Open AccessHerpetofaunal diversity in a tropical dry forest on the Central Coast of Oaxaca, Mexico
Author(s) -
Jesús García-Grajáles,
Yolanda López-López,
Alejandra Buenrostro Silva
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
acta universitaria
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2007-9621
pISSN - 0188-6266
DOI - 10.15174/au.2019.2406
Subject(s) - species richness , threatened species , geography , diversity index , ecology , habitat , species diversity , tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests , forestry , biology
The dry forest is an ecosystem with a relatively high diversity of species. It is also one of the most threatened habitats. This research was carried out between January and November 2010 aiming to describe species richness, composition, and conservation status of the herpetofauna in the Yerbasanta micro-basin in the Central Coast of Oaxaca. Standard visual encounter surveys were used to observe herpetofaunal community in four locations of the micro-basin. Five amphibian species and 37 reptiles species were found. The Shannon-Wienner index showed that Pueblo Viejo had the highest value of diversity, followed by Unión, and the remainder localities had lower values. The similarity index was moderate between locations. Among the registered species, 12 can be classified under some conservation status. These results also suggest that this region can maintain a significant number of herpetofauna species. Additionally, this research represents baseline information that contributes to other studies.