The Lake Patzcuaro salamander, locally known as achoque, ''Ambystoma dumerilii'', is a

neotenic Neoteny (), also called juvenilization,Montagu, A. (1989). Growing Young. Bergin & Garvey: CT. is the delaying or slowing of the physiological, or somatic, development of an organism, typically an animal. Neoteny is found in modern humans compared ...

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 ten ...

species. This salamander is found in

Lake Pátzcuaro Lake Pátzcuaro (Spanish: ''Lago de Pátzcuaro'') is a lake in the municipality of Pátzcuaro, Michoacán, Mexico. Lake Pátzcuaro lies in an endorheic basin, which does not drain to the sea. A watershed area of 929 square kilometres drains into ...

, a high-altitude lake in the

Mexican state The states of Mexico are first-level administrative territorial entities of the country of Mexico, which is officially named Mexico, United Mexican States. There are 32 federal entities in Mexico (31 states and the capital, Mexico City, as a sepa ...

Michoacán Michoacán, formally Michoacán de Ocampo (; Purépecha: ), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Michoacán de Ocampo ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Michoacán de Ocampo), is one of the 32 states which comprise the Federal Entities of ...

. This is located in the Mesa Central region of the country, home to many isolated '' Ambystoma'' species. There have been claims that a

subspecies In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all species ...

is found further inland to the north-east in

San Juan del Río San Juan del Río is a city (2010 census pop. 241,699) and administration of the surrounding San Juan del Río Municipality (pop. 208,462) in the central Mexican state of Querétaro. The population in for the municipality is 268,408 as of 2015 ...

Querétaro Querétaro (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Querétaro ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Querétaro, links=no; Otomi language, Otomi: ''Hyodi Ndämxei''), is one of the Political divisions of Mexico, 32 federal entities of Mexico. I ...

, but this is doubtful due to the animal's wholly aquatic nature. ''Dumerilii'' retain their larval characteristics throughout their entire life. This results in adults that have long, heavily filamented external

gills A gill () is a respiratory organ that many aquatic organisms use to extract dissolved oxygen from water and to excrete carbon dioxide. The gills of some species, such as hermit crabs, have adapted to allow respiration on land provided they are ...

gill slit Gill slits are individual openings to gills, i.e., multiple gill arches, which lack a single outer cover. Such gills are characteristic of cartilaginous fish such as sharks and rays, as well as deep-branching vertebrates such as lampreys. In con ...

s lined with tooth-like gill rakers, and caudal fins. Patzcuaro salamanders are usually yellowish in color, with a lighter shade on their underbellies. They have large heads and reduced limbs. They are opportunistic suction feeders, and eat many types of invertebrates. Recently, this salamander has been used in research as a counterpoint to the more common captive-bred

axolotl The axolotl (; from nci, āxōlōtl ), ''Ambystoma mexicanum'', is a paedomorphic salamander closely related to the tiger salamander. Axolotls are unusual among amphibians in that they reach adulthood without undergoing metamorphosis. Instea ...

. Patzcuaro salamanders have been hybridized with axolotls, and used in mitochondrial studies for comparison. Due to

habitat destruction 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 ...

, pollution and the introduction of predatory fish the population has decreased severely in the past decades. It is listed as Critically endangered in the

IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natu ...

red list and in Appendix II

CITES CITES (shorter name for the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, also known as the Washington Convention) is a multilateral treaty to protect endangered plants and animals from the threats of interna ...

. There may be fewer than 100 individuals in the wild.

Conservation

Experts from

Chester Zoo Chester Zoo is a zoo at Upton-by-Chester, Cheshire, England. Chester Zoo was opened in 1931 by George Mottershead and his family. It is one of the UK's largest zoos at . The zoo has a total land holding of approximately . Chester Zoo is operate ...

and Michoacan University have partnered with the Sisters of the Monastery of the

Dominican Order The Order of Preachers ( la, Ordo Praedicatorum) abbreviated OP, also known as the Dominicans, is a Catholic mendicant order of Pontifical Right for men founded in Toulouse, France, by the Spanish priest, saint and mystic Dominic of Cal ...

Pátzcuaro Pátzcuaro () is a city and municipality located in the state of Michoacán. The town was founded sometime in the 1320s, at first becoming the capital of the Purépecha Empire and later its ceremonial center. After the Spanish took over, Vasco de ...

to breed the endangered salamander. The sisters have sustainably raised achoques for use in

traditional medicine Traditional medicine (also known as indigenous medicine or folk medicine) comprises medical aspects of traditional knowledge that developed over generations within the folk beliefs of various societies, including indigenous peoples, before the ...

for 150 years. The breeding facility at the convent has two tanks for up to 400 salamanders. The achoques are measured, microchipped and paired for breeding by the sisters. Chester Zoo and Michoacan University have populations of achoques, nonetheless, the population at the convent is the most viable since it is closest to the achoque's native habitat and the salamanders are thus less likely to be exposed to foreign pathogens. Trial releases of achoques may begin in 2020.

Conservation

See also

References

Further reading