Dumeril's cross-toothed newt
| Dumeril's cross-toothed newt | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Systematics | ||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Ambystoma dumerilii | ||||||||||||
| ( Dugès , 1870) |
Dumeril cross tooth scraper or Patzcuaro cross-toothed pig ( Ambystoma dumerilii ), referred to in Mexico as Achoque is a aquatil living Mexican salamander from the family of cross-tooth newts (Ambystomatidae) which naturally only as a permanent larva occurs. Dumeril's cross-toothed newt reaches sexual maturity without changing its external larval shape and without undergoing a metamorphosis that is otherwise common in amphibians .
Surname
The scientific name of the genus Ambystoma refers to the arrangement of the palatal teeth in transverse rows. The species name honors the French zoologist André Marie Constant Duméril . Synonyms: Amblystoma dumerili (Cope, 1889); Bathysiredon dumerilii (Dunn, 1939); Bathysiredon dumerilii ssp. queretarensis (Maldonado-Koerdell, 1948); Siredon dumerilii (Dugès, 1870).
features
Dumeril's cross-tooth newt reaches a medium size (up to 30 cm, exceptionally 35 cm). They are plump, strong, broad-headed salamanders with a trunk segmented by rib furrows. Adult animals retain the larval stage for their entire life ( neoteny ). They have strongly branched outer gill tufts, a laterally flattened long tail and a streamlined body shape. The mighty head is flattened. The basic color of the salamander is gray-brown, but it can also turn a little reddish. The gill tufts are strikingly purple. The soles of the feet of wild animals, like the tip of the toe, are chocolate brown. These dark brown color elements were lost during the breeding in the Basilica of Pátzcuaro. The top of the head and body are covered with glands that can secrete a milky secretion. This secretion gives the newt a bitter taste.
habitat
Dumeril's cross-toothed newt is endemic to Lake Pátzcuaro , a mountain lake (1920 m above sea level ) in the Mexican state of Michoacán . Several isolated species of the Ambystoma genus are found in the mesas of central Mexico . It has been suggested that a subspecies lives further inland, in San Juan del Río in the state of Querétaro , but this is very doubtful due to the aquatic way of life. There is a breed in the Basilica of Pátzcuaro, where the salamander is bred for the production of medicine.
behavior
Dumeril's cross-toothed newts are able to suck in live food by opening their mouths at lightning speed. The salamanders show a very short reaction time and can implosion-like transport healthy, live fish into their mouth. In the wild, dwarf crabs ( Cambarellus patzcuarensis ) are the main food. In addition, insect larvae and worms are very popular. A. dumerilii proves to be very voracious in captivity .
The eggs are laid in the winter months, when the water temperature of the Pátzcuaro lake can cool down to 9 ° C. The up to 1500 eggs are placed or glued in water plants or on stones. The eggs are left to their fate by the parent animals immediately after spawning.
use
The species has recently been used more frequently as a research object in order to obtain comparative values to the more common axolotl . Dumeril's transverse newts can hybridize with axolotins . They are often used in science for mitochondria studies.
In its homeland, the newt was also consumed as a source of protein and processed into cough syrup.
Danger
Dumeril's cross-toothed newt was exploited by fishermen for decades. Catch quotas of 19 tons in 1987, 12.5 tons in 1988, 1.7 tons in 1989 and “only” 2 tons in 1991 are reported. Since 1991, the catch quotas are almost impossible to record. The lake, with a surface area of 126.4 km², is heavily polluted by the city's untreated sewage and is increasingly eutrophic . In addition, invasive fish species such as Tilapia sp. used in the lake. These predatory species have largely decimated the population and the salamander is one of the most critically endangered species today.
It is classified by the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) as "critically endangered". It is also listed on CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna) in Appendix II.
literature
- Shaffer; et al. (2004). Ambystoma dumerilii . IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2006. International Union for Conservation of Nature. Retrieved 11 May 2006. Database entry includes a range map and justification for why this species is critically endangered
- DR Frost: Amphibian Species of the World : an Online Reference. Version 6.0. New York, USA 2015.
- Brandon: Cat. At the. Amph. Rept. 1992, 532: 1-3.
Web links
- turtle-island.at Homepage of a nature conservation organization.
- edgeofexistence.org