Taylor's salamander
Taylor's salamander (Ambystoma taylori) is a species of salamander found only in Laguna Alchichica, a high-altitude ( above sea level) crater lake to the southwest of Perote, Mexico. It was first described in 1982 but had been known to science prior to that. It is a neotenic salamander, breeding while still in the larval state and not undergoing metamorphosis. The lake in which it lives is becoming increasingly saline and less suitable for the salamander, which is declining in numbers. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has rated it as being "critically endangered". Taxonomy It was described in 1982 by Brandon, Maruska, and Rumph, and named for Edward Harrison Taylor (1889–1978), an American herpetologist. However, the species had been known to science long before then. Taylor himself attempted to describe the species as Ambystoma subsalsum in 1943, but mistakenly used a Mexican or plateau tiger salamander as the holotype. This rendered the name invalid, and made it into a synonym for the tiger salamander. Ecology This salamander is moderately sized, with most individuals measuring being mature, while the largest one being in snout–vent length. It is a neotenic species, which means it retains its caudal fin and external