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Lane´s Leaf-toed Gecko (Phyllodactylus lanei) is
endemic to Mexico and ranges from Nayarit, including
the Río Grande de Santiago basin, south through Jalisco,
Colima, Michoacán, Morelos and Guerrero, including
the Río Balsas basin (Ramírez-Bautista, 1994; Ponce-
Campos and García-Aguayo, 2007; Aréchega-Ocampo
et al., 2008). Phyllodactylus lanei inhabits boulders,
cliffs, and trees in the dry forest, thorn scrub, mangrove
forest and it is usually found in human constructions,
from the sea level to approximately 1.425 m (García
and Ceballos, 1994; Ramírez-Bautista, 1994; Aréchega-
Ocampo et al., 2008). The species is listed by IUCN
as Least Concern (LC), and in the lower portion of the
high vulnerability category (15) in the Environmental
Vulnerability Score (Wilson et al., 2013), but is not
included in the Mexican threatened species list Norma
Oficial Mexicana (NOM-059-SEMARNAT-2010,
Diario Oficial de la Federación, 2010). Here, we present
data that adds P. lanei to the reptilie fauna of Zacatecas.
On 04 August 2016, while conducting a field inventory
of the Zacatecas herpetofauna, we found an adult
male P. lanei beneath a rock, in dry forest-thorn scrub
habitat in the Municipality of Valparaiso, Zacatecas,
(22.640453 ° N, -104.099561 ° W [WGS84]; 1186 m
above sea level). Several specimens were observed in
the surroundings. The specimen was collected under the
permit SEMARNAT SGPA/DGVS/030709/16, verified
by Bradford Hollingsworth and a photo was deposited
in the San Diego Natural History Museum (SDSNH_
HerpPC_05344), and the specimen was deposited in
the Vertebrate Collection of Universidad Autonoma de
Aguascalientes (CZUAA-REP-647; Fig. 1). Vegetation
in the dry forest-thorn scrub was represented by Palo
Blanco (Lysiloma divaricatum), Copal (Bursera
spp.), Fern-leaf Acacia (Acacia pennatula), Catclaw
Mimosa (Mimosa monancistra), Palo Bobo (Ipomoea
murucoides), Ocotillo (Fouquieria splendens), and
Prickly Pear (Opuntia fuliginosa) (Sousa and Martínez,
2010).
Herpetology Notes, volume 10: 669-671 (2017) (published online on 23 November 2017)
The Lane´s Leaf-toed Gecko, Phyllodactylus lanei Smith, 1935:
a new state record for Zacatecas, Mexico
Jorge A. Bañuelos-Alamillo1, 2, Ilse Yasareth Trujillo-De la Torre1, Gustavo Ernesto Quintero-Díaz3, 5
and Rubén Alonso Carbajal-Márquez4, 5,*
1 Unidad Académica de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad
Autónoma de Zacatecas, Edificio de Biología Campus II
Ave. Preparatoria S/N, Col. Agronómica, 98066, Zacatecas,
Zacatecas, México.
2 Laboratorio de Biología, Centro de Bachillerato Tecnológico
Agropecuario # 167 “Gral. J. Jesús González Ortega” Km. 1
Camino a Agua Fría. Valparaíso, Zacatecas, México.
3 Universidad Autónoma de Aguascalientes, Centro de
Ciencias Básicas, Departamento de Biología. C. P. 20131,
Aguascalientes, Aguascalientes, México
4 El Colegio de la Frontera Sur. Departamento de Conservación
de la Biodiversidad. Unidad Chetumal, Av. Centenario Km
5.5, 77014, Chetumal, Quintana Roo, México
5 Conservación de la Biodiversidad del Centro de México,
A. C. Andador Torre de Marfil No. 100, C. P. 20229,
Aguascalientes, Aguascalientes, México
* Corresponding Author e-mail: redman031@hotmail.com
Figure 1. Adult male specimen of Phyllodactylus lanei from
Valparaiso, Zacatecas, Mexico (SDSNH_HerpPC_05344).
Jorge A. Bañuelos-Alamillo et al.
670
Phyllodactylus lanei is a large gecko with a snout-vent
length (SVL) of 78 mm (Smith, 1935; Dixon, 1964). The
dorsal and lateral scales are mostly granular, but there are
enlarged tubercles in several rows on the back and sides.
Similar but smaller tubercles are on the dorsum of the
head and limbs, and on the sides of the tail. This species
is characterized by having 13 to 19 (16.1) longitudinal
rows of enlarged dorsal tubercles; paravertebral
tubercles 30 to 41 (35. 3); those between the axilla and
groin 14 to 22 (18.7); four rows of tubercles on each side
at base of the tail, 12-19 interorbital scales (15.4); scales
across snout between third labials 18 to 26 (21.6); scales
across venter 25 to 35 (30.2); ventrals from gular region
to anus 60 to 75 (69.5); scales between nostril and eye
8 to 15 (11.4) and there are no femoral or preanal pores
(Smith, 1935; Dixon, 1964). The dorsal background
colour is light grey; between the levels of the limbs
are seven pairs of dark squarish blotches, separated at
midline. The forelegs and tail are banded, the head and
hind limbs spotted. The ventral surface is flesh to white
(Dixon, 1964). Phyllodactylus lanei is the only species
of gecko native to the state that lacks eyelids, and has
only one, terminal pair of enlarged lamellae under the
digits, unlike Hemidactylus frenatus (non-native) with
most of the sub-digital lamellae enlarged.
