Celaque Mushroomtongue Salamande
CR

Celaque Mushroomtongue Salamande

Bolitoglossa celaque

Stable

Photo: Wikimedia Commons (CC) via https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celaque_climbing_salamander

Overview

The Celaque climbing salamander is a species of salamander in the family Plethodontidae. It is endemic to Honduras. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests. It is threatened by habitat loss.

Bolitoglossa celaque faces severe threats from deforestation and agricultural expansion within its extremely limited range in the cloud forests of Celaque National Park, Honduras. The species' restriction to high-elevation montane habitats makes it particularly vulnerable to climate change, as warming temperatures force suitable conditions upslope with nowhere left to retreat. Habitat fragmentation from coffee cultivation and cattle ranching has isolated remaining populations, while the species' specialized moisture requirements make it highly sensitive to microclimate changes.

Threat summary

Habitat

This salamander is endemic to the cloud forests of Celaque National Park in western Honduras, inhabiting moss-covered rocks, fallen logs, and leaf litter in montane forests between 1,800-2,849 meters elevation. It requires consistently moist microhabitats with high humidity levels typical of cloud forest ecosystems.

Forest· majorForest - Subtropical/tropical moist montane· major

Conservation measures underway

Site/area protectionSpecies 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 Honduras

EN

Baird's Tapir

Tapirus bairdii

Declining
EN

Perymenium hondurense

Declining

Frequently asked questions

Why is Celaque Mushroomtongue Salamande classified as Critically Endangered?
Celaque Mushroomtongue Salamande 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. Bolitoglossa celaque faces severe threats from deforestation and agricultural expansion within its extremely limited range in the cloud forests of Celaque National Park, Honduras. The species' restriction to high-elevation montane habitats makes it particularly vulnerable to climate change, as warming temperatures force suitable conditions upslope with nowhere left to retreat. Habitat fragmentation from coffee cultivation and cattle ranching has isolated remaining populations, while the species' specialized moisture requirements make it highly sensitive to microclimate changes.
Where does Celaque Mushroomtongue Salamande live?
Celaque Mushroomtongue Salamande occurs in Honduras. Country-level distribution data is sourced from the IUCN Red List and cross-referenced with GBIF occurrences.
What are the main threats to Celaque Mushroomtongue Salamande?
The main threats to Celaque Mushroomtongue Salamande are 11.1, 5.1, 5.1.1, and 5.3. 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.