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Corresponding author: Julio A. Lemos-Espinal ( lemos@unam.mx ) Academic editor: Anthony Herrel
© 2020 Julio A. Lemos-Espinal, Geoffrey R. Smith.
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 (2020) A conservation checklist of the herpetofauna of Morelos, with comparisons with adjoining states. ZooKeys 941: 121-144. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.941.52011
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Despite being one of the smallest states in Mexico, the high diversity of habitats in Morelos has led to the development of a rich biota made up of a mixture of species typical of the Neovolcanic Axis and the Sierra Madre del Sur. However, recent expansion of cities in Morelos is likely to have consequences for the state’s herpetofauna. Here a checklist of the amphibians and reptiles of Morelos is provided with a summary of their conservation status and overlap with its neighboring states. Morelos is home to 139 species of amphibians and reptiles representing 32 families and 75 genera. Twenty-six of the 38 species of amphibians and 70 of the 101 species of reptiles that inhabit Morelos are endemic to Mexico. Fourteen species of amphibians and reptiles from Morelos are IUCN listed (i.e., Vulnerable, Near Threatened, or Endangered), 22 are placed in a protected category by SEMARNAT, and 41 are categorized as high risk by the EVS. The Tropical Deciduous Forest vegetation type hosts the greatest number of amphibian and reptile species in Morelos (84 species). Morelos shares the largest proportion of its herpetofauna with the State of Mexico (79.3%), Puebla (77.0%), and Guerrero (74.8%).
amphibians, frogs, lizards, reptiles, salamanders, snakes, turtles
Morelos is one of the smallest states in Mexico; however, its high diversity of habitats has led to the development of a rich biota represented by a mixture of species typical of the Neovolcanic Axis and the Sierra Madre del Sur. The contrast in the habitat found in Morelos can be seen by the altitudinal gradient that occurs in its 4,961 km2 where altitude reaches a maximum of 5,380 m on the Popocatépetl Volcano, and a minimum of 800 m in the Río Amacuzac (
Morelos has an area of 4,961 km2 which represents only 0.2% of the total area of Mexico. Morelos is located in central-southern Mexico, between 19°07'54"N and 18°19'56"N and -98°37'58"W and -99°29'39"W. It is bordered by the State of Mexico and Mexico City to the north, Puebla to the east and southeast, Guerrero to the south and southwest, and the State of Mexico to the west (Fig.
Morelos contains portions of two physiographic provinces: the Neovolcanic Axis with one subprovince (Lagos y Volcanes de Anáhuac) and the Sierra Madre del Sur with two subprovinces (Sierras y Valles Guerrerenses and Sur de Puebla) (Fig.
According to
The vegetation of Morelos is a product of the great heterogeneity of environmental conditions present in the state, and so it hosts a wide variety of vegetation types that for the purpose of this paper can be divided into three types, in addition to agricultural areas and areas devoid of vegetation (Fig.
Several climates (based on the classification of Köppen modified by
We compiled our list of amphibians and reptiles of Morelos from: (1) our field work; (2) a thorough examination of the available literature on amphibians and reptiles in the state; (3) amphibian and reptile records for Morelos in VertNet.org; and 4) amphibian and reptile records for Morelos in Servicio de Descarga de Ejemplares del Sistema Nacional de Información sobre Biodiversidad (SNIB-CONABIO), data bases Amphibians state of Morelos and Reptiles state of Morelos.
We follow
We generated 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 can estimate potential species richness of amphibians and reptiles (see
The number of overlapping species with the three states and Mexico City that neighbor Morelos, was determined using recent check lists (Mexico City, Lemos-Espinal and Smith unpubl.; State of Mexico, Lemos-Espinal and Smith unpubl.; Guerrero,
Morelos is home to 139 species of amphibians and reptiles representing 32 families (three of which are introduced: Gekkonidae, Typhlopidae, and Tryonicidae) and 75 genera (three of which are introduced: Hemidactylus, Indotyphlops, and Apalone) (Tables
Amphibians and reptiles of the state of Morelos with distributional and conservation status. Vegetation Type (VT): (1= Oak Forest; 2= Pine-oak Forest; 3= Pine Forest; 4= Abies Forest; 5= Tropical Deciduous Forest; 6= Grassland) according to
VT | IUCN | CSM | EVS | Global | 1st | Source | |
