Lake Patzcuaro Salamander
Encyclopedia
The Lake Patzcuaro Salamander, locally known as Achoque, Ambystoma dumerilii, is a neotenic
salamander
species.
This salamander is found in Lago de Pátzcuaro, a high altitude lake in the Mexican state of Michoacán
. This is located in the Mesa Central region of the country, home to many isolated Ambystoma species. There have been claims that a subspecies
is found further inland to the north-east in San Juan del Río
, Querétaro
, but this is doubtful due to the animals wholly aquatic nature. Dumerilii retain their larval characters throughout their entire life. This results in adults that have long, heavily filamented external gills, gill slit
s lined with tooth-like gill rakers, and caudal fins. Patzcuaro salamanders are usually yellowish in color, with a lighter shade on their underbellies. They have large heads and reduced limbs. They feed by suction, and eat many types of invertebrates.
Recently, this salamander has been used in research as a counterpoint to the more common captive-bred Axolotl
. Patzcuaro salamanders have been hybridized with axolotls, and used in mitochondrial studies for comparison.
Due to habitat destruction, pollution and the introduction of predatory fish the population has decreased severely in the past decades. It is listed as Critically endangered
in the IUCN redlist and in Appendix II CITES.
Neoteny
Neoteny , also called juvenilization , is one of the two ways by which paedomorphism can arise. Paedomorphism is the retention by adults of traits previously seen only in juveniles, and is a subject studied in the field of developmental biology. In neoteny, the physiological development of an...
salamander
Salamander
Salamander is a common name of approximately 500 species of amphibians. They are typically characterized by a superficially lizard-like appearance, with their slender bodies, short noses, and long tails. All known fossils and extinct species fall under the order Caudata, while sometimes the extant...
species.
This salamander is found in Lago de Pátzcuaro, a high altitude lake in the Mexican state of Michoacán
Michoacán
Michoacán officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Michoacán de Ocampo is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 113 municipalities and its capital city is Morelia...
. This is located in the Mesa Central region of the country, home to many isolated Ambystoma species. There have been claims that a subspecies
Subspecies
Subspecies in biological classification, is either a taxonomic rank subordinate to species, ora taxonomic unit in that rank . A subspecies cannot be recognized in isolation: a species will either be recognized as having no subspecies at all or two or more, never just one...
is found further inland to the north-east in San Juan del Río
San Juan del Río
N20 23 23 W99 59 49San Juan del Río is a city and administrative seat of the surrounding San Juan del Río Municipality in the central Mexican state of Querétaro. The population in July, 2007 is calculated in 128,270 for the city and 217,980 for the municipality.The city and municipality both rank...
, Querétaro
Querétaro
Querétaro officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Querétaro de Arteaga is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 18 municipalities and its capital city is Santiago de Querétaro....
, but this is doubtful due to the animals wholly aquatic nature. Dumerilii retain their larval characters throughout their entire life. This results in adults that have long, heavily filamented external gills, gill slit
Gill slit
Gill slits are individual openings to gills, i.e., multiple gill arches, which lack a single outer cover. Such gills are characteristic of Cartilaginous fish such as sharks, rays, sawfish, and guitarfish. Most of these have five pairs, but a few species have 6 or 7 pairs...
s lined with tooth-like gill rakers, and caudal fins. Patzcuaro salamanders are usually yellowish in color, with a lighter shade on their underbellies. They have large heads and reduced limbs. They feed by suction, and eat many types of invertebrates.
Recently, this salamander has been used in research as a counterpoint to the more common captive-bred Axolotl
Axolotl
The axolotl , Ambystoma mexicanum, is a neotenic salamander, closely related to the Tiger Salamander. Larvae of this species fail to undergo metamorphosis, so the adults remain aquatic and gilled. It is also called ajolote...
. Patzcuaro salamanders have been hybridized with axolotls, and used in mitochondrial studies for comparison.
Due to habitat destruction, pollution and the introduction of predatory fish the population has decreased severely in the past decades. It is listed as Critically endangered
Critically endangered
Version 2010.3 of the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species identified 3744 Critically Endangered species, subspecies and varieties, stocks and subpopulations.Critically Endangered by kingdom:*1993 Animalia*2 Fungi*1745 Plantae*4 Protista-References:...
in the IUCN redlist and in Appendix II CITES.