Thorius arboreus

Thorius arboreus, commonly known as the arboreal minute salamander, is a species of salamander in the family Plethodontidae. It is endemic to Sierra de Juarez, Oaxaca, Mexico.[1][3][4] The specific name arboreus, derives from the Latin word arbor, meaning tree, referring to the arboreal habitat of this species.[2]

Thorius arboreus
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Order: Urodela
Family: Plethodontidae
Genus: Thorius
Species:
T. arboreus
Binomial name
Thorius arboreus
Hanken & Wake, 1994[2]

Description

With males measuring 16.1–18.4 mm (0.63–0.72 in) and females 15.2–20.0 mm (0.60–0.79 in) in snout–vent length, it is a very small species even among the generally small Thorius.[2][4][5] It has a slender habitus. The head is relatively wide; the snout is bluntly pointed. The eyes are relatively large. Maxillary teeth are lacking. The limbs are relatively long. There is a reddish dorsal stripe; some individuals have an ornate pattern where the dorsolateral margins of the stripe are "pinched" over the shoulders.[2]

Habitat and conservation

Its natural habitat is cloud forest. It is an arboreal species typically occurring in the leaf axils of bromeliads. It tolerates some habitat degradation provided that shade remains. Main threats to it are encroachment of agriculture and logging.[1]

References
  1. IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group. (2020). "Thorius arboreus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2020: e.T59407A53985124. Retrieved 17 July 2020.
  2. Hanken, James; Wake, David B. (1994). "Five new species of minute salamanders, genus Thorius (Caudata: Plethodontidae), from northern Oaxaca, Mexico". Copeia. 1994 (3): 573–590. doi:10.2307/1447174. JSTOR 1447174.
  3. Frost, Darrel R. (2015). "Thorius arboreus Hanken and Wake, 1994". Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 6.0. American Museum of Natural History. Retrieved 31 December 2015.
  4. "Thorius arboreus". AmphibiaWeb: Information on amphibian biology and conservation. [web application]. Berkeley, California: AmphibiaWeb. 2015. Retrieved 31 December 2015.
  5. Rovito, Sean M.; Parra-Olea, Gabriela; Hanken, James; Bonett, Ronald M.; Wake, David B. (2013). "Adaptive radiation in miniature: the minute salamanders of the Mexican highlands (Amphibia: Plethodontidae: Thorius)". Biological Journal of the Linnean Society. 109 (3): 622–643. doi:10.1111/bij.12083.
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