Abstract

LOPEZ-GONZALEZ, Celia  and  GARCIA-MENDOZA, Diego F.. Mammals (Tetrapoda: Mammalia) of the Sierra Madre Occidental, Mexico: megadiversity in an area of high environmental complexity. Acta Zool. Mex [online]. 2024, vol.40, e4012585.  Epub Oct 25, 2024. ISSN 2448-8445.  https://doi.org/10.21829/azm.2024.4012585.

The Sierra Madre Occidental (SMO) is the largest mountain range in Mexico (1,400 km long), and yet one of the least studied regions. Using records from museum specimens, direct observations, photographs, and literature data, we built a database with 4,659 unique mammal records. Our aims were to generate a species list, to examine general distribution patterns, to relate these patterns to ecoregions and vegetation, and to discuss the importance of the SMO as a center of endemism and high biological diversity. We recorded 171 species (34.3% of the Mexican terrestrial mammals). Forty-seven are endemic of Mexico, including ten endemics of the SMO. The highest species richness was recorded at the Tropical ecoregion (T, 125 species), followed by Madrean South (MS, 100), and Madrean Xerophylous (MX, 95). The highest number of endemics was recorded in T (37), followed by MS (24), and Madrean tropical (MT, 22). Nine of ten species endemic to the SMO occur in the temperate highlands. Sampling efforts have been scarce or nonexistent for over half the SMO. Species turnover reflects the complexity of the biomes that occur in the Sierra, and not the expected latitudinal patterns of species richness. Only 4.8% of the SMO is within a protected area, and the areas that are protected do not include vulnerable biomes like the cloud forest. Biological research is urgent in the SMO, an area under intensive mining, forestry, cattle ranching, and more recently, tourism and environmental services.

Keywords : biodiversity; distribution; endemic species; Mammalia; Mexican Mountain Component; Mexican Transition Zone; turnover.

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