This specimen represents the first record of the species
for the state of Zacatecas and extends the known
geographic range 120.3 km west from the nearest
previous record at 6 km southeast Huajicori, Nayarit
(KU-63370; GBIF, 2016) (Figure 2). Phyllodactylus
lanei is likely a species complex with many lineages
currently recognized as four subspecies (P. l. isabelae,
P. l. lanei, P. l. lupitae, and P. l. rupinus) (Castro-Franco
and Uribe-Peña, 1992). Our specimen corresponds
to the northwestern form P. l. rupinus, which differs
from the other subspecies in having interorbital scales
12 to 17 (14 .2); 13 to 16 (14.6) longitudinal rows of
enlarged dorsal tubercles; 30 to 38 (32.9) tubercles in
one paravertebral row; those from axilla to groin 15
to 20 (17.2); tail with 6-4-2 reduction in tubercular
Figure 2. The geographic range of Phyllodactylus lanei, red area represents the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species distribution
(Ponce-Campos and García-Aguayo 2007). The yellow star represents the new record of Phyllodactylus lanei for Zacatecas at
Valparaiso; red spot nearest recorded locality at Huajicori, Nayarit.
rows; 66 to 75 (69.5) scales from gular to anus; snout-
vent length varies from 49 to 70 mm, (58.6) (Dixon,
1964). The specimen from Zacatecas had a length of
68 mm of SVL, 130 mm of TL; 15 interorbital scales;
15 longitudinal rows of enlarged dorsal tubercles; 29
tubercles in one paravertebral row; 6 rows of enlarged
tubercles on the proximal one-fourth of the tail and 66
scales from gular to the anus. Our discovery of P. lanei
suggests that additional species typical of the Pacific
slope likely remain to be documented for the state and
reinforces the importance of the canyons of the upper
basin of the Río Grande de Santiago as biota corridors.
Due to the high number of endemic species and the low
number of human settlements this area is an important
area for conservation (Sousa and Martínez, 2010).
Acknowledgements. We thank Jorge H. Valdez-Villavicencio for
the pre-peer review of this manuscript.
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The Lane´s Leaf-toed Gecko: a new state record for Zacatecas, Mexico 671
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Article
Full-text available
Mexico is the country with the most significant herpetofaunal diversity and endemism in Mesoamerica. Anthropogenic threats to Mexico’s reptiles are growing exponentially, commensurate with the rate of human population growth and unsustainable resource use. In a broad-based multi-authored book published in 2010 (Conservation of Mesoamerican Amphibians and Reptiles; CMAR), conservation assessment results differed widely from those compiled in 2005 by IUCN for a segment of the Mexican reptile fauna. In light of this disparity, we reassessed the conservation status of reptiles in Mexico by using the Environmental Vulnerability Score (EVS), a measure previously used in certain Central American countries that we revised for use in Mexico. We updated the total number of species for the Mexican reptile fauna from that reported in CMAR, which brought the new number to 849 (three crocodilians, 48 turtles, and 798 squamates). The 2005 assessment categorized a small percentage of species in the IUCN threat categories (Critically Endangered, Endangered, and Vulnerable), and a large number of species in the category of Least Concern. In view of the results published in CMAR, we considered their approach overoptimistic and reevaluated the conservation status of the Mexican reptile fauna based on the EVS measure. Our results show an inverse (rather than a concordant) relationship between the 2005 IUCN categorizations and the EVS assessment. In contrast to the 2005 IUCN categorization results, the EVS provided a conservation assessment consistent with the threats imposed on the Mexican herpetofauna by anthropogenic environmental degradation. Although we lack corroborative evidence to explain this inconsistency, we express our preference for use of the EVS measure. Based on the results of our analysis, we provide eight recommendations and conclusions of fundamental importance to individuals committed to reversing the trends of biodiversity decline and environmental degradation in the country of Mexico.
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Aréchega-Ocampo, S., Montalbán-Huidobro, C.A., Castro-Franco, R. (2008): Nuevos Registros y Ampliación de la Distribución de Anfibios y Reptiles en el Estado de Morelos, México. Acta Zoologica Mexicana (n.s.) 24: 231-233.
  • R Castro-Franco
  • Z Uribe-Peña
Castro-Franco, R. Uribe-Peña, Z. (1992): Dos subespecies nuevas de Phyllodactylus lanei (Sauria: Gekkonidae). Anales del Instituto de Biología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Serie Zoología 63: 113-123.
Guía de campo de los reptiles y anfibios de la costa de Jalisco
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García, A., Ceballos, G. (1994): Guía de campo de los reptiles y anfibios de la costa de Jalisco, México. D. F. Mexico. Fundación Ecológica de Cuixmala A. C., Instituto de Biología UNAM.
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Ponce-Campos, P., García-Aguayo, A. (2007): Phyllodactylus lanei. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2007: e.T6404 6A12739576. http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2007.RLTS. T64046A12739576.en. Accessed on 02 January 2017.
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Smith, H.M. (1935): Miscellaneous Notes on Mexican Lizards. The University of Kansas Science Bulletin 22: 119-156.