Ambystoma dumerilii

I'm just curious if anyone has any info on these beauties?

"CONSERVATION STATUS:
IUCN Red List Status for Ambystoma dumerilii is currently listed as “Critically Endangered” due to the entire species encompassing a single declining population. Pollution, competition and predation by introduced fishes and human consumption of this species has led to its decline. This species has been greatly exploited by fishermen for decades; commercial capture volumes were reported by Orbe et al. (1991) as 19 tons in 1987, 12.5 tons in 1988, 1.7 tons in 1989 and 2 tons in 1991. Since 1991 volumes of capture are nearly immeasurable due to the comparitive paucity of animals brought in to the markets for sale. One author suggested that the average recent daily catch is two to three dozen animals (del Carmen Huacuz Eli*as, 2001). A. dumerilii is afforded Special Protection status by the Mexican Government, but it does not occur in any protected areas. This species is an excellent example of how the protection status of a species in Mexico means little to the population and is not enforced to any degree."

from Ambystoma dumerilii « Mexico Herpetology


this is horrible that they catch these guys for a consumers market!?!?! Mexico needs to seriously start protecting its neotonic salamanders... they only live there!!!

Grace, if you're outraged about that, read up on the Asian Turtle Crisis. That'll make your stomach turn.

Thanks Grace. It's quite similar for andersoni and mexicanum isn't it? They have protection in place, it seems they just don't enforce it? To them though it is just like having a beefburger is to other cultures I guess. They could at the very least breed their own to use instead of causing extinction!

No they don't enforce anything and most of the different species are not even protected yet (not that that does anything). It is soo sad, I hate seeing preventable extinctions take place. :-( People need to stop being so stupid, stuff like this makes my blood boil. The Asian Turtle Crisis is horrible. But the Chinese markets are bringing more than just turtles to extinction. Eels, giant salamanders, rhinos, musk deer ect...... I've done some research on this and explored all the different animals they use in "tradition" medicine and other countries uses of animals too. Some of this is fine, to an extent... but to the point of extinction? Ugh..... this is why I am exploring these things in my thesis for grad school- I am making art that shows people the states of these animals.

in the taxonomy part it says that the dumerilii are similar to the andersoni ..? i thought they were all close in taxonomy

I guess when it says Ambystoma it means the non-neotenic salamanders, such as Ambystoma tigrinum and not mexicanum. i am quite interested in how different is though to the other two, I would hazard a guess at its name coming from the zoologist who discovered the mexicanums. Gonna have to scour journals for them there must be something somewhere other than a brief overview

Super Necro-post, but does anyone know how to acquire one of these? I wanted an axolotl eventually but I love their bushy gills, and if I could help it would love to get one or more of these. Google shows nothing but science related articles and whatnot. None for sale it seems.

Raella said:

Super Necro-post, but does anyone know how to acquire one of these? I wanted an axolotl eventually but I love their bushy gills, and if I could help it would love to get one or more of these. Google shows nothing but science related articles and whatnot. None for sale it seems.

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There was someone selling them in the EU for sale-section of this forum. Maybe ask them if they know any breeders?

There are a few captive bred about now. I would communicate with the breeder first and see that you can provide the care they require.