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Abstract
Mexico is center of origin of four domesticated species of Cucurbita spp. (C. argyrosperma Huber ssp. argyrosperma, C. ficifolia Bouche, C. moschata Duchesne and C. pepo spp pepo L.), and 11 wild species from the genus are found, which are grouped into annual-mesophytic and perennial-xerophytic with genetic and geographic separation. The real and potential distribution was defined, as well as the areas of greater wealth of cultivated and wild species of Cucurbita spp., based on records of accessions in the Squash Network of the National Seed Inspection and Certification Service (Servicio Nacional de Inspección y Certificación de Semillas, SNICS) and herbarium records. For this purpose, ArcMap ver. 10.4
MAXENT and DIVA GIS ver. 7.5 were used. Of the species cultivated, seven sites were identified where the four species found in Mexico converge, with two points that are highly susceptible to risks of flooding, low temperatures, and high migration and marginalization indexes. The potential distribution of the wild species in Mexico increased significantly only in the species C. pedatifolia, C. radicans and C. foetidissima. It is considered priority to implement in situ conservation strategies for C. pepo spp. pepo because it is susceptible to suffering genetic erosion due to the displacement of Creole varieties by improved genotypes. Of the eight wild species considered in this study, there are no representative accessions
protected in conservation centers designated by the SNICS, so there is a need to perform a guided collection and to implement in situ conservation actions for the endemic species in Mexico.
