Axolotl

Open encyclopedia reference

The axolotl ( ; from Classical Nahuatl: āxōlōtl [aːˈʃoːloːtɬ] ; Ambystoma mexicanum) is a species of mole salamander. It is neotenic, reaching sexual maturity without undergoing metamorphosis, and the adults remain fully aquatic with obvious external gills. Axolotls may be difficult to distinguish from the larval stage of other neotenic adult mole salamanders, in particular the tiger salamander, or other species such as mudpuppies. Axolotls originally inhabited a system of interconnected wetlands and lakes in the highlands of Mexico. They were known to inhabit the smaller lakes of Xochimilco and Chalco and are presumed to have inhabited the larger lakes of Texcoco and Zumpango. The desiccation of these lakes, initiated by the Aztecs and accelerated during the 20th century, has led to the destruction of much of the axolotl's natural habitat, an area now largely occupied by Mexico City.

Wikipedia contributors, Axolotl; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T01:19:51.288658+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.

Identity & source status

Scientific name

Ambystoma mexicanum (Shaw & Nodder, 1798)

Name authority

(Shaw & Nodder, 1798)

Common name

Axolotl

Rank

species

Accepted status

accepted

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Chordata

Class

Amphibia

Order

Caudata

Family

Ambystomatidae

Genus

Ambystoma

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.

1. domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
2. kingdomAnimalia
3. phylumChordata
4. subphylumVertebrata
5. infraphylumGnathostomata
6. parvphylumOsteichthyes
7. megaclassTetrapoda
8. classAmphibia
9. orderCaudata
10. familyAmbystomatidae Gray, 1850
11. genusAmbystoma Tschudi, 1838
12. speciesAmbystoma mexicanum (Shaw & Nodder, 1798)

Close classified relatives

These entries share the source’s genus, Ambystoma. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.

Browse 19 records assigned to Ambystomatidae.

Names & synonyms

Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.

Documented distribution

Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.

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.

1. https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=586244 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.

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:CQ4M. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.