26 (1) N6 Bolaños PDF

ISSN 0065-1737 Acta Zoológica Mexicana (n.s.
) 26(1): 237-241 (2010)
Nota Científica
(Short Communication)
FIRST RECORD OF THE CRESTED GUAN

(PENELOPE PURPURASCENS)
IN THE STATE OF GUANAJUATO, MEXICO
Bolaños Martínez R., V. Sánchez-Cordero, M. A. Gurrola Hidalgo, J. A. Iglesias Hernández, G. E.

Magaña-Cota & F. J. Botello López. 2010. Primer registro de la cojolita (Penelope purpurascens)
en el estado de Guanajuato, México. Acta Zoologica Mexicana (n.s.), 26(1): 237-241.
RESUMEN. Aquí se informa sobre el registro de la cojolita en la Reserva de Biosfera Sierra Gorda de
Guanajuato, el cual es el registro más central para esa latitud y el primero para el estado. Esta especie
fue registrada fotográfícamente en un bosque de encino. La presencia de esta especie enfatiza la
necesidad de continuar realizando inventarios biológicos en esta Reserva de la Biosfera.
The Crested Guan (Penelope purpurascens Wagler 1830) is a large (1620 – 2430 g)
and conspicuous bird, occurring from Mexico to Colombia and Venezuela (del Hoyo
1994). It has diurnal habits and it feeds mostly on fruit and berries, reason why it is
considered an important seed disperser (Delacour & Amadon 1973). In Mexico, the
Crested Guan ranges along the tropical regions, including the lowlands along the
Gulf of Mexico, the Pacific coast, and the Yucatan Peninsula (Fig. 1, Ridgely et al.
2007). Usually it has been recorded in tropical rain forest and tropical deciduous
forest below 1000 masl, although it can be found occasionally up to 3000 masl (del
Hoyo 1994). In Mexico it has been recorded from coast to the highlands; for
example, in Guerrero there is a record below 200 masl (eBird 2008), in Nayarit there
is a record above 1000 masl (Espinosa 2000) and in Jalisco it has been recorded near
3000 masl (eBird 2005). The Crested Guan was hunted for subsistence in Mexico
(Toledo 2008), but now is protected, and it has been included in the Mexican
endangered species list (SEMARNAT 2002).
The study site is located at El Platanal, Municipality of Xichu, at the northeastern
boundary of the Sierra Gorda of Guanajuato Biosphere Reserve (SGGBR), in the
state of Guanajuato. This reserve has an extent of 236,882 ha, and it was decreed in
February 2007 (Diario Oficial de la Federación 2007). It is located adjacent to the
states of Queretaro (Sierra Gorda Biosphere Reserve) and San Luis Potosi (Fig.1).
The Platanal, has an altitudinal range between 700 and 2000 masl (field data; this
work), and it presents a semi arid climate, temperate, with summer rainfall (BS1hw),
and a semi arid climate, warm, with summer rainy (BS1h’(h)w(w). The vegetation is
dominated by tropical deciduous forest at the lower riverbed adjacent to the Santa
Recibido: 10/09/2009; aceptado: 14/01/2010.
237
Bolaños Martínez et al.: Penelope purpurascens in Guanajuato, Mexico
Maria as well as in surrounding ravines and canyons, changing towards the upper
parts for submontane scrub and oak-pine forest (Carranza 2005), which could
represent a suitable habitat for the Crested Guan, for its arboreal preferences
(Pacheco 1994; González-García 2001).
On November 1st 2007, we established a plot of 7 x 7 km2 with 49 quadrants of 1
km2 (21°27’30” N, 99°53’30” W to 21°24’00”N, 99°49’30” W), for a general
biodiversity survey. Seven camera-traps were placed in seven of the quadrants for 50
consecutive days. On January 2008, six additional cameras were placed in six
additional quadrants, totaling 13 camera-traps (Analog Stealth Cam 35 mm with
color film), totaling 2016 trap-nights.
We recorded a single picture of the Crested Guan on May 18 2008, at 1960 masl,
in oak forest (21°24’53.5” N, 99°51’17.7” W, Colección de Fotocolectas Biológicas,
Catalogue number: IBUNAM-CFB-4001; see Botello et al. 2007; Figs. 1 and 2).
Figure 1. The known distribution of Penelope purpurascens in central Mexico (dark gray; Ridgely
et al. 2007) and the recent records: El Platanal (A; this work); La Joya del Cedro, (B; Eitniiear 2000;
González 2008); San Rafael, Xilitla, (C; Juárez 2008); San Nicolás de los Montes, Tamasopo,
(D; Vargas 2006); Cañon del Tigre (F; Brush 2009).
238
Acta Zoológica Mexicana (n.s.) 26(1) (2010)
Additionally, on 10 June 2008, we observed a group of three guans a few meters the
monitoring station, which confirms, on different dates, the presence of more than one
individual of this species in the area. These records constitute the first evidence of
the presence of Crested Guan in the state of Guanajuato, expanding its known
distribution, and constituting the most inland record at this latitude (Ridgely et al.
2007). The nearest record of Crested Guan in the region (80.62 km away) was made
in the locality La Joya del Cedro (21°15’05” N, 99°09’01” W), in the Queretaro State
(Eitniear et al. 2000; Fig 1), and the most recent record in that locality was made on
February 2008 (González 2008; Fig 1).
Near Guanajuato, in the state of San Luis Potosi, the Crested Guan was observed
in the locality of San Nicolás de los Montes in the municipality Tamasopo (Vargas
2006; Fig 1) and the community of San Rafael in the municipality of Xilitla (Juárez
2008; Fig 1). Another recent observation near Guanajuato was recorder in Cañón del
Tigre, Tamaulipas (Brush 2009; Fig 1).
Figure 2. Picture of the Crested Guan Penelope purpurascens taken with a camera-trap in an oak
forest at the Sierra Gorda of Guanajuato Biosphere Reserve.
239
Bolaños Martínez et al.: Penelope purpurascens in Guanajuato, Mexico
The Crested Guan has been documented to be an effective seed disperser, with
50% of the seeds dispersed moved > 40 m from the parental plant (Howe 1993). For
these reasons, the presence of the Crested Guan is important to the ecological
integrity of the SGGBR. The Crested Guan, like all cracids, is negatively affected by
hunting and habitat transformation (Strahl & Grajal 1991; Urquiza-Haas et al. 2009).
Thus, this new record confirms the urgency to do extensive biological surveys
looking for the actual distribution and size population of the Crested Guan in the
region, and emphasizes the importance of maintaining this reserve under adequate
conservation and management practices (Strahl & Grajal 1991).
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. This work was supported by the Comisión Nacional para el

