The El Cielo Biosphere Reserve (''Reserva de la Biosfera El Cielo'' in Spanish) is located in the

Sierra Madre Oriental The Sierra Madre Oriental () is a mountain range in northeastern Mexico. The Sierra Madre Oriental is part of the American Cordillera, a chain of mountain ranges (cordillera) that consists of an almost continuous sequence of mountain ranges that f ...

in the southern part of the

Mexican Mexican may refer to: Mexico and its culture *Being related to, from, or connected to the country of Mexico, in North America ** People *** Mexicans, inhabitants of the country Mexico and their descendants *** Mexica, ancient indigenous people ...

state of

Tamaulipas Tamaulipas (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Tamaulipas ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Tamaulipas), is a state in the northeast region of Mexico; one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 Federal Entiti ...

near the town of Gómez Farias. The reserve protects the northernmost extension of tropical forest and

cloud forest A cloud forest, also called a water forest, primas forest, or tropical montane cloud forest (TMCF), is a generally tropical or subtropical, evergreen, montane, moist forest characterized by a persistent, frequent or seasonal low-level cloud ...

in Mexico. It has an area of made up mostly of steep mountains rising from about to a maximum altitude of more than .''Comision Nacional para el Conocimiento y Uso de la Biodiversidad'', http://www2.inecc.gob.mx/publicaciones/libros/2/cielo.html, accessed 18 Dec 2014 The state of Tamaulipas protected the area in 1985 and in 1987 it was formally recognized as a biosphere reserve by

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international coope ...

's Man and the Biosphere Programme."Gomez Farias Region and El Cielo Biosphere Reserve", http://www.botany.si.edu/projects/cpd/ma/ma9.htm , accessed 18 Dec 2014

History

The El Cielo area attracted little attention until the 1930s. In 1935, A Canadian farmer and horticulturalist named John William Francis (Frank, Francisco, or Pancho) Harrison established a homestead he named Rancho El Cielo at elevation in the cloud forest. Noted ornithologist George Miksch Sutton began fieldwork in Mexico in the late 1930s, and by 1941 Sutton and Olin Sewall Pettingill Jr. embarked on a series of extended stays in the Gómez Farias region and found their way to Harrison's small ranch followed by a succession of ornithological publications.Sutton, George Miksch and Olin Sewall Pettingill Jr. (1942). Birds of the Gomez Farias Region, Southwestern Tamaulipas. The Auk, 59(1): 1-34. Sutton's protégé, Paul S. Martin also conducted extensive fieldwork in the region from 1948 to 1953, publishing herpetological studies that culminated with his ''Biogeography of Reptiles and Amphibians in the Gómez Farias Region, Tamaulipas, Mexico'',Martin, Paul S. 1958. A Biogeography of Reptiles and Amphibians in the Gómez Farias Region, Tamaulipas, Mexico. Miscellaneous Publications, Museum of Zoology University of Michigan, 101: 1-102. considered by some to be one of the finer examples of a

biogeography Biogeography is the study of the distribution of species and ecosystems in geographic space and through geological time. Organisms and biological communities often vary in a regular fashion along geographic gradients of latitude, elevation, ...

in any region or discipline, "a classic treatise in historical biogeography". Extensive logging and roads penetrated the area in the 1950s. In 1965, to protect the ecosystem, Harrison transferred his land to a non-profit corporation in cooperation with

Texas Southmost College Texas Southmost College (TSC) is a public junior college located in Brownsville, Texas. History Early history Texas Southmost College was established in 1926 under the name of The Junior College of the Lower Rio Grande Valley, as a subsidiary ...

and the Gorgas Science Foundation. In 1966, Harrison was murdered in a land dispute with local farmers. Harrison's farm is now the El Cielo Biological Research Center (or Rancho del Cielo). In 1983, the Gorgas Science Foundation established Rancho El Cielito by purchasing land along the

Sabinas River The Sabinas River is a river of Mexico. It is a tributary of the Rio Salado, which in turn flows into the Rio Grande. See also * List of rivers of Mexico * List of tributaries of the Rio Grande Tributaries and sub-tributaries are hierarchically ...

