Ambystoma leorae (Taylor)
|
back |
| Leora's Stream Salamander (Ambystoma leorae) |
| syn. Rhyacosiredon leorae (Taylor) |
| distribution: Mexico: México |
| local name: Ajolote (Spanish) |
| size: (?) extinction date: last seen 1983 |
| Leora's Stream Salamander
inhabited high-elevation, humid coniferous forest around the city of Río
Frío de Juárez in the Mexican state of México, near the border to the
state of Puebla, and was always found in streams, or immediately adjacent
to streams, within forests with an complete canopy. There is not much known about the habits of this species, in the year 1945, however, Edward H. Taylor and Hobart M. Smith wrote in 'Summary of the collections of amphibians made in Mexico under the Walther Rathbone Bacon Traveling Scholarship, No. 3185. January 30, 1945'.: The adults are extremely shy, hiding under the cut-in edges of the stream at the least disturbance. The last record was in the year 1983, when some individuals were found in several, small streams some kilometres north east of the city of Río Frío de Juárez. The few streams, that are known to have been inhabited by this species, were found dry and filled with trash in the year 2006 (Mexico Herpetology, November 2005). The latest search operation took place in the year 2010, again without any success (S. Voitel: Salamanderreise durch das Hochland von Mexico. August 2010). |
| References: - Edward H. Taylor; Hobart M. Smith: Summary of the collections of amphibians made in Mexico under the Walther Rathbone Bacon Traveling Scholarship, No. 3185. January 30, 1945. In: Proceedings of the United States National Museum. 95: 521-613. 1948 - S. Voitel: Salamanderreise durch das Hochland von Mexico. August 2010 |