Araneomorphae and Pseudoscorpiones from Pico de Orizaba Volcano N. P.

Welcome

The Pico de Orizaba inventory includes 294 Araneomorphae and seven pseudoscorpion morphospecies documented with 4,099 standard views. Ecological and taxonomic data are currently being prepared for publication.

Arachnids were collected in two ecosystems separated by 15 km: an oak-pine forest in Atotonilco and an oak-wet forest in Xamaticpac. Two one-hectare plots were established in each forest and sampled three times per year from 2012 to 2014. Sampling included cryptic searching, beating vegetation, pitfall traps, Berlese funnels for leaf litter and direct collecting. The "looking up" and "looking down" methods were combined because of the steep terrain. Leaf litter was processed with 24 Berlese funnels of 45 cm diameter per plot, and 30 pitfall traps were active for six days.

Locality data

KML file: PICV.kml

Veracruz, Calcahualco, Atotonilco. Plot I (1 ha). Central coordinates 19.138167 -97.2045, Alt. 2,300 m. Oak forest fragment.

Puebla, Tlachichuca, Atotonilco. Plot II (1 ha). Central coordinates 19.14172222, -97.20597222, Alt. 2,388 m. Oak forest fragment.

Veracruz, Xamaticpac. Plot I (1ha). Central coordinates 19.12613889, -97.06708333, Alt. 1,710 m. Oak and tropical wet forest fragment. Plot II (1ha). Central coordinates 19.12569444, -97.06755556, Alt. 1,700 m. Oak and tropical wet forest fragment.

Send comments and identifications to: fap@ciencias.unam.mx

Acknowledgments

We thank Armando Fuertes from Pico de Orizaba National Park for his support and for introducing us to the people of Atotonilco de Calcahualco. Special thanks to Mr. Isidoro Contreras, Ms. Mercedes Contreras, Mr. Nicolas and Ms. Noemi for their help and hospitality. We also thank Facundo Labarque, Danielle Polotow and Thiago Silva for participating in one of the 2012 expeditions.

We also thank Uriel Garcilazo Cruz, Francisco Andrés Rivera Quiroz, Miguel Hernández Patricio, Francisco Javier Salgueiro Sepulveda, Dulce Flor Pierda Jiménez, Mariana Servín Pastor, Maira Saraí Montejo Cruz, Leonel Perez Miguel and Francisco Emmanuel Méndez Castro for participating in this inventory.

Funding was provided by UNAM-DGAPA-PAPIIT project IN213612.

Picture captions: Left picture, standing: Mr. Francisco, Andrés, Mariana, Fernando, Miguel and Salgueiro; sitting: Dulce, Mr. Isidoro's daughter, Uriel, Mr. Nicolas' daughter, Ms. Mercedes, Mr. Isidoro, Ms. Noemi and Mr. Nicolas with his daughter. Right picture: Andrés, Salgueiro, Facundo, Danielle, Uriel, Miguel, Fernando and Thiago.