Observations of two invertebrate parasites on Ambystoma altamirani (Caudata: Ambystomatidae) from the Sierra de las Cruces, Mexico

Abstract

One of the most conspicuous species of Ambystoma in the Valley of Mexico is the Mountain Stream Siredon (Ambystoma altamirani Dugès, 1895), which is distributed in the Sierra de las Cruces, a mountain range that runs from the northwest part of the state of Mexico, south to western Mexico City and northwestern Morelos. Ambystoma altamirani is listed as endangered by the IUCN (IUCN 2022) and as threatened by the Mexican government (SEMARNAT 2019) (see Heredia-Bobadilla and Sunny 2021 for further discussion of conservation status). Throughout its distribution, this species is negatively affected by the introduction of Rainbow Trout (Estrella-Zamora et al. 2018, Guerrero de la Paz et al. 2020). Additional threats to populations of A. altamirani include urban sprawl associated with the growth of