Opuntia pachyrrhiza

Taxonomy

Assessment Information

Geographic Range

Population

Habitat and Ecology

Threats

Conservation Actions

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Taxonomy [top]

Kingdom	Phylum	Class	Order	Family
PLANTAE	TRACHEOPHYTA	MAGNOLIOPSIDA	CARYOPHYLLALES	CACTACEAE

Scientific Name:	Opuntia pachyrrhiza
Species Authority:	H.M.Hern., Gómez-Hin. & Bárcenas
Taxonomic Notes:	Hunt et al. (2006) treat O. pachyrriza as being conspecific with O. megarrhiza, but that treatment is not followed here and the two species are assessed separately.

Assessment Information [top]

Red List Category & Criteria:	Vulnerable B1ab(iii)+2ab(iii); C1 ver 3.1
Year Published:	2002
Annotations:	Needs updating
Assessor/s:	Hernández, H.M., Gómez-Hinostrosa, C. & Goettsch, B.
Reviewer/s:	Stuppy, W. & Taylor, N.P. (Cacti & Succulent Plant Red List Authority)
Contributor/s:
Justification: Qualifies due to its small extent of occurrence (ca. 63 km²) and to the fact that the population is fragmented, and only nine locations are known. The quality of its habitat is expected to decline in the long term due to the intensification of human activities. The rhizomes of this species are collected by local people for medicinal purposes.

Geographic Range [top]

Range Description:	Restricted to the summits of La Trinidad and El Azul mountain ranges, in San Luis Potosí, Mexico. Only nine localities are known. The population size is <10,000 mature individuals
Countries:	Native: Mexico (San Luis Potosí)
Range Map:	Click here to open the map viewer and explore range.

Population [top]

Population Trend:	Decreasing

Population Trend:

Decreasing

Habitat and Ecology [top]

Habitat and Ecology:	Found in areas of disturbed grassland and chaparral of Quercus striatula and Agave asperrima. The soils are relatively deep-dark clay, with limestone outcrops.
Systems:	Terrestrial

Threats [top]

Major Threat(s):	Natural vegetation is almost totally modified, due to livestock raising. The species is under some pressure due to its medicinal uses.

Major Threat(s):

Natural vegetation is almost totally modified, due to livestock raising. The species is under some pressure due to its medicinal uses.

Conservation Actions [top]

Conservation Actions:	Listed on CITES Appendix II. The species is within a recently decreed protected area (Area Natural Protegida del Real de Guadalcázar). The effective conservation of this area would ensure the survival of the species. The medicinal value of the species has to be verified through scientific research. Its possible utilization could lead to its conservation through management.

Conservation Actions:

Listed on CITES Appendix II. The species is within a recently decreed protected area (Area Natural Protegida del Real de Guadalcázar). The effective conservation of this area would ensure the survival of the species. The medicinal value of the species has to be verified through scientific research. Its possible utilization could lead to its conservation through management.

Citation:	Hernández, H.M., Gómez-Hinostrosa, C. & Goettsch, B. 2002. Opuntia pachyrrhiza. In: IUCN 2012. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2012.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 19 May 2013.
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