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CLASS AMPHIBIA | |||||||
ORDER ANURA | |||||||
FAMILY BUFONIDAE | |||||||
Anaxyrus compactilis (Wiegmann, 1833) | 1,2,6 | LC | NL | H (14) | 1 | 1950 |
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Incilius marmoreus (Wiegmann, 1833) | 6 | LC | NL | M (13) | 1 | 1957 |
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Incilius occidentalis (Camerano, 1879) | 1,2,3,6 | LC | NL | M (11) | 1 | 1903 |
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Incilius perplexus (Taylor, 1943) | 5 | EN | NL | M (11) | 1 | 1936 |
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Rhinella horribilis (Wiegmann, 1833) | 5 | LC | NL | L (3) | 4 | 1901 |
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FAMILY CENTROLENIDAE | |||||||
Hyalinobatrachium fleischmanni (Boettger, 1893) | 5 | LC | NL | M (10) | 3 | 1999 |
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FAMILY CRAUGASTORIDAE | |||||||
Craugastor augusti (Dugès, 1879) | 1,2,3,6 | LC | NL | L (8) | 2 | 1972 |
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Craugastor hobartsmithi (Taylor, 1937) | 1,5 | EN | NL | H (15) | 1 | 1975 |
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Craugastor rhodopis (Cope, 1867) | 1,5 | VU | NL | H (14) | 1 | 1930 |
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Craugastor rugulosus (Cope, 1870) | 3 | LC | NL | M (13) | 1 | 2004 |
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FAMILY ELEUTHERODACTYLIDAE | |||||||
Eleutherodactylus angustidigitorum (Taylor, 1940) | 1,2,3 | VU | Pr | H (17) | 1 | 1956 |
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Eleutherodactylus maurus Hedges, 1989 | 3 | DD | Pr | H (17) | 1 | 1953 |
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Eleutherodactylus nitidus (Peters, 1870) | 5 | LC | NL | M (12) | 1 | 1938 |
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FAMILY HYLIDAE | |||||||
Dryophytes arenicolor (Cope, 1886) | 1,2,3,4,5,6 | LC | NL | L (7) | 2 | 1936 |
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Dryophytes eximius (Baird, 1854) | 1,2,3,4 | LC | NL | M (10) | 1 | 1932 |
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Dryophytes plicatus (Brocchi, 1877) | 1,2,3,4 | LC | A | M (11) | 1 | 1936 |
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Exerodonta smaragdina (Taylor, 1940) | 5 | LC | Pr | M (12) | 1 | 1943 |
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Sarcohyla bistincta (Cope, 1877) | 1,2,3 | LC | Pr | L (9) | 1 | 1936 |
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Scinax staufferi (Cope, 1865) | 5 | LC | NL | L (4) | 3 | 1960 |
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Smilisca baudinii (Duméril & Bibron, 1841) | 5 | LC | NL | L (3) | 4 | 1949 |
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Tlalocohyla smithii (Boulenger, 1902) | 3,5 | LC | NL | M (11) | 1 | 1902 | Boulenger, 1902 |
FAMILY MICROHYLIDAE | |||||||
Gastrophryne olivacea (Hallowell, 1856) | 5 | LC | Pr | L (9) | 2 | 1938 |
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Hypopachus ustus (Cope, 1866) | 2,5 | LC | Pr | L (7) | 3 | 2004 |
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Hypopachus variolosus (Cope, 1866) | 2,5 | LC | NL | L (4) | 4 | 1936 |
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FAMILY PHYLLOMEDUSIDAE | |||||||
Agalychnis dacnicolor (Cope, 1864) | 5 | LC | NL | M (13) | 1 | 1905 |
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FAMILY RANIDAE | |||||||
Rana catesbeiana Shaw, 1802 | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | 1971 |
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Rana forreri Boulenger, 1883 | 5 | LC | Pr | L (3) | 3 | 1939 |
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Rana montezumae Baird, 1854 | 1,2,3,5 | LC | Pr | M (13) | 1 | 1983 |
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Rana spectabilis Hillis & Frost, 1985 | 1,2,3,5 | LC | NL | M (12) | 1 | 1938 |
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Rana zweifeli Hillis, Frost & Webb, 1984 | 1,2,3,5 | LC | NL | M (11) | 1 | 1892 |
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FAMILY SCAPHIOPODIDAE | |||||||
Spea multiplicata (Cope, 1863) | 1,2,5 | LC | NL | L (3) | 2 | 1930 |
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ORDER CAUDATA | |||||||
FAMILY AMBYSTOMATIDAE | |||||||
Ambystoma altamirani Dugès, 1895 | 1,2,3,6 | EN | A | M (13) | 1 | 1939 |
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FAMILY PLETHODONTIDAE | |||||||
Aquiloeurycea cephalica (Cope, 1865) | 1,2,3,4 | NT | A | H (14) | 1 | 1936 |
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Chiropterotriton orculus (Cope, 1865) | 1,2,3,4 | VU | NL | H (18) | 1 | 1902 |
