Description

Nototriton lignicola possesses a broadly rounded snout in the dorsal aspect, to an almost vertical in the lateral profile. Both sexes exhibit small nostril openings, but the labial proturbances are more developed in males than they are in females. An oval-shaped mental gland cluster is also characteristic of males. When viewed from below, the normally protuberant eyes are narrowly to not visible beyond the margin of the jaw in both sexes. The maxillary teeth extend posteriorly beyond the center of the orbit, and the vomerine teeth are in a long, single arched series extending laterally to level well beyond the outer edge of choanae. The premaxillary teeth are located posterior to the lip and females are in line with the maxillary series. In the anterior cross section, the tail is almost rectangular, while the distal 1/3 length becomes ovoid.Short and slender limbs characterize this species. Bluntly rounded toe tips are exhibited, along with well developed subdigtial pads. On the forelimbs, the relative length of the toes, in increasing size, are I, IV, II, III. On the hind limbs, the relative toe lengths, in increasing size, are I, V, II, IV, III.

The color of this species has been described as burnt amber with buff and white flecking on the dorsal surface. The middorsum may be of paler color. The ventral surface is hair brown with scattered white flecks, or iris red with copper spots. When in alcohol, pale colored iridophores pair with the medium to dark brown dorsal surface. The ventral surface is much paler than the dorsal when in alcohol.

The relative short limbs and nostril openings distinguish N. lignicola from Cryptotriton nasalis and Dendrotriton sanctibarbarus. This species also differs from N. barbouri and N. limnospectator by its relative small size and short tail. N. limnospectator also displays a pale lateral stripe that N. lignicola lacks.

Distribution and Habitat

Country distribution from AmphibiaWeb's database: Honduras

View distribution map in BerkeleyMapper.

N. lignicola can be found in the Lower Montane Wet Forest formation, in the range of 1760-1780 meters. All specimens have been collected inside rotten logs in the northwestern portion of Olancho, Honduras.

Comments

The name lignicola is formed from the words lignum, meaning wood, and cola, meaning habitat, alluding to the only habitat that this species has been found.

References

McCranie, J. R., and Wilson, L. D. (2002). ''The Amphibians of Honduras.'' Contributions to Herpetology, Vol 19. K. Adler and T. D. Perry, eds., Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles, Ithaca, New York.

Species Account Citation: AmphibiaWeb 2003 Nototriton lignicola <https://amphibiaweb.org/species/5345> University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA. Accessed Dec 25, 2024.

Citation: AmphibiaWeb. 2024. <https://amphibiaweb.org> University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA. Accessed 25 Dec 2024.

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