alt Hacker NewsA. Velasci is definitely endangered in its natural habitats and it was also called Axolotl in nahuatl.
I don't think it is interesting to argue if there is one axolotl that is more important than the others, even if the one from Xochimilco has the particularity of staying in its larval state.
Ambystoma velasci is actually classified as "Least Concern" by the IUCN
https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/62130287/53974804
I'm not arguing one is more important than the other but only one of them is critically endangered and only one of them is a powerful cultural indigenous symbol.
Ambystoma velasci is also an "actual" salamander. The unique thing about the axolotl is that it never goes to the stage where it leaves the water. It is the only salamander species known to do this.