 | 5 |
|
Dermochelyidae | ||||||
Dermochelys coriacea (Vandelli, 1761) | VU | NE | P | 5 | 5 |
|
Emydidae | ||||||
Terrapene nelsoni Stejneger, 1925 | DD | H (18) | Pr | 3, 4 | 1 |
|
Terrapene ornata (Agassiz, 1857) | NT | H (15) | Pr | 2, 3 | 2 |
|
Trachemys nebulosa (Van Denburgh, 1895) | NE | H (18) | NL | 4 | 1 |
|
Trachemys yaquia (Legler & Webb, 1970) | VU | H (19) | NL | 1, 3, 4 | 0 |
|
Geoemydidae | ||||||
Rhinoclemmys pulcherrima (Gray, 1855) | NE | L (8) | NL | 4 | 4 |
|
Kinosternidae | ||||||
Kinosternon alamosae Berry & Legler, 1980 | DD | H (14) | Pr | 1, 4 | 1 |
|
Kinosternon arizonense Gilmore, 1922 | LC | H (15) | NL | 1 | 2 |
|
Kinosternon integrum LeConte, 1854 | LC | M (11) | Pr | 1, 3, 4 | 1 |
|
Kinosternon sonoriense Le Conte, 1854 | NT | H (14) | P | 1, 2, 3 | 2 |
|
Family Testudinidae | ||||||
Gopherus evgoodei Edwards, Karl, Vaughn, Rosen, Meléndez-Torres, & Murphy, 2016 | NE | NE | NL | 3, 4 | 1 |
|
Gopherus morafkai Murphy, Berry, Edwards, Leviton, Lathrop, & Riedle, 2011 | NE | H (15) | NL | 1, 3, 6 | 2 |
|
Trionychidae | ||||||
Apalone spinifera (Le Sueur, 1827) | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | IN |
|
The most diverse Sonora ecoregions in terms of the herpetofauna are the Eastern mountains (54% of the total number of amphibian and reptile species for the state) represented by the Sierra Madre Occidental and associated mountains, and the Western Mainland Desert (49%) represented mainly by the Sonoran Desert (Fig.
Overall, Sonora shares the most species with Chihuahua, Sinaloa, and Arizona (Table
A total of 21 (= 10.9%) species of amphibians and reptiles is IUCN listed (i.e., Vulnerable, Near Threatened, Endangered, or Critically Endangered), but 69 species (= 35.0%) are placed in a protected category by SEMARNAT and 63 species (= 32.6%) are categorized as high risk by the EVS (Tables
Summary of native species present in Sonora by family, order or suborder, and class. Status summary indicates the number of species found in each IUCN conservation status in the order DD, LC, VU, NT, EN, CE (see Table
Scientific Name | Genera | Species | IUCN | EVS | SEMARNAT |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Class Amphibia | |||||
Order Anura | 15 | 33 | 2,24,3,1,0,0 | 9.3 | 25,7,1,0 |
Bufonidae | 3 | 12 | 0,9,0,1,0,0 | 10.6 | 10,2,0,0 |
Craugastoridae | 1 | 3 | 1,1,1,0,0,0 | 12.7 | 2,1,0,0 |
Eleutherodactylidae | 1 | 1 | 1,0,0,0,0,0 | 15 | 0,1,0,0 |
Hylidae | 4 | 6 | 0,6,0,0,0,0 | 8.5 | 6,0,0,0 |
Leptodactylidae | 1 | 1 | 0,1,0,0,0,0 | 6 | 1,0,0,0 |
Microhylidae | 2 | 2 | 0,1,0,0,0,0 | 6 | 2,0,0,0 |
Ranidae | 1 | 6 | 0,4,2,0,0,0 | 8.2 | 2,3,1,0 |
Scaphiopodidae | 2 | 2 | 0,2,0,0,0,0 | 4.5 | 2,0,0,0 |
Order Caudata | 2 | 3 | 0,2,0,0,0,0 | 12 | 2,1,0,0 |
Ambystomatidae | 1 | 2 | 0,2,0,0,0,0 | 12 | 1,1,0,0 |
Plethodontidae | 1 | 1 | 0,0,0,0,0,0 | 1,0,0,0 | |
Subtotal | 17 | 36 | 2,26,3,1,0,0 | 9.4 | 27,8,1,0 |
Class Reptilia | |||||
Order Crocodylia | 1 | 1 | 0,0,1,0,0,0 | 14 | 0,1,0,0 |
Crocodylidae | 1 | 1 | 0,0,1,0,0,0 | 14 | 0,1,0,0 |
Order Squamata | 60 | 140 | 6,90,3,5,1,0 | 12.2 | 91,29,20,0 |
Suborder Lacertilia | 21 | 66 | 4,40,3,3,0,0 | 13.5 | 46,10,10,0 |
Anguidae | 1 | 1 | 0,1,0,0,0,0 | 10 | 0,1,0,0 |
Crotaphytidae | 2 | 4 | 0,4,0,0,0,0 | 13.5 | 2,1,1,0 |
Dactyloidae | 1 | 1 | 0,1,0,0,0,0 | 13 | 1,0,0,0 |
Eublepharidae | 1 | 2 | 0,2,0,0,0,0 | 14 | 1,1,0,0 |
Helodermatidae | 1 | 2 | 0,0,0,1,0,0 | 15 | 1,0,1,0 |
Iguanidae | 3 | 6 | 0,2,1,0,0,0 | 15.3 | 4,1,1,0 |
Phrynosomatidae | 8 | 29 | 2,19,1,2,0,0 | 13.2 | 22,0,7,0 |
Phyllodactylidae | 1 | 4 | 0,2,0,0,0,0 | 11 | 3,1,0,0 |
