10 ANIMALS IN DANGER OF EXTINCTION IN VERACRUZ AND CAUSES - BIOLOGY - 2025

Some of Jalisco's endangered animals are the Veracruz sole, the Veracruz pygmy salamander, the green tlaconet, the freshwater crab and the Veracruz white grouper.

Veracruz is one of the entities of Mexico with the greatest biodiversity, locating jungles, savannas, pine forests, palm groves, as well as various coastal ecosystems. However, the vast majority of these habitats are degraded and fragmented, thus causing a decrease in the populations that live in them.

Salamander Veracruz mushroom tongue from Coatzacoalcos. Source: Luis Canseco Márquez / CONABIO

Endangered species

1- Sardinita from Veracruz (

The sardine of Veracruz is a gray fish, on which a horizontal line of a greenish-yellow hue stands out. This is born in the gills and reaches the tail fin, where it fades.

Veracruz tetra, as this species is also known, lives in fresh waters, within the neotropical zone of the Atlantic Ocean of Mexico. Thus, it inhabits the lakes, rivers and streams of the states of Veracruz, Chiapas, Tabasco and Oaxaca.

Many of the regions where Astyanax finitimus is distributed face threats. This is why the IUCN considers it within the group of animals at risk of extinction.

Among the factors that affect this species are environmental pollution, a product of the activity of the oil industry. Also, the existence in their natural habitat of some invasive fish, such as Pterygoplichthys spp., brings as a consequence the decrease in their populations.

2- Veracruz sole (

It is a demersal fish that lives in tropical waters of the Gulf of Mexico, extending in Veracruz and throughout the Yucatan peninsula. It is also located in the Caribbean Sea up to the border between Honduras and Guatemala.

In these regions, this species lives under soft substrates, such as clays, sand and mud, occupying up to two meters deep.

Its body can measure 14 centimeters and, like the other large-toothed flounder fish, it has both eyes on the left area of ​​the head. In terms of color, the area of ​​the body where the eyes are found has a golden hue, with small spots and brown moles. The opposite side to this is cream colored.

The populations of the Veracruz sole are decreasing, so they are at risk of extinction. According to IUCN records, this fish is caught incidentally during artisanal shrimp fishing.

It is also affected by water pollution and habitat degradation in a large part of the range it inhabits.

3- Salamander Veracruz mushroom tongue from Coatzacoalcos (

This amphibian is small, since it reaches a maximum length of 5 centimeters. It has a broad head, a rounded muzzle, and large eyes. As for the legs, they are almost completely webbed.

The base color of its body ranges from pale brown to yellow, with spots of light brown to black tones. In addition, on the tail and along the body it has spots of different sizes, of a yellow-brown color.

Bolitoglossa veracrucis is distributed in the southern zone of Veracruz, the northeast of Oaxaca and in the west of the isthmus of Tehuantepec. Its habitat includes tropical forests, although it can live in disturbed areas. This is due to the degradation suffered by its natural environment, caused by the negative impact of human activities.

Thus, the territories it occupies have been burned and cut down, to be used for agriculture and livestock. In this sense, the IUCN categorizes this species as at serious risk of extinction, since its populations show a notable decrease.

In Mexico, the Veracruz mushroom tongue salamander from Coatzacoalcos is subject to Special Protection, as contemplated by the Official Mexican Standard 059.

4- Veracruz pygmy salamander (

This species measures between 19 and 21 millimeters in length. It has a large head and a long tail. Regarding the coloration, it is dark gray, with a lighter band on the sides. This line has bars arranged transversely, thus forming a “v” -shaped pattern.

Thorius pennatulus is located in cloud forests, located between 1,000 and 1,200 meters above sea level. Within its habitats, it prefers humid areas, where it lives in crevices, rotten logs, under rocks and in litter. Regarding its distribution, it covers the central west of Veracruz.

The populations of the Veracruz pygmy salamander are declining. Among the factors associated with this situation are human settlements and agricultural expansion, implying a change in land use.

This amphibian endemic to Mexico is in danger of extinction, according to the IUCN. In addition, it is under Special Protection, contemplated in the Official Mexican Standard 059.

5- Green Tlaconete (

This salamander is measured between 40.6 and 58.3 millimeters. It has a robust body, a rounded snout, and relatively long limbs.

As for its dorsal coloration, it can be dark green, greenish yellow, ocher green or tan yellow. It usually has many short stripes and black spots. Some species have a yellowish V-shaped band between the eyes. The ventral area is black.

The Veracruz green salamander, as this species is also known, is distributed in Cerro San Pedro Chiconquiaco, Xico, La Joya and Coatepec in Veracruz. In addition, it is located in Cuetzalan, in the state of Puebla.

In these regions it inhabits the cloud forest, living under mosses, pine logs, and decaying wood. Despite their ability to tolerate fragmented environments, many populations have disappeared.

