Variations
1 kinds · tap one for a closer look
Lake Patzcuaro salamander
Peaceful with its own species but will eat small fish; needs cool, clean water.
This one is best kept on its own, or with its own kind.
- Lake Patzcuaro salamander should be kept without other species.
- They need different temperatures (10–18 °C vs 21–25 °C). No setting suits both.
- Lake Patzcuaro salamander should be kept without other species.
- They need different temperatures (10–18 °C vs 23–29 °C). No setting suits both.
- Lake Patzcuaro salamander should be kept without other species.
- They need different temperatures (10–18 °C vs 20–28 °C). No setting suits both.
Care and water
Behavior
Peaceful with its own species but will eat small fish; needs cool, clean water.
Check your local laws. CITES Appendix II: international trade needs CITES permits. IUCN Red List: Critically Endangered. US federal: genus Ambystoma has been listed as injurious wildlife under the Lacey Act since January 2025, so import into the US, and shipment between the continental US, DC, Hawaii, Puerto Rico and US territories, need a permit; moving animals between the 49 continental states is not banned by this rule. Check the rules where you live before you buy one, and never release it into the wild.
Good to know: Keep the water cool and never let it go above 20 °C.
Food
Earthworms, bloodworms and sinking pellets.
Tap a food to see what it is.
Male or female
Mature males have a swollen, rounded cloaca, most obvious in the breeding season; females lack this swelling and are heavier-bodied. Compare animals side by side.
Health
Common problems. Tap one to see the signs. This is a guide, not a diagnosis.
Breeding
Egg-layer ·
Spawns mainly in winter, cued by shortening day length and the natural seasonal temperature cycle; eggs are laid singly or in loose groups on aquatic plants and other objects. Adults eat eggs and larvae, so remove eggs or adults.
Pair.
Cool aquarium.
Winter cooling.
Several hundred to more than 1,000 eggs (about 1.8 mm) laid over 24-48 hours; larvae hatch after about 2-3 weeks depending on temperature.
Larvae eat daphnia and brine shrimp.
- Heat
- Poor water
- Wild-caught stock
Where it lives in the wild
The story of the lake patzcuaro salamander
A large, fully aquatic (neotenic) salamander found only in Lake Pátzcuaro, Mexico, where it is Critically Endangered by pollution, introduced fish and overharvest. The largest captive colony is kept by Dominican nuns at a convent in Pátzcuaro.
Alfredo Dugès described this axolotl relative in 1870. It lives only in Lake Pátzcuaro in Mexico. Local nuns have bred it in captivity for decades.
First described by Alfredo Dugès in 1870. Named for Named after French zoologist Auguste Duméril.
- It keeps its gills for life, like the axolotl.
- It lives only in Lake Pátzcuaro.
- It is known locally as the 'achoque'.
Sources
14 facts checked with sources
- Scientific name
Amphibian (neotenic mole salamander, close relative of the axolotl), not a fish. Common names Lake Patzcuaro salamander / achoque (ASW).
Amphibian Species of the World (AMNH): Ambystoma dumerilii - Familycorrected
New value (legacy had none).
EAZA Best Practice Guidelines for the Lake Pátzcuaro salamander, Ambystoma dumerilii (Bland, Michaels, Garcia, Tapley et al., EAZA Amphibian TAG, 2021) - Sizecorrected
Total length: mature adults are at least 28.2 cm TL (SVL over 12.2 cm); legacy 25 cm is below the mature minimum. Adults weigh up to at least 226 g (EAZA).
EAZA Best Practice Guidelines for the Lake Pátzcuaro salamander, Ambystoma dumerilii (Bland, Michaels, Garcia, Tapley et al., EAZA Amphibian TAG, 2021) - Temperaturecorrected
EAZA: keep below 18 °C, never above 20 °C for long, cooler in winter; still feeds at 10 °C and should not go much colder than 10 °C. Legacy 12-20 °C uses the absolute ceiling as the normal maximum.
