Human alteration toward environment modifies the spatial distribution of available resources that influences habitat selection in animals. Thus, it is necessary to identify the resources that determine species occurrence in modified landscapes to provide the basis for future conservation efforts. We evaluated the habitat use and microhabitat selection of two lizard species with different niche requirements in a resource availability gradient caused by disturbance. Surveys were conducted in El Cielo Biosphere Reserve, Mexico, during 2016 and 2017. The gradient was grouped in four environmental types in the function of climatic (temperature and humidity) and structural variables (included different measures of soil, substrate, and vegetation coverage). For each lizard, 11 variables related to the microhabitat structure were recorded. Microhabitat selection for each environment type along the gradient was determined and compared via discriminant analysis. The results showed that Sceloporus variabilis, a species that uses a wide range of resources, can select different microhabitats along the gradient; while Lepidophyma sylvaticum, a species with a restricted use of resources, select microhabitats with similar specific characteristics and avoided disturbed areas with scarce canopy cover. This differential response was related to the degree of specificity in resources selection and physiological restrictions of each species.

En este estudio se analizó la dieta y se estimó la abundancia relativa de la zorra gris (Urocyon cinereoargenteus) a través del registro de excretas colectadas en el Área Natural Protegida Altas Cumbres (ANPAC), Tamaulipas, México. El muestreo se realizó de agosto de 2017 a noviembre de 2018. Las excretas fueron lavadas y separadas para identificar a las especies presa que conforman la dieta de la zorra gris y la abundancia se estimó con un índice de abundancia relativa (IAR = número de excretas/kilómetros recorridos). Con 938 excretas, se determinó que la dieta de la zorra gris fue generalista y estuvo conformada por tres categorías; materia vegetal, invertebrados y vertebrados. Dentro de la materia vegetal, las especies más representativas fueron Brahea berlandieri o palma de la sierra madre que es endémica del noreste de México y Litsea glaucescens, también conocida como laurel de la sierra. Ambas especies son de gran importancia debido a que no habían sido descritas como parte de la dieta de la zorra gris y porque la palma está sujeta a protección especial y el laurel está en peligro de extinción. En los invertebrados la presa de mayor consumo fue el Orden Miriapoda y en los vertebrados el Orden Rodentia. La abundancia de la zorra gris fue variable durante el muestreo de este estudio (intervalo de IAR = 0.9 a 7.9) y se consideró abundante con respecto a otros carnívoros presentes en el ANPAC.

Las hormigas son insectos que participan en muchas de las cadenas alimenticias terres­tres; algunas especies son plagas, otras son enemigos naturales de diversos artrópodos. El objetivo de este artículo fue informar sobre los géneros y especies de hormigas presen­tes en el Museo de Insectos de la Facultad de Agronomía [hoy Facultad de Ingeniería y Ciencias (FIC)] de la Universidad Autónoma de Tamaulipas (MIFA-UAT), así como de los re­gistros para el Estado de Tamaulipas, México. Se determinó taxonómicamente el material de Formicidae del MIFA-UAT y se recopiló in­formación de diversas colecciones y publicaciones en México. Se encontró que, en el Estado de Tamaulipas, los formícidos se han colectado desde hace más de dos décadas, y que esta familia se encuentra representada por nueve subfamilias, 53 géneros y 155 es­pecies y en el MIFA-UAT por ocho subfamilias, 35 géneros y 60 especies. Los géneros con mayor diversidad son Pheidole (20 especies), Pseudomyrmex (12), Neivamyrmex (11), Cam­ponotus (10) y Crematogaster (8). El MIFA-UAT posee casi el 70 % de los géneros de hormi­gas registradas en Tamaulipas.

Protected areas (PAs) are geographical spaces intended to conserve populations, communities, and ecosystems, in which species richness must be maximized, the conserved area must be minimized, and anthropogenic pressure must be reduced. The present study analyzed the representativeness, complementarity, and degree of risk of 25 garter snake species of the genus Thamnophis in the PAs of Mexico. This study proposes that at least 17% of the potential geographic distribution (PGD) of species will be found inside PAs and in areas (Aichi Target 11) with a low human footprint (HF). The PGD of species was associated with the PAs and HF layers to identify where and which species could be at local extirpation risk by human activities. The results indicate that the federal PAs contain 85.2% of the species, while the state PAs contain 77.7% of the species. An average of 13.4% of the PGD of these species is found inside PAs, and two species are found outside. In 13 federal PAs and 10 state PAs, the Thamnophis species present high local extirpation risk from human activities. In total, 37% of species are found in PAs with a medium to very high human footprint; therefore, their persistence could be at local extirpation risk. Compared to other taxa, species of the genus Thamnophis are well represented. However, the PDG of more than half of the species achieves Aichi Target 11.

A total of 67 species and 23 genera of Crabronidae (Hymenoptera) are recorded from 339 specimens collected in 2.3 ha of a spiny shrub located in Cañón del Novillo in Victoria, Tamaulipas, México. The high species richness and diversity index found for this group are comparable with the ones obtained for other hymenopteran taxa from the same locality. Ten new records for Crabronidae arereported for Tamaulipas, increasing to 128 the number of known species of this family of solitary wasps for this state.

The structure of Ichneumonidae communities in a mangrove area and 2 nearby locations with different vegetation types are described. The study area is located within the limits of the Nearctic and Neotropical regions in the southern part of the state of Tamaulipas, Mexico. Samples were collected with a Malaise trap at each site over a one-year period. We estimated the potential species richness with the Clench model, the Simpson and Shannon-Wiener diversity indexes and the possible differences among communities at different sites using Permanova multivariate analysis. The relative degrees of influence of space, time, and biogeographical distribution on the community structures of ichneumonid wasps were determined using multiple correspondence analyses. Our results showed that the mangrove area had the highest potential species richness, and that there were significant differences among the 3 ichneumonid communities. The community structures depend primarily on the biogeographical distribution of species and secondarily on the month of collection, whereas the type of vegetation contributed with lower variation. Three species obtained in this study are new records for Mexico, and 5 for Tamaulipas.