Conocimiento y Uso de la Biodiversidad (Project No. FS003), SIBA-UNIBIO, Instituto de Biología
UNAM, CONACyT-CONCYTEG (Project No. GTO-04-C02-85), and IEG (project No.
IEG/FOAM/UNIVERSIDAD DE GTO/02/2005). F. Botello was supported by a scholarship
(CONACyT 48454) and by the Posgrado en Ciencias Biológicas of UNAM. A.T. Peterson made
numerous suggestions that improved this manuscript. We thank the local authorities of Xichú
Guanajuato, especially Mr. Luis Sáenz Villa and his family for their assistance in the field.
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Ricardo BOLAÑOS MARTÍNEZ1, Víctor SÁNCHEZ-CORDERO1, Marco A.

GURROLA HIDALGO1, Jesús A. IGLESIAS HERNÁNDEZ1, Gloria E. MAGAÑA-
COTA2 and Francisco J. BOTELLO LÓPEZ1
1Departamento de Zoología, Instituto de Biología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, AP
70-153, México, D.F., MÉXICO. E-mail: riboma76@gmail.com, victor@ibunam2.ibiologia.unam.mx,
gurrola@ibunam2.ibiologia.unam.mx, fesd8@hotmail.com, fjbl@ibunam2.ibiologia.unam.mx
2Museo de Historia Natural Alfredo Dugès, Universidad de Guanajuato, Lascuráin de Retana No. 5
Col. Centro CP 36000, Guanajuato, Gto. MÉXICO. E-mail: gemc@quijote.ugto.mx
241

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ISSN 0065-1737 Acta Zoológica Mexicana (n.s.

) 26(1): 237-241 (2010)

FIRST RECORD OF THE CRESTED GUAN

Bolaños Martínez R., V. Sánchez-Cordero, M. A. Gurrola Hidalgo, J. A. Iglesias Hernández, G. E.

Recibido: 10/09/2009; aceptado: 14/01/2010.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. This work was supported by the Comisión Nacional para el

Espinosa I. J. A. 2000. Distribución de la riqueza, endemismo y rareza: criterios para la conservación

Ricardo BOLAÑOS MARTÍNEZ1, Víctor SÁNCHEZ-CORDERO1, Marco A.

Col. Centro CP 36000, Guanajuato, Gto. MÉXICO. E-mail: gemc@quijote.ugto.mx

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