Chunky False Brook Salamander vs lesser slippery moss snail

Aquiloeurycea cephalica compared with Cochlicopa lubricella

Key Differences

• Chunky False Brook Salamander is Least Concern while lesser slippery moss snail is Data Deficient.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Chunky False Brook Salamander	lesser slippery moss snail
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordates)	Mollusca (Mollusks)
Class	Amphibia (Amphibians)	Gastropoda (Gastropoda)
Order	Caudata (Caudata)	Stylommatophora (Stylommatophora)
Family	Plethodontidae	Cochlicopidae
Genus	Aquiloeurycea	Cochlicopa
Species	Aquiloeurycea cephalica	Cochlicopa lubricella

Evolutionary Relationship

Chunky False Brook Salamander and lesser slippery moss snail share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Animalia. (Animals)

Conservation Status

Chunky False Brook Salamander

LC — Least Concern

lesser slippery moss snail

DD — Data Deficient

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Chunky False Brook Salamander	lesser slippery moss snail
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.

lesser slippery moss snail

Habitat

Typically found in terrestrial and aquatic habitats including forests and freshwater.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (South Africa), Europe (9 countries), and North America (United States).

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.