SPECIES OF QUESTIONABLE OCCURRENCE
Some species for which there are no authentic records from Michoacán can be expected there on zoogeographic probability. Other species have been recorded from Michoacán, but these records are doubtful for any one of several reasons. Fifteen species of such questionable occurrence are discussed below:
Syrrhophus modestus modestus Taylor
Syrrhophus modestus Taylor, Univ. Kansas Sci. Bull., 28:304, May 15, 1942.—Hacienda Paso del Río, Colima, México.
Syrrhophus modestus modestus, Duellman, Occ. Pap. Mus. Zool. Univ. Michigan, 594:5, June 6, 1958.
This small terrestrial frog is not uncommon on the coastal lowlands and foothills in Nayarit and in Colima, where it has been collected within a few kilometers of the Michoacán border. At Tecolapa, Colima, on August 9, 1956, Syrrhophus modestus modestus was found with Tomodactylus nitidus orarius, Bufo marinus, Bufo marmoreus, Hyla baudini, Hyla smithi, and Phyllomedusa dacnicolor, all of which occur on the coastal lowlands of Michoacán. Because of its solitary and secretive habits, Syrrhophus modestus modestus is not common in collections. Additional field work on the coast of Michoacán should reveal the presence of the species there.
Hyla microcephala sartori Smith
Hyla microcephala sartori Smith, Herpetologica, 7:186, December 31, 1951.—1 mi. N of Organos, S of El Triente, Guerrero, México.
On August 28, 1960, J. R. Dixon obtained a series of this species from a temporary pond 6 kilometers northeast of La Resolana, Jalisco. Previously, Hyla microcephala sartori had been known only from the lowlands of Guerrero and Oaxaca. The existence of the species in Jalisco provides evidence that this frog also occurs in Michoacán and Colima.
Gastrophryne usta usta (Cope)
Engystoma ustum Cope, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, 18:131, 1866.—Guadalajara, Jalisco, México.
Gastrophryne usta usta, Carvalho, Occ. Pap. Mus. Zool. Univ. Michigan, 555:13, July 16, 1954.
Smith and Taylor (1948:93-4) listed specimens of this species from Organos and El Treinta, Guerrero, and from Paso del Río, Quesería, Santiago, and Tecomán, Colima. The species occurs from Sinaloa and central Veracruz southward at low elevations to the Isthmus of Tehuantepec and thence along the Pacific lowlands into Central America. Almost certainly it occurs on the coastal lowlands in Michoacán. Since the amphibian fauna of the Tepalcatepec Valley has been better sampled than that of the coast, I suspect that if Gastrophryne occurred in the Tepalcatepec Valley, I would have found it there.
Lepidochelys olivacea (Eschscholtz)
Chelonia olivacea Eschscholtz, Zool. Atlas, pt. 1, p. 2, 1829.—Manila Bay, Philippine Islands.
Lepidochelys olivacea, Girard, United States Exploring Expedition..., vol. 20, Herpetology, p. 435, 1858.
According to Smith and Taylor (1950b: 15), this sea turtle is known from the entire Pacific coast of México; these authors reported the species from Chiapas, Oaxaca, Guerrero, Colima, and Sonora. Although the only sea turtle that I observed in Michoacán is Chelonia mydas, others probably do use the sheltered beaches for nesting. The scanty records of sea turtles along the Pacific coast of México indicate that Chelonia mydas and Lepidochelys olivacea are the most abundant species in that region. There are scattered records of Dermochelys coriacea, Caretta caretta, and Eretmochelys imbricata along the Pacific coast. The occurrence of any of these along the coast of Michoacán is probable.
Geoemyda pulcherrima pulcherrima (Gray)
Emys pulcherrima Gray, Catalogue of the Shield Reptiles in British Museum, vol. 1, p. 25.—México. Type locality restricted to Presidio de Mazatlán, Sinaloa, México, by Smith and Taylor (1950b:30).
Geoemyda pulcherrima pulcherrima, Wettstein, Sitzb. Akad. Wiss. Wien, 143:18, 1934.
Smith and Taylor (1950b:30) recorded this species from Sonora, Sinaloa, Nayarit, Colima, and Guerrero; these records indicate that the species probably is distributed along the Pacific coast of México southward from southern Sonora. It unquestionably occurs on the coast of Michoacán. Natives of the coastal lowlands tell of another "tortuga de la tierra" besides Geoemyda rubida. In the collections of the Museum of Natural History of the University of Illinois is a specimen of Geoemyda pulcherrima from Mexcala in the Balsas Basin in northern Guerrero. On the basis of this specimen it is highly probable that the species also inhabits the Balsas-Tepalcatepec Basin in Michoacán.
