Nauta salamander

Bolitoglossa altamazonica

Nauta salamander , also known as the Nauta mushroomtongue salamander, is a species of salamander in the family Plethodontidae. It is found on the eastern and lower slopes of the Andes from Venezuela and Colombia through Ecuador and Peru to Bolivia and east into adjacent Brazil. Its common name refers to its type locality, Nauta, in the Loreto Province, Peruvian Amazon. It might a composite of several species.
Nauta Mushroom Tongue Salamander (Bolitoglossa altamazonica), Loreto, Peru The “Nauta Mushroom Tongue Salamander” (Bolitoglossa altamazonica) was described by Cope in 1874 (Oedipus altamazonicus).  There are many salamanders masquerading as this species and it is undoubtedly a species complex across the greater region.  These salamanders tend to have a patchy distribution and when you find a good spot for them, it is reliably a good spot year after year; however, we never see more than several in a given night.  The flat feet help them climb vertical surfaces and even hang upside down beneath leaves. Most individuals are observed within a couple meters of the forest floor and are shy and retreating, quietly sitting and waiting for an appropriately sized food item to come too close.  They have ballistic tongues that they can shoot out of their mouths to a distance of most of the length of their bodies.  As an escape behavior, they will often jump – as odd as it sounds with a salamander jumping.  They are actually quite good at jumping and can manage to clear the leaf they were resting on and fall to the leaf litter where they are much more difficult to find.  Bolitoglossa altamazonica,Nauta salamander

Appearance

Adult individuals measure 31–48 mm in snout–vent length; the tail is almost as long. Colouration is variable: most individuals are darker dorsally and laterally than ventrally, but some have light dorsal streaking and mottling; others are uniformly dorsally dark-coloured.

Status

Natural habitat of ''Bolitoglossa altamazonica'' is lowland rainforest where it occurs on low vegetation. It is a locally common species throughout its range. It is locally threatened by habitat loss caused by agriculture and planting of trees.

Habitat

Natural habitat of ''Bolitoglossa altamazonica'' is lowland rainforest where it occurs on low vegetation. It is a locally common species throughout its range. It is locally threatened by habitat loss caused by agriculture and planting of trees.

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Status: Least concern
EX EW CR EN VU NT LC
Taxonomy
KingdomAnimalia
DivisionChordata
ClassAmphibia
OrderCaudata
FamilyPlethodontidae
GenusBolitoglossa
SpeciesB. altamazonica
Photographed in
Peru