|Scientific Name:||Ariocarpus scaphirostris|
|Taxonomic Notes:||Accepted as a valid species by all cactus specialists, including Hunt (1999) and Anderson (2001).|
|Red List Category & Criteria:||Endangered B1ab(iii,v)+2ab(iii,v) ver 3.1|
|Assessor(s):||Fitz Maurice, B, Fitz Maurice, W.A., Smith, M., Gómez-Hinostrosa, C. & Hernández, H.M.|
|Reviewer(s):||Superina, M. & Goettsch, B.K.|
Ariocarpus scaphirostris has a small range (extent of occurrence is <100 km² and area of occupancy is about 12 km²). It is known from three locations, and there is continuing decline due to the impacts of illegal collection and the destruction of part of a colony by quarrying. Hence, the species is listed as Endangered.
|Range Description:||Early observations indicated that this species was restricted to one small locality in the Valley of Rayones in the state of Nuevo León, Mexico. More recently, G.S. Hinton (pers. comm.) has found a wider distribution in this location, and it is now confirmed that there are three distinct locations. The area of occupancy is about 12 km² (Hernández and Gómez-Hinostrosa 2011) and the extent of occurrence is less than 100 km².|
Native:Mexico (Nuevo León)
|Range Map:||Click here to open the map viewer and explore range.|
|Population:||Large numbers of plants occur on several hills. The population is estimated to total more than 25,000 individuals in this area.|
|Habitat and Ecology:||This cactus grows in xerophytic shrubland (on the edge of the Chihuahuan Desert), on calcareous shale hills (very fine-grained soils) and slopes. The tubercles just stick out of the ground.|
|Use and Trade:||This species is grown as an ornamental and probably used for medicinal purposes.|
|Major Threat(s):||Illegal collecting and mining of limestone for construction materials are the main threats. Collection for medicinal purposes may also pose a threat. A student from Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) is studying growth rates in this species and has probably painted plants with red enamel paint as she did with A. bravoanus (Hernández 2008), which has helped to draw attention of collectors to where the plants occur.|
This species is listed on CITES Appendix I, but the laws governing imports in the countries of destination need to be enforced. This species is being propagated, but for a long time most plants traded were field-collected. The species is not known to occur in any protected area. This species is legally protected in Mexico by the national list of species at risk of exisinction, NOM-059-SEMARNAT-2010, where it is listed under category “at risk of extinction” (P; SEMARNAT 2010).
|Citation:||Fitz Maurice, B, Fitz Maurice, W.A., Smith, M., Gómez-Hinostrosa, C. & Hernández, H.M. 2013. Ariocarpus scaphirostris. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2014.3. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 06 March 2015.|
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