Registros notables del puerco espín tropical Sphiggurus mexicanus (Erethizontidae) en el estado de Oaxaca, México

Introduction: The tropical porcupine, Sphiggurus mexicanus is distributed from west Panama and Costa Rica to Michoacan on the Pacific versant and San Luis Potosi on the Gulf of Mexico basin. It dwells in tropical and semitropical dry forests, at altitudes from 0 to 3,200 m; it was recently recorded at temperate pine and pine-oak forests in Michoacan. In Oaxaca this species had been recorded only at Gulf of Mexico coastal plain, Pacific coastal plain and Isthmus of Tehuantepec, at low elevations from 0 to 500 m, and inhabiting costal dunes, tropical evergreen and deciduous forests, grasslands, farmland and secondary vegetation. The goal of this paper is to report new data on the distribution of the tropical porcupine in Oaxaca, Mexico. Methods: Five records are based on a voucher specimen and direct sight of individuals or remains found along field trips. A sixth record was obtained with Camera traps. Results: We report a specimen of S. mexicanus found dead on the road near Colonia Cuauhtemoc, this record lies within the known distribution for the species. We also report five noteworthy records for the Mexican tree porcupine, three at Sierra Norte and two at Cuicatlan- Tehuacan Valley regions, all within cloud forests, at altitudes from 1,673 to 2,668 m. Discussion and conclusions: The three records at Sierra Norte expand the geographical range for this species 34 km to the southwest, from San Juan Petlapa, the closest known locality. These records along with the two from Cuicatlan valley are the first records for the tropical porcupine within cloud forests in Oaxaca and at higher altitudes than those previously reported. The record of a small immature female implies that the species is actually breeding within this type of forest in Oaxaca. These five records are noteworthy as they expand the known geographical and ecological distribution of the Mexican tree porcupine in Oaxaca. Distributional data are fundamental to the species biology and critical to conservation strategies.