Acharagma aguirreanum
Overview
A detailed profile for this species is sourced from the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species as assessments become available.
Acharagma aguirreanum faces severe threats from limestone quarrying operations that directly destroy its specialized habitat in the Sierra de la Paila mountains. The species' extremely restricted range makes it vulnerable to habitat fragmentation and degradation from mining activities. Climate change poses additional risks through altered precipitation patterns that could affect the delicate moisture balance required by this desert cactus.
Habitat
This critically endangered cactus is endemic to limestone outcrops and rocky slopes in the Sierra de la Paila mountains of Coahuila, Mexico. It grows in extremely arid desert scrubland at elevations between 1,200-1,500 meters, requiring specific soil chemistry and drainage conditions found only in weathered limestone substrates.