Cave Splayfoot Salamander
CR

Cave Splayfoot Salamander

Chiropterotriton mosaueri

Unknown

Photo: Photo: (c) 2010 Sean Michael Rovito, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA)

Overview

A detailed profile for this species is sourced from the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species as assessments become available.

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 SalamanderVU

Honduran Lowland Worm Salamander

Oedipina quadra

Declining
Kings River Slender SalamanderEN

Kings River Slender Salamander

Batrachoseps regius

Unknown
Conant's Mushroomtongue SalamanderVU

Conant's Mushroomtongue Salamander

Bolitoglossa conanti

Declining
VU

Pygmy Web-footed Salamander

Bolitoglossa pygmaea

Stable

Threatened in Mexico

EN

Turbinicarpus horripilus

Declining
CR

Turbinicarpus mandragora

Declining
EN

Opuntia pachyrrhiza

Declining
EN

Arachnothryx tacanensis

Declining

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.

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