Pseudoeurycea anitae

Pseudoeurycea anitae, commonly known as Anita's false brook salamander or Anita's salamander, is a species of salamander in the family Plethodontidae.[1][3] It is endemic to Mexico and only known from its type locality near San Vicente Lachixío, Oaxaca, in the Sierra Madre del Sur, at about 2,100 m (6,900 ft) above sea level.[1][3] The specific name anitae honors Anita Smith, a resident of Oaxaca City who helped Charles Mitchill Bogert when he was collecting in the surroundings of the city.[2][4] This species might already be extinct.[1]

Pseudoeurycea anitae

Critically endangered, possibly extinct  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Order: Urodela
Family: Plethodontidae
Genus: Pseudoeurycea
Species:
P. anitae
Binomial name
Pseudoeurycea anitae
Bogert, 1967[2]

Description

The type series consists of three specimens, two females (one of them the holotype) measuring 47 and 50 mm (1.9 and 2.0 in) and a juvenile 24 mm (0.94 in) in snout–vent length. The tail is shorter than the body; the total length ranges between 43 and 92 mm (1.7 and 3.6 in). The limbs are well developed with webbed fingers and toes. The head, the middle of the trunk, and the tail are dark brown in their upper surfaces, flanked by two irregular rows of dark spots or bars. The throat and venter are white, with faint mottling on the belly and the underside of the tail.[2]

Habitat and conservation

Its natural habitats are pine-oak forests. It has been found in sinkholes, crevices and caves; it only occurs in moist places. It is threatened by habitat loss due to logging and development. The known habitat has largely disappeared and dried out. As of 2016, the species has not been observed since 1976, despite searches.[1]

References
  1. IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group (2016). "Pseudoeurycea anitae". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T59368A53980953. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T59368A53980953.en.
  2. Bogert, Charles M. (1967). "New salamanders of the plethodontid genus Pseudoeurycea from the Sierra Madre del Sur of Mexico". American Museum Novitates. 2314: 1–27.
  3. Frost, Darrel R. (2016). "Pseudoeurycea anitae Bogert, 1967". Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 6.0. American Museum of Natural History. Retrieved 5 June 2016.
  4. Bo Beolens; Michael Watkins; Michael Grayson (22 April 2013). The Eponym Dictionary of Amphibians. Pelagic Publishing. p. 9. ISBN 978-1-907807-44-2.
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