Tierra Caliente Research Articles

: Unknown Mexico: A Record of Five Years' Exploration among the Tribes of the Western Sierra Madre; In the Tierra Caliente of Tepic and Jalisco; And among the Tarascos of Michoacan . Carl Lumholtz.

: Unknown Mexico: A Record of Five Years' Exploration among the Tribes of the Western Sierra Madre; In the Tierra Caliente of Tepic and Jalisco; And among the Tarascos of Michoacan . Carl Lumholtz.

Changes in the Arthropod Community along an Elevational Transect in the Venezuelan Andes

Sweep samples of insects at 200, 1600, 3550, and 3600 m elevation in secondary vegetation in the Venezuelan Andes near Merida show that the greatest number of insect species and dry weight occurs at the intermediate elevation, that the species richness of Diptera and parasitic Hymenoptera is not as proportionately reduced by elevation as is the species richness of other insect groups, that at higher elevations there are a reduced number of species and an increasingly unequal distribution of the individuals among the species, and that large insects are much less abundant at high than low elevations. These results confirm trends first indicated in an earlier elevational transect of Costa Rican insects. WE REPORT the results of sweep sampling the insect community at 3600 m, 3550 m, 1600 m, and 200 m elevation in the Venezuelan Andes near Merida, and at 3380 m in Costa Rica. The study is a continuation of the examination of large scale heterogeneity in tropical insect community structure that was initiated by Janzen (1973a,b). Here, we ask how sweep samples of low secondary vegetation differ at elevations characterized by paramo, mid-elevation evergreen forest which is generally converted to coffee and sugar cane plantations in Venezuela, and lowland (tierra caliente) evergreen forest, which is generally converted to cattle pasture and sugar cane in Venezuela.

Notropis tropicus, a New Cyprinid Fish from Eastern Mexico

A distinctive new dwarfed species from Tamesi-Pdnuco stream complex of Atlantic drainage basin of Mdxico is belatedly described. It is one of southernmost members of speciose family Cyprinidae. Among from fresh waters of eastern M6xico discovered by senior author and late Myron Gordon in 1930's and early 1940's, and scheduled for publication in a never consummated regional monograph, is a distinctive little minnow that we are now at long last describing, as still another member of speciose genus Notropis. It is one of southernmost species of family in Atlantic drainage basin, sharing with Notropis lutrensis forlonensis Meek (1904: 70-71, Fig. 30) waters of Tamesi-Panuco stream complex (Darnell, 1962: 325-326). Species referred to Dionda occur in same stream system, and also even farther south, in tierra caliente of eastern drainage of Mdxico (Hubbs and Miller, 1974). Distribution and Habitat.-This species proves to be widely distributed at relatively low elevations (probably not above 800 ft) through drainage basins of terminally lagoon-connected rios Tamesi and PTnuco, but appears to avoid coastwise strip near junction of these two rivers. Darnell (1962: 325) erroneously thought to be limited to Rio Tamesi drainage system, where he took in the middle and lower stretches of Rio Sabinas and Rio Guayalejo at Adjuntas, and added that it was not found in Rios Frio, Boquilla, or Mante. He regarded as apparently attributable to this species his observations on feeding and swimming habits of small cyprinid fishes in Rio Sabinas. His collections led him to suggest that whereas this fish does inhabit larger rivers, is also at home in shallow upstream backwaters such as mouth of Arroyo Encino. The distribution of species in Rio Panuco system appears similar for we have no records toward mouth of that river and none are in-

Characteristics of the Vegetation in Certain Temperate Regions of Eastern Mexico

Much of Mexico has a temperate climate and even though a large portion of its vegetation is distinctly tropical in origin and appearance, a considerable number of species in its flora seem to have had a northern evolution and relationship. This is particularly true of the dominant species (mostly oak and pine) in most of the forests between 3,500 and 6,500 feet. In eastern Mexico certain portions of this temperate vegetation are different from the major part in the composition of the flora and in the unusual structure of the communities which contain a surprising mixture of species with very diverse geographical affinities. Some of these communities exist in the transition zone (generally situated between 3,300 and 4,000 feet in elevation) between tierra caliente (hot country) and tierra templada (temperate country). This zone, while easily recognizable, is not as definitely characterized by certain species or communities as are the zones immediately above and below it. A

Unknown Mexico: A Record of Five Years' Exploration Among the Tribes of the Western Sierra Madre; in the Tierra Caliente of Tepic and Jalisco; and among the Tarascos of Michoacan.By Carl Lumholtz, M.A

<i>Unknown Mexico: A Record of Five Years' Exploration Among the Tribes of the Western Sierra Madre; in the Tierra Caliente of Tepic and Jalisco; and among the Tarascos of Michoacan.</i>By Carl Lumholtz, M.A

Unknown Mexico. A Record of Five Years' Exploration among the Tribes of the Western Sierra Madre; in the Tierra Caliente of Tepic and Jalisco; and among the Tarascos of Michoacan

Unknown Mexico. A Record of Five Years' Exploration among the Tribes of the Western Sierra Madre; in the Tierra Caliente of Tepic and Jalisco; and among the Tarascos of Michoacan