Axolotl Hybrids?

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megalou2021

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I work at a pet store and we received "Water Dogs" this summer. The suppliers sent them with the name Ambystoma mexicanum which I understand is an axolotl. However, after about three weeks they morphed. It took about a month to morph. They have an olive and black camoflage look to them. Their coloration looks very much like a tiger salamander, but they look more like an axolotl. Are there hybrid salamanders of these two species?
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Tiger salamander larvae and axolotls are almost indistinguishable from each other, unless you're an expert. What you're receiving are tiger salamanders.
 
You should also note that what you are receiving are probably (I'd say with 100% probability) wild-caught, harvested from their natal pond.
 
Their have been people online selling tiger salamanders as "water dog, axolotl, tiger salamander, or whatever you want to call them". Tigers are often accidently sold as axolotls. If they all morphed they are most likely tigers.
 
Hello, I would like to know one thing. Why do you call Ambystoma mexicanum "axolotl" and Ambystoma tigrinum "tiger salamander"? Both are axolotls and salamanders. I live in Czech Republic and there they are called "axolotl mexický" and "axolotl tygrovaný" Do you have in english science name for them, or you are using latin names and "tiger salamander" is just "slang"?
 
The scientific name of the axolotl is Ambystoma mexicanum and the tiger salamanders are Ambystoma tigrinum/mavortium/velasci. 'Axolotl' and 'Tiger salamander' are the vernacular names that have been adopted in English for these species - so yes a kind of slang. 'Axolotl' is the native Mexican name for A. mexicanum, or at least derived from it (does anyone know the exact etymology?)
 
I'm going to paraphrase Chris. In English Axolotl is only one thing - Ambystoma mexicanum. Tiger salamander is any of the species/subspecies formerly classified as Ambystoma tigrinum (now split into Ambystoma tigrinum, Ambystoma mavortium and Ambystoma velasci). I could call a tiger salamander larva an axolotl but then I would be wrong - i.e. just because people call something a name does not make it correct.
 
In the forward to "Conservation status of the Genus Ambystoma in Michoacan Mexico" Gustavo Casas Andreu says: "The adoption of the axolotl of Xochimico has been so great at international level that north American scientist have suggested that the nahuatl word "Axolotl" be utilized as a common name exclusive for this specie, Forgetting that any specie of this genus is known as ajolote o achoque in the centre of Mexico: the use of this nahuatl word in a exclusive way could make a confusion in this region."

In Mexico their is some basis for calling any large ambystomid axolotl. The common use of the term "axolotl" worldwide generally refers to Ambystoma mexicanum.
 
michael said:
In the forward to "Conservation status of the Genus Ambystoma in Michoacan Mexico" Gustavo Casas Andreu says: "The adoption of the axolotl of Xochimico has been so great at international level that north American scientist have suggested that the nahuatl word "Axolotl" be utilized as a common name exclusive for this specie, Forgetting that any specie of this genus is known as ajolote o achoque in the centre of Mexico: the use of this nahuatl word in a exclusive way could make a confusion in this region."

In Mexico their is some basis for calling any large ambystomid axolotl. The common use of the term "axolotl" worldwide generally refers to Ambystoma mexicanum.
Click to expand...
I would never dare to speak for anything other than English. Therefore I think we can all agree that the main motivation of native-English speaking people using the word "Axolotl" to describe a tiger salamander is to sell the tiger salamander for more than it is worth, and perhaps add some mystique that it wouldn't otherwise have.
 
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