Chunky False Brook Salamander vs Thick-nerved Apple-moss

Aquiloeurycea cephalica compared with Philonotis calcarea

Key Differences

• Chunky False Brook Salamander is Least Concern while Thick-nerved Apple-moss is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Chunky False Brook Salamander	Thick-nerved Apple-moss
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Plantae (Plants)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordates)	Bryophyta
Class	Amphibia (Amphibians)	Bryopsida (Bryopsida)
Order	Caudata (Caudata)	Bartramiales (Bartramiales)
Family	Plethodontidae	Bartramiaceae
Genus	Aquiloeurycea	Philonotis
Species	Aquiloeurycea cephalica	Philonotis calcarea

Conservation Status

Chunky False Brook Salamander

LC — Least Concern

Thick-nerved Apple-moss

VU — Vulnerable

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Chunky False Brook Salamander	Thick-nerved Apple-moss
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.

Thick-nerved Apple-moss

Habitat

Native to Europe, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Found across Europe (6 countries). Currently classified as Vulnerable 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.