Phrynosoma cornutum (Harlan, 1825)

Torres-Hernández, Lizzeth A., Ramírez-Bautista, Aurelio, Cruz-Elizalde, Raciel, Hernández-Salinas, Uriel, Berriozabal-Islas, Christian, DeSantis, Dominic L., Johnson, Jerry D., Rocha, Arturo, García-Padilla, Elí, Mata-Silva, Vicente, Fucsko, Lydia Allison & Wilson, Larry David, 2021, The herpetofauna of Veracruz, Mexico: composition, distribution, and conservation status, Amphibian & Reptile Conservation (e 285) 15 (2), pp. 72-155 : 152-155

Phrynosoma cornutum . Köhler (2021) indicated the distribution of this lizard in the extreme northern of Veracruz, however, these records have not been genetically confirmed.

Metlapilcoatlus borealis . Tepos-Ramírez et al. (2021) described a new species of jumping viper ( Metlapilcoatlus borealis ), which they showed to be distributed in Veracruz. These authors also indicated that M. nummifer is still distributed in this state, such that now two species of jumping vipers are known from Veracruz.

Kinosternon integrum . De la Torre-Loranca et al. (2020) reported this Mud Turtle as new for the state of Veracruz at Ocotepec, in the municipality of Los Reyes, at an elevation of 1,622 m, and at Sierra de Agua , in the municipality of Acultzingo, at an elevation of 1,389 m.

Lizzeth A. Torres-Hernández is a Biology Bachelor’s intern at Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Hidalgo in Mexico. She is interested in the topics of ecology, diversity, and conservation of amphibians and reptiles of Mexico, as well as the study of climatic niches and the effects of climate change on the distribution of these biological groups. She has realized minor contributions on the diversity and conservation of amphibians and reptiles of Mexico.

Aurelio Ramírez-Bautista began his herpetological career conducting research as an undergraduate student at the Los Tuxtlas Biological Field Station , Veracruz, Mexico. He received his Bachelor’s degree in Biology from Universidad Veracruzana in Veracruz, Mexico. He earned his Master’s degree in Science and his Doctorate at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México ( UNAM), and received a postdoctoral appointment at the University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma, USA. His main research involves studies on ecology, demography, reproduction, conservation, and life history evolution, using the amphibians and reptiles of Mexico as models. He served as president of the Sociedad Herpetologica Mexicana, as a section editor for the journal Mesoamerican Herpetology, and as a professor at UNAM . Currently , he is a professor at Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Hidalgo ( UAEH), where he teaches courses in population ecology, herpetology, and the natural history of amphibians and reptiles. He has authored or co-authored 295 peer-reviewed papers and books on herpetology, ecology, life history evolution, sexual size dimorphism, reproduction, global climate change, potential distribution, demography, conservation, behavior, and thermal ecology. As a professor, he has graduated 71 students, including 44 undergraduate students, 18 Master’s in Science students, and seven Ph.D. students; he also has participated as an external advisor for Ph.D. students at Brigham Young University (Provo, Utah, USA), the University of Miami (Coral Gables, Florida, USA), and Eastern Carolina University (Greenville, North Carolina, USA). Aurelio has received several national (Helia Bravo Hollis Award by the Technical Council of Scientific Research of the UNAM, member of the National System of Researchers level II) and international (Donald Tinkle Award by Southwestern Association of Naturalists) awards, and has a PRODEP (Programa para el Desarrollo Profesional Docente) profile at UAEH .

Raciel Cruz-Elizalde is a Mexican herpetologist who received his B. Sc. in Biology, M. Sc. in Biodiversity and Conservation, and Ph.D. in Biodiversity and Conservation from the Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Hidalgo ( UAEH). Raciel is interested in the ecology, life history evolution, diversity, and conservation of amphibians and reptiles of Mexico. He has authored or co-authored several publications, including papers, notes, book chapters, and books on ecology, life history evolution, sexual size dimorphism, reproduction, and the conservation of amphibians and reptiles.His current research includes the life history evolution of diverse lizard species of the genus Sceloporus , conservation issues in natural protected areas, and the analysis of ecological and morphological traits in the composition of amphibian and reptile assemblages, mainly in cloud forests .