, just outside the reserve, to preserve part of a

riparian A riparian zone or riparian area is the interface between land and a river or stream. Riparian is also the proper nomenclature for one of the terrestrial biomes of the Earth. Plant habitats and communities along the river margins and banks a ...

ecosystem.

Geography

The reserve has two core areas in which most human travel and exploitation are prohibited. One, in area, protects tropical forests while the larger core area of includes a cross section of the altitudes and climates of the area, especially the cloud forest. The remainder of the reserve is a buffer zone in which human activities, including limited logging, is permitted. Several communities within the reserve offer facilities for visitors and are reachable by road. An ecological interpretive center is reached by paved road a few miles west of the town of Gómez Farías. The interpretive center, located at an elevation of offers good views of the tropical forest and facilities for visitors.Google Earth The reserve occupies portions of four Mexican municipalities in the state of Tamaulipas: Jaumave, Llera de Canales, Gómez Farías, and Ocampo. Within it are 26

ejido An ''ejido'' (, from Latin ''exitum'') is an area of communal land used for agriculture in which community members have usufruct rights rather than ownership rights to land, which in Mexico is held by the Mexican state. People awarded ejidos in ...

s (hamlets with communal land) and about of agricultural land used mostly to cultivate corn, beans, and rice. The principal access is a road, initially paved, from the town of Gomez Farias into the interior and higher elevations. The community of

Alta Cima Alta Cima is a village located within El Cielo Biosphere Reserve, in the municipality of Gómez Farías in Tamaulipas, Mexico. There are approximately 180 residents living in 40 households. The nearest cities are Ciudad Mante and Ciudad Victori ...

(also known as Altas Cimas), at an elevation of has modest lodging and restaurants for visitors. Camping is allowed. The highest point in the reserve is located at 23 14N, 99 30W. The lowest elevations are about at the eastern, northern, and southern boundaries. The reserve is characterized by steep, north-south trending mountain ranges, eastern extensions of the

, made up of

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms w ...

. Typical of

karst Karst is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble rocks such as limestone, Dolomite (rock), dolomite, and gypsum. It is characterized by underground drainage systems with sinkholes and caves. It has also been documented for more weathe ...

topography, caves, sinkholes, and rock outcrops are common.

Flora

Several distinct vegetation types are found in the reserve. Vegetation in the drier northern and western portions of the reserve up to an elevation of consists of desert and semi-desert shrublands, the montane

Tamaulipan matorral The Tamaulipan matorral is an ecoregion in the deserts and xeric shrublands biome on the eastern slopes of the Sierra Madre Oriental range in northeastern Mexico. It is a transitional ecoregion between the Tamaulipan mezquital and the Sierra Ma ...

and the lowland Tamaulipan mezquital. Shrubs and small trees generally do not exceed in height except in riparian locations. Annual precipitation in the shrublands is less than . In the eastern part of the reserve, sub-tropical semi-deciduous forests ( Veracruz moist forests) are found at elevations of from and above sea level. The closed canopy forests averages about in height. Annual precipitation of this zone is usually from to more than . The principal reason for the establishment of El Cielo was the prevalence of

s, distinguished by heavy precipitation, foggy conditions, and abundant mosses and fungi, at elevations of to . The El Cielo cloud forests receive precipitation of about annually. The closed canopy forests reach a height of about . Oak forests, (

Sierra Madre Oriental pine-oak forests Sierra (Spanish for "mountain range" and "saw", from Latin '' serra'') may refer to the following: Places Mountains and mountain ranges * Sierra de Juárez, a mountain range in Baja California, Mexico * Sierra de las Nieves, a mountain range ...

