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Amphibians and Reptiles of the Northern Jaguar Reserve and Vicinity, Sonora, Mexico: A Preliminary Evaluation James C. Rorabaugh1, Miguel A. Gómez-Ramírez2, Carmina E. Gutiérrez-González2, J. Eric Wallace3, and Thomas R. Van Devender4 1Retired U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Saint David, AZ; 2Naturalia/Northern Jaguar Project, Sahuaripa, Sonora; 3University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ; 4Sky Island Alliance, Tucson, AZ The Northern Jaguar Reserve (Reserve) in the The Northern Municipio of Sahuaripa, Sonora, Mexico, lies in one of the most remote, least populated, and wildest areas Jaguar Reserve of northwestern Mexico. Encompassing 77.8 square (NJR) in the miles (20,140 ha) bounded by the Río Aros on the east and north, the Río Yaqui on the west, and lying south Municipio of of the Aros/Bavispe confluence and north-northeast Sahuaripa, of the town of Sahuaripa (Figure 1), the Reserve is in the foothills of the Sierra Madre Occidental at eleva- Sonora, Mexico, tions ranging from approximately 4580 ft (1396 m) in lies in one of the the Sierra Zetasora to 1420 ft (433 m) near the Ríos Aros and Bavispe confluence. The border crossing at most remote, Douglas, Arizona/Agua Prieta, Sonora lies 124 miles least populated, (200 km) NNW of the northern boundary of the Reserve. The vegetation communities of the Reserve and wildest areas are dominated by foothills thornscrub below about of northwestern 2953 ft (900 m) and oak woodlands (Felger et al. 2001) above that, forming a temperate-subtropical ecotone. Mexico. Oaks occur lower on north facing slopes and sparsely along arroyos, and thornscrub can be found at higher elevations on south facing slopes. The Reserve is The vegetation owned and operated by Naturalia, a Mexican non-gov- communities ernmental environmental organization, with support Figure 1. The Northern Jaguar Reserve and vicinity, which lies from the Tucson-based Northern Jaguar Project. The in east-central Sonora. The northern boundary of the Jaguar of the NJR are Reserve was originally purchased as a refuge for the Reserve is 124 miles (200 km) SSE of the border at Douglas-Agua dominated northern-most, known breeding population of Jaguars Prieta. Small inset: black dot marks general reserve location. (Panthera onca), but is also notable for presence of reaches of the Río Yaqui to the west of the Reserve by foothills Ocelots (Leopardus pardalis), Neotropical Otters (Lontra (O’Brien et al. 2006). JCR visited the Reserve for thornscrub below longicaudis), Military Macaws (Ara militaris) and other biological inventories and to conduct bat and amphib- tropical species that intermingle with animals and ian workshops during June 2008, April 2009, and April about 2953 ft plants characteristic of temperate North America. 2010, and also collected frogs at the confuence of the (900 m) and The objective of our work was to compile a prelimi- Ríos Yaqui and Sahuaripa in April 2008 as part of the nary list of amphibians and reptiles from the Reserve work reported by Oláh-Hemmings et al. (2009). TVD oak woodlands and vicinity with notes on habitat use. Our study area visited the Reserve during September 2009 and March- (Felger et al. includes that region shown in Figure 1. April 2011. Most amphibian and reptile observations were 2001) above Methods obtained by walking trails or along arroyos. We photo- that, forming We made numerous trips to the Reserve and adjacent vouchered amphibians and reptiles, if possible, and areas to search for amphibians and reptiles, often in documented localities and habitats in which animals a temperate- the course of other work. CGG and MAGR are the were found. We are in the process of accession- subtropical resident reserve biologists, stationed in Sahuaripa, ing these data into either or both of the University who frequent the Reserve. In July-August 2005, JEW of Arizona Herpetological Collection (UAZ) and ecotone. participated in a biological inventory of the Ríos Aros the Madrean Archipelago Biodiversity Assessment and Yaqui (with a focus on major tributaries) from (MABA) online database at Sky Island Alliance in the town of Nátora on the Aros downstream for 115 Tucson. All photo-vouchered specimens documented river miles (184.8 river km) to El Río on the Yaqui, by JCR in the study area have been submitted to both near the confluence with the Río Sahuaripa. That work the UAZ collection and the MABA database. included the portion of the Río Aros that forms the In addition to our own work, we perused herpeto- eastern boundary of the Reserve, as well as adjacent logical and other literature, talked to others working at SONORAN HERPETOLOGIST 24 (12) 2011 123 the Reserve, and searched Sonoran data from 24 herpe- tological museum collections to determine if others had conducted amphibian or reptile inventories in our study area, and if so, what they found. Results and Discussion Museums and Literature Our perusal of 24 herpe- tological collections yielded over 31,200 specimen records for Sonora, but no definitive evidence that any herpetological inventories or collecting had been con- ducted specifically at the Reserve prior to our work. Figure 2. Arroyo Babisal just south of Rancho Babisal, Northern Jag- uar Reserve. Vegetation is dry-season foothills thornscrub on the Our perusal of 24 Considerable collecting has occurred in the Nácori slopes and riparian in the canyon bottom. Photo by J. Rorabaugh. Chico area, about 30 km NE of the northern Reserve herpetological boundary; however, in our study area, museum data the Río Sahuaripa) of that locality were determined collections yielded indicated only moderate collecting activity—primarily through genetic analysis to be the morphologically to the south and southeast of the Reserve boundary similar Lithobates magnaocularis (Oláh-Hemmings et over 31,200 near Sahuaripa (see Table 1, which includes catalogue al. 2009). In a personal communication to JCR, Julio specimen records numbers and locations of collections mentioned Lemos Espinal reported a Heloderma horridum from below). In September 1959, G. O. Gates collected near Sahuaripa (see Rorabaugh 2008), which is the for Sonora, but Aspidoscelis costata, Callisaurus draconoides, and Incilius northern-most record for that species. no definitive mazatlanensis at Sahuaripa, and Phrynosoma solare “8.5 The only other collection that may have occurred miles” (14 km) west of Sahuaripa (note—names used on or very close to the Reserve is a Heloderma horridum evidence that any here are current names for these taxa, but may not collected by John Wright from “25.5 miles” (41.0 km) herpetological reflect nomenclature in museum data). V. D. Roth and south by road from Los Chinos (LACM 109953). A R. D. Krzman collected a Phrynosoma solare 4 miles 2002 map from the Secretaría de Comunicaciones y inventories or (6.4 km) south of Sahuaripa in May 1970. A more Transportes shows a Los Chinos near Rancho Dubaral collecting had ambitious collecting expedition occurred during July on the Reserve and another several km east of the 1975 within approximately 1-2 miles (1.6-3.0 km) of Río Aros and southeast of the Reserve boundary. been conducted Sahuaripa that included Allen E. Greer, P. Greer, John Rancho Los Chinos lies along the Río Aros between specifically at the Wright, and James L. Patton. During that expedition, Arroyo Bonito and Chino Gordo, and the Sierra Los “Rana pipiens” (the name used for most leopard frogs Chinos lies just southwest of the Reserve (Figure 1). NJR prior to our at that time), I. alvarius, I. mazatlanensis, Smilisca fodiens, The problem with the LACM record is that it does work. Kinosternon sonoriense, A. burti, Callisaurus draconoides, P. not indicate from which Los Chinos this lizard was solare, Sceloporus clarkii, Urosaurus ornatus, Coluber flagel- collected. In fact, according to Google maps, there is lum, and Rhinocheilus lecontei were all collected. In Febru- another Los Chinos located about halfway between ary 1987, Dean Hendrickson collected an Ambystoma Mazatán and the Tecoripa junction on Highway 16, far rosaceum “24 miles” (39 km) east of Sahuaripa on the to the southwest of the Reserve, which seems a more road to Nátora (which is close to or perhaps the same likely place to encounter H. horridum. However, if site as where JEW observed this species in 2005—see Wright’s Los Chinos is in the area depicted in Figure 1, Table 1). Hendrickson’s classic work on the fishes of it would be a significant collection and may represent a the Río Yaqui basin, conducted during that time frame, range extension north from Lemos-Espinal’s Sahua- took him and his colleagues to many remote locali- ripa locality. ties in Sonora and western Chihuahua; however, they Observations by the Authors, Range Extensions, and Other visited no other localities on or near the Reserve (see Remarks Figure 3 in Hendrickson et al. 1980). In June 2001, Tod Reeder collected “Rana yavapaiensis” from 1.2 miles (2 Our own observations and, in some cases, observa- km) north of Sahuaripa; however frogs collected both tions by others, are documented in Table 1. A sam- upstream (at the Ríos Yaqui/Sahuaripa confluence) pling of species we observed are illustrated in Figures and downstream (Arroyo San Ignacio, a tributary to 3-9. SONORAN HERPETOLOGIST 24 (12) 2011 124 Table 1. Amphibians and reptiles of the Northern Jaguar Reserve and vicinity. Localities indicated with an asterisk are near, but not on the Reserve. Nomenclature follows Liner and Casas-Andreu (2008) except where noted. Scientific Name Common Names Location Habitat Source1 AMPHIBIA CAUDATA AMBYSTOMATIDAE Ambystoma rosaceum Ajolote Tarahumara, 10 km SW Nátora*, 24 mi E of Oak woodland O’Brien et al. 2006; ASU Tarahumara Salamander Sahuaripa on rd to Nátora* 24134 (note – these may be the same locality) ANURA BUFONIDAE Anaxyrus punctatus Sapo de Puntos Rojos, Red- Widespread on the NJR Riparian in thornscrub O’Brien et al.

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