Aquiloeurycea cephalica (Cope, 1865)

Class: Amphibia > Order: Caudata > Family: Plethodontidae > Subfamily: Hemidactyliinae > Genus: Aquiloeurycea > Species: Aquiloeurycea cephalica

Spelerpes cephalicus Cope, 1865, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, 17: 196. Type(s): USNM, now lost (see Dunn, 1924, Field Mus. Nat. Hist. Publ., Zool. Ser., 12: 99) although Tighe, 2022, Smithson. Contrib. Zool., 654: 57, suggested that one of the two specimens USNM 30350–51 may be the missing holotype, in which case the neotype would be invalid; EHT-HMS 4372 (now FMNH 100018 according to Marx, 1976, Fieldiana, Zool., 69: 41) designated neotype by Smith and Taylor, 1948, Bull. U.S. Natl. Mus., 194: 30. Type locality: "Mexican tableland", Mexico; restricted to "Río Frío, 2 miles east of", Puebla, Mexico, by Smith and Taylor, 1950, Univ. Kansas Sci. Bull., 33: 341. Neotype from "Cruz Blanca, Veracruz, Veracruz", Mexico. Through what appears to be (with reference to subsequent papers by Cope) a typographic error, the diagnosis for Spelerpes cephalicus was assigned to Spelerpes lineolus (as is a subsequent diagnosis for Spelerpes lineolus in the same paper). But, this diagnosis "purports to differentiate the taxon", so it would seem that the coining of the name is valid, particularly through the neotype.

Spelerpes sulcatum Brocchi, 1883, Miss. Scient. Mex. Amer. Centr., Rech. Zool., 3(2, livr. 3): 110. Holotype: MNHNP 6396, according to Guibé, 1950 "1948", Cat. Types Amph. Mus. Natl. Hist. Nat.: 10, and Thireau, 1986, Cat. Types Urodeles Mus. Natl. Hist. Nat., Rev. Crit.: 73. Type Locality "Mexico"; restricted by Bogert, 1967, Am. Mus. Novit., 2314: 5, to probably from the vicinity of Mexico City, Mexico, but see discussion by Thireau, 1986, Cat. Types Urodeles Mus. Natl. Hist. Nat., Rev. Crit.: 73-74, regarding previous discussion and uncertainty of this restriction. Synonymy by Bogert, 1967, Am. Mus. Novit., 2314: 5.

Spelerpes sulcatus — Boulenger, 1884, Zool. Rec., 20: 22.

Geotriton cephalicus — Garman, 1884, Bull. Essex Inst., 16: 39.

Spelerpes cephalicus — Cope, 1889, Bull. U.S. Natl. Mus., 34: 162.

Oedipus cephalicus — Dunn, 1924, Field Mus. Nat. Hist. Publ., Zool. Ser., 12: 99.

Oedipus sulcatus — Dunn, 1924, Field Mus. Nat. Hist. Publ., Zool. Ser., 12: 99.

Oedipus sulcatus — Taylor, 1939 "1938", Univ. Kansas Sci. Bull., 25: 272.

Oedipus manni Taylor, 1939 "1938", Univ. Kansas Sci. Bull., 25: 277. Holotype: MCZ 3915, by original designation. Type locality: "Guerrero, Hidalgo", Mexico. Synonymy by Taylor, 1944, Univ. Kansas Sci. Bull., 30: 209.

Pseudoeurycea cephalica cephalica — Taylor, 1944, Univ. Kansas Sci. Bull., 30: 209.

Pseudoeurycea cephalica manni — Taylor, 1944, Univ. Kansas Sci. Bull., 30: 209.

Bolitoglossa cephalica cephalica — Taylor and Smith, 1945, Proc. U.S. Natl. Mus., 95: 538.

Magnadigita sulcata — Smith and Taylor, 1948, Bull. U.S. Natl. Mus., 194: 22.

Pseudoeurycea cephalica cephalica — Smith and Taylor, 1948, Bull. U.S. Natl. Mus., 194: 29.

Pseudoeurycea sulcata — Brame, 1963 "1962", Herpetologica, 18: 241.