Scincidae | 1 | 3 | 1,2,0,0,0,0 | 12.7 | 2,1,0,0 |
Teiidae | 1 | 12 | 1,6,1,0,0,0 | 14 | 8,4,0,0 |
Xantusidae | 1 | 2 | 0,1,0,0,0,0 | 16 | 2,0,0,0 |
Suborder Serpentes | 39 | 74 | 2,51,0,2,1,0 | 11.1 | 45,19,10,0 |
Boidae | 2 | 2 | 0,1,0,0,0,0 | 10 | 1,0,1,0 |
Colubridae | 21 | 39 | 0,27,0,1,0,0 | 10.5 | 30,5,4,0 |
Dipsadidae | 8 | 9 | 2,4,0,0,0,0 | 11.4 | 7,2,0,0 |
Elapidae | 3 | 3 | 0,3,0,0,0,0 | 14.5 | 1,1,1,0 |
Leptotyphlopidae | 1 | 1 | 0,1,0,0,0,0 | 8 | 1,0,0,0 |
Natricidae | 2 | 7 | 0,4,0,0,1,0 | 10.5 | 3,0,4,0 |
Viperidae | 2 | 13 | 0,11,0,1,0,0 | 13.1 | 2,11,0,0 |
Order Testudines | 10 | 16 | 2,2,4,2,1,0 | 14.7 | 6,4,0,6 |
Cheloniidae | 4 | 4 | 0,0,2,0,1,0 | 0,0,0,4 | |
Dermochelyidae | 1 | 1 | 0,0,1,0,0,0 | 0,0,0,1 | |
Emydidae | 2 | 4 | 1,0,1,1,0,0 | 17.5 | 2,2,0,0 |
Geoemydidae | 1 | 1 | 0,0,0,0,0,0 | 8 | 1,0,0,0 |
Kinosternidae | 1 | 4 | 1,2,0,1,0,0 | 13.5 | 1,2,0,1 |
Testudinidae | 1 | 2 | 0,0,0,0,0,0 | 15 | 2,0,0,0 |
Subtotal | 71 | 157 | 8,93,8,7,2,0 | 12.4 | 97,34,20,6 |
Total | 88 | 193 | 10,119,11,8,2,0 | 11.9 | 124,42,21,6 |
To help determine which ecoregions within Sonora support species of particular conservation concern, we summarized the conservation status of reptile and amphibian taxa in each ecoregion found in Sonora (Tables
Class Amphibia | |
Order Anura | |
Craugastoridae | |
Craugastor vocalis (Taylor, 1940) | Likely to occur in tropical deciduous forest and montane woodlands in the Río Fuerte drainage of extreme southeastern Sonora. |
Ranidae | |
Rana blairi (Mecham, Littlejohn,Oldham, Brown, & Brown, 1973) | Likely to occur in Chihuahuan Desert or semi- desert grassland of northeastern Sonora, along the US-Mexico border east of Naco. |
Scaphiopodidae | |
Spea bombifrons (Cope, 1863) | Likely to occur in Chihuahua desertscrub east and plains grassland of northeastern Sonora. |
Class Reptilia | |
Order Squamata | |
Suborder Amphisbaenia | |
Bipes biporus (Cope, 1894) | This species has been observed in the San Carlos Bay, municipality of Guaymas (Ballinger pers. comm., May 2009), but no museum record or voucher exist to support its presence in Sonora. |
Suborder Lacertilia | |
Anguidae | |
Barisia levicolis (Smith, 1942) | Likely to occur in woodlands of the Sierra Madre Occidental of eastern and northeastern Sonora |
Phrynosomatidae | |
Sceloporus bimaculosus Phelan & Brattstrom, 1955 | Expected in Chihuahuan desertscrub and semi- desert grassland valleys as well as the lower slopes of the mountains along the US – Mexico border from the Río San Pedro valley east to the Sierra San Luis, and potentially in Plains grassland in the southern Animas Valley (northeastern Sonora). |
Scincidae | |
Plestiodon multilineatus (Tanner, 1957) | Likely to occur in woodland of the Sierra Madre Occidental of eastern and northeastern Sonora |
Suborder Serpentes | |
Boidae | |
Lichanura orcutti Stejneger, 1889 | Has been found within a few km of the Sonora border in the Tinajas Altas Mountains of Yuma County, Arizona |
Colubridae | |
Lampropeltis gentilis (Baird & Girard, 1853) | Occurs in southeastern Cochise County, Arizona |
Tantilla nigriceps Kennicott, 1860 | Likely occurs in northeastern Sonora in Chihuahuan desertscrub or semi-desert grassland from Agua Prieta east to the Sierra San Luis and possibly in Plains grassland in the southern Animas Valley. |
Dipsadidae | |
Hypsiglena jani Duges, 1865 | Likely to occur in tropical deciduous forest and scrubland of southeastern Sonora. |
Hypsiglena torquata (Günther, 1860) | Likely to occur in tropical deciduous forest and scrubland of southeastern Sonora. |
