Jump to content

Cave splayfoot salamander

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Cave splayfoot salamander
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Order: Urodela
Family: Plethodontidae
Genus: Chiropterotriton
Species:
C. mosaueri
Binomial name
Chiropterotriton mosaueri

The cave splayfoot salamander (Chiropterotriton mosaueri) is a species of salamander in the family Plethodontidae. It is endemic to Mexico, specifically in the Sierra Madre Oriental pine–oak forests[2] of the northern region of Hidalgo, Mexico.[3] The species was thought to be extinct for over 70 years since its first observation and a study of five salamanders made by Robert Livingston and Harold T. Woodall in 1937.[2] In 2010, this species was spotted for the first time since its 1941 description[4] by Dr. Sean Rovito who identified two individuals during his search for other lost amphibian species.[5]

When preserved in alcohol they found the specimens had an overall dark brown coloration with a light tan underbelly.[2] Features of interest were their webbed "spatulate" feet, number of costal grooves (12–13) and tails which were slightly longer in length than the head and body combined.[2] Their proportionally longer limbs, shorter heads, and large quantity of vomerine teeth set them apart from other species of Chiropterotriton.[2] Their natural habitat is believed to be damp caves where they were initially discovered, however the exact locations are unknown.[2] They are threatened by habitat loss due to deforestation and the expansion of agriculture in the region which causes the caves to become dry.[3]

The cave splayfoot salamander and the bigfoot splayfoot salamander (Chiropterotriton magnipes) are considered to be sympatric since both are rare species and observed in the same cave.[6]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group (2016). "Chiropterotriton mosaueri". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T59228A176773764. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-1.RLTS.T59228A176773764.en. Retrieved 15 November 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Woodall, H. T. (1941). ''A new Mexican salamander of the genus Oedipus.'' Occasional Papers of the Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan, 444, 1-4.
  3. ^ a b Stuart, S.N., Hoffmann, M., Chanson, J.S., Cox, N.A., Berridge, R.J., Ramani, P., and Young, B.E. (eds.) (2008). Threatened Amphibians of the World. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona, Spain; IUCN, Gland, Switzerland; and Conservation International, Arlington, Virginia, USA.
  4. ^ Black, R. 2010. 'Lost' frogs found after decades. BBC News, September 22, 2010.
  5. ^ Ghosh, Subir (September 21, 2010). "'Extinct' species rediscovered after decades lost to science". Digital Journal.
  6. ^ AmphibiaWeb. 2018. http://amphibiaweb.org University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA. Accessed 15 Apr 2018.