Claw-toothed Salamander
CR

Claw-toothed Salamander

Pseudoeurycea unguidentis

Declining

Photo: (c) timoteo_b, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)

Overview

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

Pseudoeurycea unguidentis faces severe threats from habitat destruction due to agricultural expansion and logging activities in its restricted montane forest range. The species' extremely limited distribution makes it particularly vulnerable to local environmental changes, with deforestation fragmenting the remaining cloud forest patches essential for its survival. Climate change poses an additional threat by altering the moisture regimes and temperature conditions of its specialized high-altitude habitat.

Threat summary

Habitat

This salamander inhabits cloud forests and pine-oak forests at high elevations in the mountains of central Mexico. It requires moist, cool conditions with abundant leaf litter and fallen logs for shelter and breeding.

Forest· major

Conservation measures underway

Site/area protectionSpecies recovery

Frequently asked questions

Why is Claw-toothed Salamander classified as Critically Endangered?
Claw-toothed 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. Pseudoeurycea unguidentis faces severe threats from habitat destruction due to agricultural expansion and logging activities in its restricted montane forest range. The species' extremely limited distribution makes it particularly vulnerable to local environmental changes, with deforestation fragmenting the remaining cloud forest patches essential for its survival. Climate change poses an additional threat by altering the moisture regimes and temperature conditions of its specialized high-altitude habitat.
Where does Claw-toothed Salamander live?
Claw-toothed 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 Claw-toothed Salamander?
The main threats to Claw-toothed Salamander are 2.1, 5.1, 5.1.1, and 5.3. The full IUCN-classified threat record for this species is detailed on the species page.

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