), mixed oak-pine forest, and pine forests are found at elevations of to the top of highest summits in the reserve. These forested highland areas are drier than the cloud forests with an average precipitation of annually. All of the vegetation types experience a wet season from May to October and a dry season from November to April. More than 1,000 species of plants have been recorded from the cloud forests consisting of 56 percent tropical species, 20 percent temperate, 19 percent cosmopolitan, and 5 percent other. Included are species associated with the temperate climate of the eastern United States such as

maple ''Acer'' () is a genus of trees and shrubs commonly known as maples. The genus is placed in the family Sapindaceae.Stevens, P. F. (2001 onwards). Angiosperm Phylogeny Website. Version 9, June 2008 nd more or less continuously updated since h ...

(''Acer skutchii''),

hickory Hickory is a common name for trees composing the genus ''Carya'', which includes around 18 species. Five or six species are native to China, Indochina, and India (Assam), as many as twelve are native to the United States, four are found in Mex ...

(''

Carya ovata ''Carya ovata'', the shagbark hickory, is a common hickory in the Eastern United States and southeast Canada. It is a large, deciduous tree, growing well over tall, and can live more than 350 years. The tallest measured shagbark, located in Sav ...

''),

hornbeam Hornbeams are hardwood trees in the flowering plant genus ''Carpinus'' in the birch family Betulaceae. The 30–40 species occur across much of the temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. Origin of names The common English name ''hornbeam ...

(''

Carpinus tropicalis ''Carpinus tropicalis'' is a species of tree native to central and southern Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, and Nicaragua. Description ''Carpinus tropicalis'' is small to medium-sized tree which grows up to 30 meters tall, with a trunk ...

''), and

redbud ''Cercis'' is a genus of about 10 species in the subfamily Cercidoideae of the pea family Fabaceae, native to warm temperate regions. It contains small deciduous trees or large shrubs commonly known as redbuds. They are characterised by simpl ...

('' Cercis canadensis''). A botanical garden and

arboretum An arboretum (plural: arboreta) in a general sense is a botanical collection composed exclusively of trees of a variety of species. Originally mostly created as a section in a larger garden or park for specimens of mostly non-local species, man ...

is located in Alta Cima at an elevation of . File:El Cielo Biosphere Reserve, Municipality of Gómez Farías, Tamaulipas, Mexico (16 April 2001).jpg, The road into the cloud forest at El Cielo Biosphere Reserve, Municipality of Gómez Farías, Tamaulipas, Mexico (16 April 2001) File:Cloud forest road in El Cielo Biosphere Reserve, 24 September 2003.jpg, The few roads in the cloud forest of El Cielo Biosphere Reserve are suitable for four-wheel drive vehicles only (12 August 2004). File:Cloud forest stream in El Cielo Biosphere Reserve, 24 September 2003.jpg, Mountain streams disappear into fissures and sinkholes then reappear and disappear again throughout the karstic environment (12 August 2004).

Fauna

Mammals: Six species of cats, none abundant, are found in the reserve:

jaguar The jaguar (''Panthera onca'') is a large cat species and the only living member of the genus ''Panthera'' native to the Americas. With a body length of up to and a weight of up to , it is the largest cat species in the Americas and the th ...

, mountain lion,

ocelot The ocelot (''Leopardus pardalis'') is a medium-sized spotted wild cat that reaches at the shoulders and weighs between on average. It was first described by Carl Linnaeus in 1758. Two subspecies are recognized. It is native to the southwe ...

margay The margay (''Leopardus wiedii'') is a small wild cat native to Central and South America. A solitary and nocturnal cat, it lives mainly in primary evergreen and deciduous forest. Until the 1990s, margays were hunted illegally for the wild ...

jaguarundi The jaguarundi (''Herpailurus yagouaroundi'') is a wild cat native to the Americas. Its range extends from central Argentina in the south to northern Mexico, through Central and South America east of the Andes. The jaguarundi is a medium-size ...

