''Parvimolge'' is a genus of
salamanders in the family
Plethodontidae, the lungless salamanders.
It is currently considered as
monotypic, although this may yet change as molecular data suggest that it is embedded within a
paraphyletic
In taxonomy (general), taxonomy, a group is paraphyletic if it consists of the group's most recent common ancestor, last common ancestor and most of its descendants, excluding a few Monophyly, monophyletic subgroups. The group is said to be pa ...
''
Pseudoeurycea''. ''Parvimolge townsendi'' is
endemic to the northern
Sierra Madre de Oaxaca in central and southern
Veracruz, Mexico, between 900 and 1900 meters elevation.
It is represented by the species ''Parvimolge townsendi'', commonly known as Townsend's dwarf salamander.
Habitat and conservation
Natural
habitats of ''Parvimolge townsendi'' are cloud and oak forests. They are usually found living in
bromeliad
The Bromeliaceae (the bromeliads) are a family of monocot flowering plants of about 80 genera and 3700 known species, native mainly to the tropical Americas, with several species found in the American subtropics and one in tropical west Africa, ...
s or on the ground. They are somewhat adaptable and can survive in shaded coffee plantations as long as humidity levels are maintained.
''Parvimolge townsendi'' has never been common, but it has undergone significant population declines. It has only been observed once since 1997, despite efforts to locate it. It is threatened by
habitat loss, but more information on the reasons for the decline of this species is needed.
''Parvimolge townsendi'' was once considered abundant, however ''
Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis'', a
chytrid fungus, infected this species' geographic range about 40 years ago, devastating many amphibian populations, including Townsend's dwarf salamander (Sandoval-Comte, 2012).
[Sandoval-Comte, A., Pineda, E., Aguilar-López, J.L. 2012. In Search of Critically Endangered Species: The Current Situation of Two Tiny Salamanders Species in the Neotropical Mountains of Mexico. PLoS One, 7(4):e34023.] The IUCN has even labeled this species as 'possibly extinct,' under geographic range because it has only been spotted once since 1997.
However, surveys throughout the 2010s found it to be present in most areas, and even moderately abundant in some places.
References
External links
* AmphibiaWeb: Information on amphibian biology and conservation. 2008. Berkeley, California
''Parvimolge'' AmphibiaWeb, available at http://amphibiaweb.org/. (Accessed: August 1, 2008).
Plethodontidae
Amphibians described in 1922
Endemic amphibians of Mexico
Fauna of the Sierra Madre de Oaxaca
Taxa named by Emmett Reid Dunn
Taxonomy articles created by Polbot
Monotypic amphibian genera
{{Plethodontidae-stub