Chunky False Brook Salamander vs

Aquiloeurycea cephalica compared with Cliostomum corrugatum

Key Differences

• Chunky False Brook Salamander is Least Concern while is Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Chunky False Brook Salamander
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Fungi (Fungi)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordates)	Ascomycota (Sac Fungi)
Class	Amphibia (Amphibians)	Lecanoromycetes (Lecanoromycetes)
Order	Caudata (Caudata)	Lecanorales (Lecanorales)
Family	Plethodontidae	Ramalinaceae
Genus	Aquiloeurycea	Cliostomum
Species	Aquiloeurycea cephalica	Cliostomum corrugatum

Conservation Status

Chunky False Brook Salamander

LC — Least Concern

EN — Endangered

Physical Characteristics

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

Habitat & Geographic Range

Chunky False Brook Salamander

Habitat

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

Range

Found in Mexico.

Habitat

Native to Europe, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Distributed across Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. Currently classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

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.

Cliostomum corrugatum is a crustose lichen in the family Ramalinaceae, notable for producing characteristically wrinkled or corrugated apothecia that distinguish it from related taxa. The genus Cliostomum is a small group of saxicolous and corticolous crustose lichens with a disjunct distribution in temperate and boreal regions of the Northern Hemisphere, including Europe and North America. The thallus of Cliostomum corrugatum is thin and pale, often nearly immersed in the bark substrate on which it grows, while the pale tan to cream apothecia are flat to slightly convex with the distinctive corrugated or rugose surface. The species is found on the bark of deciduous trees in old, undisturbed woodland, including veteran oaks, beeches, and other broadleaved trees with stable, relatively unpolluted bark chemistry. Cliostomum species are considered indicators of ecological continuity in woodland habitats and are included in lists of ancient woodland indicator species in northwestern Europe. The species is sensitive to air pollution, particularly sulfur dioxide and nitrogen compounds from agricultural and industrial sources, and declined significantly across industrialized regions of Britain and Europe during the 20th century. Recovery has been noted in areas where air quality has improved. The species is of conservation concern in several European countries.