# Taylor's salamander

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Species of amphibian

Taylor's salamander Conservation status Critically Endangered (IUCN 3.1)[1] Scientific classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Amphibia Order: Urodela Family: Ambystomatidae Genus: Ambystoma Species: A. taylori Binomial name Ambystoma taylori Brandon, Maruska, and Rumph, 1982[2]

**Taylor's salamander** (***Ambystoma taylori***) is a species of salamander found only in [Laguna Alchichica](/source/Laguna_Alchichica), a high-altitude (2,290 m (7,510 ft) [above sea level](/source/Above_sea_level)) crater lake to the southwest of [Perote](/source/Perote%2C_Veracruz), Mexico.[1][3][4] It was [first described](/source/Species_description) in 1982 but had been known to science prior to that.[2][3] It is a [neotenic](/source/Neoteny) salamander, breeding while still in the larval state and not undergoing [metamorphosis](/source/Metamorphosis).[2] The lake in which it lives is becoming increasingly saline and less suitable for the salamander, which is declining in numbers. The [International Union for Conservation of Nature](/source/International_Union_for_Conservation_of_Nature) (IUCN) has rated it as being "[critically endangered](/source/Critically_endangered)".[1]

## Taxonomy

It was described in 1982 by Brandon, Maruska, and Rumph,[2] and named for [Edward Harrison Taylor](/source/Edward_Harrison_Taylor) (1889–1978), an American herpetologist.[2][5] However, the species had been known to science long before then. Taylor himself attempted to describe the species as *Ambystoma subsalsum* in 1943,[6] but mistakenly used a Mexican or [plateau tiger salamander](/source/Plateau_tiger_salamander) as the [holotype](/source/Holotype). This rendered the name invalid, and made it into a synonym for the tiger salamander.[2][3]

## Ecology

This salamander is moderately sized, with most individuals measuring 70 mm (2.8 in) being mature, while the largest one being 102–113 mm (4.0–4.4 in) in snout–vent length.[2] It is a neotenic species, which means it retains its caudal fin and [external gills](/source/External_gills) into adulthood, never undergoing complete [metamorphosis](/source/Metamorphosis). It is entirely aquatic, breeding and laying its eggs in the same lake where it lives.[7] Taylor's salamanders are pale yellowish in color, with dark spots along their dorsal sides.[2] They have relatively short, thick external gill stalks. Their heads are quite large, and their limbs are underdeveloped, as in most *Ambystoma* neotenes. They feed by [buccal](/source/Bucca_(mythological_creature)) suction, and are basically [omnivores](/source/Omnivore).[7]

## Habitat

The *A. taylori* habitat in Lake Alchichica is brackish, with a [salinity](/source/Salinity) of 9.2 g/L (0.00033 lb/cu in).[4] It is also very [alkaline](/source/Alkaline), with a pH of 8.5–10. The lake's water has a temperature range of 18–21 °C.[7] The salamanders typically hide below the water line, under overhangs in the crater's edge, and into the deep water.[1][7]

## Status

Lake Alchichica is becoming more saline as water is extracted for irrigation and drinking. The level of the lake has fallen and if this deterioration in water quality continues, this salamander is likely to become [extinct](/source/Extinction). The [International Union for Conservation of Nature](/source/International_Union_for_Conservation_of_Nature) has assessed the salamander's conservation status as being "[critically endangered](/source/Critically_endangered)" and has proposed that a [captive breeding](/source/Captive_breeding) programme be established.[1]

## References

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-iucn_status_11_November_2021_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-iucn_status_11_November_2021_1-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-iucn_status_11_November_2021_1-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-iucn_status_11_November_2021_1-3) [***e***](#cite_ref-iucn_status_11_November_2021_1-4) IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group (2015). ["*Ambystoma taylori*"](https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/59070/176772315). *[IUCN Red List of Threatened Species](/source/IUCN_Red_List)*. **2015** e.T59070A176772315. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.2305/IUCN.UK.2015-4.RLTS.T59070A176772315.en](https://doi.org/10.2305%2FIUCN.UK.2015-4.RLTS.T59070A176772315.en). Retrieved 11 November 2021.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Brandon_et_al._1982_2-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Brandon_et_al._1982_2-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-Brandon_et_al._1982_2-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-Brandon_et_al._1982_2-3) [***e***](#cite_ref-Brandon_et_al._1982_2-4) [***f***](#cite_ref-Brandon_et_al._1982_2-5) [***g***](#cite_ref-Brandon_et_al._1982_2-6) [***h***](#cite_ref-Brandon_et_al._1982_2-7) Brandon, R. A.; Maruska, E. J.; Rumph, W. T. (1982) [1981]. ["A new species of neotenic *Ambystoma* (Amphibia, Caudata) endemic to Laguna Alchichia, Puebla, Mexico"](https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/part/42445). *Bulletin of the Southern California Academy of Sciences*. **80**: 112–125.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Frost_3-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Frost_3-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-Frost_3-2) Frost, Darrel R. (2017). ["*Ambystoma taylori* Brandon, Maruska, and Rumph, 1982"](http://research.amnh.org/vz/herpetology/amphibia/Amphibia/Caudata/Ambystomatidae/Ambystoma/Ambystoma-taylori). *Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 6.0*. American Museum of Natural History. Retrieved 19 March 2017.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Percino-Daniel_et_al._2016_4-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Percino-Daniel_et_al._2016_4-1) Percino-Daniel, Ruth; Recuero, Ernesto; Vázquez-Domínguez, Ella; Zamudio, Kelly R.; Parra-Olea, Gabriela (2016). ["All grown-up and nowhere to go: paedomorphosis and local adaptation in *Ambystoma* salamanders in the Cuenca Oriental of Mexico"](https://doi.org/10.1111%2Fbij.12750). *Biological Journal of the Linnean Society*. **118** (3): 582–597. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1111/bij.12750](https://doi.org/10.1111%2Fbij.12750).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Beolens_et_al._2013_5-0)** Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2013). [*The Eponym Dictionary of Amphibians*](https://books.google.com/books?id=ZZY3BAAAQBAJ&pg=PT332). Pelagic Publishing. pp. 331–332. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-1-907807-42-8](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1-907807-42-8).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Taylor_1943_6-0)** Taylor, Edward H. (1943). "A new ambystomid salamander adapted to brackish water". *Copeia*. **1943** (3): 151–156. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.2307/1438606](https://doi.org/10.2307%2F1438606). [JSTOR](/source/JSTOR_(identifier)) [1438606](https://www.jstor.org/stable/1438606).

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-EDGE_7-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-EDGE_7-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-EDGE_7-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-EDGE_7-3) ["Taylor's Salamander (*Ambystoma taylori*)"](http://www.edgeofexistence.org/amphibians/species_info.php?id=559). *EDGE of Existence programme (Evolutionarily Distinct and Globally Endangered species)*. Zoological Society of London. Retrieved 19 March 2017.

Taxon identifiers Ambystoma taylori Wikidata: Q2512313 Wikispecies: Ambystoma taylori ADW: Ambystoma_taylori AmphibiaWeb: 3848 ASW: Ambystoma-taylori CoL: 66B44 EoL: 1019455 GBIF: 2431954 iNaturalist: 26775 IRMNG: 10597093 ITIS: 586247 IUCN: 59070 NCBI: 354128 Open Tree of Life: 675692 SeaLifeBase: 62568

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Taylor's salamander](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taylor's_salamander) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taylor's_salamander?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.