Chunky False Brook Salamander vs Kashmir Mountain Vole

Aquiloeurycea cephalica compared with Alticola montosa

Key Differences

• Chunky False Brook Salamander is Least Concern while Kashmir Mountain Vole is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Chunky False Brook Salamander	Kashmir Mountain Vole
Kingdom same	Animalia (动物界)	Animalia (动物界)
Phylum same	Chordata (脊索动物门)	Chordata (脊索动物门)
Class	Amphibia (两栖动物)	Mammalia (哺乳動物)
Order	Caudata (有尾目)	Rodentia (啮齿目)
Family	Plethodontidae	Cricetidae
Genus	Aquiloeurycea	Alticola
Species	Aquiloeurycea cephalica	Alticola montosa

Evolutionary Relationship

Chunky False Brook Salamander and Kashmir Mountain Vole share a common ancestor at the Phylum level: Chordata. (脊索动物门)

Conservation Status

Chunky False Brook Salamander

LC — Least Concern

Kashmir Mountain Vole

VU — Vulnerable

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Chunky False Brook Salamander	Kashmir Mountain Vole
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.

Kashmir Mountain Vole

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

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.