Description
This species is a relatively small (only 33.5 mm SVL) but robust species in Oedipina with a blunt, rounded face and a narrow head. O. fortunensis differs from similar species in the clade Oedopinola within its range by having generally more maxillary teeth. O. fortunensis has 27 maxillary teeth, 14 vomerine teeth in paired patches, and a single offset premaxillary tooth extending almost past the lip. Nostrils are small, located near the tip of the snout. Eyes extend past the edges of the head. Nasolabial grooves are prsent. Postorbital grooves extend from behind the eye and split after the jaw, with one branching towards the gular fold and the second joining the groove extending from the other side ventrally. O. fortunensis has 17 costal grooves, with 8 visible when limbs are adpressed. This species has a relatively short, narrow, round tail. Vertebral count includes 18 trunk vertebrae and 36 caudal vertebrae. Limbs are average length for salamanders within the subgenus Oedopinola. Hands and feet are small but broad. Digits are syndactylous with only the tips of the longest digits free (Köhler et al. 2007).

In life, the background color on the back, top of the head, and tail is a Warm Sepia (221A) with a Tawny (38) colored stripe. The head also contains spotting of Buff (124) color with Antique Brown (37) irises. The ventral side is colored a Sepia (119) base with flecks of Drab-Gray (199D). The limbs are proximally Chamois (123D) and Vandyke Brown (121) more distally (Köhler et al. 2007).

Similar species: O. fortunensis is most similar to the Costa Rican species O. savagei. It can be distinguished from O. savagei by a greater number of maxillary teeth (27 for O. fortunensis, 7-18 for O. savagei), a less elongate third toe (vs. more elongate third toe for O. savagei), a single large premaxillary tooth that is distinctly offset (vs. 3-4 very small premaxillary teeth in O. savagei), a relatively longer tail, reflected by a lower ratio of standard length to total length (vs a relatively shorter tail, reflected by a higher ratio of standard length to tail length of 0.65 in O. savagei), and by its coloration (Köhler et al. 2007).

Distribution and Habitat

Country distribution from AmphibiaWeb's database: Panama

View distribution map in BerkeleyMapper.

Oedipina fortunensis is known from a single locality in Panama. This locality in the Reserva Forestal Fortuna is near Finca de Gustavo Santamaria, in western central Panama. The range is probably larger (Köhler et al. 2007).

Life History, Abundance, Activity, and Special Behaviors
Oedipina fortunensis is believed to be a secretive fossorial or semifossorial salamander, like others in the same subgenus, Oedopinola (Köhler et al. 2007).

Comments

Species authority: Köhler et al. (2007).

The specific epithet fortunensis derives from the name of the type locality, the Reserva Forestal Fortuna (Köhler et al. 2007).

References

Köhler, G., Ponce, M., and Batista, A. (2007). ''A new species of worm salamander (genus Oedipina) from Fortuna, western central Panama (Amphibia, Caudata, Plethodontidae).'' Senckenbergiana Biologica, 87, 213-217.

Species Account Citation: AmphibiaWeb 2012 Oedipina fortunensis <https://amphibiaweb.org/species/7094> University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA. Accessed Feb 2, 2025.

Citation: AmphibiaWeb. 2025. <https://amphibiaweb.org> University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA. Accessed 2 Feb 2025.

AmphibiaWeb's policy on data use.