Search

Acta Zoologica Mexicana (nueva serie) is a scientific journal founded in 1984 to publish the results of originals research of terrestrial fauna. This paper presents a descriptive account of editorial production from 1984 to December 2014. In this time 125 issues with 1001 papers have been published: 730 articles, 211 scientific notes and 60 different contributions. According to the first author of articles and scientific notes, 73% come from Mexican institutions and 21% are foreigners. Works with multi-authorship are more frequent (79%). The language most used is the Spanish (81%) after English (17%). Most of the works are from Latin American authors. The insect is the zoological group most studied (50%), after the mammals (19%). According the topics of research the most commonly used is the distribution and/or diversity (35%), biology (24%), taxonomy (14%) and interactions between species (12%). Time evaluation of the work varies from less than one month to 14 months. In the past 20 years it has averaged 30% annual rejection. The evaluation of the work has been carried out by nationals (70%) and foreign specialists (30%). This journal is recognized by several international index also distributed in 35 countries by exchanges with numerous institutions and by annual subscription. It have free access to articles and notes issued through its website and Redalyc, DOAJ, and Scielo. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper evaluated for the first time in the department of Córdoba, levels of trace elements (Zn, Cu, Pb and Hg) in muscle and liver of eight bats species of the families Phyllostomidae and Emballonuridae, present in a farm with silvopastoral management. The concentration of heavy metals was determined by atomic absorption spectrophotometry with graphite furnace (Pb, Zn, Cd, Cu) and cold vapor (Hg). Heavy metals were found in 24 bats of eight species. The heavy metal content in different tissues followed the order Zn> Cu> Pb> Hg for most species. The concentration of heavy metals in liver and muscle showed statistically significant differences. Contamination by heavy metals in bats associated with a silvopastoral system may be related to the use of agrochemicals, pesticides and phosphate compounds for this agro-ecosystem management.. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2010, a study about Leptospira interrogans seroprevalence in gray fox and coyote in a natural protected area in Querétaro, México, was published; that paper showed a high prevalence of several Leptospira interrogans serovars in wild canids in Querétaro. This study was an update of L. interrogans value titers in two populations of wild canids in Querétaro, including the previous sample locality of 2010, National Park El Cimatario. We trapped and handled nine wild canids in two conserved areas, the National Park El Cimatario and the Community Reserve Zibatá. None of the captured canids presented L. interrogans titers. The wild canids' blood count and biochemical profiles remained within the ISIS reference values; however, VGM, CMGH, segmented and no segmented neutrofils, monocites, aspartate aminotransferase and urea of several of the captured individuals were off the charts. We ruled out the possibility that these values were related with a pathological scenario; instead, we deemed they were a consequence of stress handling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

I analyzed information about studies of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), mule deer (O. hemionus), red brocket deer (Mazama americana) and brown brocket deer (M. pandora), in Mexico. I compiled 502 papers written between 1850 and early 2001. Only 24% were accomplished during the first 130 years, and 76% were done in the last 20 years. One percent were books, 13% were specific articles on deer, 12% were sections or chapters in books, 16% were articles on other mammals including deer, 7% were articles in popular science magazines, 11% were thesis and 40% were works published in proceedings of meetings. The brocket deers and mule deer were the least studied species. The white-tailed deer was the most studied species with 75% of the total number of research papers. In particular, only five of the 14 subspecies of white-tailed deer were the most studied: O. v. texanus, O. v. couesi, O. v. sinaloae, O. v. mexicanus and O. v. yucatanensis. Based on this analysis, future research and management should consider: 1) Increase the studies on mule and brocket deers. 2) Carry out studies on genetics and distributions to define how many white-tailed deer subspecies exist in Mexico. 3) Approach studies from a landscape perspective incorporating fragmentation and metapopulations. 4) Carry out long-term studies. 5) Link research to specific management problems. 6) Rescue the ethnozoological knowledge of the indigenous people about deer species. 7) Evaluate the role that deer have as structural agents of vegetation in tropical habitats. 8) Search for ways of management for the white-tailed deer subspecies that inhabit the tropical forest. 9) Classify the country in white-tailed deer management regions or provinces. 