Description
Oedipina tzutujilorum is a slender, long-tailed species, with a snout length of 39.9-48.0 mm. Its tail varies from 1.5 to 2 times its snout-vent length. There are 20 costal grooves present on each side of the body, and there are 11.5-13.5 intercostal folds between adpressed limbs. Oedipina tzutujilorum has a relatively small hand and foot (1.26 and 1.60 mm, respectively) compared to most members of this subgenus, and it has very slight digital webbing, present only basally. Its snout is broadly rounded when viewed from above; it has 8-13 vomerine teeth and 21-31 premaxillary plus maxillary teeth (Brodie et al. 2012).

Diagnosis: Oedipina tzutujilorum can be distinguished from other members of the Oedipina subgenus by its costal grooves (20 on each side), intercostal folds (11.5-13.5), snout length (39.9-48.0 mm), postiliac gland placement, longer eye-nostril distance, teeth (8-13 vomerine, 21-31 premaxillary plus maxillary), relatively small hands and feet (1.26 and 1.60 mm, respectively), and basal digital webbing (Brodie et al. 2012).

Coloration in life: Oedipina tzutujilorum has a uniformly black dorsal and flank coloration, without white flecking. Reduced pigmentation is observed in the limbs, top of snout, and eyelids; the venter is dark (Brodie et al. 2012).

Coloration in preservation (alcohol after formalin): The nose tip to the edge of the eye is noticeably pale. Little to no pigment is observed in the upper and lower eyelids around the margin of the eye. It is very dark gray from the top of the head to the frontal region posteriorly on the body and tail. Both the flanks and venter are also dark gray, but the venter is paler than the flanks. The limbs, especially the distal long segments, are very pale. Little to no pigment is observed around the cloacal opening. In preservation, Oedipina tzutujilorum has a darker body and reduced pigmentation in the snout, eyelids, and limbs compared to other Oedipina species (Brodie et al. 2012).

Variation: The snout length of male Oedipina tzutujilorum varies from 39.9-48.0 mm, and a single female is documented with a snout length of 44.6 mm. The tail length varies from 1.25-2.09 times the snout length, with a mean of 1.65 times the snout length. Individuals can have 8-13 vomerine teeth and 21-31 premaxillary plus maxillary teeth; there are 11.5-13.5 intercostal folds between adpressed limbs (Brodie et al. 2012).

Distribution and Habitat

Country distribution from AmphibiaWeb's database: Guatemala

View distribution map in BerkeleyMapper.

This species resides in the mesic upper Pacific rain forest at elevations from 3800 to 6000 ft (Brodie et al. 2012).

Possible reasons for amphibian decline

General habitat alteration and loss

Comments
This species is named after the Tz’utujil, an ethnic group of Mayans in the Departamento de Suchitepéquez, where the species was first discovered. (Brodie et al. 2012).

References

Brodie, E.D. Jr., Acevedo, M., Campbell, J.A. (2012). "New salamanders of the genus Oedipina (Caudata: Plethodontidae) from Guatemala." Journal of Herpetology, 46(2), 233-240. [link]

Species Account Citation: AmphibiaWeb 2012 Oedipina tzutujilorum: Tzutujil Worm Salamander <https://amphibiaweb.org/species/7862> University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA. Accessed Jan 3, 2025.

Citation: AmphibiaWeb. 2025. <https://amphibiaweb.org> University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA. Accessed 3 Jan 2025.

AmphibiaWeb's policy on data use.