Plateau tiger salamander | |
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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. It is typically considered endemic to Mexico, [2] although its range might extend to the United States. [1] 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. It exhibits facultative paedomorphosis. [1]
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] Out of Mammalian, Avian, and Herpetofauna species, Herpetofauna receive the least studies but in these studies are found to be the ones with the highest negative responses. [3]