The cave splayfoot salamander (''Chiropterotriton mosaueri'') is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

salamander Salamanders are a group of amphibians typically characterized by their lizard-like appearance, with slender bodies, blunt snouts, short limbs projecting at right angles to the body, and the presence of a tail in both larvae and adults. All t ...

in the family

Plethodontidae Plethodontidae, or lungless salamanders, are a family of salamanders. Most species are native to the Western Hemisphere, from British Columbia to Brazil, although a few species are found in Sardinia, Europe south of the Alps, and South Korea. In ...

. It is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found else ...

to Mexico, specifically in the

Sierra Madre Oriental pine–oak forests The Sierra Madre Oriental pine–oak forests are a Temperate broadleaf and mixed forests ecoregion of northeastern and Central Mexico, extending into the state of Texas in the United States. Setting The Sierra Madre Oriental pine–oak forests ar ...

Woodall, H. T. (1941). ''A new Mexican salamander of the genus ''Oedipus''.'' ''Occasional Papers of the Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan'', 444, 1-4. of the northern region of Hidalgo, Mexico.Stuart, S.N., Hoffmann, M., Chanson, J.S., Cox, N.A., Berridge, R.J., Ramani, P., and Young, B.E. (eds.) (2008). Threatened Amphibians of the World. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona, Spain; IUCN, Gland, Switzerland; and Conservation International, Arlington, Virginia, USA. The species was thought to be extinct for over 70 years since its first observation and a study of five salamanders made by Robert Livingston and Harold T. Woodall in 1937. In 2010, this species was spotted for the first time since its 1941 description by Dr. Sean Rovito who identified two individuals during his search for other lost amphibian species. When preserved in alcohol they found the specimens had an overall dark brown coloration with a light tan underbelly. Features of interest were their webbed "spatulate" feet, number of costal grooves (12–13) and tails which were slightly longer in length than the head and body combined. Their proportionally longer limbs, shorter heads, and large quantity of vomerine teeth set them apart from other species of ''

Chiropterotriton ''Chiropterotriton'', also known as splayfoot salamanders or flat-footed salamanders, is a genus of salamanders in the family Plethodontidae. The genus is endemic to Mexico. ''Chiropterotriton'' are widely distributed in northern and eastern Mex ...

''. Their natural habitat is believed to be damp caves where they were initially discovered, however the exact locations are unknown. They are threatened by

habitat loss Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss and habitat reduction) is the process by which a natural habitat becomes incapable of supporting its native species. The organisms that previously inhabited the site are displaced or dead, thereby ...

due to

deforestation Deforestation or forest clearance is the removal of a forest or stand of trees from land that is then converted to non-forest use. Deforestation can involve conversion of forest land to farms, ranches, or urban use. The most concentrated ...

and the expansion of agriculture in the region which causes the caves to become dry. The cave splayfoot salamander and the bigfoot splayfoot salamander ''( Chiropterotriton magnipes)'' are considered to be sympatric since both are rare species and observed in the same cave.AmphibiaWeb. 2018. <http://amphibiaweb.org> University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA. Accessed 15 Apr 2018.

References

Chiropterotriton Cave salamanders Endemic amphibians of Mexico Amphibians described in 1941 Fauna of the Sierra Madre Oriental Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{Plethodontidae-stub