Selva Zoque, Mexico: an important Mesoamerican tropical region for reptile species diversity and conservation

Abstract

The Selva Zoque region is characterized by a great variety of ecosystems for which there is little information about reptile species diversity and their conservation status. This study is the first assessment of the species richness, composition, and conservation status of reptiles of this region. Additionally, this information is compared with that of seven other tropical regions in northern Mesoamerica. In total, 141 native reptile species belonging to 81 genera and 29 families are recorded for the Selva Zoque region. Sixty species (42% of the total) recorded in Selva Zoque are in high-risk categories according to the Mexican Ministry of the Environment, the highest number for the Mexican regions of Mesoamerica. According to the IUCN, six species are in high-risk categories, seven species are in Data Deficient, and 23 (16%) have not been evaluated yet. According to the Environmental Vulnerability Scores approach, 28 species (20%) are in the high vulnerability category. The Selva Zoque species composition is most similar to Los Tuxtlas and Lacandona regions, and most dissimilar to Sian Ka´an Biosphere Reserve. The reptilian fauna of Selva Zoque has a distinctive composition, with the highest number (11 species) of endemic reptiles in the northern Mesoamerican, and species from two biogeographic provinces: the Gulf of Mexico and the Mexican Pacific Coast. These results indicate that the Selva Zoque is the most diverse region in native reptile species in northern Mesoamerica, highlighting it as extremely important for the conservation of the reptile fauna at local (southern Mexico) and regional levels (northern Mesoamerica).