Pseudemys scripta ornata (Gray)
Emys ornata Gray, Synopsis reptilium, p. 30, 1831.—Mazatlán, Sinaloa, México.
Pseudemys scripta ornata, Carr, Herpetologica, 1:135, December 30, 1938.
The systematics and distribution of Pseudemys scripta in México and Central America are poorly understood. Smith and Taylor (1950b:32) recorded this turtle from the Pacific lowlands of Sinaloa, Jalisco, Oaxaca, and Chiapas. This species is represented by vicarious populations throughout the Atlantic lowlands of México, northwestern México, over much of the United States, and also in Baja California. Along the Pacific coast of México the species seems to be extremely rare, or, at least, only locally abundant. Since the species has such a wide distribution, and since it occurs on the Pacific lowlands both to the north and to the south of Michoacán, it is reasonable to expect its presence on the coast of Michoacán. Inquiries among the natives living in the Balsas-Tepalcatepec Basin produced only negative evidence about the occurrence of Pseudemys in the Río Tepalcatepec and Río Balsas. I suspect that the best place to search for these turtles on the coast of Michoacán is in the numerous fresh-water lagoons on the coastal plain.
Caiman crocodilus fuscus (Cope)
Perosuchus fuscus Cope, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, 20:203, November 9, 1868.—Río Magdalena, Columbia.
Caiman crocodilus fuscus, Mertens, Senckenbergiana, 26:275, December 22, 1943.
Gadow (1930:50) reported that Caiman sclerops (= Caiman crocodilus fuscus) inhabited the "tierra caliente" in Michoacán. Smith and Taylor (1950b:212) accepted Gadow's record for the State, although otherwise the species is unknown north of Oaxaca. Peters (1954:10) refuted Gadow's record on the basis that Gadow's collections contained no specimens of Caiman. The local name "caiman" refers to both Crocodylus and to Caiman, for, in general, the natives do not distinguish between the two. "Caimanes" are reported from along the coast of Michoacán, where the name presumably refers to Crocodylus acutus acutus, and in the Balsas-Tepalcatepec Basin (Gadow, 1930:50; Webber, 1946:267). I have seen no specimens of either Crocodylus or Caiman from the Balsas Basin. If crocodilians do occur in the basin, they probably are Crocodylus acutus acutus. There is no basis, whatsoever, for including Michoacán in the range of Caiman crocodilus fuscus.
Bipes canaliculatus Bonnaterre
Bipes canaliculatus Bonnaterre, Encyclopédie méthodique, Erpétologie, p. 68, 1789.—México. Type locality restricted to Mexcala, Guerrero, México, by Smith and Taylor (1950b:39).
Dugès (1896:480) reported this species from Morelia, Michoacán. Smith and Taylor (1950b:39), who recorded the species from three localities in the Balsas Basin in Guerrero, rejected Dugès' record. I, too, am unwilling to accept Dugès' record. Nevertheless, the species probably occurs throughout much of the Balsas Basin. This idea is strengthened by comments made by Storm (1939:342): "The last hard drop, that afternoon, was down the great Cerro de los Cajones [southwest of Tacámbaro], and here in the upper forest we came upon... a lizard with front legs and none behind ... the animal with hands and no feet that señor Smith [Hobart M. Smith] was seeking!... They're named Bipes caniculatus (sic.)."
Coleonyx elegans nemoralis Klauber
Coleonyx elegans nemoralis Klauber, Trans. San Diego Soc. Nat. Hist., 10:195, March 9, 1949.—Paso del Río, Colima, México.
Klauber (1945:199) and Smith and Taylor (1950b:43) reported this lizard from the coastal lowlands of Colima and Guerrero. Davis and Smith (1953:101) reported it from 8 kilometers northeast of Temilpa, Morelos, in the upper Balsas Basin. Specimens of this lizard have been collected infrequently; the few locality records and limited ecological data indicate that it inhabits dense scrub forest and tropical semi-deciduous forest. Coleonyx elegans nemoralis is to be expected on the coastal lowlands, the seaward foothills of the Sierra de Coalcomán, and on the lower slopes of the Cordillera Volcánica along the northern edge of the Tepalcatepec Valley.
Phrynosoma orbiculare orbiculare (Linnaeus)
Lacerta obricularis Linnaeus, Systema naturae, ed. 12, 1:1062, 1789.—México (by inference). Type locality restricted to México, Districto Federal, by Smith and Taylor (1950b:97).
Phrynosoma orbiculare orbiculare, Smith, Trans. Kansas Acad. Sci., 37:290, 1934.
