Diversity and conservation status of the herpetofauna for an area from north of Hidalgo, Mexico

• Main Authors: Luis M. Badillo-Saldaña, Aurelio Ramírez-Bautista, Daniel Lara-Tufiño, Christian Berriozabal-Islas
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Asociación Herpetológica Argentina 2015-09-01
• Series: Cuadernos de Herpetología
• Subjects: Amphibians; Reptiles; IUCN; SEMARNAT; Sierra Madre Oriental
• Online Access: http://ppct.caicyt.gov.ar/index.php/cuadherpetol/article/view/5945/6008

Conservation measures currently lack adequate information to assign some species of amphibians and reptiles in the categories of protection. In this study we analyzed and compared the herpetofauna of mountain cloud forest (MCF) and tropical evergreen forest (TEF) in an area north of Hidalgo. For this study, we conducted fieldwork (24 sites) and a literature review. In addition, the conservation status of species was analyzed. The herpetofauna of the municipality of Tepehuacan de Guerrero, Hidalgo, Mexico consists of 70 species (20 amphibians and 50 reptiles), nine of which are historical records that were not found in the present study. Cloud forest was more diverse (39 species) than TEF (37 species). There are discrepancies between national and international agencies of conservation regarding the threatened status of these species. The high biodiversity recorded in MCF and TEF in the study area indicates the importance of this area for conservation. In this study, we propose to reassess the conservation category of Hidalgo state herpetofauna.