, and

bobcat The bobcat (''Lynx rufus''), also known as the red lynx, is a medium-sized cat native to North America. It ranges from southern Canada through most of the contiguous United States to Oaxaca in Mexico. It is listed as Least Concern on the ...

. A small population of black bears is also present. At least 255 species of birds are resident in the reserve and more than 175 migratory species have been recorded. Both birds and mammals are a mixture of temperate and tropical species. The large cats, jaguars and mountain lions, are generally regarded favorably by the people living in the reserve. Mountain lions are more often seen in the cloud forests and the higher elevations of the reserve, while jaguars are more common in the lower-elevation tropical forests. Camera traps set out in tropical forests photographed eight male, female, and juvenile jaguars in a survey area of . The investigators estimated a density of six jaguars per . The principal prey animals of the jaguar are the

lowland paca The lowland paca (''Cuniculus paca''), also known as the spotted paca, is a large rodent found in tropical and sub-tropical America, from east-central Mexico to northern Argentina, and has been introduced to Cuba and Algeria. The animal is calle ...

, Central American red brocket deer, white-tail deer,

Virginia opossum The Virginia opossum (''Didelphis virginiana''), also known as the North American opossum, is the only opossum living north of Mexico, its range extending south into Central America. It is the northernmost marsupial in the world. In the United S ...

, collared peccary, racoon, and

great curassow The great curassow (''Crax rubra'') is a large, pheasant-like bird from the Neotropical rainforests, its range extending from eastern Mexico, through Central America to western Colombia and northwestern Ecuador. Male birds are black with curly ...

. In addition the jaguar sometimes preys on domestic animals. Birds: The area is very rich in bird diversity, just a few of the tropical species occurring in the area include the bare-throated tiger-heron ('' Tigrisoma mexicanum''), boat-billed heron ('' Cochlearius cochlearius''), plumbeous kite ('' Ictinia plumbea''), ornate hawk-eagle (''

Spizaetus ornatus The ornate hawk-eagle (''Spizaetus ornatus'') is a fairly large bird of prey from the tropical Americas. Formerly, some authorities referred to this species as the crested hawk-eagle, a name that may cause some confusion as it is more commonly us ...

''), bat falcon (''

Falco rufigularis The bat falcon (''Falco rufigularis'') is a falcon that is a resident breeder in tropical Mexico, Central and South America, Trinidad. It was long known as ''Falco albigularis''; the names ''Falco fusco-coerulescens'' or ''Falco fuscocaerulesce ...

''), great curassow (''

Crax rubra The great curassow (''Crax rubra'') is a large, pheasant-like bird from the Neotropical rainforests, its range extending from eastern Mexico, through Central America to western Colombia and northwestern Ecuador. Male birds are black with curly ...

''), yellow-headed parrot ('' Amazona oratrix''), military macaw (''

Ara militaris The military macaw (''Ara militaris'') is a large parrot and a medium-sized macaw that gets its name from its predominantly green plumage resembling a military parade uniform. It is native to forests of Mexico and South America and though conside ...

''), squirrel cuckoo ('' Piaya cayana''), northern potoo (''

Nyctibius jamaicensis The northern potoo (''Nyctibius jamaicensis'') is a nocturnal bird belonging to the potoo family, Nyctibiidae. It is found from Mexico south to Costa Rica, and on the islands of Jamaica and Hispaniola (in the Dominican Republic and Haiti). ...

''), green-breasted mango ('' Anthracothorax prevostii''), mountain trogon ('' Trogon mexicanus''), blue-crowned motmot ('' Momotus momota''), pale-billed woodpecker ('' Campephilus guatemalensis''), ivory-billed woodcreeper ('' Xiphorhynchus flavigaster''), barred antshrike ('' Thamnophilus doliatus''), yellow-throated euphonia ('' Euphonia hirundinacea'').Howell, S. N. G. and S. Webb. (1995). ''A Guide to the Birds of Mexico and Northern Cantral America''. Oxford University Press. Oxford. xvi, 851 pp. Reptiles: Although Morelet’s crocodile (''

Crocodylus moreletii Morelet's crocodile ''(Crocodylus moreletii)'', also known as the Mexican crocodile or Belize crocodile, is a modest-sized crocodilian found only in fresh waters of the Atlantic regions of Mexico, Belize and Guatemala. It usually grows to about ...