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Isthmura belli (Gray, 1850) | 1,2,3,4,6 | VU | A | M (12) | 1 | 1950 |
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Pseudoeurycea altamontana (Taylor, 1939) | 1,2,3,4 | EN | Pr | H (17) | 1 | 1939 | Taylor 1939 |
Pseudoeurycea leprosa (Cope, 1869) | 1,2,3,4 | LC | A | H (16) | 1 | 1933 |
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Pseudoeurycea tlilicxitl Lara-Góngora, 2003 | 1,2,3,4 | EN | NL | H (17) | 1 | 1979 |
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CLASS REPTILIA | |||||||
ORDER SQUAMATA | |||||||
SUBORDER LACERTILIA | |||||||
FAMILY ANGUIDAE | |||||||
Abronia deppii (Wiegmann, 1828) | 2 | EN | A | H (16) | 1 | 1981 |
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Barisia imbricata (Wiegmann, 1828) | 1,2,3,4,6 | LC | Pr | H (14) | 1 | 1936 |
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Barisia rudicollis (Wiegmann, 1828) | 1,2,3,5 | EN | P | H (15) | 1 | 1987 |
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Gerrhonotus liocephalus Wiegmann, 1828 | 5 | LC | Pr | L (6) | 1 | 1964 |
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FAMILY DACTYLOIDAE | |||||||
Anolis nebulosus (Wiegmann, 1834) | 1,2,5 | LC | NL | M (13) | 1 | 1892 |
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FAMILY EUBLEPHARIDAE | |||||||
Coleonyx elegans Gray, 1845 | 5 | LC | A | L (9) | 3 | 1950 |
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FAMILY GEKKONIDAE | |||||||
Hemidactylus frenatus Duméril & Bribon, 1836 | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | 2014 |
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FAMILY HELODERMATIDAE | |||||||
Heloderma horridum (Wiegmann, 1829) | 5 | LC | A | M (11) | 3 | 1932 |
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FAMILY IGUANIDAE | |||||||
Ctenosaura pectinata (Wiegmann, 1834) | 5 | NE | A | H (15) | 1 | 1939 |
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FAMILIY PHRYNOSOMATIDAE | |||||||
Phrynosoma asio Cope, 1864 | 5 | LC | Pr | M (11) | 1 | 2004 |
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Phrynosoma orbiculare (Linnaeus, 1758) | 1,2,3 | LC | A | M (12) | 1 | 1932 |
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Phrynosoma taurus Bocourt, 1870 | 5 | LC | A | M (12) | 1 | 1998 |
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Sceloporus aeneus Wiegmann, 1828 | 6 | LC | NL | M (13) | 1 | 1931 |
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Sceloporus gadoviae Boulenger, 1905 | 5 | LC | NL | M (11) | 1 | 1932 |
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Sceloporus grammicus Wiegmann, 1828 | 1,2,3,4 | LC | Pr | L (9) | 1 | 1903 |
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Sceloporus horridus Wiegmann, 1834 | 5 | LC | NL | M (11) | 1 | 1903 |
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Sceloporus melanorhinus Bocourt, 1876 | 5 | LC | NL | L (9) | 3 | 1997 |
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Sceloporus mucronatus Cope, 1885 | 1,2,3,4 | LC | NL | M (13) | 1 | 1970 | BYU 36233 |
Sceloporus ochoterenae Smith, 1934 | 5 | LC | NL | M (12) | 1 | 1936 |
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Sceloporus palaciosi Lara-Góngora, 1983 | 1,2,3,4 | LC | NL | H (15) | 1 | 1949 |
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Scelopours scalaris Wiegmann, 1828 | 1,2,4,6 | LC | NL | M (12) | 1 | 1890 |
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Sceloporus siniferus Cope, 1870 | 5 | LC | NL | M (11) | 3 | 1977 |
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Sceloporus spinosus Wiegmann, 1828 | 5 | LC | NL | M (12) | 1 | 1931 |
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Sceloporus sugillatus Smith, 1942 | 1,2,3 | LC | NL | H (16) | 1 | 1939 |
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Sceloporus torquatus Wiegmann, 1828 | 1,2,3 | LC | NL | M (11) | 1 | 1932 |
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Sceloporus utiformis Cope, 1864 | 5 | LC | NL | H (15) | 1 | 2004 |
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Urosaurus bicarinatus (Duméril, 1856) | 5 | LC | NL | M (12) | 1 | 1899 |
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FAMILY PHYLLODACTYLIDAE | |||||||
Phyllodactylus bordai Taylor, 1942 | 1,5 | LC | Pr | M (13) | 1 | 1966 |
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Phyllodactylus lanei Smith, 1935 | 1,5 | LC | NL | H (15) | 1 | 2008 |
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Phyllodactylus tuberculosus Wiegmann, 1834 | 1,5 | LC | NL | L (8) | 3 | 1997 |
