Description
37.5 mm SVL. Nostrils very enlarged (hence the specific epithet megarhinus), long snout, elongated limbs (meeting when adpressed), long tail, moderate webbing. Nasolabial protuberances well-developed. Males have numerous maxillary teeth and a well-developed mental gland. Coloration dark brown to light reddish brown, sometimes with two dorsolateral stripes running from the posterior corner of the upper eyelid to the tip of the tail. A white interocular bar may be present. An indistinct dark triangular marking may be visible on the head, with the base between the eyes and the apex pointing toward the snout tip. Belly more pigmented in juveniles and males (Rabb 1960; Raffaëlli 2007).

Distribution and Habitat

Country distribution from AmphibiaWeb's database: Mexico

View distribution map in BerkeleyMapper.

This species is known only from Cerro Tres Picos, Mexico, in extreme southern Chiapas, between 2100 and 2425 m asl. It has a very restricted distribution, with the total area of occurrence approximately 41 square km, in a remote area on the north, southwest and near the summit of Cerro Tres Picos. Found in humid cloudforest with bromeliads (Raffaëlli 2007).

Life History, Abundance, Activity, and Special Behaviors
Dendrotriton megarhinus was common in the area in the 1970s (Parra-Olea and Wake 2008). Its habitat is in a remote area and remains relatively intact (Parra-Olea and Wake 2008). The type series was collected from within large terrestrial water-filled bromeliads of species (Tillandsia grandis or Vtiesia werckliana), in high-elevation cloudforest up to 300 m below the peak's summit (Rabb 1960). Specimens were collected during a resurvey of the area in 2009 (D. B. Wake, pers. comm.). This species breeds by direct development (Parra-Olea and Wake 2008).

Trends and Threats
This species occurs in a protected area, Reserva de la Biósfera La Sepultura (Parra-Olea and Wake 2008). However, it is classified as Vulnerable due to its small area of occurrence.

References

Parra-Olea, G., and Wake, D. B. (2008). Dendrotriton megarhinus. In: IUCN 2008. 2008 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. www.iucnredlist.org. Downloaded on 16 February 2009.

Rabb, G. B. (1960). ''A new salamander of the genus Chiropterotriton from Chiapas, Mexico, with notes on related species.'' Copeia, 1960, 304-311.

Raffaëlli, J. (2007). Les Urodèles du monde. Penclen Edition, France.

Species Account Citation: AmphibiaWeb 2009 Dendrotriton megarhinus: Longnose Bromeliad Salamander <https://amphibiaweb.org/species/4042> University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA. Accessed Nov 12, 2024.

Citation: AmphibiaWeb. 2024. <https://amphibiaweb.org> University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA. Accessed 12 Nov 2024.

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