'') and several species of turtles occur in Tamaulipas, they are largely absent from the mountain slopes of El Cielo, however, the Mexican box turtle ('' Terrapene mexicana'') has been recorded at lower elevation in the area.

Paul Martin Paul Edgar Philippe Martin (born August 28, 1938), also known as Paul Martin Jr., is a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as the 21st prime minister of Canada and the leader of the Liberal Party of Canada from 2003 to 2006. The son ...

recorded 24 species of lizards and 44 snakes. Lizards include lower elevation species like the casque-headed lizard ('' Laemanctus serratus''), Mexican spiny-tailed iguana (''

Ctenosaura acanthura ''Ctenosaura acanthura'', is a species of iguanid lizard found in eastern Mexico and extreme western Guatemala. The standardized English name is the Mexican spiny-tailed iguana (Spanish: garrobo del noreste).Liner, E. A. and G. Casas-Andreu. 200 ...

''), and rainbow ameiva ('' Holcosus amphigrammus''). Higher elevations support populations of banded arboreal alligator lizard ('' Abronia taeniata''), minor spiny lizard ('' Sceloporus minor''), Dice’s short-nosed skink ('' Plestiodon dicei''), Madrean tropical night lizard ('' Lepidophyma sylvaticum''), and the flathead knob-scaled lizard (''

Xenosaurus platyceps ''Xenosaurus platyceps'', the flathead knob-scaled lizard, is a lizard found in the Sierra Madre Oriental of Mexico. Its natural habitat is dry scrub forest and oak savanna. The species is endangered due to habitat fragmentation for the develop ...

''). The Tamaulipan montane gartersnake ('' Thamnophis mendax'') is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found else ...

to El Cielo. Other snake snakes include the boa constrictor ( Boa onstrictorimperator), speckled racer ('' Drymobius margaritiferus''), mountain earth snake ('' Geophis latifrontalis''), blunthead tree snake ('' Imantodes cenchoa''), Mexican parrot snake ('' Leptophis mexicanus''), brown vine snake (''

Oxybelis aeneus ''Oxybelis aeneus'', commonly known as the Mexican vine snake or brown vine snake, is a species of colubrid snake, which is endemic to the Americas. Geographic range and habitat ''O. aeneus'' is found from within the Atascosa, Patagonia, and ...

''), Gaige’s pine forest snake ('' Rhadinaea gaigeae''), tropical tree snake ('' Spilotes pullatus''), and the terrestrial snail sucker ('' Tropidodipsas sartorii''). Venomous snakes like the Tamaulipas rock rattlesnake ('' Crotalus morulus'') and Totonacan rattlesnake ('' Crotalus totonacus'') occur in the cloud forest, and the terciopelo ('' Bothrops asper'') can be found on the lower slopes. File:Plestiodon dicei, Dice’s Short-nosed Skink, Tamaulipas.jpg, Dice’s short-nosed skink (''

Plestiodon ''Plestiodon'' is a genus of lizards in the family Scincidae (skinks). The genus contains many species formerly classified under the genus ''Eumeces'', except those now placed in '' Mesoscincus''. They are secretive, agile animals with a cylin ...

dicei''), El Cielo Biosphere Reserve, Tamaulipas, Mexico (12 August 2004). File:Xenosaurus platyceps WLF-368-4X, Municipio Victoria; 12 July 2004.jpg, Flathead knob-scaled lizard(''

