CRCritically Endangered

Cave Splayfoot Salamander

Chiropterotriton mosaueri

Unknown

Overview

The cave splayfoot salamander is a species of salamander in the family Plethodontidae. It is endemic to Mexico, specifically in the Sierra Madre Oriental pine–oak forests of the northern region of Hidalgo, Mexico. The species was thought to be extinct for over 70 years since its first observation and a study of five salamanders made by Robert Livingston and Harold T.

Woodall in 1937. In 2010, this species was spotted for the first time since its 1941 description by Dr. Sean Rovito who identified two individuals during his search for other lost amphibian species.

Chiropterotriton mosaueri faces severe threats from habitat destruction due to agricultural expansion and urban development in its restricted montane range. The species' extremely limited distribution makes it particularly vulnerable to local environmental changes, with deforestation and land conversion eliminating critical breeding sites. Climate change poses an additional threat by altering the cool, moist conditions essential for this salamander's survival in high-elevation cloud forests.
Threat summary

Habitat

This salamander inhabits cool, humid cloud forests and pine-oak woodlands at high elevations in the mountains of central Mexico. It requires moist microhabitats with abundant leaf litter and rotting logs, typically found in areas with consistent fog and precipitation.

Forest· majorForest - Temperate· major

Conservation measures underway

Site/area protectionSpecies managementSpecies recovery

Other threatened species in PLETHODONTIDAE

Honduran Lowland Worm Salamander

Oedipina quadra

Declining

Kings River Slender Salamander

Batrachoseps regius

Unknown

Conant's Mushroomtongue Salamander

Bolitoglossa conanti

Declining

Pygmy Web-footed Salamander

Bolitoglossa pygmaea

Stable

Threatened in Mexico

Frequently asked questions

Why is Cave Splayfoot Salamander classified as Critically Endangered?

Cave Splayfoot Salamander is classified as Critically Endangered — facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild — because population sizes are very small, declining sharply, or restricted to a tiny range. Chiropterotriton mosaueri faces severe threats from habitat destruction due to agricultural expansion and urban development in its restricted montane range. The species' extremely limited distribution makes it particularly vulnerable to local environmental changes, with deforestation and land conversion eliminating critical breeding sites. Climate change poses an additional threat by altering the cool, moist conditions essential for this salamander's survival in high-elevation cloud forests.

Where does Cave Splayfoot Salamander live?

Cave Splayfoot Salamander occurs in Mexico. Country-level distribution data is sourced from the IUCN Red List and cross-referenced with GBIF occurrences.

What are the main threats to Cave Splayfoot Salamander?

The main threats to Cave Splayfoot Salamander are 2.1, 9.3.4, ai-1, and ai-2. The full IUCN-classified threat record for this species is detailed on the species page.

Get weekly conservation intelligence

One short digest a week of the most striking species and country data we ship, plus breaking conservation news paired with our database where it matters.

Free, no spam. One-click unsubscribe in every email.