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FAMILY SCINCIDAE | |||||||
Marisora brachypoda (Taylor, 1956) | 5 | LC | NL | L (6) | 3 | 1931 |
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Plestiodon brevirostris (Günther, 1860) | 1,2,3 | LC | NL | M (11) | 1 | 1936 |
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Plestiodon copei (Taylor, 1933) | 1,2,3 | LC | Pr | H (14) | 1 | 1936 |
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Plestiodon indubitus (Taylor, 1933) | 1,2,3 | NE | NL | H (15) | 1 | 1933 | Taylor, 1933 |
Plestiodon lotus Pavón-Vázquez, Nieto Montes de Oca, Mendoza-Hernández, Centenero-Alcalá, Santa Cruz-Padilla, & Jiménez-Arcos, 2017 | 1,5 | NE | NL | NE | 1 | 2017 |
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FAMILY TEIIDAE | |||||||
Aspidoscelis communis (Cope, 1878) | 5 | LC | Pr | H (14) | 1 | 2004 |
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Aspidoscelis costatus (Cope, 1878) | 5 | LC | Pr | M (11) | 1 | 1906 |
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Aspidoscelis deppii (Wiegmann, 1834) | 5 | LC | NL | L (8) | 3 | 1941 |
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Aspidoscelis guttatus (Wiegmann, 1834) | 5 | LC | NL | M (12) | 1 | 1980 |
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Aspidoscelis lineatissimus (Cope, 1878) | 5 | LC | Pr | H (14) | 1 | 1953 |
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Aspidoscelis sackii (Wiegmann, 1834) | 5 | LC | NL | H (14) | 1 | 1901 |
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Holcosus sinister (Wiegmann, 1834) | 5 | NE | NL | M (13) | 1 | 1956 |
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SUBORDER SERPENTES | |||||||
FAMILY BOIDAE | |||||||
Boa sigma Smith, 1943 | 5 | NE | NL | H (15) | 1 | 1949 |
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FAMILY COLUBRIDAE | |||||||
Conopsis biserialis (Taylor & Smith, 1942) | 1,2,3,4,6 | LC | A | M (13) | 1 | 1932 |
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Conopsis lineata (Kennicott, 1859) | 1,2,3,4,6 | LC | NL | M (13) | 1 | 1953 |
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Conopsis nasus (Günther, 1858) | 1,2,3,4,6 | LC | NL | M (11) | 1 | 1970 |
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Drymarchon melanurus (Duméril, Bibron & Duméril, 1854) | 5 | LC | NL | L (6) | 3 | 1949 |
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Drymobius margaritiferus (Schlegel, 1837) | 5 | LC | NL | L (6) | 3 | 1903 |
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Ficimia publia (Cope, 1866) | 5 | LC | NL | L (9) | 3 | 2004 |
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Lampropeltis polyzona Cope, 1860 | 5 | LC | NL | L (7) | 1 | 1950 |
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Leptophis diplotropis (Günther, 1872) | 5 | LC | A | H (14) | 1 | 1953 |
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Masticophis mentovarius (Duméril, Bibron & Duméril, 1854) | 2,5 | LC | A | L (6) | 3 | 1938 |
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Mastigodryas melanolomus (Cope, 1868) | 5 | LC | NL | L (6) | 3 | 1974 |
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Oxybelis aeneus (Wagler, 1824) | 5 | LC | NL | L (5) | 4 | 1945 |
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Pituophis deppei (Dumeril, 1853) | 1,2,3,5 | LC | A | H (14) | 1 | 1949 |
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Pituophis lineaticollis (Cope, 1861) | 2,3 | LC | NL | L (8) | 3 | 1940 | Taylor 1940a |
Pseudoficimia frontalis (Cope, 1864) | 5 | LC | NL | M (13) | 1 | 1938 |
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Salvadora bairdi Jan & Sordelli, 1860 | 1,2,3,5 | LC | Pr | H (15) | 1 | 1953 |
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Salvadora mexicana (Duméril, Bibron & Duméril, 1854) | 5 | LC | Pr | H (15) | 1 | 1938 | Taylor 1940 |
Senticolis triaspis (Cope, 1866) | 1,2,5,6 | LC | NL | L (6) | 4 | 1860 |
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Sonora michoacanensis (Dugès, 1884) | 5 | LC | NL | H (14) | 1 | 1956 |
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Tantilla bocourti (Günther, 1895) | 1,2,6 | LC | NL | L (9) | 1 | 1936 |
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Tantilla calamarina Cope, 1866 | 1,2,3,6 | LC | Pr | M (12) | 1 | 1938 | Taylor 1940 |
Tantilla deppei (Bocourt, 1883) | 1,2,3,6 | LC | A | M (13) | 1 | 1949 |
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Trimorphodon biscutatus (Duméril, Bibron & Duméril, 1854) | 5 | NE | NL | L (7) | 3 | 1938 |
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Trimorphodon tau Cope, 1870 | 5 | LC | NL | M (13) | 1 | 1938 |
