Salamandra ajolote vs Coffee Grove Salamander

Ambystoma mexicanum compared with Aquiloeurycea cafetalera

Key Differences

• Salamandra ajolote is Critically Endangered while Coffee Grove Salamander is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Salamandra ajolote	Coffee Grove Salamander
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (cordados)	Chordata (cordados)
Class same	Amphibia (Amphibians)	Amphibia (Amphibians)
Order same	Caudata (Urodela)	Caudata (Urodela)
Family	Ambystomatidae	Plethodontidae
Genus	Ambystoma	Aquiloeurycea
Species	Ambystoma mexicanum	Aquiloeurycea cafetalera

Evolutionary Relationship

Salamandra ajolote and Coffee Grove Salamander share a common ancestor at the Order level: Caudata. (Urodela)

Conservation Status

Salamandra ajolote

CR — Critically Endangered

Coffee Grove Salamander

VU — Vulnerable

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Salamandra ajolote	Coffee Grove Salamander
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Salamandra ajolote

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical coniferous forests, tropical and subtropical grasslands and savannas, and Mediterranean forests and woodlands, among 10 distinct biome types. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Distributed across Colombia, Ecuador, Germany, Mexico, and Peru. Currently classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its 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.

Salamandra ajolote

The Axolotl (Ambystoma mexicanum) is a species in the genus Ambystoma. It is currently classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List. Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical coniferous forests, tropical and subtropical grasslands and savannas, and Mediterranean forests and woodlands, among 10 distinct biome types. Populations are also found.

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.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 1 countries:

🇲🇽 Mexico