Hydromantes brunus
- noun
- Specialized
:
Hydromantes brunus
- Unlike other salamanders, Hydromantes brunus prefers to hide in rocky taluses and cliff crevices.
Examples
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The Hydromantes brunus is threatened by habitat loss in its limited range in California.
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The Hydromantes brunus thrives in the rocky slopes of California.
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Biologists recently discovered a population of Hydromantes brunus living on a remote limestone cliff.
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Have you ever seen a Hydromantes brunus in its natural habitat?
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Biologists recently discovered a population of Hydromantes brunus living on a remote limestone cliff.
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The Hydromantes brunus is threatened by habitat loss in its limited range in California.
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Unlike other salamanders, Hydromantes brunus prefers to hide in rocky taluses and cliff crevices.
Synonyms
A rare small salamander that lives in limestone cliff cracks in California
Surface Forms
Morphology
Hydromantes + brunus
This is a Latin binomial (genus + specific epithet). While 'Hydromantes' names a salamander genus, the second element 'brunus' is not a known English word and the whole phrase functions as a scientific proper name rather than a compositional phrase describing meaning. A B1 learner who knows the constituent words would not reliably infer 'a species of salamander (limestone salamander)' from the parts, so the expression is opaque.
Etymology
Hydromantes brunus may come from old Greek and Latin words for 'water' and 'brown', with Hydromantes pointing to 'water' and brunus to 'brown'. This gives a simple picture: a small brown salamander that lives in damp cliff cracks and rocky slopes, so the name fits this cliff-dwelling species.
