We document the first record of Gymnopis syntrema (Dermophiidae) for Mexico. A single individual was found in the Montes Azules Biosphere Reserve, Lacandona region, in the southeast of Mexico. The specimen was collected in an old-growth forest site at the beginning of the rainy season on May, 2012 and extends former known distribution 88 km west from the nearest locality in Guatemala. We also present an updated distribution map of the species based on all known records of the species to date. With this new record, the number of amphibian species in Mexico increases to 377.

The conservation of tropical biodiversity depends not only on forest remnants, but also on anthropogenic land covers. Some shade crops are considered wildlife-friendly agroecosystems, but their conservation value is context- and taxon-dependent. Amphibians and reptiles have received less attention despite their high sensitivity to habitat disturbance. We determined the conservation value of lightly-harvested rustic cocoa plantations for herpetofauna in the Lacandona region, Mexico. We compared 12 environmental variables between habitats. Then, we compared the abundance, species number and composition of amphibian and reptile assemblages. Within each habitat, we explored the relationships between environmental variables and abundance and species number. Tree density, litter cover and litter depth were higher in cocoa. Abundance of reptiles and amphibians were higher in cocoa than forest; species number did not differ. Habitat explained some of the variation (8%) in assemblage composition. In cocoa, amphibian abundance was positively related to canopy height and the presence of a humus layer, while reptile abundance was negatively related to relative humidity. We conclude that lightly-used rustic cocoa plantations can be suitable habitat for forest herpetofauna. As long as cocoa plantations do not replace existing forest cover, they can play an important role in the design of wildlife-friendly tropical landscapes.

We document the first record of Craugastor psephosypharus (Craugastoridae) for Mexico. In October 2014, we collected 2 individuals of this species and observed another 8 specimens in a tropical moist forest fragment in the Lacandona region, southeastern Mexico. We found the frogs during daytime in the rainy season, in the vicinity of a small karst cave system. This new record extends the known distribution of the species 75 km to the west, near the Guatemala-Mexico border. We measured air temperature and vegetation structure at the study site. Air temperatures inside karst cavities were 0.5 • C lower than outside. This is the westernmost record of the species. The finding increases the number of known amphibian species in Mexico to 378.

We document the first verifiable records of Claudius angustatus Cope, 1865 in the Selva Lacandona, Chiapas, Mexico. Three individuals were observed in different types of anthropic land covers. These records are the most recent observations of C. angustatus in the southeastern zone of its range in more than 20 years, thus representing the southernmost known occurrences of this species. With these records we confirm the long-suspected presence of C. angustatus in the region, increasing the number of reptile species in the Selva Lacandona to 91.