10) Create a information data bases. Finally, in this paper a complete list of all bibliography references is presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we report new localities for Abronia oaxacae and Tantalophis discolor in a pine forest with intense management in San Pedro El Alto locality, municipality Zimatlán, in the state of Oaxaca, southwestern Mexico. These new localities extends the known range of both species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the species concept within genus Elaphrothrips is discussed, as well as problems of taxonomic criteria related to this group. In addition, the morphological variations and the characteristics of the species groups that occur in the genus, are also discussed. Furthermore, specimens of Elaphrothrips sampled in Costa Rica which belong to the collection of the Senckenberg Museum Frankfurt, Germany, were studied and three new species were found and described. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we determined the mating frequency in the cleptobiotic bee Lestrimelitta niitkib by microsatellite typing. We found 6 queens to be singly mated while only one mated twice. We confirm this genus to be mainly single mated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Family Aphelinidae is one of the most important in the biological control of insect pests at world level. It includes 34 genera and around 1,300 species, with 12 genera and 184 species in Mexico. Genus Encarsia is the most diverse with 409 species and 94 in Mexico. In this paper, three new species of this genus are described and illustrated: E. antennata sp. n. from Baja California Sur, E. caudata sp. n. from Nuevo Leon, and E. oaxaca sp. n. from Oaxaca and Tamaulipas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wetlands are among the most productive ecosystems in the world and contain a high diversity of species. Despite this, wetlands are threatened by human activities because function is affected and some of them even disappear, particularly those in desert areas. Therefore, it is necessary to build simple tools but reliable for assessing the quality of a wetland and that can remark the importance of wetlands for biological groups in order to detect species population trends and to propose conservation strategies of wetlands and their biodiversity. An example is the use of particular species as bioindicators of species richness (e.g. of waterfowl). The Sandhill crane (Grus canadensis) depends on wetlands as wintering refuge sites. This crane is listed as a threatened species in Mexico. The aim of this paper is to analyze whether the Sandhill crane can be considered as an indicator of waterbirds' richness species in order to perform a rapid assessment of any wetland the crane uses. Although a correlation between of the presence of cranes and richness of waterbird species was not found a difference was observed in the composition of species and relatively greater species richness in wetlands where it cranes were present. Wetlands were not similar in species composition, thus cranes can be a useful indicator for different assemblages of waterbirds. Using the bioindicator species analysis the Sandhill crane has a value of 27.5 from a maximum of 32. Therefore, the Sandhill crane can be considered as an indicator of waterbirds species richness in arid wetlands. Long-term studies should be done in order to evaluate the relationships between the abundances of cranes and the total abundance of waterbirds in order to evaluate the quality of wetlands in relation to abundance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Protection Area of Flora and Fauna La Primavera (APFFLP) located in western Mexico in the state of Jalisco, is one of 19 protected areas in the state decreed. This area is of great interest to be located in the metropolitan area of the city of Guadalajara and the Transmexican Volcanic Belt. However, it has received little attention and there is not a full inventory of its mammalian fauna. The aim of this paper is to list the species of mammals in the APFFLP, highlight its relevance to other protected areas in the state and the country, and richness within the Transmexican Volcanic Belt. Fieldwork was conducted in two periods, December 2004-December 2006, and October 2010-December 2012. The checklist of mammals was obtained using several techniques such as traps and visual records of the mammals and tracks; we used mist nets for the collection of bats. 59 species were recorded, which are covered in eigth orders, 19 families and 48 genera. The order Chiroptera was the most abundant (27), followed by Rodentia (14) and Carnivora (11). The distribution of species shows that 23 are shared with North and South America; 17 with North America; nine with South America and 10 are endemic to Mexico and Meso America. Three species are considered at risk by Mexican regulations: Cratogeomys fumosus, Leptonycteris yerbabuenae and Choeronycteris mexicana as threatened. In conclusion, APFFLP is important for harboring more species and endemic species than other areas considered relevant in the country, besides being an important area of mammal species richness in the Transmexican Volcanic Belt. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to estimate the temporal of turnover pattern of moths species in relation to two environmental gradients: temperature (° C) and relative humidity(%). Using a light trap method, a community of moths were sampled for a period of 12 months, in the Kaxil Kiuic Biocultural Reserve located in Yucatán, Mexico. It was demonstrated that species turnover exhibits a strong temporal pattern in relation to temperature and relative humidity variation between climatic periods. The warm and dry period (March to July) had the highest dissimilarity in species composition, determined mainly by families: Noctuidae, Geometridae and Crambidae. This study provides information on the temporal pattern of temporal species turnover for families with high species richness of Neotropical moths. The results obtained have implications for conservation of moth biodiversity, since they allow a base line to be established, focused on detecting the effects of climatic variations on species composition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present paper reports new distribution records of Triatoma gerstaeckeri (Stål) in the municipalities of China, General Bravo, Santiago and Villaldama of the state of Nuevo Leon; whereas Triatoma rubida (Uhler) is reported for the first time in the municipality of Ocampo of the state of Coahuila, México. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the use of different microhabitats throughout the day, year, by sex, by age, at different intervals of altitude and its implications for thermoregulation and conservation. Overall 49.5% of the lizards used trees, 32.62% rocks and less often 2.3% shrubs (X2 = 216.06, gl 3, p < 0.05). The analysis of microhabitat used by sex revealed significant differences among young, female, and male (X2 = 7.24, gl 6, p < 0.05). The young females most often used rocks, while subadults and adults preferred to use trees (X2 = 13.38, gl 6, p < 0.05). In males, subadults and young used rocks, and adults trees (X2 = 15.22, gl 4, p < 0.05).The altitudinal distribution has an effect on habitat use; in the altitudinal range of 800 to 1,100 m these lizards have a tendency to be more arboreal, and between 1,100 and 1,400 m more frequently used rocks (X2 = 36.21, gl 6, p < 0.05). In the dry season there was a significant difference in the use of microhabitats between 9:00 and 14:00 hours, with the highest number of sightings on trees and rocks. In the rainy season there was no significant difference in the analysis of microhabitat use over the hours of the day. The average body temperature was 33.52 °C (22.0-39.0 ± 2.9). There were no significant differences in body temperature of lizards in different microhabitats. Cloacal temperatures in all microhabitats were 2 °C and 3 °C higher than air temperatures and substrate. Most sightings were between 10:00 and 15:00 hours so this species is considered a diurnal lizard showing thigmothermy and heliothermy. There were significant differences (F1,414 = 5.0918, p = 0.024561) in the lizard cloacal temperatures between the rainy (33.2 °C ± 3.17, n = 215) and dry seasons (34.2 °C ± 5.4, n = 201). Trees are important for thermoregulation in this species; however, even though these lizards could live in deforested areas, they might encounter thermoregulatory difficulties due to reduced periods of activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Migration counts of raptors have been used as a valid technique to assess population levels. Counts from Veracruz, Mexico, have the potential of generating valuable information for regional- to continental-scale populations of some species and to provide coverage for others that are not monitored elsewhere. This paper evaluates the use of Veracruz migration counts to monitor populations, documents the adjustments made to a currently existing method to analyze migration count data and fit it to the specific properties of our dataset, and presents estimates of population change over a decade. We used long-term, effort-adjusted migration count data to generate annual indexes of abundance. The series of annual indexes is fitted to a polynomial regression to produce an estimate of the annual rate of change. The use of this methodology with Veracruz data shows its usefulness to datasets of many species, as well as limitations to datasets from species with high interannual variation in migration counts, and those recorded rarely. In seven species, the authors found significant population change. Six of them, Swallow-tailed Kite, Mississippi Kite, Cooper's Hawk, Swainson's Hawk, Zonetailed Hawk, and Peregrine Falcon show increases at an annual rate between 1.9-15.7% per year-1 in the period 1995-2005. One species, the Northern Harrier, is decreasing at a rate of -8.4% year-1 during the same period. Trends reported here reveal population increases in most cases, and concur with the pattern found in migration counts from surveys such as the Breeding Bird Survey and the Christmas Bird Count. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the birds' structure and composition of associated sites to tropical forest in the Central Depression of Chiapas, Mexico, through 2003 to 2004. I recorded 364 species considering scientific literature, museum collections and field work. Families with highest species richness were Tyrannidae, Parulidae, Icteridae and Trochilidae. Resident birds represented 68% of the total and the 32% remaining were migratory. Thirty four percent of bird species were rare, 11% common and 3% abundant. Highest species richness was found for the tropical deciduous forest (226), followed by the secondary forest (163) and the tropical semideciduous forest (122). From all birds, 136 were additional records in the region and, 56 were for the Sumidero Canyon National Park. The species richness recorded included 45% of the avifauna of Chiapas, indicating the relevance of this region and the urgent need to establish conservation and protection management strategies. The magnitude of species increment and lack of information in this region suggest that regional and local inventories are necessaries to improve the knowledge about species distribution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prickly pear, Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) Miller, is cultivated for many purposes around the world. In Mexico, people consume young pads as vegetables and call them "nopalitos". The production of nopalitos occurs mainly around Mexico City where cochineal insects (Dactylopius spp.) are one of the most important pests. Farmers partly control Dactylopius using insecticides, but biological control could offer a tool for the Integrated Pest Management. In this paper the cochineal insects and their natural enemies were studied in Tlalnepantla, Morelos, one of the most important regions for nopalitos production in Mexico. In order to determine Dactylopius species, 30 samples sites were selected in this region. Additionally natural enemies were collected every other week during one year period in five different zones. Dactylopius opuntiae (Cockerell) was the only cochineal species found in Tlalnepantla. The natural enemies, in order of abundance, were Leucopis bellula, Sympherobius barberi, Laetilia coccidivora, Hyperaspis trifurcata, Salpingogaster cochenillivorus, Sympherobius angustus, and Chilocorus cacti. We also included some lab and field biology descriptions of these predators. Diverse factors of crop management appeared to affect D. opuntiae population and their natural enemies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scientific papers published in Mexican and Latin American journals are usually assigned very low (or even null) value in the research evaluation systems that are currently prevalent in this region. Consequently, our scientists are publishing their most relevant research elsewhere, mainly in journals that are indexed in ISI's Citation Index (CI) and have a high Impact Factor (IF) because these journals are the most highly valued by our evaluators. Latin American journals literally are being deprived of the best contributions from the region, making it even more difficult to acquire the international visibility needed for our journals to become more attractive to our researchers and evaluators. If this cycle continues, our journals will be condemned to a secondary role in the advancement of science and may even disappear. Several scientists have exposed the main problems and limitations of ISI's CI and the IF as indicators of 'good science' and I review these here. I then briefly describe recently developed alternatives that should at least complement these indicators or possibly replace them in the evaluation of research. Finally, I reflect on current practices of research evaluation and propose some measures to break the vicious cycle in which our journals are trapped. My main objective is to contribute to the debate on the indicators employed in our evaluation systems and to stimulate the discussion of the far reaching consequences that the use of these indicators is having on the development of science in Latin America and on the future of our journals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports the results of fields studies on the biology of Coprophanaeus (C.) gamezi Arnaud conducted in induced pastureland and banana plantations in the Lake Maracaibo Depression of the state of Zulia, Venezuela. Carrion - baited pitfall traps were used to monitor annual and daily activity cycles. Greatest abundance was observed in the banana plantations. Daily activity cycle was crepuscular and bimodal with approximately 30 min periods of activity at dusk and dawn. Daily rhythm was marked by a preference for low light intensities (0- 30 Lux sunset, 0-3 Lux sunrise), higher humidities (87.6% - 89% sunset; 95.3% - 96.7% sunrise), and temperatures between 27.3°C and 27.7 °C sunset and 24.9°C and 25.1 °C sunrise. Most (73%) of the captured specimens were collected at sunset, perhaps as a consequence of interactions between an endogenous rhythm and certain environmental variables, especially temperature and light intensity. Coprophanaeus gamezi is one