''), Municipality of Victoria, Tamaulipas (12 July 2004) File:Drymobius margaritiferus, Northern Speckled Racer, Tamaulipas.jpg, Northern speckled racer ('' Drymobius margaritiferus''), El Cielo Biosphere Reserve, Mexico (12 August 2004). File:Crotalus morulus, Tamaulipan Rock Rattlesnake, Tamailipas.jpg, Tamaulipan Rock Rattlesnake ('' Crotalus morulus''), El Cielo Biosphere Reserve, Tamaulipas, Mexico (27 May 2005). File:Boa imperator, Central American Boa Constrictor Tamaulipas.jpg, Central American boa constrictor ('' Boa imperator''), Gómez Farías, Tamaulipas, Mexico (23 August 2007). Amphibians: Two

salamanders are known from, the El Cielo salamander ('' Chiropterotriton cieloensis'') and graceful flat-footed salamander ('' Chiropterotriton cracens''). Other species include the Tamaulipan false brook salamander ('' Aquiloeurycea scandens''), broadfoot mushroomtongue salamander ('' Bolitoglossa platydactyla'')Farr, William L., Pablo A. Lavin-Murcio, and David Lazcano. (2007). ''New Distributional Records for Amphibians and Reptiles from the State of Tamaulipas, Mexico''. Herpetological Review 38(2): 226-233. and Bell’s salamander ('' Isthmura bellii''). Frogs and toads from the region include the Rio Grande leopard frog (''

Lithobates berlandieri The Rio Grande leopard frog (''Lithobates berlandieri'' or ''Rana berlandieri'') is a species of aquatic frog native to the southern United States in Texas and New Mexico, and south through Mexico and Central America. It is also sometimes ref ...

''), Mexican treefrog ('' Smilisca baudinii''), small-eared treefrog (''Rheohyla miotympanum''), mountain treefrog ('' Dryophytes eximius''), long-footed chirping frog ('' Eleutherodactylus longipes''), and predominantly subterranean species like the barking frog ('' Craugastor augusti'') and Adorned Robber frog ('' Craugastor decoratus''). At lower elevations the sabinal frog ('' Leptodactylus melanonotus''), veined treefrog ('' Trachycephalus'' 'vermiculatus''''typhonius'', sheep frog (''

Hypopachus variolosus ''Hypopachus'' is a genus of microhylid frog A frog is any member of a diverse and largely carnivorous group of short-bodied, tailless amphibians composing the order Anura (ανοὐρά, literally ''without tail'' in Ancient Greek). The ...

''), and the burrowing toad ('' Rhinophrynus dorsalis'') may be found. File:Aquiloeurycea cephalica, Chunky False Brook Salamander, Tamaulipas.jpg, Chunky false brook salamander ('' Aquiloeurycea cephalica''), El Cielo Biosphere Reserve, Tamaulipas, Mexico (12 August 2004). File:Aquiloeurycea scandens, Tamaulipan False Brook Salamander, Tamaulipas.jpg, Tamaulipan false brook salamander ('' Aquiloeurycea scandens''), El Cielo Biosphere Reserve, Tamaulipas, Mexico (25 May 2005). File:Isthmura bellii, Bell’s Salamander, Tamaulipas.jpg, Bell’s salamander ('' Isthmura bellii''), El Cielo Biosphere Reserve, Tamaulipas, Mexico (27 September 2004). File:Smilisca baudinii, Mexican Treefrog, Tamaulipas.jpg, Mexican treefrog ('' Smilisca baudinii''), Gómez Farías, Tamaulipas, Mexico (8 August 2004). File:Trachycephalus typhonius, Veined Treefrog, Tamaulipas.jpg, Veined treefrog ('' Trachycephalus typhonius''), Gómez Farías, Tamaulipas, Mexico (5 June 2002). Fishes: Although the steep mountain slopes and

karstic Karst is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble rocks such as limestone, dolomite, and gypsum. It is characterized by underground drainage systems with sinkholes and caves. It has also been documented for more weathering-resistant ro ...

environment do not support a large fish diversity, lower elevation tributaries in the Rio Guayalejo drainage, such as the Rio Sabinas and Rio Frio and associated springs and creeks contain species like the longnose gar (''

Lepisosteus osseus The longnose gar (''Lepisosteus osseus''), also known as longnose garpike or billy gar, is a ray-finned fish in the family Lepisosteidae. The genus may have been present in North America for about 100 million years. References are made to gars ...

