Mammal richness from Barranca del Cupatitzio National Park, Michoacán, Mexico

Abstract

IN THIS PAPER WE PRESENT FIELD INFORMATION ON MAMMAL RICHNESS FROM BARRANCA DEL CUPATITZIO NATIONAL PARK, MICHOACÁN, MEXICO, RECORDED FROM APRIL 2003 TO OCTOBER 2004, BY MEANS OF SPECIMEN COLLECTION, VISUAL DETECTION, PHOTO TRAPPING AND SEARCH OF REMAINS, SIGNS AND TRACKS. THE AREA IS COVERED MAINLY BY CLOSED CANOPY CONIFER FORESTS. THE MAMMAL RICHNESS OF THIS PARK WAS 43 SPECIES BELONGING TO 8 ORDERS, 16 FAMILIES AND 31 GENERA. THE NON-PARAMETRIC ACE ESTIMATOR INDICATED THAT 77% OF ALL POSSIBLE SPECIES WERE RECORDED AND AT LEAST 13 MORE SPECIES CAN BE POTENTIALLY FOUND. FROM ALL SPECIES RECORDED, 25.6% WERE FLYING MAMMALS AND 74.4% WERE NON-FLYING. THE DISTRIBUTION OF SPECIES SHOWS THAT 7 MAMMALS (16.3%) ARE ENDEMIC TO MEXICO, 5 (11.6%) ARE ENDEMIC TO MESO AMERICA, 10 (23.3%) ARE SHARED WITH NORTH AMERICA, 7 (16.3%) WITH SOUTH AMERICA, 13 (30.2%) WITH NORTH AND SOUTH AMERICA, AND 1 IS EXOTIC (2.3%). CONSIDERING THEIR BIOGEOGRAPHIC AFFINITIES, 22 SPECIES (52.4%) ARE NEARTIC, 16 (38.1%) ARE NEOTROPICAL AND 4 (9.5%) ARE TRANSITIONAL. TWO SPECIES (4.7%) ARE CONSIDERED AT RISK BY MEXICAN REGULATIONS: 1 IN DANGER OF EXTINCTION (LEOPARDUS WIEDII) AND 1 AS THREATENED (CRATEOGOMYS FUMOSUS). APPLYING RISK, ENDEMISM AND DISTRIBUTION CRITERIA, WE IDENTIFIED 8 MAMMALS AS PRIORITY SPECIES FOR CONSERVATION IN THE PARK. THIS NATIONAL PARK PROTECTS MORE THAN A QUARTER OF THE MAMMAL SPECIES FROM MICHOACÁN AND IS A CRITICAL AREA FOR THEIR CONSERVATION, NEVERTHELESS ITS SMALL SURFACE AND URBAN ENCROACHMENT.