Elevational range extension and a new habitat for Thamnophis fulvus (Bocourt, 1893) (Squamata: Natricidae).

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Henrik Bringsøe1, Olman alfarO sáncHez2, and Hans Ole Hansen3
1Irisvej 8, DK-4600 Køge, Denmark. E-mail: bringsoe@email.dk (Corresponding author)
2Hojancha, Costa Rica.
3Pilebakken 1, DK-4400 Kalundborg, Denmark.
Elevational range extension and new habitat for
Thamnophis fulvus (Bocourt, 1893) (Squamata: Natricidae)
The Mesoamerican Gartersnake, Thamnophis fulvus, is endemic to the highlands of central Chiapas, Mexico,
through southern Guatemala into southwestern Honduras and adjacent El Salvador, at elevations from 1,400 to
3,500 m (Rossman, 1996; Köhler, 2008; Wilson and Johnson, 2010).
During bird observations at a site locally known as Planes del Diablo (15°31'14"N, 91°33'56"W; datum WGS
84), in the central part of Parque Regional Municipal “K’ojlab’l Tze’ Te’ Tnom Todos Santos Cuchumatán” (hereaf-
ter PRM Todos Santos Cuchumatán), Sierra de los Cuchumatanes, Departamento de Huehuetenango, Guatemala, on
27 August 2016 at 1230 h, CA, KE, and EM encountered and photographed two individuals of Thamnophis fulvus.
Voucher photographs are deposited at the University of Texas at Arlington Digital Collection (UTADC-8716–19).
Both snakes were similar in length (ca. 40 cm). The dorsal ground color of one individual was grayish brown,

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whereas that of the other was rufous brown (Fig. 1). MA confirmed the identification of both individuals after view-
ing the photographs. Both individuals were observed for approximately 5 min in an area dominated by rocks, small
patches of low grasses and herbs, and sparsely distributed, short (30 cm) juniper shrubs (Juniperus standleyi), at an
elevation of 3,710 m, before the snakes retreated into cavities among the rocks.
Fig. 1. Two individuals of Thamnophis fulvus found at an elevation of 3,710 m in PRM Todos Santos Cuchumatán, Sierra de
los Cuchumatanes, Departamento de Huehuetenango, Guatemala. (A, B) individual with a rufous brown dorsal ground color
(UTADC-8716, 8717); and (C, D) individual with a grayish brown dorsal ground color (UTADC-8718, 8719).
'© Knut Eisermann
Within a radius of 100 m around the site of the encounter, temporary, small and shallow water bodies are
formed during the rainy season. The principal vegetation in the immediate vicinity is páramo grassland dominated
by Agrostis tolucensis (Poaceae) (Fig. 2), but open pine woodland dominated by Hartweg’s Pine, Pinus hartwegii,

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occurs at a distance of 150 m. Glaciers shaped the area during the late Quaternary (Lachniet and Roy, 2011). A tem-
perate climate prevails in the area, with a mean minimum annual temperature of 5°C and mean maximum annual
temperature of 20°C. The mean annual precipitation is 1,500 mm, and the mean monthly precipitation ranges from
10 to 25 mm during the dry season (December–March), and from 70 to 300 mm during the rainy season (April–
November) (MAGA, 2002).
Fig. 2. Habitat of Thamnophis fulvus at 3,700 m in PRM Todos Santos Cuchumatán, Sierra de los Cuchumatanes, Departamento
de Huehuetenango, Guatemala, a páramo grassland in a landscape shaped by glaciers during the late Quaternary.
'© Knut Eisermann
This observation expands the upper elevational limit of T. fulvus by more than 200 m (to 3,710 m), as
Köhler (2008) and Wilson and Johnson (2010) had reported the elevational range of this species as 1,400–3,500
m. Thamnophis fulvus also had been recorded in the Sierra de los Cuchumatanes, but at elevations of ca. 2,800 m
(Campbell et al., 1998; Acevedo, 2006). Thamnophis fulvus is known to occur in different montane forest types,
including broadleaf forests (rain and cloud forest) and mixed and coniferous forests (pine-oak and pine forest)
(Johnson et al., 2010; Acevedo et al., 2010). To our knowledge, T. fulvus has not been reported from páramo grass-
land, similar to the site in PRM Todos Santos Cuchumatán. In national conservation status assessments, T. fulvus has
been evaluated as medium to highly vulnerable in all the countries of occurrence (Acevedo et al., 2010; Greenbaum
and Komar, 2010; Johnson et al., 2010; Townsend and Wilson, 2010), suggesting the need to reassess this taxon
in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, where it is currently listed as Least Concern (Campbell and Muñoz-
Alonso, 2013).
Acknowledgments.–We thank Carl. J. Franklin for incorporating the photographs into the University of Texas
at Arlington Digital Collection (UTADC), and for providing the voucher numbers. We appreciate relevant literature
and comments on the manuscript provided by Louis W. Porras. The observation was made during a trip supported
by Cayaya Birding, Guatemala.
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knut eisermann1, claudia avendañO1, manuel acevedO2, and esteBan matías3
1PROEVAL RAXMU Bird Monitoring Program, Cobán, Alta Verapaz, Guatemala.
E-mails: knut.eisermann@proeval-raxmu.org and claudia@proeval-raxmu.org
2Centro de Estudios Conservacionistas – Centro de Datos para la Conservación, Universidad de San Carlos de
Guatemala. E-mail: manuelaceved@gmail.com
3Coordinator of Commissions of Natural Resources in the Parque Regional Municipal “K’ojlab’l Tze’ Te’ Tnom
Todos Santos Cuchumatán”, Consejo Nacional de Áreas Protegidas (CONAP), Todos Santos Cuchumatán, dpto.
Huehuetenango, Guatemala. E-mail: esteban.matias@hotmail.com
Confirmation of the night snake Hypsiglena tanzeri in Hidalgo, Mexico,
and a new record for Reserva de la Biósfera de la Barranca de Metztitlán
The genus Hypsiglena is comprised of nine described species (Mulcahy, 2008; Mulcahy et al., 2014; Uetz et al.,
2016). Six species (H. affinis, H. catalinae, H. tanzeri, H. torquata, H. sleveni, and H. unaocularus) are endemic to
Mexico, and the distribution of five species is restricted to western Mexico; H. affinis and H. torquata are known
from the mainland, H. slevini from the central and southern portion of the Baja California Peninsula and some
Pacific islands, and the distribution of H. catalinae and H. unocularis is restricted to islands in the Pacific Ocean
(Mulcahy, 2008; Mulcahy et al., 2014; Uetz et al., 2016). Conversely, the distribution of H. tanzeri is restricted to
central Mexico, where it inhabits arid areas in south-central San Luís Potosí and northeastern Querétaro (Mulcahy,
2008; Dixon and Lemos-Espinal, 2010; Lemos-Espinal and Dixon, 2013; Mulcahy et al., 2014). Recently, Heimes
(2016) suggested its presence in northwestern Hidalgo, but did not indicate a specific locality. Presently, therefore,
there is no evidence to verify the distribution of this species in Hidalgo.