Pseudoeurycea (Isthmura) sulcata — Dubois and Raffaëlli, 2012, Alytes, 28: 77-161.

Pseudoeurycea (Isthmura) cephalica —  Raffaëlli, 2013, Urodeles du Monde, 2nd ed.: 281: 281. 

Aquiloeurycea cephalica — Rovito, Parra-Olea, Recuero, and Wake, 2015, Zool. J. Linn. Soc., 175: 185. 

 

Common Names

Chunky False Brook Salamander (Pseudoeurycea cephalica: Liner, 1994, Herpetol. Circ., 23: 13; Frank and Ramus, 1995, Compl. Guide Scient. Common Names Amph. Rept. World: 33; Liner and Casas-Andreu, 2008, Herpetol. Circ., 38: 32).

Chunky False Brook Salamander (Pseudoeurycea cephalica cephalica: Liner, 1994, Herpetol. Circ., 23: 13; Liner and Casas-Andreu, 2008, Herpetol. Circ., 38: 33).

Mann's False Brook Salamander (Pseudoeurycea cephalica manni: Liner, 1994, Herpetol. Circ., 23: 13).

Mann's Salamander (Pseudoeurycea cephalica manni: Liner and Casas-Andreu, 2008, Herpetol. Circ., 38: 33).

Red-legged Salamander (Pseudoeurycea cephalica manni: Liner and Casas-Andreu, 2008, Herpetol. Circ., 38: 33).

Sulcate False Brook Salamander (Pseudoeurycea sulcata: Liner, 1994, Herpetol. Circ., 23: 14; Liner and Casas-Andreu, 2008, Herpetol. Circ., 38: 34).

Distribution

High elevations of the Transverse Volcanic Range in the Distrito Federal and states of Veracruz, Hidalgo, México, Puebla, and Morelos, Mexico (see comment). 

Geographic Occurrence

Natural Resident: Mexico

Endemic: Mexico

Comment

Uribe-Peña, Ramírez-Bautista, and Casas-Andreu, 1999, Cuad. Inst. Biol., UNAM, 32: 25-26, provided an account (as Pseudoeurycea cephalica). In the Pseudoeurycea cephalica group of Wake and Lynch, 1976, Sci. Bull. Nat. Hist. Mus. Los Angeles Co., 25: 61. Raffaëlli, 2007, Les Urodèles du Monde: 217-218, provided brief accounts by subspecies, photographs, and map, and considered it (as Pseudoeurycea cephalica) to be in the Pseudoeurycea bellii group, and suggested that nominal Pseudoeurycea cephalica rubrimimembris represented a species complex containing at least three species from: 1) Tamaulipas; 2) Hidalgo; and 3) Queretaro. See statement of geographic range, habitat, and conservation status in Stuart, Hoffmann, Chanson, Cox, Berridge, Ramani, and Young, 2008, Threatened Amph. World: 640, who provided a personal communication from G. Parra-Olea and D.B. Wake that Pseudoeurycea cephalica rubrimembris might be a distinct species. See account by Cázares-Hernández, Molohua Tzitzihua, Méndez Quiahua, Quiahua Colotl, Temoxtle Marquez, Rodriguez Merino, and Apale Pacheco, 2018, Tlaconetes: 1–92, for photos, habitat, life history, and conservation. Lemos-Espinal and Dixon, 2016, Amph. Rept. Hidalgo: 338–339, provided a brief account and map for Hidalgo, Mexico. Raffaëlli, 2022, Salamanders & Newts of the World: 631–644, provided an account, summarizing systematics, life history, population status, and distribution (including a polygon map). See also comment under Aquiloeurycea rubrimembris which was included in this species' synonymy until recently. Tepos-Ramírez, Garduño-Fonseca, Peralta-Robles, García-Rubio, and Cervantes Jiménez, 2023, Check List, 19: 269–292, discussed the distribution and conservation status of the species in Queretaro, Mexico, but this identification requires confirmation given the recent removal from synonymy of Aquiloeurycea rubrimembris.  

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