Annotated checklist of amphibians and reptiles from Querétaro, Mexico, including new records, and comments on controversial species

Abstract

We present an updated checklist of amphibians and reptiles of Querétaro, Mexico. The herpetofauna of Querétaro is composed of 136 species, 35 amphibians (seven caudates and 28 anurans) grouped in nine families and 20 genera; 101 reptiles (five turtles, 33 lizards, and 63 snakes) grouped in 20 families and 59 genera. We did not include 13 previous records that do not have adequate evidence. We include three newly reported species for Querétaro: Coniophanes imperialis (Baird & Girard, 1859), Scaphiodontophis annulatus (Duméril, Bibron & Duméril, 1854), and Xenosaurus newmanorum (Taylor, 1949). A total of 69 species (51% of the total species) are endemic to Mexico, while one species, Sceloporus exsul (Dixon, Ketchersid & Lieb, 1972), is endemic to the state. According to Mexican law (SEMARNAT NOM-059), 50 species are threatened or under special protection, while according to the IUCN red list, only 11 species are under some category of risk. We suggest that a greater survey effort for amphibians and reptiles is required to discover unrecorded species in those areas that have not been sufficiently sampled.