Uriel Hernández-Salinas earned his Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Ph.D. degrees at the Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Hidalgo in Mexico. He is a herpetologist and the co-author of three books: Herpetofauna del Valle de México: Diversidad y Conservación; Lista Anotada de los Anfibios y Reptiles del Estado de Hidalgo, México; and Los Anfibios y Reptiles del Estado de Hidalgo: Diversidad, Biogeografía y Conservación. He is a full-time professor at CIIDIR Durango, Mexico, and curator-in-charge of the scientific collection of amphibians and reptiles at the same research center. In addition to having authored or co-authored several peer-reviewed papers, he teaches Environmental Management II and Fauna Management in the Master’s and Doctoral programs. In 2015, he received the academic distinction of becoming a member of the National System of Researchers, level 1. His main topics of interest are biodiversity, species richness, biogeography, and the evolution of life histories of various species of amphibians and reptiles in Mexico.

Christian Berriozabal-Islas earned his Bachelor’s degree at the Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Hidalgo in Mexico, and his Master’s and Ph.D. degrees in the Biodiversity and Conservation program of this university. He is a herpetologist with an interest in species diversity, thermal ecology, functional diversity, climatic change, and distributional patterns using amphibians and reptiles as biological models. Currently, he is a professor at the Universidad Politécnica de Quintana Roo in Mexico. Christian has been involved with projects on environmental education and wildlife conservation in rural communities, and is a co-author of the book Los Anfibios y Reptiles del Estado de Hidalgo, México: Diversidad, Biogeografía y Conservación (2014). He also has authored or co-authored several papers on diversity, ecology, and climate change. One of his primary interests is the natural history of Mexican turtles.

Dominic L. DeSantis is an Assistant Professor of Biology at Georgia College and State University (Milledgeville, Georgia, USA), in the Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences. Dominic’s research interests broadly include the behavioral ecology, conservation biology, and natural history of herpetofauna. In addition to ongoing collaborative projects associated with the Mesoamerican Research Group, much of Dominic’s current research focuses on using novel animalborne sensor technologies to study the behavior of snakes in the field. While completing his Ph.D. at the University of Texas at El Paso, Dominic accompanied Vicente Mata-Silva, Elí García-Padilla, and Larry David Wilson on survey and collecting expeditions to Oaxaca in 2015, 2016, and 2017, and was a co-author on numerous natural history publications produced from those visits, including an invited book chapter on the conservation outlook for herpetofauna in the Sierra Madre del Sur of Oaxaca.

Jerry D. Johnson is Professor of Biological Sciences at The University of Texas at El Paso, and has extensive experience studying the herpetofauna of Mesoamerica, especially that of southern Mexico. Jerry is the Director of the 40,000-acre “Indio Mountains Research Station,” was a coeditor of the book Conservation of Mesoamerican Amphibians and Reptiles and co-author of four of its chapters. He is also the senior author of the recent paper “A conservation reassessment of the Central American herpetofauna based on the EVS measure,” and is Mesoamerica/Caribbean editor for Geographic Distribution section of Herpetological Review. Johnson has authored or co-authored over 130 peer-reviewed papers, including two 2010 articles, “Geographic distribution and conservation of the herpetofauna of southeastern Mexico ” and “Distributional patterns of the herpetofauna of Mesoamerica, a biodiversity hotspot.” One species, Tantilla johnsoni , has been named in his honor. Presently, he is an Associate Editor and Co-chair of the Taxonomic Board for the website Mesoamerican Herpetology.

Arturo Rocha is a Ph.D. student in the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology program at the University of Texas at El Paso. His interests include the study of the biogeography, physiology, and ecology of amphibians and reptiles in the southwestern United States and Mexico. A graduate of the University of Texas at El Paso, his thesis centered on the spatial ecology of the Trans-Pecos Rat Snake ( Bogertophis subocularis ) in the northern Chihuahuan Desert. To date, he has authored or co-authored over 20 peer-reviewed scientific publications.