This is due to the loss of extensive forests, due to mining, agricultural activities, logging and burning. For all these reasons, Pseudoeurycea lynchi is included in the red list of animals in danger of extinction.

6- Veracruz white grouper (

The Veracruz white grouper measures approximately 15 centimeters. In relation to its head and body, they are strongly compressed and creamy white, with yellowish green fins. It has a large black patch under the eyes and at the base of the tail. In addition, thin blue lines stand out on the head.

This fish is only found in the Veracruz reef system, located in the Gulf of Campeche. Thus, it occupies the front and rear slopes of the reefs, at a depth between 2 and 12 meters.

The reefs of Veracruz are heavily degraded by fuel spills, commercial shipping activity, and contamination of waters by waste, fertilizers, and pesticides. This means that the populations of Hypoplectrus castroaguirrei are threatened with extinction, according to IUCN data.

7- Freshwater crab (

This crustacean belongs to the Pseudothelphusidae family. The carapace is slightly convex and its dorsal surface is covered by numerous tubercles, which can be seen with the naked eye.

Tehuana veracruzana lives mainly in the rivers of Los Tuxtlas, in the center of Veracruz. This species is critically endangered, and may be currently extinct. Among the factors that put their survival at risk are water pollution and habitat degradation, due to human actions.

8- Tuxtla partridge pigeon (

This is a small bird whose plumage is bluish. It is an endemic species of the Sierra de los Tuxtlas, southeast of Veracruz. Although previously it was probably distributed throughout the mountains, today it is isolated in four areas, in the main volcanoes San Martín, Santa Marta and San Martín Pajapan.

The Tuxtla partridge pigeon lives in humid forests, cloud forests and tropical jungles, at elevations between 350 and 1,500 meters above sea level. These habitats have reported rapid fragmentation, implying a significant decrease in their populations.

The destruction of these ecosystems is the product of extensive deforestation. Thus, the felled trees are sold to the timber industry and the land is used for agriculture. Due to these factors, Zentrygon carrikeri is on the IUCN red list of animals that are in danger of extinction.

9- Jarocha mining snake (

It is a small snake, with a body that measures approximately 305 millimeters and a 50 millimeter tail. One of its main characteristics is the combination of 17 rows of dorsal smooth scales.

In relation to its coloration, the dorsal area of ​​the head and body are brownish. The underside of the sublabial and ventral scales are creamy-yellow. As for the lateral scales and the first four dorsal rows, they have cream-colored spots.

It is located in Cerro Aquila and Mirador, in Veracruz. In these regions it lives in pine forests, primary forests and cloud forests. Due to its restricted distribution, the jarocha mining snake is vulnerable to population decline.

These are threatened by the degradation of their natural habitat, product of the burning of the soils, the felling of the trees and the modification of the use of the land, to turn it into agricultural land.

Thus, Geophis chalybeus is a species under Special Protection by the Official Mexican Standard NOM-059-ECOL-1994. Also, the IUCN included it in the list of endangered species. However, said body states that new studies are required to update and expand the information.

10- Veracruz brown snake (

This snake measures between 50.6 and 51.4 centimeters in length. Their body color is brownish-brown, turning pale black near the head. Behind the eyes there is a blackish line, which reaches the tail.

The Veracruz brown snake has a particular cream-white spot just on the back of its head and two white spots on the parietals.

As for their natural habitat, they are the evergreen tropical forests of the Córdoba region, in Veracruz. This species is closely related to its environment, as it hides under rocks, in litter and in logs.

It has also been sighted near areas degraded by agricultural crops, probably in search of refuge.

In Mexico, the species is protected under NOM-059-SEMARNAT-2010, within the category of special protection. At the international level, the IUCN includes it within the red list of species in danger of extinction. However, it is listed with the limitation of having sufficient data on the current situation of the reptile.

References

1. Schmitter-Soto, Juan. (2017). A revision of Astyanax (Characiformes: Characidae) in Central and North America, with the description of nine new species. Journal of Natural History. Recovered from researchgate.net
2. Gilberto Rodríguez, Alfred E. Smaixey (1969). The freshwater crabs of Mexico of the family Pseudothelphusidae (crustacea, brachyura). Recovered from decapoda.nhm.org.
3. Schmitter-Soto, J. 2019. Astyanax finitimus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2019. Recovered from iucnredlist.org.
4. Munroe, T., Collette, BB, Grubbs, D., Pezold, F., Simons, J., Caruso, J., Carlson, J., McEachran, JD & Chakrabarty, P. 2015. Citharichthys abbotti. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2015. Recovered from iucnredlist.org.
5. IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group 2019. Bolitoglossa veracrucis. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2019. Recovered from iucnredlist.org.
6. Gabriela Parra-Olea, David Wake, Jean Raffaelli, James Hanken 2008. Thorius pennatulus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2008. Recovered from iucnredlist.org.