Rhadinaea laureata (Günther, 1868) | Likely to occur in woodlands of the Sierra Madre Occidental of eastern and northeastern Sonora |
Leptotyphlopidae | |
Rena dissecta (Cope, 1896) | Expected in Chihuahuan desertscrub, semi-desert grasslands, and into the lower slopes of adjacent mountains along the United States - Mexico border from the Río San Pedro Valley east to the Sierra San Luis, and also in Plains grassland in the southern Animas Valley. |
Natricidae | |
Thamnophis elegans (Baird & Girard, 1853) | This species might occur in the Sierras Huachinera and Bacadehuachi and possibly elsewhere in the eastern mountains of Sonora near the Chihuahua border. |
Viperidae | |
Sistrurus tergeminus (Say, 1823) | Could potentially be found in grasslands along the US – Mexico border from the Río San Pedro Valley east to the Sierra San Luis. |
Order Testudines | |
Emydidae | |
Trachemys scripta (Thunberg, 1792) | This aquatic turtle occurs sparingly as an introduced species in the Colorado River near Yuma, Arizona and in the San Pedro River Valley of Arizona. It could be present along wetted reaches of the Río Colorado in Sonora or in agricultural canals and ditches in that region, and in the Río San Pedro of Sonora near the border with Arizona. |
For the IUCN listings, all ecoregions, except the Marine ecoregion, have relatively few species of reptiles in the protected categories (Western Mainland Deserts [5 = 6.6%], High Northeastern Valleys [3 = 7.5%], Eastern Mountains [6 = 7.2%], Subtropical Lowlands and Foothills of the Sierra Madre Occidental [4 = 6.6%], and Island [3 = 10.5%]). Nearly all of the reptiles in the Marine ecoregion (6 = 85.7%) are in the protected categories. However, for the IUCN listing a total of 38 reptile species have not been evaluated, most of them are species recently described or not recognized by the IUCN as populations that deserve species status, but all of them are species with a narrow distribution, which increases their vulnerability. On the other hand, 36.8% of reptiles in the Western Mainland Deserts region, 42.5% from the High Northeastern Valleys ecoregion, 35.4% from the Eastern Mountains ecoregion, 37.1% from the Subtropical Lowlands and Foothills of the Sierra Madre Occidental ecoregion, 85.7% of the Marine ecoregion, and 41.4% from the Island ecoregion are in the protected SEMARNAT categories. For the Western Mainland Deserts ecoregion, 26.3% of the reptiles are in the low EVS category, 36.8% in the medium, and 32.9% in the high; the remaining 3.9% are represented by three species not evaluated. In the High Northeastern Valleys ecoregion, 27.5% of the reptiles are in the low, 47.5% in the medium, and 22.5% in the high category; the remaining 2.5% are represented by a species not evaluated. Of the reptiles in the Eastern Mountains ecoregion, 19.5% are in the low, 39.0% in the medium, and 35.4% in the high category; the remaining 6.1% are represented by five species not evaluated. For the Subtropical Lowlands and Foothills of the Sierra Madre Occidental, 27.4% are in the low EVS category, 32.3% in the medium, and 33.9% in the high; the remaining 6.5% are represented by four species not evaluated. Of the seven reptile species that occur in the Marine ecoregion, only one (14.3%) is in the high category; the other six species (85.7%) are species that have not been evaluated. In the Island ecoregion, 17.2% are in the low EVS category, 24.1% in the medium, and 48.3% in the high; the remaining 10.3% are represented by three species not evaluated. Thus, the reptiles in the Marine ecoregion are clearly the most threatened of the Sonoran herpetofauna.
