Big-footed Salamander vs Common Splayfoot Salamander

Chiropterotriton magnipes compared with Chiropterotriton chiropterus

Key Differences

• Big-footed Salamander is Endangered while Common Splayfoot Salamander is Critically Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Big-footed Salamander	Common Splayfoot Salamander
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class same	Amphibia (Amphibians)	Amphibia (Amphibians)
Order same	Caudata (Caudata)	Caudata (Caudata)
Family same	Plethodontidae	Plethodontidae
Genus same	Chiropterotriton	Chiropterotriton
Species	Chiropterotriton magnipes	Chiropterotriton chiropterus

Evolutionary Relationship

Big-footed Salamander and Common Splayfoot Salamander share a common ancestor at the Genus level: Chiropterotriton.

Conservation Status

Big-footed Salamander

EN — Endangered

Common Splayfoot Salamander

CR — Critically Endangered

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Big-footed Salamander	Common Splayfoot Salamander
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Big-footed Salamander

Habitat

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

Range

Found in Mexico. Currently classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Common Splayfoot Salamander

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical coniferous forests, tropical and subtropical grasslands and savannas, and Mediterranean forests and woodlands, among 6 distinct biome types spanning the Nearctic and Neotropic realms. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Found in Mexico. Currently classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Big-footed Salamander

The Big-footed Salamander (Chiropterotriton magnipes) is a species in the genus Chiropterotriton. It is currently classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in freshwater habitats, moist forests, and wetlands.

Common Splayfoot Salamander

<em>Chiropterotriton chiropterus</em>, commonly known as the common splayfoot salamander, is a small lungless salamander in the family Plethodontidae, endemic to the Sierra Madre Oriental of Mexico. This species typically inhabits montane cloud forests and humid oak-pine forests at elevations ranging from approximately 1,200 to 2,500 metres, where it lives under rocks, logs, and within the leaf litter and moss of cool, moist forest floor microhabitats. Its geographic range is restricted to the states of Tamaulipas, Nuevo León, and adjacent parts of San Luis Potosí in northeastern Mexico. Classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, <em>Chiropterotriton chiropterus</em> faces severe threats from deforestation, agricultural expansion, human settlement, and climate change, all of which are degrading and fragmenting the highly limited cloud forest habitats on which it depends. As a plethodontid salamander, it breathes entirely through its moist skin and buccal cavity. The species is carnivorous, typically feeding on small invertebrates such as insects, worms, and other arthropods found in the soil and leaf litter. Biological traits such as average lifespan, body length, and body weight remain poorly documented in the scientific literature for this rarely studied species.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 1 countries:

🇲🇽 Mexico