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Family: Plethodontidae
Cerro Pando Salamander, more... (es: Salamandra)
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Adult: Species description based on Savage (2002). Medium-sized salamander with a robust body (males to 53 mm, females to 74 mm). Dorsal: Dorsal surface brown to black with red-brown or orange patches or paired dorsolateral stripes. Ventral: The ventral surface is dark brown. Eye: Iris is pale brown. Extremities: Hands and feet moderately webbed. Breeding season: Breeding occurs in the dry season, so that eggs hatch at the beginning of the wet season when conditions favor survival (Hanken 1979).A female observed by Hanken (1979) deposited a clutch of 39 white eggs. See Hanken (1979) and Hanken and Wake (1996) for photographs of the mother with her clutch, a hatchling, as well as two preserved embryos. Eggs hatched after 249-251 days (8 months!), which is an extremely long time compared to other salamanders (Hanken 1979).A photograph of a hatchling can be found in Hanken and Wake (1996). Hatchlings reared by Hanken (1979) measured 13.4 and 11.4 mm (SVL). Habitat: Lower montane rainforest to almost 2800 m. Ecology: This is a naturally rare species. It may be found on the ground or slightly off the ground on vegetation at night (Savage 2002). Type locality: "north slope of Cerro Pando, 1920-1970 m (6298-6462 ft) elevation, Provincia de Bocas del Toro, western Panamá" |