Ochoterena alligator lizard re-discovered

vogelcommando

vogelcommando

Well-Known Member
10+ year member
After 74 years the Ochoterena alligator lizard has been re-discovered in Mexico :
( from HERP>MX - facebook site ) :

The Lost Dragon, Abronia ochoterenai

In 1939, Rafael Martín del Campo described an arboreal alligator lizard from the mysterious little town of Santa Rosa, Chiapas. The species was christened Abronia ochoterenai in honor of Martín del Campo's mentor, Isaac Ochoterena; and the two specimens would be the last anyone would see for the next 74 years.

But, it wasn't just the lizard that vanished, the type-locality itself went missing. To the frustration of researchers, there are no fewer than 16 towns bearing the name Santa Rosa in the region, and the exact home for Ochoterena's Arboreal Alligator Lizard was long forgotten. Over the years several herpetologists published their best approximations based upon the flora and fauna collected along with those original alligator lizards, but efforts to locate additional specimens failed.

That is until a stroke of good luck, and a good deal of off-roading, landed the HERP.MX team in an unnamed sierra on the Atlantic slopes of southeastern Chiapas. Our early searches in this particular sierra had revealed a population of Bothriechis aurifer which, curiously enough, happened to be the species collected along with A. ochoterenai almost three-quarters of a century ago. With proximity and biogeographical similarities providing some motivation, we successfully secured several Abronia which later scale counts revealed to be the long-lost Abronia ochoterenai.
 
It's great you found them in Mexico. Years ago probably 40 or 42 years with my father and a zoologist friend of him we found 2 adult specimens that measured over 30 cm. in the Sierra Madre de Guatemala rescuing them from the remains of a forest that had been cut and the leftover were about to be burned by the locals to create new farm land. They lived in trees in our home for over 12 years and loved eating crickets and other insects that we provided them, they were quite tame and friendly. Their most amazing trait is they will whistle like the Canaries between trees; each was quite territorial with their tree. never saw them get together just sing. They had a comfortable life and when they died we gave them to the National museum that preserves them and the director was my father friend.
Very glad they are found and hopefully some conservation efforts will follow.
Paul
 
vogelcommando said:
After 74 years the Ochoterena alligator lizard has been re-discovered in Mexico :
( from HERP>MX - facebook site ) :

The Lost Dragon, Abronia ochoterenai

In 1939, Rafael Martín del Campo described an arboreal alligator lizard from the mysterious little town of Santa Rosa, Chiapas. The species was christened Abronia ochoterenai in honor of Martín del Campo's mentor, Isaac Ochoterena; and the two specimens would be the last anyone would see for the next 74 years.

But, it wasn't just the lizard that vanished, the type-locality itself went missing. To the frustration of researchers, there are no fewer than 16 towns bearing the name Santa Rosa in the region, and the exact home for Ochoterena's Arboreal Alligator Lizard was long forgotten. Over the years several herpetologists published their best approximations based upon the flora and fauna collected along with those original alligator lizards, but efforts to locate additional specimens failed.

That is until a stroke of good luck, and a good deal of off-roading, landed the HERP.MX team in an unnamed sierra on the Atlantic slopes of southeastern Chiapas. Our early searches in this particular sierra had revealed a population of Bothriechis aurifer which, curiously enough, happened to be the species collected along with A. ochoterenai almost three-quarters of a century ago. With proximity and biogeographical similarities providing some motivation, we successfully secured several Abronia which later scale counts revealed to be the long-lost Abronia ochoterenai.
Click to expand...
Very interesting work. Any New in situ initiative or ex situ
Program planned
 
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