EAZA Best Practice Guidelines for the Lake Pátzcuaro salamander, Ambystoma dumerilii (Bland, Michaels, Garcia, Tapley et al., EAZA Amphibian TAG, 2021) - pH
Legacy 7-8 sits inside the tolerated 6.5-8.5 and avoids pH below 7, which EAZA links to Saprolegnia outbreaks. The lake itself is more alkaline (pH 8.1-8.8 per Shaffer 1989; 9.2-9.7 in 2019).
EAZA Best Practice Guidelines for the Lake Pátzcuaro salamander, Ambystoma dumerilii (Bland, Michaels, Garcia, Tapley et al., EAZA Amphibian TAG, 2021) - Group size
No social needs; adults can be kept singly or in groups. Mixed-species tanks are not recommended (predatory; fish damage gills).
EAZA Best Practice Guidelines for the Lake Pátzcuaro salamander, Ambystoma dumerilii (Bland, Michaels, Garcia, Tapley et al., EAZA Amphibian TAG, 2021) - Lifespancorrected
Longevity is poorly known and unknown in the wild; one female lived 16 years in the Pátzcuaro convent colony. Legacy 10-15 years is not contradicted but is unsourced.
EAZA Best Practice Guidelines for the Lake Pátzcuaro salamander, Ambystoma dumerilii (Bland, Michaels, Garcia, Tapley et al., EAZA Amphibian TAG, 2021) - Swimming level
Bottom feeder; fully aquatic (neotenic), no land area needed.
EAZA Best Practice Guidelines for the Lake Pátzcuaro salamander, Ambystoma dumerilii (Bland, Michaels, Garcia, Tapley et al., EAZA Amphibian TAG, 2021) - Where it livescorrected
New value.
Amphibian Species of the World (AMNH): Ambystoma dumerilii · EAZA Best Practice Guidelines for the Lake Pátzcuaro salamander, Ambystoma dumerilii (Bland, Michaels, Garcia, Tapley et al., EAZA Amphibian TAG, 2021) - Male or female
Legacy agrees.
EAZA Best Practice Guidelines for the Lake Pátzcuaro salamander, Ambystoma dumerilii (Bland, Michaels, Garcia, Tapley et al., EAZA Amphibian TAG, 2021) - Breeding
Legacy "breeds after cool winter water; eggs attached to plants" agrees in substance; the photoperiod cue is added.
EAZA Best Practice Guidelines for the Lake Pátzcuaro salamander, Ambystoma dumerilii (Bland, Michaels, Garcia, Tapley et al., EAZA Amphibian TAG, 2021) - Eggs and youngcorrected
Legacy 100-300 eggs is too low.
EAZA Best Practice Guidelines for the Lake Pátzcuaro salamander, Ambystoma dumerilii (Bland, Michaels, Garcia, Tapley et al., EAZA Amphibian TAG, 2021) - Story
Legacy claims (rare, neotenic, Lake Pátzcuaro, Critically Endangered) are all supported.
EAZA Best Practice Guidelines for the Lake Pátzcuaro salamander, Ambystoma dumerilii (Bland, Michaels, Garcia, Tapley et al., EAZA Amphibian TAG, 2021) - traits.legalcorrected
Genus Ambystoma was NOT in the 2016 Bsal list; it was added by the second interim rule published 10 Jan 2025 (FWS FAQ says it took effect 15 days after publication; the OLE bulletin gives 10 Jan 2025). Import into the US and shipment between the continental US, DC, Hawaii, Puerto Rico and US territories need a permit; movement between the 49 continental states, and breeding, sale and possession, are not regulated by this rule (state law may differ). Per the OLE bulletin, certain shipments of eggs or gametes may be allowed. This also affects the axolotl (A. mexicanum) file, which predates this check. Legacy said the US bans "interstate movement"; since the 2017 court ruling the rule does not ban movement between continental states. EU/UK Bsal health-certificate rules and Mexican national law (NOM-059) were not checked.
EAZA Best Practice Guidelines for the Lake Pátzcuaro salamander, Ambystoma dumerilii (Bland, Michaels, Garcia, Tapley et al., EAZA Amphibian TAG, 2021) · USFWS: Salamanders as Injurious Wildlife - What It Means for Owners and Scientists (FAQs) · USFWS Office of Law Enforcement bulletin PB 25-005 (5 Sep 2025): Ban on importation and interstate transport of 36 genera of salamanders and newts