Summary of the number of native species (% of total number of species of taxonomic group in Sonora in parentheses) in different taxonomic groups found in the ecoregions of Sonora, Mexico (see text for description of the ecoregion types).
Western mainland deserts | High northeastern valleys | Eastern mountains | Subtropical lowlands and foothills | Marine | Island | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Amphibia | 18 (50) | 14 (39) | 21 (58) | 22 (61) | 0 (0) | 2 (6) |
Anura | 17 (52) | 13 (39) | 19 (58) | 22 (67) | 0 (0) | 2 (6) |
Caudata | 1 (33) | 1 (33) | 2 (67) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) |
Reptilia | 76 (48) | 40 (31) | 83 (53) | 61 (39) | 7 (4) | 29 (18) |
Crocodylia | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 1 (100) | 0 (0) |
Squamata | 70 (50) | 38 (27) | 76 (54) | 54 (39) | 1 (0.07) | 28 (20) |
Lacertilia | 32 (48) | 17 (26) | 31 (47) | 16 (24) | 0 (0) | 15 (23) |
Serpentes | 38 (51) | 21 (28) | 45 (61) | 38 (51) | 1 (1) | 13 (18) |
Testudines | 6 (40) | 2 (13) | 7 (44) | 7 (44) | 5 (31) | 1 (6) |
Total | 94 (49) | 54 (28) | 104 (54) | 83 (43) | 7 (4) | 30 (16) |
Summary of the numbers of species shared between Sonora and neighboring Mexican states (not including introduced species). The percent of species from Sonora shared by a neighboring state are given in parentheses. Key: – indicates neighboring state has no species in the taxonomic group, thus no value for shared species is provided.
Sonora | Arizona | Baja California | Sinaloa | Chihuahua | New Mexico | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Class Amphibia | 36 | 16 (44) | 6 (17) | 25 (69) | 30 (83) | 13 (36) |
Order Caudata | 3 | 1 (33) | 0 (0) | 1 (33) | 3 (100) | 1 (33) |
Ambystomatidae | 2 | 1 (50) | – | 1 (50) | 2 (100) | 1 (50) |
Plethodontidae | 1 | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | – | 1 (100) | 0 (0) |
Order Anura | 33 | 15 (45) | 6 (18) | 24 (73) | 27 (82) | 12 (36) |
Bufonidae | 12 | 6 (50) | 4 (33) | 8 (67) | 9 (75) | 5 (42) |
Craugastoridae | 3 | 1 (33) | – | 2 (67) | 2 (67) | 1 (33) |
Eleutherodactylidae | 1 | – | – | 1 (100) | 1 (100) | – |
Hylidae | 6 | 3 (50) | 0 (0) | 5 (83) | 5 (83) | 2 (33) |
Leptodactylidae | 1 | – | – | 1 (100) | – | – |
Microhylidae | 2 | 0 (0) | – | 2 (100) | 2 (100) | 0 (0) |
Ranidae | 6 | 3 (50) | 1 (17) | 4 (67) | 6 (100) | 2 (33) |
Scaphiopodidae | 2 | 2 (100) | 1 (50) | 1 (50) | 2 (100) | 2 (100) |
Class Reptilia | 158 | 88 (56) | 36 (23) | 85 (54) | 94 (59) | 61 (39) |
Order Crocodylia | 1 | – | – | 1 (100) | – | – |
Order Testudines | 16 | 4 (25) | 5 (31) | 12 (75) | 6 (38) | 2 (12) |
Cheloniidae | 4 | – | 4 (100) | 4 (100) | – | – |
Dermochelyidae | 1 | – | 1 (100) | 1 (100) | – | – |
