Leprous False Brook Salamander (Pseudoeurycea leprosa)

Mohamed bin Zayed Species project number 162513838

Conservation Status of a Community of Vulnerable and Endangered Lungless Salamanders (Plethodontidae) in a Mountain Ecosystem of Mexico

In this project we aim to estimate abundance of these five salamander species and estimate their degree of sympatry and identify their particular habitat and microhabitat preferences and major ecological factors that may put at risk their persistence in the LMNP. Specifically, we will estimate prevalence of fungal pathogens Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis and Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans in this natural site. This project is extremely important for four reasons. First, by combining intensive fieldwork and cutting-edge molecular tools it will provide key information on the current status of this salamander community in a heterogeneous area that has been subjected to different levels of habitat deterioration. Second, this project will provide important insights into the current population status of five species categorized as near threatened, vulnerable, or endangered by the IUCN. Third, by estimating prevalence of pathogens BD and BS, this project will provide a risk assessment for the amphibian community inhabiting LMNP. Fourth, with this information, the government institutions in charge of LMNP could make better decisions to avoid extinction of emblematic species. By accessing accurate information about diversity abundance of these salamander community, local authorities could improve their management strategies for those microhabitats and species of high conservation concern in LMNP.