A revision of the herpetofauna of Colima, Mexico

Abstract

Until recently, the herpetofauna of Colima has received relatively little attention. A few state lists and several unpublished dissertations are the only references available for the herpetofauna of the state. Recently, a revised herpetofaunal state list was published by Lemos-Espinal et al. (2020). Unfortunately, that revision includes a significant number of errors and omissions. Herein, we reviewed all published accounts on the herpetofauna of Colima including two unpublished thesis related to the herpetofauna of the state, and records available in online databases (GBIF, Vertnet). We examined museum specimens of previously published taxa and show that many of the species reported for the state are in fact misidentifications, and that other species already known for the state were overlooked in the most recent state checklist. Additionally, we report on ten species of amphibians and reptiles that are new records for the state. Based on our revision, the herpetofauna of Colima consists of 152 species, of which 112 are reptiles and 40 are amphibians, with five introduced species. We also comment on species of possible occurrence in the state. We recommend that other state lists which have been published for Mexico be revised in order to correct a variety of issues and information.