Coffee Grove Salamander vs Common Pond Frog

Aquiloeurycea cafetalera compared with Fejervarya vittigera

Key Differences

• Coffee Grove Salamander is Vulnerable while Common Pond Frog is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Coffee Grove Salamander	Common Pond Frog
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class same	Amphibia (Amphibians)	Amphibia (Amphibians)
Order	Caudata (Caudata)	Anura (Frogs & Toads)
Family	Plethodontidae	Dicroglossidae
Genus	Aquiloeurycea	Fejervarya
Species	Aquiloeurycea cafetalera	Fejervarya vittigera

Evolutionary Relationship

Coffee Grove Salamander and Common Pond Frog share a common ancestor at the Class level: Amphibia. (Amphibians)

Conservation Status

Coffee Grove Salamander

VU — Vulnerable

Common Pond Frog

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Coffee Grove Salamander	Common Pond Frog
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Coffee Grove Salamander

Habitat

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

Range

Found in Mexico. Currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Common Pond Frog

Habitat

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

Coffee Grove Salamander

The Coffee Grove Salamander (Aquiloeurycea cafetalera) is a small, fully terrestrial plethodontid salamander in the family Plethodontidae, endemic to the cloud forests and coffee agroforestry zones of the Sierra de Juárez in the Mexican state of Oaxaca. Like all plethodontid salamanders, it is lungless, relying entirely on cutaneous gas exchange through its moist skin, making it exquisitely sensitive to desiccation and temperature changes. Adults are slender, with a reddish-brown dorsum and light-coloured venter, typically measuring 5–8 centimetres in total length. The species inhabits cool, humid cloud forest floor environments and the leaf litter and bark of shade-grown coffee plantations at elevations approximately between 1,500 and 2,500 metres—an association that gives it its common name. The presence of this salamander in coffee agroforestry systems highlights the biodiversity value of traditional shade-grown cultivation compared to sun-grown monocultures. The Coffee Grove Salamander is classified as Vulnerable by the IUCN due to its restricted distribution, estimated extent of occurrence below 5,000 square kilometres, and ongoing threats from habitat loss through deforestation, conversion to sun-grown coffee cultivation, and climate-driven changes to cloud forest conditions. No ex situ conservation programmes are known to be in place.

Common Pond Frog

<em>Fejervarya vittigera</em>, the common pond frog, is a dicroglossid frog in the family Dicroglossidae, adapted to freshwater and wetland habitats including rice paddies, ponds, marshes, streams, and irrigated agricultural fields. It is typically a robust, medium-sized frog with a brown or olive-grey dorsum marked with longitudinal ridges and variable patterns, well suited for camouflage in its aquatic and semi-aquatic environments. The species is broadly distributed across South and Southeast Asia, favouring lowland areas with permanent or seasonal water availability. <em>Fejervarya vittigera</em> is carnivorous, typically feeding on invertebrates including insects, worms, and small crustaceans encountered near the water's edge or within aquatic vegetation. It is assessed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, with populations generally considered stable across its wide range, supported by its tolerance of modified habitats such as rice paddies. Biological traits such as average adult lifespan, precise body dimensions, body mass, and comprehensive dietary data across its geographic range remain poorly documented in the scientific literature. The species may face localised pressures from pesticide use in agricultural areas and habitat drainage.