Pseudoeurycea Lineola
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''Pseudoeurycea lineola'', commonly known as the Veracruz worm salamander or Mexican slender salamander, is a species of
salamander Salamanders are a group of amphibians typically characterized by their lizard-like appearance, with slender bodies, blunt snouts, short limbs projecting at right angles to the body, and the presence of a tail in both larvae and adults. All t ...
in the family
Plethodontidae Plethodontidae, or lungless salamanders, are a family of salamanders. With over 500 species, lungless salamanders are by far the largest family of salamanders in terms of their diversity. Most species are native to the Western Hemisphere, from B ...
. It is
endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...
to the eastern slope of the
Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt The Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt (), also known as the Transvolcanic Belt and locally as the (''Snowy Mountain Range''), is an active volcanic belt that covers central-southern Mexico. Several of its highest peaks have snow all year long, and dur ...
near Cuautlapan, in the west-central
Veracruz Veracruz, formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave, is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 Political divisions of Mexico, Federal Entit ...
, Mexico, at elevations of
above sea level Height above mean sea level is a measure of a location's vertical distance (height, elevation or altitude) in reference to a vertical datum based on a historic mean sea level. In geodesy, it is formalized as orthometric height. The zero level ...
. Molecular evidence suggests that it consists of two distinct species. It was the
type species In International_Code_of_Zoological_Nomenclature, zoological nomenclature, a type species (''species typica'') is the species name with which the name of a genus or subgenus is considered to be permanently taxonomically associated, i.e., the spe ...
of genus ''Lineatriton''.


Description

Males measure and females in snout–vent length. The average tail length is for males and females, respectively. The males have white (unpigemented) testes and
vasa deferentia The vas deferens (: vasa deferentia), ductus deferens (: ductūs deferentes), or sperm duct is part of the male reproductive system of many vertebrates. In mammals, spermatozoa are produced in the seminiferous tubules and flow into the epididyma ...
.


Habitat and conservation

Natural
habitat In ecology, habitat refers to the array of resources, biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species' habitat can be seen as the physical manifestation of its ...
s of ''Pseudoeurycea lineola'' are pine-oak forests, but it can also survive in shaded coffee plantations. It is a terrestrial species found beneath stones, logs and other debris, and in subterranean situations. The species is threatened by
habitat loss Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss or habitat reduction) occurs when a natural habitat is no longer able to support its native species. The organisms once living there have either moved elsewhere, or are dead, leading to a decrease ...
caused by expanding agriculture and human settlements and by wood extraction. It is an uncommon species that is difficult to find.


References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2212015 lineola Amphibians described in 1865 Taxa named by Edward Drinker Cope Endemic amphibians of Mexico Fauna of the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt Taxonomy articles created by Polbot