﻿Abstract The growth in our knowledge of the diversity of the herpetofauna of Mexico has occurred over the period of approximately 445 years from the work of Francisco Hernández to that of a broad multinational array of present-day herpetologists. The work of this huge group of people has established Mexico as one of the most significant centers of herpetofaunal biodiversity in the world. This status is the result of a complex orography, in addition to diverse habitats and environments and the biogeographic history of Mexico. The current herpetofauna consists of 1,421 native and introduced species, allocated to 220 genera, and 61 families. This figure is comprised of 1,405 native species and 16 non-native species (as of April 2023). The non-native species include two anurans, 13 squamates, and one turtle. The level of endemism is very high, presently lying at 63%, with this level expected to increase with time. Species richness varies among the 32 federal entities in the country, from a low of 50 in Tlaxcala to a high of 492 in Oaxaca. Amphibian species richness by state-level can be envisioned as comprising three levels of low, medium, and high, with the lowest levels occurring in the Peninsula of Baja California, a group of seven states in north-central and central Mexico, and a group of three states in the Yucatan Peninsula, with the highest levels occupying the southern states of Guerrero, Puebla, Veracruz, Oaxaca, and Chiapas, and the medium level in the remaining states of the country. Reptile species richness also can be allocated to three categories, with the lowest level occupying Baja California Sur, a group of central states, and the states of the Yucatan Peninsula, and the highest level found in a cluster of the states of Veracruz, Guerrero, Oaxaca, and Chiapas. Knowledge of the Mexican herpetofauna will continue to grow with additional studies on systematics, conservation, and the construction of checklists at various levels.

https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1166.86986

﻿An updated list of the Mexican herpetofauna: with a summary of historical and contemporary studies

We explore the feeding habits of two populations of the lizard Aspidoscelis lineattissima from two localities (Cocinas = island and Xametla = mainland) under the hypothesis that in an insular environment, there is less selection of food, because it is a relatively comfortable environment to forage due to the presence of few competitors and predators. We also examine the predator–prey size relationship in this lizard species with the intention of distinguishing possible ontogenetic changes in the choice of prey sizes in the two localities. In stomach contents of the lizards from mainland, a total of 2,616 prey items were recorded, while on the island, 1,357 prey items were found. This number of prey was divided into 18 categories for the mainland and 20 for the island. In general terms, the most important prey in the diet of lizards from both localities were Isoptera, Coleoptera (adult and larvae), Araneae, Orthoptera, Hymenoptera (ants and others), Blattodea, and Diptera. Island lizards presented a greater amount of plant material in their stomach contents. The breadth of the food niche was greater on the island than on the mainland. Although statistically there were no differences regarding food overlap between localities, the highest overlap values between groups (age classes and sexes) were found on the mainland. We found a positive relationship between morphological variables of the lizards (snout–vent length, head width, and head length) with the maximum and mean values of the prey volume in both localities. This reveals an ontogenetic change that indicates that as lizards grow, they add a greater quantity of large prey to their diet and at the same time eat smaller prey. These results showed that the diet of the lizards from both localities was similar to other species of the genus. The feeding habits of a species in contrasting environments is evidence that is helpful for understanding the foraging patterns more clearly, and the possible connection with its life history characteristics, shedding more light on the hypothesis of niche amplitude and the optimal foraging theory.

Feeding Niche and Predator–Prey Size Relationship in the Whiptail Lizard Aspidoscelis lineattissima (Squamata: Teiidae) in Insular and Continental Populations of the Mexican Pacific

Lizzeth A. Torres-Hernández

Papers

An updated list of the Mexican herpetofauna: with a summary of historical and contemporary studies

Feeding Niche and Predator–Prey Size Relationship in the Whiptail Lizard Aspidoscelis lineattissima (Squamata: Teiidae) in Insular and Continental Populations of the Mexican Pacific

Lizzeth A. Torres-Hernández

Papers

﻿An updated list of the Mexican herpetofauna: with a summary of historical and contemporary studies

Feeding Niche and Predator–Prey Size Relationship in the Whiptail Lizard Aspidoscelis lineattissima (Squamata: Teiidae) in Insular and Continental Populations of the Mexican Pacific

An updated list of the Mexican herpetofauna: with a summary of historical and contemporary studies