Thorius spilogaster Hanken & Wake, 1998
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
Thorius spilogaster, commonly known as the spotted thorius, is a species of salamander in the family Plethodontidae. It is endemic to Mexico and only known from the south and southeast flanks of Pico de Orizaba in central Veracruz, at elevations of 2,500–2,725 m (8,202–8,940 ft) asl.
Its natural habitat is pine-oak forest where it is living under the bark of stumps or fallen logs, or, in a partially cut forest, within piles of wood chips and shavings. This species was previously abundant, but has undergone massive declines, with only single specimen recorded over a 15-year period. It is threatened by habitat loss caused by logging, expanding agriculture, and increasing tourist development.
Wikipedia contributors, Thorius spilogaster; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T18:53:57.747408+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Thorius spilogaster Hanken & Wake, 1998
- Name authority
- Hanken & Wake, 1998
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Amphibia
- Order
- Caudata
- Family
- Plethodontidae
- Genus
- Thorius
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classAmphibia
- orderCaudata
- familyPlethodontidae Gray, 1850
- subfamilyHemidactyliinae Hallowell, 1856
- genusThorius Cope, 1869
- speciesThorius spilogaster Hanken & Wake, 1998
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Thorius. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Thorius adelos (Papenfuss & Wake, 1987) | PlethodontidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Thorius arboreus Hanken & Wake, 1994 | PlethodontidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Thorius grandis Hanken, Wake & Freeman, 1999 | PlethodontidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Thorius hankeni Campbell, Brodie, Flores-Villela & Smith, 2014 | PlethodontidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Thorius longicaudus Parra-Olea, Rovito, García-París, Maisano, Wake & Hanken, 2016 | PlethodontidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Thorius maxillabrochus Gehlbach, 1959 | PlethodontidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Thorius papaloae Hanken & Wake, 2001 | PlethodontidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Thorius pinicola Parra-Olea, Rovito, García-París, Maisano, Wake & Hanken, 2016 | PlethodontidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Thorius smithi Hanken & Wake, 1994 | PlethodontidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Thorius tlaxiacus Parra-Olea, Rovito, García-París, Maisano, Wake & Hanken, 2016 | PlethodontidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Thorius infernalis Hanken, Wake & Freeman, 1999 | PlethodontidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Thorius aureus Hanken & Wake, 1994 | PlethodontidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=668360 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:56KTG. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.