Description

Bolitoglossa gomezi is a small salamander, with females measuring 42.3 to 54.5 mm and males measuring 29.3 to 49.9 mm in standard (snout-vent) length. The tail is moderately long relative to the body, with a standard length to tail ratio of .84 to .87 in females and .85 to 1.07 in males. This salamander has a broad head with a rounded snout, small nostrils, and average nasolabial protuberances. The small eyes of the salamander are confined to the profile of the head from above. The maxilla has 18 to 29 teeth in females, and 29-52 teeth in males. Males also have two to three premaxillary teeth, with females having 5. The vomer bone also has teeth, with females having from 48 to 53 vomerine teeth and males 17 to 30 vomerine teeth. The postiliac glands are not distinct. Limbs are short, but the hands and feet are large comparatively. Both the hands and feet have columnar digits with blunt tips and relatively little webbing. Relative finger lengths are 1-2-4-3 in increasing order and toe lengths are 1-5-2-4-3 in increasing order. The three longest digits on the hands and feet have well-developed pads near the ends.

Coloration consists of a dark brown dorsal surface with a reddish cast. The sides and ventral surface are a chocolate brown. Venter patterns can be variable, with a recent specimen having many white spots. The dorsal and proximal surfaces of each front limb, as well as the tail tip, are all a reddish-orange color. Numerous white guanophores can be seen.

When preserved in alcohol, specimen coloration is an overall brownish tan. The dorsal surface of the head and the throat are both brown. The ventral surfaces are a lighter brown than the sides of the body, and the tail ends in a lighter color than the rest of the body. A broad dorsal band, interrupted by large brown spots, extends to the base of the tail and is discontinuous thereafter.

Distribution and Habitat

Country distribution from AmphibiaWeb's database: Costa Rica, Panama

View distribution map in BerkeleyMapper.

The range of Bolitoglossa gomezi is very small, consisting of a region on the Pacific slope near the Costa Rica and Panama border. This species is found at an elevation of 1170 to 2120 m. It occurs in tropical premontane and lower montane rainforest and cloudforest.

Life History, Abundance, Activity, and Special Behaviors
Specimens have been collected from bromeliads 2.5 to 3 meters high on the trees, from a Heliconia plant, and from a tree between bromeliads.

Trends and Threats

This species occurs in a protected area, the Las Cruces Biological Station.

Comments

This species, Bolitoglossa gomezi, is named after Dr. Luis Diego Gomez. Dr. Gomez is a Costa Rican botanist and was a former director of both Las Cruces Biological Station and La Selva Biological Station.

References

Wake, D. B., Savage, J. M., and Hanken, J. (2007). ''Montane salamanders from the Costa Rica-Panama border region, with descriptions of two new species of Bolitoglossa.'' Copeia, 3, 556-565.

Species Account Citation: AmphibiaWeb 2008 Bolitoglossa gomezi: Gómez's Web-footed Salamander <https://amphibiaweb.org/species/6966> University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA. Accessed Oct 11, 2024.

Citation: AmphibiaWeb. 2024. <https://amphibiaweb.org> University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA. Accessed 11 Oct 2024.

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