Check List 10(6): 1336–1341, 2014 © 2014 Check List and Authors Chec List ISSN 1809-127X (available at www.biotaxa.org/cl) Journal of species lists and distribution Checklist of amphibians of Nayarit, western Mexico PECIES S Victor H. Luja 1* 2, Paulino Ponce-Campos 3 4 OF ISTS , Ivan T. Ahumada-Carrillo and Elsa Figueroa-Esquivel L 1 Universidad Autónoma de Nayarit, Coordinación de Investigación y Posgrado, Unidad Académica de Turismo. Ciudad de la Cultura Amado Nervo s/n, 63155. Tepic, Nayarit, México. 2 Universidad de Guadalajara, Centro Universitario de Ciencias Biológicas y Agropecuarias. Carretera a Nogales Km. 15.5, 45050. Las Agujas, Nextipac, Zapopan, Jalisco, México. 3 Bosque Tropical, Investigación para la Conservación de la Naturaleza, A. C. Misión San Antonio, Torre 4a, depto. 2, 45030. Zapopan, Jalisco, México. 4 Museo de Zoología, Programa Académico [email protected] de Biología, Unidad Académica de Agricultura, Universidad Autónoma de Nayarit. Km. 9 Carretera Tepic-Compostela, Xalisco, Nayarit, México, C.P. 63780. * Corresponding author: E-mail: Abstract: Nayarit is one of the Mexican states where less has been published regarding the fauna of amphibians. The aim 21of this are endemicwork was to to Mexico, generate and a onelist ofis exoticamphibians (the American of Nayarit bullfrog through Lithobates literature catesbeianus review and fieldwork. The amphibian fauna of Nayarit consists of 37 species, belonging to 21 genera, 10 families, and two orders. Among these 37 species, 36 are native, ). In total, nine species are under the category of “Special Protection” and one as “Endangered” by Mexican laws and four (one as “Endangered” and three as of“Vulnerable”) the state. under international laws of protection. In the near future, our expectation is that more species will be added to the list of species of amphibians in Nayarit, as more fieldwork remains to be done in some remote and unexplored areas DOI: 10.15560/10.6.1336 Introduction (Casas-Andreu 1992; Canseco-Márquez et al. 2007; de la Torre et al. 2010; Ahumada-Carrillo et al. 2013) to the area. Despite this abundance of research, there currentlyMexico recognized ranks fifth species, among plus the at countries least 22 proposed with highest new has not been an updated list of amphibians published speciesamphibian that diversityare currently in the being world. described It is home(Ochoa-Ochoa to 376 for Nayarit since Smith and Taylor (1948) presented the et al et al. 2013; Parra-Olea et al. 2014). earliest known list of amphibians for the state, including The Mexican states with the highest species diversity are 19 species. Oaxaca,. 2013; Chiapas Wilson and Veracruz (Casas-Andreu et al The objective of this work is to compile an updated Muñoz-Alonso et al. 2013; Parra-Olea et al. 2014), whereas checklist of the amphibians of Nayarit, to provide a other states such as Baja California, Baja California Sur. 1996; and starting point to encourage future research within the Coahuila are considerably less diverse. These differences state’s territory. can be attributed to the complex physiographic features present in the states with greatest diversity. However, Materials and Methods those states have also been most extensively surveyed, so Study site a degree of variation in species diversity could be due to Nayarit is located in the northwest of Mexico, sampling bias. Nayarit, in western Mexico, presents a diverse range 2, which of ecosystems (which may contribute to high species betweenrepresents 23°05′ 1.4% andof the 20°36′ total landN latitude area of and Mexico. 103°43′ Sinaloa and diversity) but whose amphibians have been poorly 105°46′and Durango W longitude. border ItsNayarit land area in theis 27,857 north; km Durango, studied. Flores-Villela et al. (2004) stated that the coastal Zacatecas and Jalisco in the east; Jalisco in the south; region of western Nayarit is relatively well studied, but and the Pacific Ocean in the west. The biogeographic the mountainous eastern region of the state is poorly provinces present in the state are: Sierra Madre Occidental, Pacific Coastal Plain, Mexican Volcanic Belt highway. Until about 50 years ago, very little was known aboutexcept thein thefauna vicinity in the of state. the Tepic-GuadalajaraSmith and Taylor The average annual temperature in the state is 25°C, (1948) and Lewis and Johnson (1955) reported the first averageand Sierra minimum Madre deltemperatures Sur (Figure are 1; CONABIOaround 12°C 1997). in major collections and shortly thereafter more sampling January and average maximum temperatures may be slightly higher than 35°C during the months of May and important comments on the highlands of the eastern June. Most rainfall occurs in the summer, during the occurred (Zweifel 1959). McDiarmid (1963) added months of May to September, and the average rainfall et al. in the state is 1,100 mm per year. The surface hydrology part of the state, and both Zweifel (1960) and McDiarmid of Nayarit is comprised of 21 major rivers, seven ponds, researchers (1976) haveprovided reported information isolated on geographic the herpetofauna records of the Tres Marias Islands. In the last 20 years, Mexican a stream, and three artificial reservoirs (INEGI 2011). 