Burch's tree snail vs Chunky False Brook Salamander

Samoana burchi compared with Aquiloeurycea cephalica

Key Differences

• Burch's tree snail is Critically Endangered while Chunky False Brook Salamander is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Burch's tree snail	Chunky False Brook Salamander
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Mollusca (Mollusks)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Gastropoda (Gastropoda)	Amphibia (Amphibians)
Order	Stylommatophora (Stylommatophora)	Caudata (Caudata)
Family	Partulidae	Plethodontidae
Genus	Samoana	Aquiloeurycea
Species	Samoana burchi	Aquiloeurycea cephalica

Evolutionary Relationship

Burch's tree snail and Chunky False Brook Salamander share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Animalia. (Animals)

Conservation Status

Burch's tree snail

CR — Critically Endangered

Chunky False Brook Salamander

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Burch's tree snail	Chunky False Brook Salamander
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Burch's tree snail

Habitat

Typically found in terrestrial and aquatic habitats including forests and freshwater.

Chunky False Brook Salamander

Habitat

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

Range

Found in Mexico.

Burch's tree snail

The Burch's tree snail (Samoana burchi) is a species in the genus Samoana. It is currently classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in terrestrial and aquatic habitats including forests and freshwater.

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.