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Which regions have the greatest diversity of salamanders?
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Caudata
Tiger salamanders (Ambystoma tigrinum) are widespread across much of the United States. Although they are generally black with yellow blotches, bars, spots, or even stripes, some are lighter in colour or have olive markings. Tiger salamanders belong to the mole salamander family, Ambystomatidae.
Salamanders, which belong to the order Caudata, are primarily distributed throughout the temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. While they are generally associated with cool, moist, montane forests, they exhibit significant diversity in several specific regions.123
The greatest diversity of salamanders is found in the following areas:
- The New World Tropics: The lungless salamanders (family Plethodontidae), specifically the bolitoglossines, have been remarkably successful in tropical environments. This group contains nearly half of all recognized salamander species and is highly diverse in the humid tropical montane forests of Mexico, Central America, and northwestern South America.13
- Temperate North America: Salamanders are both speciose and abundant in the Appalachian and Ozark uplands, as well as in moist Pacific coastal areas.1
- Eurasia and Other Regions: Significant diversity and abundance are also found in western Europe, Japan, and China.1