Global InformationLake Patzcuaro salamander information
| Lake Patzcuaro salamander | |
|---|---|
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Conservation status
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 Critically Endangered (IUCN 3.1)[1] | |
CITES Appendix II (CITES)[2]
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Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Amphibia |
| Order: | Urodela |
| Family: | Ambystomatidae |
| Genus: | Ambystoma |
| Species: | A. dumerilii
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| Binomial name | |
| Ambystoma dumerilii (Dugès, 1870)
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| Synonyms | |
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The Lake Patzcuaro salamander, locally known as achoque (Ambystoma dumerilii), is a paedomorphic species of salamander found exclusively in Lake Pátzcuaro, a high-altitude lake in the Mexican state of Michoacán. First described in 1870 by Alfredo Dugès, the species is named in honor of the French herpetologist Auguste Duméril. However, the salamander has been used as a food source and an ingredient in traditional medicines by the Purépecha people since the Pre-Columbian era. Ambystoma dumerilii are neotenic, meaning they retain their larval characteristics throughout their entire life. This results in adults that have long, heavily filamented external gills, gill slits lined with tooth-like gill rakers, and caudal fins. When stressed, Ambystoma dumerilii can undergo an incomplete metamorphosis, though this is process significantly decreases their lifespan and is often fatal.
Due to their similar morphology, taxonomy, and behavior, achoques are often compared to axolotls. While geographically isolated in the wild, achoques and axolotls are capable of mating in captivity. This, along with achoque's similarities to the tiger salamander, has led to the species being classified as a member of the larger Ambystoma tigrinum species group.
Ambystoma dumerilii are listed as critically endangered in the IUCN red list, and in Appendix II CITES due to pollution, overfishing, eutrophication, and invasive species. It is estimated that there are less than 100 individuals left in the wild, and that the species may go extinct in the wild within the next 20 to 30 years. Currently, there are 4 in situ colonies in Mexico and additional colonies abroad maintaining the species' population. The most notable of these is run by Sisters of the Dominican Order, at the Basílica de Nuestra Señora de la Salud, who currently maintain a colony of 300 members, the largest known population of the species in the world.
- ^ IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group (2020). "Ambystoma dumerilii". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2020: e.T59055A53973725. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-1.RLTS.T59055A53973725.en. Retrieved 13 November 2021.
- ^ "Appendices | CITES". cites.org. Archived from the original on 2017-12-05. Retrieved 2022-01-14.