of the most important necrophages in open and semi open habitats studied where rainforest has been cut in the Maracaibo Depression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the distribution in Mexico of the ant genus Thaumatomyrmex is analyzed. The Los Tuxtlas region in the state of Veracruz represents the most northern locality for this rare Neotropical genus. Body measurements and photographs of the two specimens collected are provided; the status of the species remains unclear due to the lack of definition on the species diagnostic characters. The rarity of the genus in Mexico is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we report three different records of the long tail weasel (Mustela frenata) using camera traps in the western portion of Campeche; thus confirming the presence of the species in this Mexican state. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper studies the distribution-abundance relationships of the Family Papilionidae in a fragmented landscape of Southern Mexico. Fixed transect routes were walked throughout a fragmented landscape, and based on this effort species-habitat associations and local abundance per habitat type were assessed for all species of the Papilionidae community. We related local Papilionidae abundance and distribution data with data on national distribution, mobility and ecological specialization (data obtained from curated specimens or records from National collections and published data). A total of 1,319 transects were walked during 18 months of sampling effort between 2001 and 2002. Fifteen species of Papilionidae butterflies were recorded at the landscape studied, but previous information on national and regional distribution maps, suggested that four additional species (Battus ingenuus, Parides erithalion, Parides photinus and Mimoides thymbraeus) could be registered in the study area. Local abundance had a positive effect on local distribution (r²=0.925 P=0.001). Ecological specialization had a significant effect on national distribution data (r² =0.510, P=0.030), but not at the local scale (r²=0.409 P=0.092). In contrast, the mobility had no influence on national or local distribution neither on local abundance (r²=0.307, P=0.216; r²=0.100, P=0.692 and r²=0.046 P=0.857, respectively). We failed to find a significant relationship between the local distribution and the national distribution (r²=0.313 and P=0.256). The distribution-abundance relationships recognized in this work are comparable with those reported for other taxa in other regions. However, the effects of ecological specialization and mobility on distribution and abundance patterns can be the result of combined effects between species perception and the structure and composition of modern landscapes like San Fernando. Heavily fragmented landscapes could likely affect resource availability and breeding sites for many species including Papilionidae, and hence species perception -even mobile and common speciescould particularly be different compared to those species living in relatively pristine habitats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the present paper is to compare the morphology of Eustachian Tube (ET) in guinea pigs, domestic birds and frogs, with the purpose of analyzing the morphological differences among mammals, birds and batrachians. For the study 30 heads were used (10 for species) of the animals before mentioned. It was found that in these three species the TE is adapted to the habitat, in the case of the guinea pigs the torus tubarios is in the nasopharynx, in the birds is a torus tubarios (to bifurcate in toward the half hearing) in the roof of the oral cavity and in the frogs this in the lateral portion of the oropharynx and this permanently open one. The ET differs in size and it forms in the different species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Taking into account the methodological advancements of the last eight years, the updating of the list to subspecific level of the land native mammals of México (Class Mammalia) is been proposed, including nomenclatural changes that have taken place after 1996. The taxonomic changes, which are included, correspond to suggestion of new classification system, one above the specific level and another for the Order Chiroptera; description of new species; changes of taxonomic status of subgenera, genera, subfamilies, and families; sequence of the different orders into the classification system; separation of the components at generic and specific levels, revalidation of the species and subspecies names; incorporation of the names of species and subspecies into the synonym of others; and, correction of the nomenclature of others. The taxonomic categories mentioned in this paper belong to 12 orders, 34 families, 165 genera (13 are endemics), and 475 species (169 are endemics), 204 are monotypic and, 271 are polytypic species with 951 subspecies, 26 species exclusive to islands The information presented herein correspond only to the land native mammals of México, but the mention of two aquatic genus (Enhydra and Lontra) is made, and are excluded the components of the orders Cetacea, Pinnipedia, and Sirenia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports the richness of bird species in the northeastern region of the Sierra Nevada mountains, Mexico, from August to November 2001 and from February to June 2002. A total of 104 species representing 34 families and 11 orders were recorded, of wish 88 were resident and 16 were migrants. Forty percent of the species were abundant, 22% scarce, and 38% rare. The richest families were Parulidae (13 species), Emberizidae (11) and Turdidae (9). Sixty-five species were considered core and 39 vagrant. This study adds 43 species to the inventory for this region of the state of Mexico. