Beech Tarcrust vs Chunky False Brook Salamander

Biscogniauxia nummularia compared with Aquiloeurycea cephalica

Key Differences

• Beech Tarcrust is Data Deficient while Chunky False Brook Salamander is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Beech Tarcrust	Chunky False Brook Salamander
Kingdom	Fungi (Fungi)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Ascomycota (Sac Fungi)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Sordariomycetes (Sordariomycetes)	Amphibia (Amphibians)
Order	Xylariales (Xylariales)	Caudata (Caudata)
Family	Graphostromataceae	Plethodontidae
Genus	Biscogniauxia	Aquiloeurycea
Species	Biscogniauxia nummularia	Aquiloeurycea cephalica

Conservation Status

Beech Tarcrust

DD — Data Deficient

Chunky False Brook Salamander

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Beech Tarcrust	Chunky False Brook Salamander
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Beech Tarcrust

Habitat

Native to Asia and Europe and South America, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Widely distributed across Asia (Taiwan), Europe (7 countries), and South America (Brazil).

Chunky False Brook Salamander

Habitat

Typically found in freshwater habitats, moist forests, and wetlands.

Range

Found in Mexico.

Beech Tarcrust

The Beech Tarcrust (Biscogniauxia nummularia) is a species in the genus Biscogniauxia. Its conservation status is listed as Data Deficient, indicating insufficient data for assessment. Native to Asia and Europe and South America, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Chunky False Brook Salamander

The Chunky False Brook Salamander (Aquiloeurycea cephalica) is a Least Concern plethodontid salamander endemic to Mexico, found in cloud forest and humid montane habitats in the Sierra Madre Oriental and related mountain ranges. The genus Aquiloeurycea is a recently erected Mexican endemic genus segregated from the broader genus Pseudoeurycea, comprising several small, robustly built (hence 'chunky') salamanders associated with high-elevation forests. Like all plethodontids, A. cephalica is a lungless salamander that breathes entirely through its moist, vascularized skin and the lining of its mouth. It is a direct developer, skipping the aquatic larval stage entirely and laying eggs in terrestrial microhabitats such as rotting logs, leaf litter, and soil. A. cephalica inhabits cool, humid forests of pine-oak and cloud forest zones in northern Mexico, where it forages for small invertebrates in the leaf litter and soil. The IUCN assesses it as Least Concern due to its reasonably wide distribution within its montane range. Deforestation, cattle grazing, and the conversion of cloud forest to agriculture represent ongoing threats to populations throughout its range.