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FAMILY DIPSADIDAE | |||||||
Coniophanes lateritius Cope, 1862 | 3 | DD | NL | M (13) | 1 | 1945 |
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Coniophanes piceivittis Cope, 1870 | 5 | LC | NL | L (7) | 3 | 1970 |
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Conophis vittatus Peters, 1860 | 5 | LC | NL | M (11) | 3 | 1936 |
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Enulius flavitorques (Cope, 1868) | 5 | LC | NL | L (5) | 3 | 1939 | Taylor, 1940a |
Hypsiglena torquata (Günther, 1860) | 5 | LC | Pr | L (8) | 1 | 1938 |
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Imantodes gemmistratus (Cope, 1861) | 5 | LC | Pr | L (6) | 3 | 1938 |
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Leptodeira maculata (Hallowell, 1861) | 5,6 | LC | Pr | L (7) | 1 | 2008 |
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Leptodeira splendida Günther, 1895 | 2,5 | LC | NL | H (14) | 1 | 1936 |
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Pseudoleptodeira latifasciata (Günther, 1894) | 5 | LC | Pr | H (14) | 1 | 1938 |
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Rhadinaea hesperia Bailey, 1940 | 5 | LC | Pr | M (10) | 1 | 1892 |
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Rhadinaea laureata (Günther, 1868) | 1,2,3 | LC | NL | M (12) | 1 | 1953 |
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Rhadinaea taeniata (Peters, 1863) | 1,2,3 | LC | NL | M (13) | 1 | 1932 |
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Tropidodipsas zweifeli (Liner & Wilson, 1970) | 5 | NE | Pr | H (16) | 1 | 1966 |
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FAMILY ELAPIDAE | |||||||
Micrurus laticollaris Peters, 1870 | 5 | LC | Pr | H (14) | 1 | 1892 |
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Micrurus tener Baird & Girard, 1953 | 1,5 | LC | NL | M (11) | 2 | 1939 |
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FAMILY LEPTOTYPHLOPIDAE | |||||||
Rena maxima (Loveridge, 1932) | 5 | LC | NL | M (11) | 1 | 1949 |
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FAMILY LOXOCEMIDAE | |||||||
Loxocemus bicolor Cope, 1861 | 5 | LC | Pr | M (10) | 3 | 1938 | Taylor 1940 |
FAMILY NATRICIDAE | |||||||
Adelophis copei Dugès, 1879 | 5 | VU | Pr | H (15) | 1 | 1940 |
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Storeria storerioides (Cope, 1866) | 1,2,3 | LC | NL | M (11) | 1 | 1950 |
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Thamnophis cyrtopsis (Kennicott, 1860) | 1,2,3 | LC | A | L (7) | 4 | 1953 |
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Thamnophis eques (Reuss, 1834) | 1,2,3,4 | LC | A | L (8) | 2 | 1936 |
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Thamnophis scalaris Cope, 1861 | 1,2,3,4 | LC | A | H (14) | 1 | 1936 |
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FAMILY TYPHLOPIDAE | |||||||
Indotyphlops braminus (Daudin, 1803) | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | 1965 |
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FAMILY VIPERIDAE | |||||||
Agkistrodon bilineatus Günther, 1863 | 5 | NT | Pr | M (11) | 3 | 1953 |
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Crotalus culminatus Klauber, 1952 | 1,2,5 | NE | NL | H (15) | 1 | 1939 |
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Crotalus molossus Baird & Girard, 1853 | 1,2,3,4 | LC | Pr | L (8) | 2 | 1970 |
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Crotalus polystictus (Cope, 1865) | 1,2,3,4 | LC | Pr | H (16) | 1 | 1999 |
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Crotalus ravus Cope, 1865 | 1,2,3 | LC | A | H (14) | 1 | 1953 |
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Crotalus tlaloci Bryson, Linkem, Dorcas, Lathrop, Jones, Alvarado-Díaz, Grünwald & Murphy, 2014 | 1,2,3 | NE | NL | H (16) | 1 | 2014 |
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Crotalus transversus Taylor, 1944 | 4 | LC | P | H (17) | 1 | 1944 |
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Crotalus triseriatus (Wagler, 1830) | 1,2,3 | LC | NL | H (16) | 1 | 1949 |
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ORDER TESTUDINES | |||||||
FAMILY KINOSTERNIDAE | |||||||
Kinosternon hirtipes (Wagler, 1830) | 2,5 | LC | Pr | M (10) | 2 | 1892 |
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Kinosternon integrum LeConte, 1854 | 2,5 | LC | Pr | M (11) | 1 | 1936 |
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Kinosternon scorpioides (Linnaeus, 1766) | 2,5 | NE | Pr | M (10) | 3 | 1964 |
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TRYONICIDAE | |||||||
