Plateau tiger salamander
Appearance
[edit]
| Plateau tiger salamander | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Amphibia |
| Order: | Urodela |
| Family: | Ambystomatidae |
| Genus: | Ambystoma |
| Species: | A. velasci
|
| Binomial name | |
| Ambystoma velasci (Dugès, 1888)
| |
| Synonyms | |
|
Ambystoma tigrinum velasci (Dugès, 1888) | |
The plateau tiger salamander or Mexican tiger salamander (Ambystoma velasci) is a species of mole salamander in the family Ambystomatidae.[1] It exhibits facultative paedomorphosis.[1] Adult plateau tiger salamanders are olive green in color across their backs with dark spots, and are white or cream across the underside of their abdomen.[2] They demonstrate external gills similar to those on other aquatic salamander species.[2] However, this species can undergo metamorphosis again in adulthood, via a complex genetic mechanism in response to their environment.[3] During this change, the salamander shrinks, loses its external gills and the legs elongate.[3] An Axolotl that has gone through metamorphosis resembles an adult plateau tiger salamander, although the axolotl differs in its longer toes.
Habitat and Distribution
[edit]The plateau tiger salamander is typically considered endemic to Mexico,[4] although its range might extend to the United States.[1] They have a wide geographic distribution, ranging from Chihuahua in the north, to Durango in the south, and to Jalisco in the west.[5] Its natural habitat is grassland, including sparse forest and semiarid grassland. Breeding takes place in a range of aquatic habitats: deep volcanic lakes, shallow vernal pools, artificial cattle ponds, and intermittent, fish-free stream pools. In the highlands of central Mexico, the plateau tiger salamander inhabits ponds and small streams in tropical deciduous forests or in pine oak forests.[5]
Threats
[edit]Ambystoma velasci is locally threatened by habitat loss due to urbanization, forest clearance, and water extraction, and also by pollution and the introduction of fish and frogs (Lithobates catesbeianus).[1] Overall the main treat to the species is loss and destruction of continuous habitats via human activity. The main threats being logging, and human caused forest fires.[5] They are listed as LC (least concern) by the IUCN on the IUCN Red List, however plateau tiger salamanders are under a special protection category under Mexican law[5]. Out of Mammalian, Avian, and Herpetofauna species, Herpetofauna receive the least studies but in these studies.[6]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group (2020). "Ambystoma velasci". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2020: e.T62130287A53974804. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-2.RLTS.T62130287A53974804.en. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
- ^ a b Percino-Daniel, Ruth; Llamas, José Cruz Gómez; López, José Manuel Contreras (April 7, 2019). "New Record of Ambystoma velasci (Dugés, 1888) from Western Mexico". Herpetology Notes. 12: 351–352.
- ^ a b Palacios-Martinez, Janet; Caballero-Perez, Juan; Espinal-Centeno, Annie; Marquex-Chavoya, Gilberto; Lomeli, Hilda; Salas-Vidal, Enrique; Schnabel, Denhi; Chimal-Monroy, Jesus; Cruz-Ramirez, Alfredo (August 21, 2020). "Multi-organ transcriptomic landscape of Ambystoma velasci metamorphosis". Developmental Biology. 466 (1–2): 22–35 – via Elsevier.
- ^ Frost, Darrel R. (2014). "Ambystoma velasci (Dugès, 1888)". Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 6.0. American Museum of Natural History. Retrieved 6 February 2015.
- ^ a b c d Contreras-Calvario, Ángel Iván; Soto-Pozos, Ángel F; Castillo-Juárez, Jorge Luis; Calzada-Arciniega, Rafael Alejandro; Parra-Olea, Gabriela (March 1, 2021). "The distribution of Ambystoma velasci Dugés 1888 in Veracruz, Mexico: insights for its conservation in the region". Herpetology Notes. 14: 469–473.
- ^ Chalfoun, A. D. (September 2021). "Responses of Vertebrate Wildlife to Oil and Natural Gas Development: Patterns and Frontiers". Current Landscape Ecology Reports. 6 (3): 71–84. doi:10.1007/s40823-021-00065-0. ISSN 2364-494X. S2CID 236560077.
.jpg){kind=small} | This salamander article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |