Caudata - salamanders

Distribution and Habitat:

Salamanders are almost entirely confined to the holarctic - the ecozone including the habitats of the northern continents, as well as a small part of North Africa north of the Sahara. This means that no species of salamander is native to sub-Saharan Africa or the Australian continent. Approximately 30 species inhabit South America - all being members of the family Plethodontidae.

The majority of salamanders are restricted to North and Central America (367 species), variously inhabiting terrestrial and freshwater systems in temperate or tropical forests.

Conservation Status (IUCN):

Of the 552 species of salamander that are listed on the IUCN Red List, two species - the Yunnan Lake newt, Cynops wolterstorffi, and Ainsworth's salamander, Plethodon ainsworthi - are now considered extinct, after not being recorded since between 1964 and 1979.

A further 58 species are listed as Data Deficient, meaning that current population level data is either absent or insufficient to make species-level assessments.

A huge 55% of the remaining species (270/492) are considered threatened with extinction, with 92 species listed as Vulnerable, 101 Endangered, and 77 Critically Endangered. The remaining species are at lower risk, either listed as Least Concern (160) or Near Threatened(62).

Features:

• Elongate body, usually with four short limbs and a laterally flattened tail for swimming.
• Broad, flattened skull, with large orbits.
• Bicuspid teeth on both the upper and lower jaw.
• The rib-bearers (the elements of the vertebrae that articulate with the ribs) are bicipital (have two prongs).