Capillary Figwort vs Chunky False Brook Salamander

Scrophularia capillaris compared with Aquiloeurycea cephalica

Key Differences

• Capillary Figwort is Critically Endangered while Chunky False Brook Salamander is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Capillary Figwort	Chunky False Brook Salamander
Kingdom	Plantae (Plants)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)	Amphibia (Amphibians)
Order	Lamiales (Lamiales)	Caudata (Caudata)
Family	Scrophulariaceae	Plethodontidae
Genus	Scrophularia	Aquiloeurycea
Species	Scrophularia capillaris	Aquiloeurycea cephalica

Conservation Status

Capillary Figwort

CR — Critically Endangered

Chunky False Brook Salamander

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Capillary Figwort	Chunky False Brook Salamander
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Capillary Figwort

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions.

Chunky False Brook Salamander

Habitat

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

Range

Found in Mexico.

Capillary Figwort

The Capillary Figwort (Scrophularia capillaris) is a species in the genus Scrophularia. It is currently classified as Critically Endangered (CR) on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions.

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.