Ambystoma altamirani Dugès, 1895

Class: Amphibia > Order: Caudata > Family: Ambystomatidae > Genus: Ambystoma > Species: Ambystoma altamirani

Amblystoma altamirani Dugès, 1895, Descr. Axolotl Montagnes de las Cruces: 5. Syntypes: MDUG (6 specimens), according to Smith and Necker, 1943, An. Esc. Nac. Cienc. Biol., México, 3: 183;  including some in the BMNH (1897.1.1.23, reregistered as 1946.9.6.56) as well as MNHNP 1897.146, 1897.400, and 1901.123, according to Thireau, 1986, Cat. Types Urodeles Mus. Natl. Hist. Nat., Rev. Crit.: 11-13, who discussed the types and type designation. Dimensions of only one specimen are specified in the original (DRF), presumably of the animal figured. Flores-Villela, Ríos-Muñoz, Magaña-Cota, and Quezadas-Tapia, 2016, Zootaxa, 4092: 36, discussed the syntypic series and noted 8 specimens in the MDUG that should be considered syntypes (HE 314, 316–19, 322, and 964–65). Type locality: "'Manantiale de los Ajolotes', dans la 'Serranía de las Cruces' appartenant la Vallée de México", Distrito Federal, Mexico.

Ambystoma altamirani — Strand, 1928, Arch. Naturgesch., Abt. A,, 92: 55, by implication; Fowler and Dunn, 1917, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, 69: 11.

Rhyacosiredon altamirani — Dunn, 1928, Proc. New England Zool. Club, 10: 85; Taylor, 1939 "1938", Univ. Kansas Sci. Bull., 25: 262.

Ambystoma (Rhyacosiredon) altamirani — Lafrentz, 1930, Abh. Ber. Mus. Nat. Heimatkd. Magdeburg, 6: 115; Wolterstorff, 1930, Abh. Ber. Mus. Nat. Heimatkd. Magdeburg, 6: 142-144.

Rhyacosiredon rivularis Taylor, 1940, Herpetologica, 1: 171. Holotype: EHT-HMS 16388, by original designation; now FMNH 100003 according to Marx, 1976, Fieldiana, Zool., 69: 41. Type locality: "about 13 km. west of Villa Victoria, México [state], in a small stream in pine forest", Mexico. Synonymy by Everson, Gray, Jones, Lawrence, Foley, Sovacool, Kratovil, Hotaling, Hime, Storfer, Parra-Olea, Percino-Daniel, Aguilar-Miguel, O'Neill, Zambrano, Shaffer, and Weisrock, 2021, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 18 (17: e2014719118). Supplementary information: Suppl. Inform. p. 2. Tighe, 2022, Smithson. Contrib. Zool., 654: 14, briefly discussed the secondary types.  

Rhyacosiredon leorae Taylor, 1943, Univ. Kansas Sci. Bull., 29: 345. Holotype: EHT-HMS 22560, by original designation; now FMNH 100041 according to Marx, 1976, Fieldiana, Zool., 69: 41. Type locality: "mountain stream near Río Frío, México, either in the state of Puebla or México (Balsas River drainage system)", Mexico. Synonymy by Everson, Gray, Jones, Lawrence, Foley, Sovacool, Kratovil, Hotaling, Hime, Storfer, Parra-Olea, Percino-Daniel, Aguilar-Miguel, O'Neill, Zambrano, Shaffer, and Weisrock, 2021, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 18 (17: e2014719118). Supplementary information: Suppl. Inform. p. 2. Tighe, 2022, Smithson. Contrib. Zool., 654: 14, briefly discussed the secondary types. 

Rhyacosiredon zempoalaensis Taylor and Smith, 1945, Proc. U.S. Natl. Mus., 95: 527. Holotype: USNM 116617, by original designation. Type locality: "at the Lakes of Zempoala, Morelos, México, in a nearly dry lake bed, elevation about 10,000 feet". Synonymy by Reilly and Brandon, 1994, Copeia, 1994: 656–662. Tighe, 2022, Smithson. Contrib. Zool., 654: 14, briefly discussed the primary and secondary types. 

Ambystoma altamiranoi — Brandon, 1989, in Armstrong and Malacinski (eds.), Developmental Biol. Axolotl: 18; Smith and Smith, 1993, Synops. Herpetofauna Mex., 7: 11. Incorrect subsequent spelling.

Ambystoma leorae — Brandon, 1989, in Armstrong and Malacinski (eds.), Developmental Biol. Axolotl: 18; Smith and Smith, 1993, Synops. Herpetofauna Mex., 7:11; by implication; Reilly and Brandon, 1994, Copeia, 1994: 656–662.

Ambystoma zempoalaense — Brandon, 1989, in Armstrong and Malacinski (eds.), Developmental Biol. Axolotl: 18.

Ambystoma rivularis — Brandon, 1989, in Armstrong and Malacinski (eds.), Developmental Biol. Axolotl: 18; Smith and Smith, 1993, Synops. Herpetofauna Mex., 7: 11; Reilly and Brandon, 1994, Copeia, 1994: 656–662.

Ambystoma altamirani — Reilly and Brandon, 1994, Copeia, 1994: 656–662.

Ambystoma (Rhyacosiredon) rivularis — Moreno-Flores and Sánchez-Núñez, 1997, Vert. Mexicana, 4: 9.

Ambystoma rivulare — Frost, 2004, Amph. Spec. World, vers. 3.0. agreement in gender.

Ambystoma altamiranoi — Liner and Casas-Andreu, 2008, Herpetol. Circ., 38: 27. Incorrect subsequent spelling.