''), red shiner (''

Cyprinella lutrensis The red shiner or red-horse minnow (''Cyprinella lutrensis'') is a North American species of freshwater fish in the family Cyprinidae. They are deep-bodied and laterally compressed,Farringer R.T., III, A.A. Echelle, and S.F. Lehtinen. 1979. Repr ...

''), lantern minnow ('' Dionda ipni''), pigmy shiner ('' Notropis tropicus''), Mexican tetra (''

Astyanax mexicanus The Mexican tetra (''Astyanax mexicanus''), also known as the blind cave fish, blind cave characin, and blind cave tetra, is a freshwater fish of the family Characidae of the order Characiformes. The type species of its genus, it is native ...

''), gold gambusia ('' Gambusia aurata''), Forlón gambusia ('' Gambusia regani''), Gulf gambusia ('' Gambusia vittata''), mountain swordtail (''

Xiphophorus nezahualcoyotl ''Xiphophorus nezahualcoyotl'', the mountain swordtail, is a live bearing fish in the family Poeciliidae. It is endemic to the northwestern Pánuco River The Pánuco River ( es, Río Pánuco, ), also known as the ''Río de Canoas'', is a riv ...

''), and variable platyfish ('' Xiphophorus variatus''), Tamesí molly ('' Poecilia latipunctata''), and the Amazon molly ('' Poecilia formosa''), an all female species, reproduces through gynogenesis. The phantom blindcat ('' Prietella lundbergi'') is known only from subterranean waters and has been collected by cave drivers at depths of 50 meters in Rio Frio cave systems.Miller, R. R., W. L. Minckley, and S. M. Norris. (2005). ''Freshwater Fishes of Mexico''. University of Chicago Press. Chicago, Illinois. xxv, 490 pp. García de León, Francisco J., Delladira Gutiérrez Tirado, Dean A. Hendrickson, and Héctor Espinosa Pérez (2005). ''Fishes of the Continental Waters of Tamaulipas: Diversity and Conservation Status''. ''In'' Jean-Luc E. Cartron, Gerardo Ceballos, and Richard S. Felger (eds.). ''Biodiversity, Ecosystems, and Conservation in Northern Mexico''. Oxford University Press, Inc. New York, N. Y. xvi, 496 pp.

Climate

The climate of Gómez Farías, to the east, is typical of the lower and wetter elevations of the reserve. Higher elevations are substantially cooler and precipitation declines rapidly on the western slopes of the mountains. The Sierra Madre Oriental create a

rain shadow A rain shadow is an area of significantly reduced rainfall behind a mountainous region, on the side facing away from prevailing winds, known as its leeward side. Evaporated moisture from water bodies (such as oceans and large lakes) is ca ...

effect. The town of

Jaumave, Tamaulipas Jaumave is a town and a municipality located in the Mexican state of Tamaulipas Tamaulipas (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Tamaulipas ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Tamaulipas), is a state in the northeast region of Mexico; on ...

at the northwestern entrance to the reserve receives only of precipitation annually and has a semi-arid, near-desert climate. Freezing temperatures are rare at the lower elevations of El Cielo, but common in winter at elevations of more than

References

{{reflist Tourist attractions in Tamaulipas Protected areas of Tamaulipas Geography of Tamaulipas Biosphere reserves of Mexico Protected areas of the Sierra Madre Oriental Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests Veracruz moist forests Cloud forests of Mexico