Pseudoeurycea leprosa
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Pseudoeurycea leprosa |
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| ( Cope , 1869) |
Pseudoeurycea leprosa is arelatively common salamanderin central Mexico from the genus of the Mexican salamander ( Pseudoeurycea ) within the family of the lungless salamander .
features
Pseudoeurycea leprosa is a medium-sized species within the 32 species of the Mexican salamander genus. It has a head-torso length of about 5 to 6 cm.
The basic color is dark brown or black with silver-gray spots. In addition, there is an irregular brown to rust-red mark on the back of the salamander. This drawing is very variable and can also be completely absent. In some specimens it forms a wide, rust-red band in the middle of the back, but especially on the top of the tail. A silver-gray stripe on each side delimits the underside of the animal, which is dark gray to black in color. Young animals are also dark gray to black with irregular silver-gray markings and rarely a rust-red stripe at the transition to the tail.
distribution
Pseudoeurycea leprosa is distributed in central Mexico from the western outskirts of Mexico City and northern Morelos via the state of México and Puebla to Citlaltépetl , the highest mountain in Mexico, in the state of Veracruz . The species occurs in the highlands in fir and pine forests at an altitude of 2700–3300 m and is common in places.
Way of life
This species of salamander is ground-dwelling and during the day hides in the leaves or under the bark of fallen trees. In the highlands of Mexico, Pseudoeurycea leprosa, in contrast to the lungless salamanders in the southern parts of Central America, is dependent on both seasonal and daily temperature fluctuations. In the hiding places of Pseudoeurycea leprosa , the temperature varies between 10.8 ° C and 22.2 ° C in summer and between 4.5 ° C and 11.3 ° C in autumn. Like most other lungless salamanders, Pseudoeurycea leprosa mainly feeds on ants and other small insects, but can also prey on annelids and larger caterpillars with the help of its sticky whiplash .
The eggs are protected in the litter or in the moss. It is assumed that Pseudoeurycea leprosa practices brood care similar to other lungless salamanders by guarding the clutch for a few weeks. The development takes place directly in the egg from which the young animals hatch without going through a larval stage in the water.
Taxonomy
Adrien Louis Jean François Sumichrast was a Swiss naturalist who came to Mexico in 1855. He sent many of his herpetological finds to the National Museum , where Edward Drinker Cope wrote many initial descriptions based on the specimens sent by Sumichrast. The first description of pseudoeurycea leprosa took place in 1869 in the journal Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia , in the Cope a compilation of lung lots Salamander published. At that time he classified the salamander in the genus Spelerpes .
Individual evidence
- ^ A b Thomas Bille: Studies on the reproductive biology of the Mexican lungless salamander Pseudoeurycea leprosa (COPE, 1869). Salamandra, 36, 4, pp. 205-210, 2000
- ↑ Thomas Bille: Microhabitat utilization of the Mexican salamander Pseudoeurycea leprosa (Caudata: Plethodontidae). Journal of Herpetology, 34, 4, pp. 588-590, 2000
- ↑ Thomas Bille: Dietary patterns of Pseudoeurycea leprosa (Caudata: Plethodontidae) from Río Frío, Mexico. Alytes, 17, 3-4, pp. 114-124, 2000
literature
- Edward Drinker Cope : A review of the species of Plethodontidae and Desmognathidae . Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, 21, pp. 93–118, 1869 ( first description, facsimile )
- Thomas Bille: Lungless salamanders from Mexico and Central America. Biology, care and breeding. Aquaristik Fachmagazin, 37, 1, pp. 4-11, 2005
Web links
- Pseudoeurycea leprosa in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2013. Posted by: Gabriela Parra-Olea, David Wake, 2004. Retrieved on July 3, 2013.