Apalone spinifera (Le Sueur, 1827) | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | 2004 |
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Summary of native species present in Morelos 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 | Numbers of genera | Nubmers of species | IUCN DD, LC, VU, NT, EN, CE | x̄ EVS | SEMARNAT NL, Pr, A, P |
CLASS AMPHIBIA | |||||
ORDER ANURA | 17 | 30 | 1,25,2,0,2,0 | 10 | 21,8,1,0 |
Bufonidae | 3 | 5 | 0,4,0,0,1,0 | 10.4 | 5,0,0,0 |
Centrolenidae | 1 | 1 | 0,1,0,0,0,0 | 10 | 1,0,0,0 |
Craugastoridae | 1 | 4 | 0,2,1,0,1,0 | 12.5 | 4,0,0,0 |
Eleutherodactylidae | 1 | 3 | 1,1,1,0,0,0 | 15.3 | 1,2,0,0 |
Hylidae | 6 | 8 | 0,8,0,0,0,0 | 8.4 | 5,2,1,0 |
Microhylidae | 2 | 3 | 0,3,0,0,0,0 | 6.7 | 1,2,0,0 |
Phyllomedusidae | 1 | 1 | 0,1,0,0,0,0 | 13 | 1,0,0,0 |
Ranidae | 1 | 4 | 0,4,0,0,0,0 | 9.8 | 2,2,0,0 |
Scaphiopodidae | 1 | 1 | 0,1,0,0,0,0 | 3 | 1,0,0,0 |
ORDER CAUDATA | 5 | 7 | 0,1,2,1,3,0 | 15.3 | 2,1,4,0 |
Ambystomatidae | 1 | 1 | 0,0,0,0,1,0 | 13 | 0,0,1,0 |
Plethodontidae | 4 | 6 | 0,1,2,1,2,0 | 15.7 | 2,1,3,0 |
SUBTOTAL | 22 | 37 | 1,26,4,1,5,0 | 11.0 | 23,9,5,0 |
CLASS REPTILIA | |||||
ORDER SQUAMATA | 49 | 95 | 1,80,1,1,2,0 | 11.6 | 54,24,15,2 |
SUBOR DERLACERTILIA | 15 | 41 | 0,35,0,0,2,0 | 12.1 | 25,9,6,1 |
Anguidae | 3 | 4 | 0,2,0,0,2,0 | 12.8 | 0,2,1,1 |
Dactyloidae | 1 | 1 | 0,1,0,0,0,0 | 13 | 1,0,0,0 |
Eublepharidae | 1 | 1 | 0,1,0,0,0,0 | 9 | 0,0,1,0 |
Helodermatidae | 1 | 1 | 0,1,0,0,0,0 | 11 | 0,0,1,0 |
Iguanidae | 1 | 1 | 0,0,0,0,0,0 | 15 | 0,0,1,0 |
Phrynosomatidae | 3 | 18 | 0,18,0,0,0,0 | 12.1 | 14,2,2,0 |
Phyllodactylidae | 1 | 3 | 0,3,0,0,0,0 | 12 | 2,1,0,0 |
Scincidae | 2 | 5 | 0,3,0,0,0,0 | 11.5 | 4,1,0,0 |
Teiidae | 2 | 7 | 0,6,0,0,0,0 | 12.3 | 4,3,0,0 |
SUBORDER SERPENTES | 34 | 54 | 1,45,1,1,0,0 | 11.1 | 29,15,9,1 |
Boidae | 1 | 1 | 0,0,0,0,0,0 | 15 | 1,0,0,0 |
Colubridae | 16 | 23 | 0,21,0,0,0,0 | 10.2 | 15,3,5,0 |
Dipsadidae | 9 | 13 | 1,11,0,0,0,0 | 10.5 | 7,6,0,0 |
Elapidae | 1 | 2 | 0,2,0,0,0,0 | 12.5 | 1,1,0,0 |
Leptotyphlopidae | 1 | 1 | 0,1,0,0,0,0 | 11 | 1,0,0,0 |
Loxocemidae | 1 | 1 | 0,1,0,0,0,0 | 10 | 0,1,0,0 |
Natricidae | 3 | 6 | 0,4,1,0,0,0 | 11 | 2,1,3,0 |
Viperidae | 2 | 8 | 0,5,0,1,0,0 | 14.1 | 3,3,1,1 |
ORDER TESTUDINES | 1 | 3 | 0,2,0,0,0,0 | 10.3 | 0,3,0,0 |
Kinosternidae | 1 | 3 | 0,2,0,0,0,0 | 10.3 | 0,3,0,0 |
SUBTOTAL | 50 | 98 | 1,82,1,1,2,0 | 11.5 | 54,27,15,2 |
TOTAL | 72 | 135 | 2,108,5,2,7,0 | 11.4 | 77,36,20,2 |
We compiled a list of 21 species (eight amphibians, 13 reptiles) that we believe potentially occur in Morelos (Table
Likely to occur in: | |
---|---|
CLASS AMPHIBIA | |
ORDER ANURA | |
FAMILY CRAUGASTORIDAE | |
Craugastor pygmaeus (Taylor, 1937) | recorded at Tepozteco ( |
FAMILY ELEUTHERODACTYLIDAE | |
Eleutherodactylus verruculatus (Peters, 1870) | recorded at 12mi S of Cuernavaca ( |
FAMILY LEPTODACTYLIDAE | |
Leptodactylus fragilis (Brocchi, 1877) | western and/or eastern Morelos |
Leptodactylus melanonotus (Hallowell, 1861) | western, southern, and/or eastern Morelos |
FAMILY RANIDAE | |
Rana maculata Brocchi, 1877 | reported by |
Rana pustulosa Boulenger, 1883 | reported by |
Rana vaillanti Brocchi, 1877 | reported by |
ORDER CAUDATA | |
FAMILY AMBYSTOMATIDAE | |
Ambystoma velasci Dugès, 1888 | eastern Morelos |
CLASS REPTILIA | |
SUBORDER LACERTILIA | |
FAMILY PHRYNOSOMATIDAE | |
Sceloporus anahuacus Lara-Góngora, 1983 | northern Morelos |
Sceloporus pyrocephalus Cope, 1864 | western Morelos |
FAMILY SCINCIDAE | |
Plestiodon lynxe (Wiegmann, 1834) | northern and/or western Morelos |
SUBORDER SERPENTES | |
FAMILY COLUBRIDAE | |
Tantilla rubra Cope, 1875 | eastern Morelos |
FAMILY DIPSADIDAE | |
Diadophis punctatus (Linnaeus, 1766) | northern Morelos |
Geophis bicolor Günther, 1868 | northern Morelos |
Geophis petersii Boulenger, 1894 | northern Morelos |
FAMILY ELAPIDAE | |
Micrurus browni Schmidt & Smith, 1943 | northwestern Morelos |
FAMILY NATRICIDAE | |
Thamnophis sirtalis (Linnaeus, 1758) | reported as T. dorsalis by |
Thamnophis melanogaster (Wiegmann, 1830) | northern Morelos |
Thamnophis pulchrilatus (Cope, 1885) | northern Morelos |
Thamnohis scaliger (Jan, 1863) | northern Morelos |
ORDER TESTUDINES | |
FAMILY EMYDIDAE | |
Trachemys venusta (Gray, 1855) | eastern Morelos |
Nineteen of the 31 species of anuran that inhabit Morelos are endemic to Mexico. Four of the twelve non-endemic species to Mexico are distributed in the United States and Mexico, another four range from Mexico to Central America, three more are distributed from the United States to Central America or South America, and one is introduced to Morelos. All seven species of salamanders that inhabit Morelos are endemic to Mexico.
