Identifying areas of endemism has represented a great challenge, from the search for their definition, the design of methodologies, and the management of essential information to identify areas where the distributions of at least two taxa overlap. Endemicity Analysis is a widely used method that offers good results; however, an evaluation of the results is necessary. We evaluated the previous establishment of the minimum endemicity index of the species as a criterion to identify areas of endemism, applicated to a set of taxa with endemic and preferential distribution to the Sierra Madre Oriental. The taxa included in our analyses were 178 species of plants, vertebrates, and invertebrates. First, we varied the parameter set minimum score species in the software and the size of the cell. Next, we established criteria to evaluate the results obtained: areas supported by unique sets of species, good fit to the area, and sympatric distribution of taxa (extensive or homopatrid). After choosing the minimum ei with the best performance, we modified the study method for the endemicity analysis (Endemicity Analysis with Progressive Species Elimination). Our results indicate that the variation of the ei influenced the number of areas obtained by the program, decreasing considerably after evaluating the first criterion. The best fit to the cells occurred when we set 0.8 as the minimum ei in both cell sizes. The visually-preview of the sympatrid relationships allowed to recognize areas that do not present congruent distributions, although they meet the two previous criteria evaluated. The areas of endemism identified at different scales and those identified with the implementation of our modification were complementary.

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Laelia is an endemic genus of the neotropical region, with the greatest richness occurring in Mexico. A recent phylogenetic study transferred some Mexican laelias to the genus Schomburgkia, which has generated debate. The aim of the present study was to analyze the patterns of species richness and endemism and the current and potential geographic distributions of the taxa of Laelia s.l., as well as the putative Laelia s.s., distributed in Mexico as part of an exploratory evaluation of the generic limits to sheds light on the taxonomic debate and generate baselines to guide conservation efforts. A database was generated with information from herbarium specimens and publications. The species richness was estimated by political division, biomes, and elevation. The endemism was analyzed by political division and using the weighted and corrected weighted endemism indices. Geographic data, climatic, and topographic variables were used to predict the distributions with the maximum entropy algorithm. The results supported the proposal to transfer some species to the genus Schomburgkia. Some areas of the Sierra Madre del Sur and Oriental should be included as priority areas in the conservation strategies of Laelia. This study highlights the importance of the taxonomy, distribution, and hotspots in diversity conservation.