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Mexican Gray Wolf (Canis lupus baileyi) is one of the most distinctive groups of wild canids. It has been erradicated from most of its original range and there is no solid evidence of wild populations. All known individuals of this species are kept in zoos or special enclosures. Recently a great deal of efforts have been done in oder to reintroduce this subespecies to its natural habitat. Studies on this species are focused on the behavior and social structure, but there are few on the reproductive physiology. In this paper we analyze progesterone (P4), testosterone (T) and estradiol (E2) concentrations in feces of a pair of Mexican grey wolves during the Winter and Spring. Steroids were quantified by enzime immunoassay and evaluated using a micro titer plate. We tested the use of hormone levels to determine gender of the animals and found T to be useful. In the male, P4 levels had a cyclic pattern with peaks in January and February that coincided with cyclic variation in T. E2 did not show significant changes. In the female, P4 showed a cyclic pattern with fluctuations from January to April, T followed the same pattern, and E2 peaked in January, February, and April. The peak of February ended with a rise in P4. These results suggest that concentrations of sexual steroid hormones are in general high during the reproductive period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study presents an historic analysis of the classification process of the Scarabaeoidea (Insecta: Coleoptera). The analysis is divided in three periods including 59 authors, beginning with Linné in 1735, and finishing in 2001 with Pretorius and Scholtz. The first period (1735-1856) was chosen, since it encompasses a time period prior to the publication of Darwin's "The Origin of Species", and is therefore a classification process arguably free of any Darwinian evolutionary influences. There was a very quick development, in a relatively short period of time (1735-1796), in the number and type of characters used for classification purposes. On some occasions, certain authors reverted to the pre-Linnean tradition of using ecological characters. Likewise, the hierarchic structure of classifications developed rapidly into systems that any modern taxonomist can relate to. Authors like Linné, Fabricius and Latreille, who worked for long periods of time developing classificatory systems, always revolutionized systematics in their very first study. Later on, they remained conservative and made improvements only to the details of systematics. By 1856, the classification of the scarab beetles looks very akin to any present-day system. It is obvious that classifications similar to modern ones can be approximated without having to rely on Darwinian evolutionary principles. The second period (1869-1955) includes a comparative synthesis on the classification of the Coleoptera Lamellicornia based on faunistic and taxonomic works dealing with species from Central America, Europe, India and Indochina, as well as classic world wide checklists, that are representatives of the taxonomical criteria of 17 authors; the possible influence of Darwin's theories is discussed for each classification. Apparently, the main structure of the classification of scarab beetles during this time does not show substantial changes in relation with the proposals of Burmeister or Lacordaire. A large number of new morphological characters were added to the traditional ones, but the family level characters and their use were nearly the same as in the middle of the XIX century. Male genital capsules, internal organs and structures of the immature stages were cited for the first time as useful taxonomic characters, but as accesories of the traditional adult characters. Relations between the groups were eventually exposed as dendrogrames by Sharp and Muir (1912), Paulian (1948) and Crowson (1955), but without clear references to evolutionary theories. These classifications were more complex than the preceding ones, because of the addition of nearly 11,000 new species discovered along 80 years of world exploration. The third period (1957-2001) resumes and analyzes the classification proposals undertaken by 28 authors, based on monographs, faunal studies, keys for regional fauna, papers on comparative morphology, and studies specifically devoted to the understanding of phyletic relationships and evolutionary processes in Scarabaeoidea, for the whole group or for suprageneric groupings of this superfamily. One can detect the patent influence of organic evolution theories on these studies, as well as a progressive reflection of relationships in the proposed classifications, mainly through the use of cladistic and pheneticist approaches. Lately, molecular approaches have also been recruited; but even with all this technology, the main problem remains that most studies do not consider all the diversity of the Scarabaeoidea in one single analysis. Mention must be made of Endrödi's study (1966), who is the first to consider the whole group in analytic and comparative style, proposing to subdivide the Lamellicornia into five families: Scarabaeidae, Melolonthidae, Trogidae, Passalidae and Lucanidae.