Thirty-three of the 42 species of lizards that inhabit Morelos are endemic to Mexico. Of the nine species of lizards not endemic to Mexico, only one is found in the US and Mexico (Sceloporus grammicus), another seven range from Mexico to Central America, and the remaining species is introduced to Morelos. Thirty-five of the 55 species of snakes that inhabit Morelos are endemic to Mexico. Three of the 20 non-endemic species to Mexico are found in the US and Mexico, 13 are distributed from Mexico to Central America or South America, three occur from the US to Central America or South America, and one is introduced to Morelos. One of the four species of turtles that inhabit Morelos is endemic to Mexico, one occurs in the US and Mexico, one is distributed from Mexico to South America, and one is introduced to Morelos.
A total of 14 (= 11.2% [14/125]) species of amphibians and reptiles is IUCN listed (i.e., Vulnerable, Near Threatened, or Endangered), 22 (= 16.3% [22/135]) are placed in a protected category (excluding NL and Pr, this last category is equivalent to the LC category of IUCN) by SEMARNAT and 41 species (= 30.6% [41/134]) are categorized as high risk by the EVS (Fig.
Percent of A amphibians and B reptiles listed in protected categories on the IUCN Red List and SEMARNAT. Green is percentage in Data Deficient and Least Concern (IUCN); Not Listed and Subject to Special Protection (we regarded the category of Subject to Special Protection in SEMARNAT equivalent to Least Concern in IUCN) (SEMARNAT). Red is percentage in protected categories. N is the number of species assessed by each agency.
The vegetation type that hosts the greatest number of amphibian and reptile species in Morelos is the Tropical Deciduous Forest (Table
Number of amphibian and reptile species in each vegetation type of Morelos
Oak Forest | Pine-oak Forest | Pine Forest | Abies Forest | Tropical Deciduous Forest | Grassland | |
Amphibians | 21 | 21 | 20 | 9 | 20 | 7 |
Reptiles | 39 | 41 | 31 | 13 | 65 | 11 |
Total | 60 | 62 | 51 | 22 | 85 | 18 |
Number of amphibian and reptile species in each vegetation type of Morelos listed and protected in the IUCN Red List or SEMARNAT list, or with a high EVS. Numbers in parenthesis represent the number of species not evaluated by the IUCN.
IUCN | SEMARNAT | EVS | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Amphibians | ||||||
Oak Forest | 9 | 12 | 5 | 16 | 9 | 12 |
Pine-oak Forest | 7 | 14 | 5 | 16 | 7 | 14 |
Pine Forest | 7 | 13 | 5 | 15 | 7 | 13 |
Abies Forest | 5 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 4 |
Tropical Deciduous Forest | 3 | 17 | – | 20 | 2 | 18 |
Grassland | 2 | 5 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 6 |
Reptiles | ||||||
Oak Forest | 1 | 34(3) | 9 | 30 | 15 | 23 |
Pine-oak Forest | 2 | 35(4) | 11 | 30 | 16 | 25 |
Pine Forest | 1 | 28(2) | 9 | 22 | 13 | 18 |
Abies Forest | – | 13 | 4 | 9 | 5 | 8 |
Tropical Deciduous Forest | 3 | 52(9) | 9 | 57 | 19 | 45 |
Grassland | – | 11 | 2 | 9 | 1 | 10 |
Morelos shares the largest proportion of its amphibian and reptile species with the State of Mexico; however, this percentage is very similar to that of the species shared with Puebla and Guerrero (Table
Summary of the numbers of species shared between Morelos and neighboring Mexican states (not including introduced species). The percent of Morelos species shared by a neighboring state are given in parentheses. Total refers to the total number of species found in Morelos and four neighboring states (i.e., regional species pool) and the number in parentheses in this column is the percent of the regional species pool found in Morelos. – indicates either Morelos or the neighboring state has no species in the taxonomic group, or none of that specific taxon is shared between the states, thus no value for shared species is provided.