Elí García-Padilla is a herpetologist who focuses primarily on the study of the ecology and natural history of the Mexican herpetofauna. His research efforts have centered on the Mexican states of Baja California, Tamaulipas, Chiapas, and Oaxaca. His first experience in the field was researching the ecology of the insular endemic populations of the rattlesnakes Crotalus catalinensis , C. muertensis ( C. pyrrhus ), and C. tortugensis ( C. atrox ) in the Gulf of California. For his Bachelor’s degree, he presented a thesis on the ecology of C. muertensis ( C. pyrrhus ) on Isla El Muerto, Baja California, Mexico. To date, he has authored or co-authored over 100 peer-reviewed scientific publications. Currently, he is employed as a formal Curator of Amphibians and Reptiles from Mexico in the electronic platform Naturalista of the Comisión Nacional para el Uso y Conocimiento de la Biodiversidad (CONABIO; http://www.naturalista.mx). One of his main passions is environmental education, and for several years he has been working on various projects that include the use of audiovisual media as a powerful tool to reach large audiences and to promote the importance of the knowledge, protection, and conservation of the Mexican biodiversity. Elí’s interests include wildlife and conservation photography, and his art has been published in several recognized scientific, artistic, and educational books, magazines, and websites. Presently he is collaborating in a research project evaluating the Jaguar (Panthera onca) as an umbrella species for the conservation of the herpetofauna of Nuclear Central America.

Vicente Mata-Silva is a herpetologist originally from Río Grande , Oaxaca, Mexico. His interests include ecology, conservation, natural history, and biogeography of the herpetofaunas of Mexico, Central America , and the southwestern United States. He received his B.S. degree from the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México ( UNAM), and his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Texas at El Paso ( UTEP). Vicente is an Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences at UTEP in the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Program, and Co-Director of UTEP’s Indio Mountains Research Station, located in the Chihuahuan Desert of Trans-Pecos, Texas, USA. To date, Vicente has authored or co-authored over 100 peer-reviewed scientific publications. He also was the Distribution Notes Section Editor for the journal Mesoamerican Herpetology, and is currently Acting Section Editor for the journal Herpetological Review, for Geographic Distribution .

Lydia Allison Fucsko , who resides in Melbourne, Australia, is an environmental activist and amphibian conservationist. As a photographer with international publications, she has taken countless amphibian photographs, including photo galleries of frogs mostly from southeastern Australia. Dr. Fucsko has a Bachelor of Humanities from La Trobe University (Bundoora, Victoria, Australia) and a Diploma in Education from the University of Melbourne (Parkville, Victoria, Australia). She has postgraduate diplomas in computer education and in vocational education and training from the University of Melbourne (Parkville). Additionally, Dr. Fucsko has a Master’s Degree in Counseling from Monash University (Clayton, Victoria, Australia). She received her Ph.D. on Environmental Education, which promoted habitat conservation, species perpetuation, and global sustainable management, from Swinburne University of Technology (Hawthorn, Victoria, Australia), while being mentored by the late Australian herpetologist and scholar Dr. Michael James Tyler (Order of Australia recipient). Dr. Fucsko, a sought-after educational consultant, has academic interests that include: clinical psychology, focusing on psychopathology; neuroscience and empathy; environmental education for sustainable development; sentient ecology; academic writing; and creative writing, which includes poetry and creative non-fiction books for children and young adults. Dr. Fucsko is also the senior author (with Boria Sax) of a chapter in the 2019 Springer Encyclopedia of Sustainability in Higher Education entitled “Learning Activities for Environmental Education for Sustainable Development.” In 2020, the species Tantilla lydia , with the suggested common name, Lydia’s Little Snake, was named in her honor.

Larry David Wilson is a herpetologist with lengthy experience in Mesoamerica. He was born in Taylorville, Illinois, USA, and received his university education at Millikin University in Decatur, Illinois, the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana (B.S. degree), and at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge (M.S. and Ph.D. degrees). He has authored or co-authored more than 450 peer-reviewed papers and books on herpetology. Larry is the senior editor of the book Conservation of Mesoamerican Amphibians and Reptiles and the co-author of eight of its chapters. His other books include: The Snakes of Honduras; Middle American Herpetology; The Amphibians of Honduras; Amphibians & Reptiles of the Bay Islands and Cayos Cochinos, Honduras; The Amphibians and Reptiles of the Honduran Mosquitia; and Guide to the Amphibians & Reptiles of Cusuco National Park, Honduras. To date, he has authored or co-authored the descriptions of 75 currently recognized herpetofaunal species, and seven species have been named in his honor, including the anuran Craugastor lauraster , the lizard Norops wilsoni , and the snakes Oxybelis wilsoni , Myriopholis wilsoni , and Cerrophidion wilsoni . Currently, Larry is Co-chair of the Taxonomic Board for the website Mesoamerican Herpetology.