Castor bean tick vs Chunky False Brook Salamander

Ixodes ricinus compared with Aquiloeurycea cephalica

Key Differences

• Castor bean tick is Not Evaluated while Chunky False Brook Salamander is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Castor bean tick	Chunky False Brook Salamander
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Arachnida (Arachnids)	Amphibia (Amphibians)
Order	Ixodida (Ixodida)	Caudata (Caudata)
Family	Ixodidae	Plethodontidae
Genus	Ixodes	Aquiloeurycea
Species	Ixodes ricinus	Aquiloeurycea cephalica

Evolutionary Relationship

Castor bean tick and Chunky False Brook Salamander share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Animalia. (Animals)

Conservation Status

Castor bean tick

NE — Not Evaluated

Chunky False Brook Salamander

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Castor bean tick	Chunky False Brook Salamander
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Castor bean tick

Habitat

Typically found in terrestrial habitats from forests to deserts.

Range

Found across Asia (Taiwan) and Europe (7 countries).

Chunky False Brook Salamander

Habitat

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

Range

Found in Mexico.

Castor bean tick

The Castor bean tick (Ixodes ricinus) is a species in the genus Ixodes. Typically found in terrestrial habitats from forests to deserts.

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.