Taylor's Salamander
Encyclopedia
Taylor's salamander, Ambystoma taylori, is a neotenic
salamander species from Puebla
, Mexico
.
Taylor's salamander is found only in Laguna Alchichica, a high-altitude crater lake 24 miles southwest of Perote, Puebla, Mexico. It was described in 1982 by Brandon, Maruska, and Rumph, and named for Edward Harrison Taylor
. However, the species had been known to science long before then. Taylor himself attempted to describe the species as Ambystoma subsalsum in 1943, but mistakenly used a Mexican tiger salamander as the holotype
. This rendered the name invalid, and made into a synonym for the tiger salamander. James Anderson extensively catalogued "subsalsum" in his 1960's field-work, applying the name to actual population that now comprises taylori.
The salamander is moderately sized, with a typical length of 6-8 inches It is a neotenic species, which means that it retains its caudal fin and external gills
into adulthood, never undergoing complete metamorphosis. It has It is entirely aquatic, breeding and laying its eggs in the same lake where it lives. Taylor's salamanders are yellowish in color, with dark spots along their dorsal side. They have relatively short, thick external gill stalks. Their heads are quite large, and their limbs underdeveloped, as in most Ambystoma neotenes. They feed by buccal suction, and basically eat anything that fits into their mouths.
reading of 2000-5000. It is also very alkaline, with a pH of 8.5-10. The lake's water has a temperature range of 18-21 degrees Celsius
. The salamanders typically hide below the water line, hiding under overhangs in the crater's edge.
Not much is known about its present status or numbers.
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 species from Puebla
Puebla
Puebla officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Puebla is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 217 municipalities and its capital city is Puebla....
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
.
Taylor's salamander is found only in Laguna Alchichica, a high-altitude crater lake 24 miles southwest of Perote, Puebla, Mexico. It was described in 1982 by Brandon, Maruska, and Rumph, and named for Edward Harrison Taylor
Edward Harrison Taylor
Edward Harrison Taylor was an American herpetologist from Kansas.He was born in Maysville, Missouri and studied at the University of Kansas in Lawrence, Kansas, graduating with a B.A. in 1912. Subsequently, he went to the Philippines, where at first he held a teacher's post in a village in central...
. However, the species had been known to science long before then. Taylor himself attempted to describe the species as Ambystoma subsalsum in 1943, but mistakenly used a Mexican tiger salamander as the holotype
Holotype
A holotype is a single physical example of an organism, known to have been used when the species was formally described. It is either the single such physical example or one of several such, but explicitly designated as the holotype...
. This rendered the name invalid, and made into a synonym for the tiger salamander. James Anderson extensively catalogued "subsalsum" in his 1960's field-work, applying the name to actual population that now comprises taylori.
The salamander is moderately sized, with a typical length of 6-8 inches It is a neotenic species, which means that it retains its caudal fin and 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...
into adulthood, never undergoing complete metamorphosis. It has It is entirely aquatic, breeding and laying its eggs in the same lake where it lives. Taylor's salamanders are yellowish in color, with dark spots along their dorsal side. They have relatively short, thick external gill stalks. Their heads are quite large, and their limbs underdeveloped, as in most Ambystoma neotenes. They feed by buccal suction, and basically eat anything that fits into their mouths.
Habitat
The taylori habitat in Lake Alchichica is extremely salty, with a salinitySalinity
Salinity is the saltiness or dissolved salt content of a body of water. It is a general term used to describe the levels of different salts such as sodium chloride, magnesium and calcium sulfates, and bicarbonates...
reading of 2000-5000. It is also very alkaline, with a pH of 8.5-10. The lake's water has a temperature range of 18-21 degrees Celsius
Celsius
Celsius is a scale and unit of measurement for temperature. It is named after the Swedish astronomer Anders Celsius , who developed a similar temperature scale two years before his death...
. The salamanders typically hide below the water line, hiding under overhangs in the crater's edge.
Not much is known about its present status or numbers.