1336 Luja et al. | Amphibians of Nayarit, México Data analysis numerous synonyms and was updated following Frost et al The original list obtained was refined to removeet al. (2012). The protection status of each species is according . (2006), Pyron and Wiens (2011) and Streicher to the current Mexican NOM-059-2010 (SEMARNAT 2010) useand internationalphotographs (IUCNas vouchers 2014) oflistings. our observations We also used in these the resources to identify endemic and introduced taxa. We field; these photographs were deposited in the University of Texas at Arlington Digital Image Collection (UTADC). Species that we were not able to observe in the field were collectionsconfirmed basedwhere on each the bibliographicspecies is deposited review ofis specimenspresented deposited in scientific collections. A list of the scientific Resultson the Appendix I. families, 21 genera and 37 species (Table 1) representing We obtained a final list including two orders, 10et al. 2014). Thirty-six species were reported from literature; 9.8% of Mexican amphibians (376 species; Parra-Olea which one species (Spea multiplicata) is a new record for thefrom state. this totalSpea wemultiplicata observed was27 species recorded in theby VHLfield, on from 23 May 23 2014 in the Municipality of Jala, in the Jala-Los Aguajes road (21°6′18.40″ N, 104°21′46.70″ W), 1870 m Figure 1. Sampling sites recorded between 2010 and 2014, in the state Endemismelevation, (UTAand conservation Digital Image status Collection: UTADC 8136). of Nayarit, western Mexico. Twenty-one species of amphibians with part of their distributions in Nayarit are endemic to Mexico. Although Data collection there are no state endemics, several taxa have a reduced This checklist is based upon an extensive review of distribution, including parts of Nayarit state (e.g., publications in specialized journals in Herpetology includ- ing: Amphibia-Reptilia, Copeia, Herpetologica, Herpet o logical Journal, Herpetological Monographs, Herpetological areEleutherodactylidae). listed as “under special In total, protection” eleven species (Pr) are and included one as Review, and the Journal of Herpetology in national and/or international conservation lists. Eight other journals that it is known to publish information on the species distribution: Check List, Revista. We Mexicanaalso search de “Endangered” (A) by Mexican NOM-ECOL-059-2010 Biodiversidad, Acta Zoológica Mexicana. Finally, we used ((SEMARNATLithobates megapoda 2010); three and asPseudoeurycea “Vulnerable” belli(VU),) are and listed one onas both“Endangered” national and (EN) international (IUCN 2014). conservation Only two lists. species we searched using the keywords amphibians frogs toadsthe search salamander engine Google Scholar updated to June 2014; Discussion application (http://www.herpnet2.org), we searchedor foror The total number of species we obtained surpasses amphibianor records includingand Nayarit. the words: Using amphibians the HerpNET the previously reported number of amphibian species for Anura Caudata Nayarit. The search yielded a list of Nayarit (30 species, list not present), in the most recent or- study of Mexican amphibian diversity by Parra-Olea et al. ed geographicalor coordinates.and These records were then (2014). Besides the increase of seven species presented by museum records filtered to use only registers that includ us, it is noteworthy that Parra-Olea et al. (op. cit.) consider that all species of amphibians in Nayarit belong to the order projected into Google Earth, and those whose coordinates were outside the limits of Nayarit were eliminated. We also being absent. Our review showed that the salamander (Figureinclude information1) across the derived four physiographic from our fieldwork provinces in Nayarit in the AmbystomaAnura (frogs androsaceum toads), (Caudata:with Caudata Ambystomatidae) and Gymnophiona is (2010–present). The fieldwork includes 40 sampling sites- present in Nayarit, collected at Sierra de Alica (Canseco- volcanic Belt, and Sierra Madre del Sur. Data collection in Márquez et al. 2007). state: Sierra Madre Occidental, Pacific coastal plain, Trans - individuals of A. rosaceum at Santa Teresa, Municipality of the field was opportunistic and took place mainly during DelIn Nayar a recent (UTADC survey 8102). (February, Also,