Anderson's Salamander
Encyclopedia
Anderson's Salamander is a neotenic
salamander from Laguna de Zacapú in the Mexican state of Michoacán
.
This salamander is a relatively recent discovery, first described by Brandon and Krebs in 1984. Ambystoma andersoni is named after James Anderson, a herpetologist with the American Museum of Natural History
who did extensive fieldwork studying Ambystoma and other herp species in Mexico.
Like all neotenic Ambystoma species, andersoni retains its larval features into adulthood. The mature salamander has medium-sized external gills
with bright red filaments, and a prominent caudal fin. It has a large head and small limbs, as do the larvae. Its coloration is a strange pattern of black blotches on a red-brown base. The salamanders are totally aquatic and spend their whole lives in the same body of water.
, sitting at an altitude of 2000 meters. The lake is located within the Mesa Central portion of Mexico, an area home to many neotenic Ambystoma species. It is temperate, with low salinity, and has a single stream originating from it.
Anderson's Salamander is listed as critically endangered on the IUCN Red List.
Neoteny
Neoteny , also called juvenilization , is one of the two ways by which paedomorphism can arise. Paedomorphism is the retention by adults of traits previously seen only in juveniles, and is a subject studied in the field of developmental biology. In neoteny, the physiological development of an...
salamander from Laguna de Zacapú in the Mexican state of Michoacán
Michoacán
Michoacán officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Michoacán de Ocampo is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 113 municipalities and its capital city is Morelia...
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This salamander is a relatively recent discovery, first described by Brandon and Krebs in 1984. Ambystoma andersoni is named after James Anderson, a herpetologist with the American Museum of Natural History
American Museum of Natural History
The American Museum of Natural History , located on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City, United States, is one of the largest and most celebrated museums in the world...
who did extensive fieldwork studying Ambystoma and other herp species in Mexico.
Like all neotenic Ambystoma species, andersoni retains its larval features into adulthood. The mature salamander has medium-sized external gills
External gills
External gills are the gills of an animal, most typically an amphibian, that are exposed to the environment, rather than set inside the pharynx and covered by gill slits, as they are in most fishes. Instead, the respiratory organs are set on a frill of stalks protruding from the sides of an animals...
with bright red filaments, and a prominent caudal fin. It has a large head and small limbs, as do the larvae. Its coloration is a strange pattern of black blotches on a red-brown base. The salamanders are totally aquatic and spend their whole lives in the same body of water.
Habitat
Lake Zacapu is small lake near ZacapuZacapú
Zacapu is a city and its surrounding municipality in the Nahuatzen mountains of Michoacán, Mexico. the city had a population of 51,386 in the 2005 census and the municipality 70,636. The municipality has an area of 455.96 km² .- Georaphy :The municipality has an area of 455.96 km. It is...
, sitting at an altitude of 2000 meters. The lake is located within the Mesa Central portion of Mexico, an area home to many neotenic Ambystoma species. It is temperate, with low salinity, and has a single stream originating from it.
Anderson's Salamander is listed as critically endangered on the IUCN Red List.