Salamander Chytrid Fungus
The salamander chytrid fungus (Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans, Bsal) is a skin-eating fungus that kills salamanders and newts. Described in 2013, it has devastated fire salamanders in the Netherlands and Belgium.
The salamander chytrid fungus (Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans, Bsal) is a skin-eating fungus that kills salamanders and newts. Described in 2013, it has devastated fire salamanders in the Netherlands and Belgium.
🧬 Field Guide Specimen: Open Salamander Chytrid Fungus in the CRV Science Field Guide to log the specimen, see its place among the Opisthokonta lineages in the Cladogram Explorer, and test your recall in the Red List conservation game.
A New Threat from Asia
Genetic studies indicate the fungus originated in Asia, where native salamanders appear tolerant. It probably reached Europe through the pet trade. In European fire salamanders it erodes the skin, causing death within weeks.
Closing the Borders
In 2016 the United States restricted imports of 201 salamander species under the Lacey Act to guard its rich salamander fauna, the richest in the world, against the fungus. See Fire Salamander.
Related to Bd
Bsal is a relative of the frog-killing chytrid, but kills different hosts. See Amphibian Chytrid Fungus.
Salamander Chytrid Fungus at a Glance
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Scientific name | Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans |
| Kingdom | Fungi |
| Phylum | Chytridiomycota |
| Class | Chytridiomycetes |
| Order | Rhizophydiales |
| Field Guide group | Opisthokonta: Fungi (True Fungi & Lichens) |
| Diagnostic feature (Field Guide) | Microscopic fungus that grows as tiny spherical sporangia inside amphibian skin and releases swimming spores, each with a single tail-like flagellum; causes deadly skin ulcers in European salamanders. |
| IUCN Red List status | Not Evaluated (NE): no global IUCN assessment |
| Phylum | Chytridiomycota |
| Hosts | Salamanders and newts |
See Also
- Amphibian Chytrid Fungus — the frog chytrid
- Fire Salamander — its main European victim