Bolitoglossa orestes

Bolitoglossa orestes, commonly known as the Culata mushroomtongue salamander, is a species of salamander in the family Plethodontidae. It is endemic to the Mérida state of Venezuela.[2]

Bolitoglossa orestes
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Order: Urodela
Family: Plethodontidae
Genus: Bolitoglossa
Species:
B. orestes
Binomial name
Bolitoglossa orestes
Brame and Wake, 1962
Synonyms
  • Bolitoglossa spongai Barrio and Fuentes, 1999

Taxonomy

Bolitoglossa spongai (common name: Sponga salamander), described in 1999,[3] is since 2012 considered a synonym of Bolitoglossa orestes.[2]

Description

Adult Bolitoglossa orestes measure 34–46 mm (1.3–1.8 in) in snout–vent length. Males and females are alike. Their skin is smooth and brown-orange to pale brown or yellowish in colour in the dorsum but darker in the flanks. The tail is about as long as the snout–vent length.[4] Breeding is by direct development.[1]

Habitat and conservation

This uncommon species is only found in cloud forests at the elevations of 2,000–3,500 m (6,600–11,500 ft) asl.[1][2] Some populations might be threatened by habitat loss, but many populations are within protected areas.[1]

References
  1. La Marca, E.; García-Pérez, J.E. (2004). "Bolitoglossa orestes". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2004: e.T59190A11884641. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2004.RLTS.T59190A11884641.en.
  2. Frost, Darrel R. (2014). "Bolitoglossa orestes Brame and Wake, 1962". Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 6.0. American Museum of Natural History. Retrieved 16 March 2014.
  3. Barrio-Amorós, C. L.; O. Fuentes-Ramos (1999). "Bolitoglossa spongai una nueva especie de salamandra (Caudata: Plethodontidae) de los Andes Venezolanos, con comentarios sobre el genero en Venezuela" (PDF). Acta Biologica Venezuelica. 19 (4): 9–19.
  4. Barrio-Amorós, C. L.; O. Fuentes-Ramos (2004). "Bolitoglossa spongai Barrio-Amorós and Fuentes-Ramos". Catalogue of American Amphibians and Reptiles. 781: 1–2. Archived from the original on 2014-03-16.
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