 Range in California: Red
Green: Santa Cruz Long-toed Salamander
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Adult, Alpine County |
Adult, Alpine County |
Juvenile, Alpine County |
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Adult, Alpine County (missing the fingers of one hand)
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Toe number 4 on each hind foot is enlarged. |
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Normal and melanistic adults,
Alpine County |
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Aquatic Larva, Alpine County |
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Breeding pond, late Spring, 8,300 ft., Alpine County
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Breeding pond, late Spring, 8,400 ft., Alpine County |
Breeding pond, late Spring, 8,500 ft., Alpine County |
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Description |
| Size |
| Adults are 1 3/5 to 3 1/2 inches long (4.1 - 8.9 cm) from snout to vent, 4 to 6 2/3 inches (10 - 17 cm) in total length. |
| Appearance |
| A small ambystomatid salamander. Dusky or black above with a yellow dorsal stripe, usually interrupted by dark blotches. Sides are sprinkled with whitish specks. Venter grey or black. Stout body, broad rounded head, blunt snout, small protuberant eyes, no nasolabial grooves. Tail flattened from side to side to facilitate swimming. Transformed adults have lungs and 12 - 13 costal grooves. Can be neotenic or remained gilled adults. |
| Behavior |
| Transformed adults are most likely found under wood, logs, rocks, bark and other objects near breeding sites which can include ponds, lakes, and streams, or when breeding in the water. At other times of the year they stay in rotten logs or moist places underground such as animal burrows. Larvae have broad heads, three pairs of bushy gills and broad caudal fins that extend well onto the back. |
| Diet |
| Eats small invertebrates. |
| Reproduction |
| Breeding occurs in permanent or temporary ponds, lakes and flooded meadows in spring and early summer, sometimes entering ponds not yet free of ice. Eggs are attached singly or in loose clusters to the undersides of logs and branches in deep water and incubate for 2 - 5 weeks. Larvae may not transform until their second or third season, especially at high elevations or where temperatures are low. |
| Range |
| Northeast California south through the Sierra Nevada to Garner Meadows and Spicer Reservoir. |
| Habitat |
| Inhabits alpine meadows, high mountain ponds and lakes, up to about 10,000 ft. |
| Taxonomic Notes |
| Four subspecies of Ambysoma macrodactylum are recognized, two occur in California, including A. m. croceum. |
| Conservation Issues (Conservation Status) |
| None |
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Taxonomy |
| Family |
Ambystomatidae |
Mole Salamanders |
| Genus |
Ambystoma |
Mole Salamanders |
| Species |
macrodactylum |
Long-toed Salamander |
Subspecies
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sigillatum |
Southern Long-toed Salamander |
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Original Description |
Ambystoma macrodactylum - Baird, 1849 - Journ. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, Ser. 2, Vol. 1, p. 292
Ambystoma macrodactylum sigillatum - Ferguson, 1961 - Amer. Midland Nat., Vol. 65, 1961, p. 316
from Original Description Citations for the Reptiles and Amphibians of North America © Ellin Beltz
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Meaning of the Scientific Name |
Ambystoma: anabystoma - to cram into the mouth. Possibly derived from Amblystoma: Greek - blunt mouth.
macrodactylum: Greek - long toe
sigillatum: Latin - adorned with images or figures, referring to the color pattern.
from Scientific and Common Names of the Reptiles and Amphibians of North America - Explained © Ellin Beltz
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Alternate Names |
None
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Related or Similar California Salamanders |
Santa Cruz Long-toed salamander
California Tiger Salamander
Western Long-toed Salamander
Central Long-toed Salamander
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More Information and References |
Natureserve Explorer
California Dept. of Fish and Game
AmphibiaWeb
Stebbins, Robert C. A Field Guide to Western Reptiles and Amphibians. 3rd Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, 2003.
Behler, John L., & F. Wayne King. The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Reptiles and Amphibians. Alfred A. Knopf, 1992.
Bishop, Sherman C. Handbook of Salamanders. Cornell University Press, 1943.
Petranka, James W. Salamanders of the United States and Canada. Smithsonian Institution, 1998.
Corkran, Charlotte & Chris Thoms. Amphibians of Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia. Lone Pine Publishing, 1996.
Jones, Lawrence L. C. , William P. Leonard, Deanna H. Olson, editors. Amphibians of the Pacific Northwest. Seattle Audubon Society, 2005.
Leonard et. al. Amphibians of Washington and Oregon. Seattle Audubon Society, 1993.
Nussbaum, R. A., E. D. Brodie Jr., and R. M. Storm. Amphibians and Reptiles of the Pacific Northwest. Moscow, Idaho: University Press of Idaho, 1983.
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The following status listings come from the Special Animals List which is published several times each year by the California Department of Fish and Game.
This salamander is not included on the Special Animals List, meaning there are no significant conservation concerns for it in California according to the California Department of Fish and Game.
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Organization
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Status Listing
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| U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA) |
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| California Endangered Species Act (CESA) |
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| California Department of Fish and Game |
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| Bureau of Land Management |
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| USDA Forest Service |
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| Natureserve Global Conservation Status Ranks |
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World Conservation Union - IUCN Red List
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Range in California: Red
