Leora's Stream Salamander
CR

Leora's Stream Salamander

Ambystoma leorae

Declining

Photo: Wikimedia Commons (CC) via https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leora's_stream_salamander

Overview

The Leora's stream salamander or ajolote is a rare species of mole salamander in the family Ambystomatidae. It is endemic to a very small area of land in the Iztaccihuatl-Popocatepetl National Park on the border of the State of Mexico with Puebla, with a single known population on Mount Tlaloc. Its very specific requirements as regards water quality militates against its survival in a habitat where water is being extracted, cattle graze and the salamander has traditionally been eaten as food.

It has been listed as a threatened species by the Mexican Government and as "critically endangered" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

Ambystoma leorae faces severe threats from urban development and agricultural expansion within its extremely limited range in the Sierra Madre Oriental of Mexico. The species' dependence on specific high-altitude forest streams makes it particularly vulnerable to habitat fragmentation and water quality degradation from nearby human activities. Climate change poses an additional threat by altering precipitation patterns and temperature regimes critical for breeding success in montane environments.

Threat summary

Habitat

This salamander inhabits cool, permanent streams and adjacent terrestrial areas in pine-oak forests of the Sierra Madre Oriental mountains. It requires clean, well-oxygenated water for larval development and moist forest floor conditions for adult terrestrial phases.

Forest· majorGrassland· majorWetlands (inland)· majorWetlands (inland) - Permanent rivers/streams· majorRocky areas· major

Conservation measures underway

Site/area protectionHabitat & natural process restorationSpecies recoveryEx-situ conservation

Other threatened species in AMBYSTOMATIDAE

Frosted Flatwoods SalamanderEN

Frosted Flatwoods Salamander

Ambystoma cingulatum

Declining
EN

Michoacan Stream Salamander

Ambystoma ordinarium

Declining
Lake Patzcuaro SalamanderCR

Lake Patzcuaro Salamander

Ambystoma dumerilii

Declining
Mountain Stream SiredonEN

Mountain Stream Siredon

Ambystoma altamirani

Declining

Threatened in Mexico

EN

Turbinicarpus horripilus

Declining
CR

Turbinicarpus mandragora

Declining
EN

Opuntia pachyrrhiza

Declining
EN

Arachnothryx tacanensis

Declining

Frequently asked questions

Why is Leora's Stream Salamander classified as Critically Endangered?
Leora's Stream 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. Ambystoma leorae faces severe threats from urban development and agricultural expansion within its extremely limited range in the Sierra Madre Oriental of Mexico. The species' dependence on specific high-altitude forest streams makes it particularly vulnerable to habitat fragmentation and water quality degradation from nearby human activities. Climate change poses an additional threat by altering precipitation patterns and temperature regimes critical for breeding success in montane environments.
Where does Leora's Stream Salamander live?
Leora's Stream 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 Leora's Stream Salamander?
The main threats to Leora's Stream Salamander are 2.3, 5.1, 5.1.1, and 6.1. The full IUCN-classified threat record for this species is detailed on the species page.

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