Emydidae | 4 | 1 (25) | 0 (0) | 2 (50) | 2 (50) | 1 (25) |
Geoemydidae | 1 | – | – | 1 (100) | 1 (100) | – |
Kinosternidae | 4 | 2 (50) | – | 2 (50) | 2 (50) | 1 (25) |
Testudinidae | 2 | 1 (50) | – | 2 (100) | 1 (50) | – |
Order Squamata | 141 | 84 (60) | 31 (22) | 72 (51) | 88 (62) | 59 (42) |
Suborder Lacertilia | 66 | 37 (56) | 12 (18) | 25 (38) | 32 (48) | 29 (44) |
Anguidae | 1 | 1 (100) | 0 (0) | 1 (100) | 1 (100) | 1 (100) |
Crotaphytidae | 4 | 3 (75) | 1 (25) | – | 2 (50) | 2 (50) |
Dactyloidae | 1 | – | – | 1 (100) | 1 (100) | – |
Eublepharidae | 2 | 1 (50) | 1 (50) | 1 (50) | 0 (0) | 1 (50) |
Helodermatidae | 2 | 1 (50) | – | 2 (100) | 1 (50) | 1 (50) |
Iguanidae | 6 | 2 (33) | 2 (33) | 2 (33) | 1 (17) | – |
Phrynosomatidae | 29 | 20 (69) | 6 (21) | 12 (41) | 18 (62) | 17 (59) |
Phyllodactylidae | 4 | – | 1 (25) | 2 (50) | 1 (25) | – |
Scincidae | 3 | 2 (67) | 0 (0) | 2 (67) | 3 (100) | 2 (67) |
Teiidae | 12 | 6 (50) | 1 (8) | 2 (17) | 4 (33) | 5 (42) |
Xantusidae | 2 | 1 (50) | 0 (0) | – | – | – |
Suborder Serpentes | 75 | 47 (63) | 19 (25) | 47 (63) | 56 (75) | 30 (40) |
Boidae | 2 | 1 (50) | 1 (50) | 1 (50) | 1 (50) | – |
Colubridae | 40 | 28 (70) | 10 (25) | 26 (65) | 29 (72) | 17 (42) |
Dipsadidae | 9 | 3 (33) | 2 (22) | 7 (78) | 7 (78) | 3 (33) |
Elapidae | 3 | 1 (33) | 1 (33) | 3 (100) | 2 (66) | 1 (33) |
Leptotyphlopidae | 1 | 1 (100) | 1 (100) | 1 (100) | 1 (100) | 0 (0) |
Natricidae | 7 | 3 (43) | 1 (14) | 3 (43) | 7 (100) | 3 (43) |
Viperidae | 13 | 10 (77) | 3 (23) | 6 (46) | 9 (69) | 6 (46) |
Total | 194 | 104 (53) | 42 (22) | 110 (57) | 124 (64) | 74 (38) |
We thank J. Murphy, J. Sigala, and an anonymous reviewer for their helpful comments on the manuscript. Support for this study was provided by Dirección General de Asuntos del Personal Académico, Programa de Apoyo a Proyectos de Investigación e Innovación Tecnológica (DGAPA-PAPIIT) through the Project IN215418. We are grateful to Alejandra Núñez Merchand from the National Commission for the Understanding and Use of Biodiversity (CONABIO) for kindly creating and providing the topographic, physiographic, climate, and vegetation maps used in this publication.
Museum collections included in the CONABIO database examined for records of Sonoran amphibians and reptiles or that house specimens of the first record of a species in Sonora.
ENCB Colección Herpetológica, Departamento de Zoología, Escuela Nacional de Ciencias Biológicas
LEUBIPRO Laboratorio de Biología UBIPRO
MNHUK Museum of Natural History, Division of Herpetology, University of Kansas
PBDB Paleobiology Database, Paleobiology Database Chordates
UIUC Collection of Herpetology, Museum of Natural History, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
UTAMM Merriam Museum, University of Texas Arlington