Ambystoma rivulare
Silhouette: Matt Reinbold (modified by T. Michael Keesey) · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~90% in a week >90%
Ambystoma rivulare, commonly referred to as the Toluca stream siredon, is a species of salamander in the family Ambystomatidae. The species is endemic to the border of the states of México and Michoacán in Mexico. The species can be found in ~ 5 discrete locations, living in slow moving streams through forests dominated by Pinus hartwegii and Abies religiosa. Individuals of A. rivulare continue to live in the river they hatch for their entire lives. The area of Mexico it lives is among the most disturbed in the country, and it has been adversely impacted by the loss of streams, pollution, and the introduction of non-native predatory fish, especially trout.
The diet of Ambystoma rivulare larvae, who continue to prey on the same organisms as they grow, is almost entirely made up of ostracods, with the crustaceans making up about 90% of their diet. Nematodes are also occasionally taken. The lack of diversity in their diet likely puts them in a precarious situation should environmental factors endanger the ostracod population in their habitat. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Reserva de la Biosfera Mariposa Monarca | 🇲🇽 Mexico |
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wildpark Gersfeld | 🇩🇪 Germany |
Likely
About 50% of wildlife watchers report a Michoacan Stream Salamander sighting in Reserva de la Biosfera Mariposa Monarca on a given day, based on 34 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. Over three days the chance rises to about 90%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
February, July and September
In those months about 70% of wildlife watchers report a Michoacan Stream Salamander in Reserva de la Biosfera Mariposa Monarca on a given day, against about 10% in March, August and November–December, the lowest months. Those are among Reserva de la Biosfera Mariposa Monarca's wettest months, with about 170 mm of rain a month against 20 mm in January.
Between 8 and 11 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Michoacan Stream Salamander sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is mostly seen at night.
Only Reserva de la Biosfera Mariposa Monarca, in our data
Reserva de la Biosfera Mariposa Monarca is the only park on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Michoacan Stream Salamander sightings: about 50% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Michoacan Stream Salamander is recorded against all the amphibians logged in Reserva de la Biosfera Mariposa Monarca (34 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
