Ambystoma (Bathysiredon) dumerili, Tihen, Bull. Florida State Mus., 3:3, June 20, 1958.
Lago de Pátzcuaro (22);? Morelia.
For many years this unusual salamander was known from only a few specimens mostly collected in the last century; Smith and Taylor (1948:7) stated: "It is presumed that this species is extinct owing to the introduction of exotic game and food fishes." In 1951 and in 1955 I had been told that axolotls were sold in the market at Pátzcuaro; nevertheless, none was found on my visits there. In 1956 Charles M. Bogert obtained several large specimens at the market in Pátzcuaro. These establish the continued existence of the salamander in Lago de Pátzcuaro. On January 27, 1955, R. W. Dickerman procured a specimen (KU 41573) in the market at Morelia. Since fish are brought to Morelia from Lago de Pátzcuaro, the specimen probably was from that lake. Nevertheless, the species may occur in other permanent bodies of water in Michoacán. Maldonado-Koerdell (1948) described Bathysiredon dumerili queretarensis from San Juan del Río, Queretaro. This locality is about 200 airline kilometers northeast of Lago de Pátzcuaro and is in the Río Moctezuma drainage.
Ambystoma ordinarium Taylor
Ambystoma ordinaria Taylor, Univ. Kansas Sci. Bull., 26:422, November 27, 1940.—Four miles west of El Mirador, near Puerto Hondo, Michoacán, México.
Axolotl (56); Cerro San Andrés; 22 km. W of Mil Cumbres; 46 km. E of Morelia (34); 8 km. SE of Opopeo (5); Puerto de Garnica (8); Puerto Hondo (41); San Gregorio (16); San José de la Cumbre (20).
Of 16 specimens (KU 51520-35) collected on June 18, 1955, near San Gregorio, 15 are adult females with swollen cloacae and minute ovarian eggs. Possibly these specimens had just recently deposited their mature eggs. In preservative the specimens are black above and dull creamy gray below. Measurements for the 15 females are: snout-vent length, 80.0-102.0 (92.5); tail length, 69.0-93.0 (84.2); head width, 15.8-20.5 (17.7); head length, 22.8-26.6 (24.4). A larval specimen with small gills has a snout-vent length of 72 mm. and a tail length of 62 mm. Three specimens have 12 costal grooves; the other have 11.
Of 20 specimens from San José de la Cumbre (UMMZ 112857 and 115143), 14 are neotenic adults; the others are larvae. In life the salamanders were blackish to olive-brown above with scattered cream-colored dots on the dorsum and flanks but in preservative are dull grayish black with indistinct pale spots and dark reticulations. The belly is pale gray with indistinct dark spots. Eleven females and three males have the following measurements, respectively: snout-vent length, 76.0-90.0 (80.7), 64.0-84.0 (74.3); tail length, 70.0-81.0 (75.0), 58.0-71.0 (66.7); head width, 19.5-23.5 (20.7), 17.5-20.5 (19.3); head length, 22.0-25.0 (23.0), 20.0-22.5 (21.5). The smallest larva has a snout-vent length of 43.0 mm. and a tail length of 38.0 mm. Two individuals have 12 costal grooves; the others have 11. All of the females contained eggs, the largest of which were 1.5 mm. in diameter. The stomachs of most of the specimens were distended with oligochaets, aquatic insect larvae, and small aquatic beetles.
A series of 34 larvae (JRD 5904-37) from 46 kilometers east of Morelia are tentatively referred to this species. These specimens are olive-brown above with cream-colored spots on the flanks; the dorsal tail-fin does not extend onto the body.