Chunky False Brook Salamander vs Gulf smoothhound

Aquiloeurycea cephalica compared with Mustelus sinusmexicanus

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Chunky False Brook Salamander	Gulf smoothhound
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Amphibia (Amphibians)	Chondrichthyes (Cartilaginous Fish)
Order	Caudata (Caudata)	Carcharhiniformes (Ground Sharks)
Family	Plethodontidae	Triakidae
Genus	Aquiloeurycea	Mustelus
Species	Aquiloeurycea cephalica	Mustelus sinusmexicanus

Evolutionary Relationship

Chunky False Brook Salamander and Gulf smoothhound share a common ancestor at the Phylum level: Chordata. (Chordates)

Conservation Status

Chunky False Brook Salamander

LC — Least Concern

Gulf smoothhound

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Chunky False Brook Salamander	Gulf smoothhound
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.

Gulf smoothhound

Habitat

Typically found in marine environments from coastal waters to deep ocean.

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.