Changeable Rock-moss vs Coffee Grove Salamander

Andreaea mutabilis compared with Aquiloeurycea cafetalera

Key Differences

Changeable Rock-moss is Not Evaluated while Coffee Grove Salamander is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Changeable Rock-moss	Coffee Grove Salamander
Kingdom	Plantae (Plants)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Bryophyta	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Andreaeopsida (Andreaeopsida)	Amphibia (Amphibians)
Order	Andreaeales (Andreaeales)	Caudata (Caudata)
Family	Andreaeaceae	Plethodontidae
Genus	Andreaea	Aquiloeurycea
Species	Andreaea mutabilis	Aquiloeurycea cafetalera

Conservation Status

Changeable Rock-moss

NE — Not Evaluated

Coffee Grove Salamander

VU — Vulnerable

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Changeable Rock-moss	Coffee Grove Salamander
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Changeable Rock-moss

Habitat

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

Range

Distributed across Norway, Sweden, and Taiwan.

Coffee Grove Salamander

Habitat

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

Range

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

Changeable Rock-moss

The Changeable Rock-moss (Andreaea mutabilis) is a species in the genus Andreaea. Native to Asia and Europe, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

The Coffee Grove Salamander (Aquiloeurycea cafetalera) is a small, fully terrestrial plethodontid salamander in the family Plethodontidae, endemic to the cloud forests and coffee agroforestry zones of the Sierra de Juárez in the Mexican state of Oaxaca. Like all plethodontid salamanders, it is lungless, relying entirely on cutaneous gas exchange through its moist skin, making it exquisitely sensitive to desiccation and temperature changes. Adults are slender, with a reddish-brown dorsum and light-coloured venter, typically measuring 5–8 centimetres in total length. The species inhabits cool, humid cloud forest floor environments and the leaf litter and bark of shade-grown coffee plantations at elevations approximately between 1,500 and 2,500 metres—an association that gives it its common name. The presence of this salamander in coffee agroforestry systems highlights the biodiversity value of traditional shade-grown cultivation compared to sun-grown monocultures. The Coffee Grove Salamander is classified as Vulnerable by the IUCN due to its restricted distribution, estimated extent of occurrence below 5,000 square kilometres, and ongoing threats from habitat loss through deforestation, conversion to sun-grown coffee cultivation, and climate-driven changes to cloud forest conditions. No ex situ conservation programmes are known to be in place.