Isthmura naucampatepetl, (Parra-Olea, Papenfuss & Wake, 2001), (Parra-Olea, Papenfuss & Wake), 2001

Fernández-Badillo, Leonardo, Morales-Capellán, Nallely, González-Bonilla, Giovany Tonatiuh, Canseco-Márquez, Luis & Hernández-Silva, Dante Alfredo, 2020, On the Critically Endangered Cofre de Perote Salamander (Isthmura naucampatepetl): discovery of a new population in Puebla, Mexico, and update of its known distribution, Amphibian & Reptile Conservation (e 267) 14 (3), pp. 200-205 : 201-202

Results

Field records. The first salamander was observed on 6 July 2017 ( CH-CIB 117 ; Figs. 1,2a) under a rock in grassland habitat at ca. 1100 h (19.70668°N, - 97.43773° W; WGS 84), elevation 2,879 m. On 16 September 2017, 25 additional salamanders were found in a grassland habitat with some reforested pine trees at around 1700 h (19.680720°N, - 97.428987°W; WGS 84), elevation 2,918 m ( Fig. 1 ) . Ten of these salamanders were found under bunch grass, another six were found ca. 30 m away under a dry Yuca, seven more were found ca. 15 m away under another dry Yuca, and two additional salamanders were found under a rock.

Morphological description. Among the 26 captured I. naucampatepetl , SVL spanned 23–83.2 mm (mean ± SD: 77.86 ± 10.75), TL varied from 0–73.4 mm (67.47 ± 10.18), T ranged from 23–156.6 mm (145.33 ± 20.93), and weight varied from 0.1–23 g (10.86 ± 2.83; Table 1 ). One individual with no tail had the smallest SVL value. Four of the 26 animals (with SVL ranging from 62.4–85 mm; Table 1 ) had clearly visible rounded mentonian glands and prominent nasolabial protuberances, suggesting they were sexually mature males. Another six animals were greater than 62.4 mm in SVL (range: 69.5– 83.2 mm; Table 1 ), but lacked both mentonian glands and prominent nasolabial protuberances, so we concluded that they were adult females. The remaining salamanders were smaller than the smallest sexually mature male, so we considered them to be juveniles of undetermined sex.

Color pattern variation. All 26 captured I. naucampatepetl display a solid black body color with pale marks; these marks are orange in smaller individuals and pink or pinkish cream in larger individuals ( Fig. 2 ). In all animals, the pale marks are arranged in a consistent pattern as follows: a pair of spots on the back of the head that vary in size, but are usually about the diameter of the orbit; a pair of inverted, rather elongated triangular marks on the shoulders; one to 11 pairs of small spots positioned dorsolaterally on the intercostal areas of the trunk; and a large, conspicuous mark on the caudosacral region that resembles a pelvis bone, ranging from a rounded to more quadrangular U-shape, and always with two small, rounded black marks. In addition, some individuals show one or two rounded orange, pink, or pinkish-cream spots in the nuchal region. The venter is pale to dark gray, and the mentonian gland in adult males is pale gray ( Fig. 2 ).

Literature records. The work of Pérez y Soto (2016) reported some records and a photograph of a salamander found in Tetela de Ocampo, Puebla, Mexico, which was misidentified as I. gigantea but actually corresponds to I. naucampatepetl . Two of those specimens were deposited in the Herpetological Collection of the Zoological Museum Alfonso L. Herrera (MZFC 28819–20). That author did not include the precise number of the observed individuals, but she described it as a “common species,” a category assigned in that work to the species with an abundance of 12–22 individuals.

Naturalista records. As mentioned above, this review includes the two records for I. naucampatepetl that were uploaded into the portal Naturalista, CONABIO (https://www.naturalista.mx/search?q= Isthmura %20 naucampatepetl; Accessed: 1 September 2019). These photographs were taken on 6 October 2015 in the Municipality of Teziutlán, near the localities of San Juán Acateno and Atoluca, and they were published in Naturalista without precise locality information ( Fig. 1 , plus signs).

Habitat description. The site where the new population of I. naucampatepetl was found is (currently) under forest management, which includes various activities such as fire protection, reforestation, soil conservation and restoration, and wood harvesting.All the forest management in the area is performed according to the standard methodologies in México as specified in Método Mexicano de Ordenación de Bosques Irregulares and the Método de Desarrollo Silvícola. In the specific site of specimen collection, the landscape is dominated by trees of the genera Pinus , Quercus , Abies , and Alnus , that vary in size and age, within ranges of 1.5–38 m high and 1–60 years old.

Figures

Fig. 1. Distribution mapsof Isthmura naucampatepetl.Black circles represent published records, star represents the new population in the Municipality of Chignautla, Puebla, Mexico. The photograph shows the habitat at the new population. Photo by L. Fernández- Badillo.

Fig. 2. Color patterns of each captured Isthmura naucampatepetl individual. Photo numbers correspond to the specimen numbers given in Table 1. Photo 27 is a ventral view of the chins of an adult female (left) and an adult male (right), showing the male mentonian gland. Photos by L. Fernández-Badillo.