TAXON | Morelos | Mexico | Puebla | Guerrero | Mexico City | TOTAL |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
CLASS AMPHIBIA | 37 | 32(86.5) | 28(75.7) | 24(64.9) | 14(37.8) | 150(24.7) |
ORDER ANURA | 30 | 25(83.3) | 25(83.3) | 22(73.3) | 7(23.3) | 100(30.0) |
Bufonidae | 5 | 5(100) | 5(100) | 4(80.0) | 1(20.0) | 10(50.0) |
Centrolenidae | 1 | – | 1(100) | 1(100) | 1(100) | |
Craugastoridae | 4 | 3(75.0) | 2(50.0) | 3(75.0) | 1(25.0) | 16(25.0) |
Eleutherodactylidae | 3 | 3(100.0) | 1(33.3) | 1(33.3) | – | 11(27.3) |
Hylidae | 8 | 7(87.5) | 8(100) | 7(87.5) | 3(37.5) | 40(20.0) |
Leptodactylidae | – | – | – | – | – | 2(0) |
Microhylidae | 3 | 1(33.3) | 2(66.7) | 2(66.7) | – | 3(100) |
Phyllomedusidae | 1 | 1(100) | 1(100) | 1(100) | – | 3(33.3) |
Ranidae | 4 | 4(100) | 3(75.0) | 2(50.0) | 1(25.0) | 12(33.3) |
Rhinophrynidae | – | – | – | – | – | 1(0) |
Scaphiopodidae | 1 | 1(100) | 1(100) | 1(100) | 1(100) | 1(100) |
ORDER CAUDATA | 7 | 7(100) | 3(42.9) | 2(28.6) | 7(100) | 49(14.3) |
Ambystomatidae | 1 | 1(100) | – | – | 1(100) | 10(10.0) |
Plethodontidae | 6 | 6(100) | 3(50.0) | 2(33.3) | 6(100) | 38(15.8) |
Salamandridae | – | – | – | – | – | 1(0) |
ORDER GYMNOPHIONA | – | – | – | – | – | 1(0) |
Caecilidae | – | – | – | – | – | 1(0) |
CLASS REPTILIA | 98 | 75(76.5) | 76(77.6) | 77(78.6) | 35(35.7) | 294(33.3) |
ORDER CROCODYLIA | – | – | – | – | – | 1(0) |
Crocodylidae | – | – | – | – | – | 1(0) |
ORDER SQUAMATA | 95 | 73(76.8) | 75(78.9) | 76(80.0) | 33(34.7) | 280(33.9) |
SUBORDEN AMPHISBAENIA | – | – | – | – | – | 2(0) |
Bipedidae | – | – | – | – | – | 2(0) |
SUBORDER LACERTILIA | 41 | 30(73.2) | 29(70.7) | 35(85.4) | 12(29.3) | 118(34.7) |
Anguidae | 4 | 4(100) | 2(50.0) | 3(75.0) | 1(25.0) | 11(36.4) |
Corytophanidae | – | – | – | – | – | 3(0) |
Dactyloidae | 1 | 1(100) | – | 1(100) | – | 18(5.6) |
Diploglossidae | – | – | – | – | – | 2(0) |
Eublepharidae | 1 | – | 1(100) | 1(100) | – | 1(100) |
Helodermatidae | 1 | 1(100) | 1(100) | 1(100) | – | 1(100) |
Iguanidae | 1 | 1(100) | 1(100) | 1(100) | – | 4(25.0) |
Phrynosomatidae | 18 | 14(77.8) | 15(83.3) | 15(83.3) | 9(50.0) | 36(50.0) |
Phyllodactylidae | 3 | 1(33.3) | 1(33.3) | 3(100) | – | 5(60.0) |
Scincidae | 5 | 4(80.0) | 4(80.0) | 4(80.0) | 2(40.0) | 15(33.3) |
Teiidae | 7 | 4(57.1) | 4(57.1) | 6(85.7) | – | 12(58.3) |
Xantusidae | – | – | – | – | – | 5(0) |
Xenosauridae | – | – | – | – | – | 5(0) |
SUBORDER SERPENTES | 54 | 43(79.6) | 46(85.2) | 41(75.9) | 21(38.9) | 160(33.8) |
Boidae | 1 | 1(100) | 1(100) | – | – | 2(50.0) |
Colubridae | 23 | 20(87.0) | 22(95.7) | 20(87.0) | 9(39.1) | 41(56.1) |
Dipsadidae | 13 | 8(61.5) | 10(76.9) | 11(84.6) | 2(15.4) | 62(21.0) |
Elapidae | 2 | 2(100) | 2(100) | 1(50.0) | 1(50.0) | 10(20.0) |
Leptotyphlopidae | 1 | 1(100) | 1(100) | 1(100) | – | 6(16.7) |
Loxocemidae | 1 | – | – | 1(100) | – | 1(100) |
Natricidae | 5 | 4(80.0) | 4(80.0) | 3(60.0) | 4(80.0) | 16(31.3) |
Typhlopidae | – | – | – | – | – | 1(0) |
Viperidae | 8 | 7(87.5) | 6(75.0) | 4(50.0) | 5(62.5) | 21(38.1) |
ORDER TESTUDINES | 3 | 2(66.7) | 1(33.3) | 1(33.3) | 2(66.7) | 13(23.1) |
Cheloniidae | – | – | – | – | – | 3(0) |
Dermochelyidae | – | – | – | – | – | 1(0) |
Emydidae | – | – | – | – | – | 2(0) |
Geoemydidae | – | – | – | – | – | 2(0) |
Kinosternidae | 3 | 2(66.7) | 1(33.3) | 1(33.3) | 2(66.7) | 5(60.0) |
TOTAL | 135 | 107(79.3) | 104(77.0) | 101(74.8) | 49(36.3) | 444(30.4) |
We thank Jesús Sigala for very helpful comments that greatly improved 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 A. Núñez Merchand from the National Commission for the Understanding and Use of Biodiversity (CONABIO) for kindly creating and providing the municipality, topographic, physiographic, climate, and vegetation maps used in this publication, and to I. Cruz, also from CONABIO, for providing the satellite imagen of the state of Morelos. We are grateful to A. Resetar and J. Mata from the Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago, Illinois; E.M. Braker from the University of Colorado Museum, University of Colorado at Boulder; J. McGuire, C. Spencer, and D. Wake from the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology at Berkeley, University of California at Berkeley; and D. Dickey and D.A. Kizirian from the American Museum of Natural History, New York.
Museum collections included in the VertNet.org database records of Morelos amphibians and reptiles that house specimens of the first record of a species in Morelos.
BYU Herpetology Collection, Monte L. Bean Museum, Brigham Young University