Cave splayfoot salamander
| Cave splayfoot salamander | |
|---|---|
Scientific 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]- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Black, R. 2010. 'Lost' frogs found after decades. BBC News, September 22, 2010.
- ^ Ghosh, Subir (September 21, 2010). "'Extinct' species rediscovered after decades lost to science". Digital Journal.
- ^ AmphibiaWeb. 2018. http://amphibiaweb.org University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA. Accessed 15 Apr 2018.
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