… [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Beta diversity, or species turnover, is a poorly understood component of species richness. In the case of Mexico, empirical evidence shows that beta diversity is a more important determinant of regional diversity than the alpha or local component. Therefore, the unusual species richness of Mexico is more a consequence of a strong geographic species turnover rather than a particularly high local diversity. The hypothesis of Mexico as a beta-diverse country is based not only on indirect inferences but on data that have been accumulated in the scientific literature in the last few years. In this paper, we review that information and present new analyses that explore the contribution of species turnover to the building of the megadiversity of Mexican mammals. In an analysis using latitudinal bands, we found that the pattern of variation of beta diversity along a latitudinal gradient is similar for volant and non-volant mammals. However the patterns of diversity of terrestrial mammals are much more associated to beta diversity. In exploring beta diversity within biogeographic provinces defined with the distribution of mammals, we found that the relative contribution of alpha and beta diversity to the regional species richness varies geographically and is correlated with different environmental variables. We also present data showing the effect of heterogeneity on alpha and beta diversity, and show a direct relationship between beta diversity and the complementarity among sites in selecting priority areas for the conservation of biological diversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, Sectiliclava placidae sp. nov. is described, and the fore wing and antenna are illustrated from specimens collected with entomological net in Ciudad Victoria, Tamaulipas, México. Information about distribution is included. A key to species of the genus is presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper gives accounts for some ancient insects, that were obtained in relation to funerarius deposits inside the "La Chagüera" cave, localized near Ticuman, Morelos state, Mexico, during the archaeological and archaeobotanical studies under Ticuman 94 Proyect. Fragments of three orders of insects were found: Coleoptera, Diptera and Lepidoptera, and also some fragments of Diplopoda, Polydesmida Rhachodesmidae. The following taxa were determined: the Coleoptera family Scarabaeidae, with the genera Dichotomius, Ontophagus, which are attracted by carrion and Copris, which prefers excreta; the family Trogidae, represented by the genus Omorgus, which has affinity for carrion. The family Melolonthidae with the phytophagous genus Cotinis and Hologymnetis; the family Dermestidae, represented by Dermestes, with preferences for dry organic matter. Fragments of Tenebrionidae, belonging to the genus Eleodes and Asidinae, as well as one prothorax of Elateridae and some elytra of Lampyridae or Meloidae were found. The order Diptera was represented by the family Calliphoridae with the genus Phormia that visits carrion; the family Stratiomyidae, represented by the genus Hermetia that frequent corpses; the subfamily Cuterebrinae with the genera Cuterebra and Hypoderma which are hypodermical parasites in vertebrate animals. The order Lepidoptera was determined only to the family Tinaeidae. It is difficult to explain the presence of Cotinis and Hologymnetis elytra, because they are phytofagous insects and cannot visit the dark areas inside the cave, but possibly they correspond to cultural activities of the ancient population, being very difficult to prove. The presence of Cuterebrinae can be explained because they parasitized some vertebrates that visited the cave. This is the first time the relationship between insects and funeral deposites with an age of 200 B.C.-200 A.D. inside a cave, are registered for Mexico. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Establishing the limits on the distribution of Gerrhonotus infernalis in Guanajuato state has been relatively complicated, and the presence of this species was uncertain until recently. This paper confirms the presence of Gerrhonotus infernalis for the state, expanding the range of the distribution known for the northeast of the state based on three records from the Sierra Gorda. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]