We studied richness and distribution of amphibians and non-avian sauropsids from the 2 arid ecoregions of Hidalgo. A taxonomic list with bibliographical and field information was used, complementarity among ecoregions was analyzed and the composition of species against 5 arid regions of Mexico was compared. In addition, we discussed natural history attributes of species, their conservation status, and endemism. We report 82 species (20 amphibian and 62 non-avian sauropsids). The eco-region Central Mexican Shrub showed the greatest richness (65 species; 29 unique and 36 shared with the Central Plateau Shrub eco-region). We found 62 species distributed only in xeric shrub, 2 in deciduous tropical forest and 18 in both types of vegetation. The complementarity between ecoregions was 55 for amphibians and 32.07 for non-avian sauropsids. The greater similarity (52.4) was found with the arid zone of Querétaro. Most species are terrestrial, insectivores, and oviparous. There were more nocturnal amphibians and more diurnal non-avian sauropsids registered. Finally, 18 species are under special protection, 16 threatened and 44 are endemic to Mexico.