Ambystoma (Heterotriton) altamirani — Dubois and Raffaëlli, 2012, Alytes, 28: 77–161.

Ambystoma (Heterotriton) leorae — Dubois and Raffaëlli, 2012, Alytes, 28: 77–161.

Ambystoma (Heterotriton) rivulare — Dubois and Raffaëlli, 2012, Alytes, 28: 77–161. 

Ambystoma altamirani leorae — Everson, Gray, Jones, Lawrence, Foley, Sovacool, Kratovil, Hotaling, Hime, Storfer, Parra-Olea, Percino-Daniel, Aguilar-Miguel, O'Neill, Zambrano, Shaffer, and Weisrock, 2021, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 18 (17: e2014719118). Supplementary information: 2. 

Common Names

Mountain Stream Siredon (Liner, 1994, Herpetol. Circ., 23: 8; Frank and Ramus, 1995, Compl. Guide Scient. Common Names Amph. Rept. World: 27; Liner and Casas-Andreu, 2008, Herpetol. Circ., 38: 26).

Lake Zempoala Siredon (Ambystoma zempoalaense [no longer recognized]: Liner, 1994, Herpetol. Circ., 23: 9; Liner and Casas-Andreu, 2008, Herpetol. Circ., 38: 28).

Leora's Stream Siredon (Ambystoma leorae [no longer recognized]: Liner, 1994, Herpetol. Circ., 23: 9; Frank and Ramus, 1995, Compl. Guide Scient. Common Names Amph. Rept. World: 27).

Leora's Stream Salamander (Ambystoma leorae [no longer recognized]: Stuart, Hoffmann, Chanson, Cox, Berridge, Ramani, and Young, 2008, Threatened Amph. World: 545; Liner and Casas-Andreu, 2008, Herpetol. Circ., 38: 27).

Michoacan Stream Siredon (Ambystoma rivulare [no longer recognized]: Liner, 1994, Herpetol. Circ., 23: 9).

Michoacan Stream Salamander (Ambystoma rivulare [no longer recognized]: Frank and Ramus, 1995, Compl. Guide Scient. Common Names Amph. Rept. World: 27).

Toluca Stream Siredon (Ambystoma rivulare [no longer recognized]: Liner and Casas-Andreu, 2008, Herpetol. Circ., 38: 28).

Distribution

Northeastern Michoacán east into the high mountains south and west of the Valley of Mexico in the central state of México, southern Distrito Federal, and northwestern Morelos, Mexico, 2700–3200 m elevation; Iztaccihuatl-Popocatepetl National Park along the border of the state of Mexico with Puebla, 3000 to over 4000 m elevation. 

Geographic Occurrence

Natural Resident: Mexico

Endemic: Mexico

Comment

 Moreno-Flores and Sánchez-Núñez, 1997, Vert. Mexicana, 4: 9–12, reported the species (as Ambystoma rivulare) for Michoacán, Mexico. Uribe-Peña, Ramírez-Bautista, and Casas-Andreu, 1999, Cuad. Inst. Biol., UNAM, 32: 15–22, provided accounts as Ambystoma altamiranoi and Ambystoma zempoalense. Raffaëlli, 2007, Les Urodèles du Mondeezembed: 89, provided a brief account (as Ambystoma altamirani), figure, and map. See map, description of geographic range and habitat, and conservation status (as Ambystoma altamirani, Ambystoma leorae) in Stuart, Hoffmann, Chanson, Cox, Berridge, Ramani, and Young, 2008, Threatened Amph. World: 543, 545. Raffaëlli, 2013, Urodeles du Monde, 2nd ed.: 101–102, provided brief accounts (as Ambystoma altamirani and Ambystoma rivulare) , photos, and maps. Sunny, Monroy-Vilchis, Fajardo, and Aguilera-Reyes, 2014, Conserv. Genetics, 15: 49–59, documented the genetic structure of what is likely the last remaining population of nominal Ambystoma leorae. Monroy-Vilchis, Zarco-González, Domínguez-Vega, and Sunny, 2015, Herpetozoa, Wien, 27: 166–168, discussed new records, natural history, and threat status of the species. Heredia-Bobadilla, Monroy-Vilchis, Zarco-González, Martínez-Gómez, Mendoza-Martínez, and Sunny, 2016, Genetica, 144: 689–698, reported (as Ambystoma rivulare) on strong genetic differentiation between two drainage systems in the state of México. Monroy-Vilchis, Heredia-Bobadilla, Zarco-González, Ávila-Akerberg, and Sunny, 2019, Herpetozoa, Wien, 32: 237–248, reported on genetic variation (as Ambystoma altamirani, Ambystoma leorae, and Ambystoma rivulare). Everson, Gray, Jones, Lawrence, Foley, Sovacool, Kratovil, Hotaling, Hime, Storfer, Parra-Olea, Percino-Daniel, Aguilar-Miguel, O'Neill, Zambrano, Shaffer, and Weisrock, 2021, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 18 (17: e2014719118): 1–10, included this species in their study of molecular evolution and evolution of life histories in the Ambystoma tigrinum complex and in their supplemental data placed Ambystoma leorae and Ambystoma rivulare into the synonymy of Ambystoma altamirani.. Raffaëlli, 2022, Salamanders & Newts of the World: 147–159, provided accounts (as Ambystoma altamiranoi, Ambystoma rivulare, and Ambystoma leorae) summarizing systematics, life history, population status, and distribution (including a polygon map). Ambystoma altamiranoi, Ambystoma rivulare, and Ambystoma leorae are not here recognized as distinct species pending molecular confirmation. 

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