Chunky False Brook Salamander vs Simons’s Mouse Opossum

Aquiloeurycea cephalica compared with Marmosa simonsi

Key Differences

• Chunky False Brook Salamander is Least Concern while Simons’s Mouse Opossum is Not Evaluated.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Chunky False Brook Salamander	Simons’s Mouse Opossum
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Amphibia (Amphibians)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Caudata (Caudata)	Didelphimorphia (Didelphimorphia)
Family	Plethodontidae	Didelphidae
Genus	Aquiloeurycea	Marmosa
Species	Aquiloeurycea cephalica	Marmosa simonsi

Evolutionary Relationship

Chunky False Brook Salamander and Simons’s Mouse Opossum share a common ancestor at the Phylum level: Chordata. (Chordates)

Conservation Status

Chunky False Brook Salamander

LC — Least Concern

Simons’s Mouse Opossum

NE — Not Evaluated

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Chunky False Brook Salamander	Simons’s Mouse Opossum
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.

Simons’s Mouse Opossum

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Range

Found in Ecuador.

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.