Gadow (1905:213) inferred that Phrynosoma orbiculare occurred at elevations of more than 3000 feet in Michoacán. There are no specimens of this species known from Gadow's collections made in Michoacán. Smith and Taylor (1950b:98) apparently accepted Gadow's statement and recorded the species from Michoacán: "above 3000 feet (Jorullo?)." Reeve (1952:940) somehow misconstrued this statement to read "Jorullo, above Zumpango (Smith and Taylor, 1950b)." Reeve did not indicate on his map (1952:939) that the species occurred in Michoacán. In the most recent review of the species (Horowitz, 1955), no localities are given in Michoacán. Since Phrynosoma orbiculare is known from central Jalisco, Guanajuato, Queretaro, and México, its presence at least in northeastern Michoacán is to be expected, although at the present time there are no specimens known from the state.
Eumeces brevirostris (Günther)
Mabouia brevirostris Günther, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 316, August, 1860.—Oaxaca. Type locality restricted to Oaxaca, Oaxaca, México, by Smith and Taylor (1950b:168).
Eumeces brevirostris, Bocourt, Mission scientifique au Mexique et dans l'Amerique Céntrale. Reptiles, livr. 6, p. 439, 1879.
Smith and Taylor (1950b:168) Listed this species: "Michoacán: No specific record." I am unaware of any specimen of this skink from the state. As presently recognized, this species contains two subspecies. One of these occurs in the mountains of Oaxaca northward into central Veracruz; the other, Eumeces brevirostris bilineatus, occurs in Durango southward to Jalisco, where it inhabits the Sierra Madre Occidental. Possibly the species occurs in the Sierra de los Tarascos in Michoacán.
Eumeces callicephalus Bocourt
Eumeces callacephalus Bocourt, Mission scientifique au Mexique et dans l'Amerique Céntrale. Reptiles, livr. 6, p. 431, 1879.—Guanajuato, Guanajuato, México.
Dugés (1896) in a paper in which he listed several species of Eumeces in México, reported Eumeces callicephalus from Michoacán, but he gave no specific locality within the state. Michoacán was included in the range of the species by Taylor (1936:298) and by Smith and Taylor (1950b:164). The species definitely is known from southeastern Arizona southward to Guanajuato. It may occur in Michoacán, but, since there are three rather widespread species of Eumeces inhabiting the Mexican Plateau and associated mountain ranges in the northern and northeastern part of Michoacán, interspecific competition might be a reason for the absence of Eumeces callicephalus there.
Leptodeira septentrionalis polysticta Günther
Leptodeira polysticta Günther, Biologia Centrali-Americana, Reptilia, p. 172, May, 1895.—Belice, British Honduras.
Leptodeira septentrionalis polysticta, Duellman, Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist., 114:72, February 24, 1958.
Although this species occurs from sea level to elevations of about 2000 meters from Nayarit southward into Central America, no specimens are known from Michoacán. Smith and Taylor (1945:87) listed the species as occurring in Michoacán, but they had no record on which to base this report. Probably, the species occurs on the coastal lowlands and seaward slopes of the Sierra de Coalcomán.
Tropidodipsas fasciata guerreroensis Taylor
Tropidodipsas guerreroensis Taylor, Univ. Kansas Sci. Bull., 26:470; November 27, 1940.—Buena Vista, Guerrero, México.
Tropidodipsas fasciata guerreroensis, Alvarez del Toro and Smith, Herpetologica, 12:16, March 6, 1956.
Dugès (1896:480) reported a snake, questionably of this species, from Uruapan, Michoacán. Taylor (1940c) suggested that on geographic grounds Dugès' record might refer to T. f. guerreroensis, which is known definitely only from the type locality. Tropidodipsas occidentala is known from Comala, Colima, and Coalcomán, Michoacán. On zoogeopraphic grounds that species might be found at Uruapan. Since the specimen apparently no longer is extant, the identification cannot be ascertained.
Micrurus fitzingeri fitzingeri (Jan)
Elaps fitzingeri Jan, Rev. Mag. Zool., p. 521, 1858.—México. Type locality restricted to Guanajuato, Guanajuato, México, by Smith and Taylor (1950a:330).
Micrurus fitzingeri fitzingeri, Brown and Smith, Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington, 55:63, June 25, 1942.
Smith and Taylor (1945:174) recorded the species from Zamora, Michoacán. Hobart M. Smith (in litt.) stated that this record was based on a report of Elaps fulvius from Zamora by Dugès (1896:482). Smith guessed that the report was based on a specimen of Micrurus fitzingeri. The specimen has not been seen. Although the species is known from Guanajuato and México, until a specimen is available from Michoacán, the species should not be considered part of the herpetofauna of Michoacán.