Print PageAgkistrodon taylori is a medium sized pit viper found in the northeastern Mexican states of Tamaulipas and Nuevo Leon, with limited records in San Luis Potosi. This rarely seen and poorly studied species is listed as endangered and as such, conservation of both the snake and its habitat are a priority. Within its limited range A. taylori shows a strong association with water and land cover transformation has increased dramatically in recent years. In addition, future climatic changes are expected to be severe. We used a modeling approach to investigate current and future distributions. To predict its current suitable habitat and the impact of climatic change on the distribution of A. taylori, maximum entropy software and nineteen bioclimatic variables from WorldClim were used. Additionally two coupled atmospheric-oceanic global circulation models, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) and Canadian Centre for Climate Modeling and Analysis (CCCMA) were used to predict the future distribution for the year 2050, using the Intergovernmental Climate Change (IPCC) scenario A1b..
Results/Conclusions
The predicted suitable habitat of A. taylori is larger than previously believed. The suitable habitat extends southwest to the Mexican states of Hidalgo, San Luis Potosi and Queretaro. Scattered patches of suitable habitat appear across the Yucatan peninsula and the Pacific Mexican coast. With climatic change, the suitable habitat of A. taylori changes dramatically under the scenario used. The western range disappears and the coastal range expands southward in both models. Field work is necessary to corroborate the present distribution of the species as well as to estimate number of individuals in its populations. By using current field data and predicted distributions, sound conservation strategies can be set for the species.
