The state of Zacatecas is one of the largest in the country, Flores-Villela & García-Vázquez (2014) report 65 species of reptiles. In the last decade there have been several new publications of state records and municipality records of reptiles (Campos-Rodríguez et al. 2004; Ahumada-Carrillo & Huizar-Vázquez 2011; Carbajal-Márquez et al. 2011, 2012 among others). The present contribution has the objective to give rise to new state records of reptiles for Zacatecas: Bluebelly lizard Sceloporus parvus and Grey-banded King snake Lampropeltis alterna including an extended distribution of the Texas Patchnose snake Salvadora grahamiae lineata.
The specimens were collected under the scientific collecting permit SGPA/DGVS/00222/13. The common names correspond to Liner & Casas-Andreu (2008). The distribution information of each species was complemented with databases available on Herpnet (http://www.Herpnet.org/), Global Biodiversity Information Facilities (http://www.gbif.org/) and National Biological Informational System (SNIB-CONABIO). The specimens collected were identified using specialized literature (Bogert 1939; Smith & Taylor 1945; Gehlbach 1967; Garstka 1982; Köhler & Heimes 2002; Lemos-Espinal & Dixon 2013) and deposited in the Herpetological collection of the Escuela Nacional de Ciencias Biológicas (IPN-ENCB) and the National Collection of Amphibians and Reptiles (UNAM-CNAR).
Sceloporus parvus. A specimen (IPN-ENCB 19591) collected from municipality of Pinos at 1.71 km N, 1.02 km E Pinos (municipality head) (22˚18’53.123’’ N, 101˚33’48.955’’ W; WGS 84), 2943 m elevation., collected on July 27, 2013 by María Graciela Lorenzo Márquez. First record for the state, extending the known distributional range of the species ca. 46.2 km NW from 30.4 km SW of San Luis Potosí (Lemos-Espinal & Dixon 2013). A LHC of 47 mm, a dermal postfemur pouch, dorsal keeled scales and smooth subcaudal base scales in this specimen allowed designating it as S. parvus following Köhler & Heimes (2002) and Lemos-Espinal & Dixon (2013). The specimen was found over a dead Agave leaf in a natural pasture on a cloudy day.
Lampropeltis alterna. A specimen (IPN-ENCB 19769) from the municipality of Villanueva, 0.54 km N, 0.72 km E Presa de Maravillas (22˚35’20.286’’ latitude N and -102˚43’48.726’’ longitude W, WGS 84), 2216 m elevation, 15 September 2013 by María Graciela Lorenzo Márquez. First record for Zacatecas; the closest known locality is ca. 360.4 airline km SW at Cruz Verde Mt. Saltillo, Coahuila (Garstka 1982). A LHC of 236 mm; 28 rings around its body including a nape ring and 25 rows of dorsal scales in the middle of the body in this specimen, these characteristics correspond to L. alterna according to Gehlbach (1967) and Garstka (1982), except the number of ventrals which were 194, which describe L. mexicana, but nevertheless the specimen differs from last species by the mark on its head forming a spot and it does not extend more over the parietals. This specimen was found under a boulder in a crassicaule shrub on a raining day.
Salvadora grahamiae lineata. Two specimens: (IPN-ENCB 19780, UNAM-CNAR 26678) from the municipality Villa Hidalgo at 4.18 km S, 2.54 km E Villa Hidalgo (municipality head), 2224 m (22˚19’11.683’’ latitude N and 101˚41’11.841’’ longitude W, WGS 84) collected by María Graciela Lorenzo Márquez on July 28, 2012. New municipality record, with the closest known locality 49.3 airline km to the E at 9 km S, 5 km W Ahualulco (Lemos-Espinal & Dixon 2013). A large size (LHC 1008-1022 mm) in both specimens; 17 rows of smooth scales on the middle section of the body; three preocular scales and two postocular scales on each side of the head; eight supra and infralabial scales in both specimens. The color pattern consists of a paravertebral line of pale color disappearing in the nape area, surrounded by a pair of dark paravertebral lines which diverge in the neck and prolong to the temporal region passing through the eye and to the rostral scale; a pair of dark lateral lines are evident along their body, these do not touch the dark paravertebral lines and disappear converging in the neck region. These characteristics correspond to S. grahamiae lineata (Smith 1938, 1941; Bogert 1939). Both specimens were found under a cluster of rocks on a crassicule shrub surrounded by temporarily abandoned crop fields, there was a rainstorm the day before the specimens were captured.
The two new records obtained here increased to 67 the number of species of reptiles known for Zacatecas. The localities reported here for S. grahamiae lineata and S. parvus extend the distribution of both species towards the isolated mountain ranges of Central Plateau physiographical province where previously they were considered absent (Köhler & Heimes 2002; Stebbins 2003; Hammerson & Frost 2007). The record of L. alterna is found south of the geographical barrier of Cerritos-Arista and the Filter Saladan (Morafka 1977; Bryson et al. 2007), notably because such species were not distributed south of these barriers, this new record establishes the southwest distribution limit of L. alterna in the Central Plateau. These records increase available information on the herpetofauna of Zacatecas.