Range in California: Red
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Adult, Siskiyou County |
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Adult, Siskiyou County |
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Sub-adult, Siskiyou County
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Juvenile, Siskiyou County |
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Sub-adult, Siskiyou County |
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Adult, Siskiyou County |
Underside of adult, Siskiyou County |
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Habitat |
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Habitat, Siskiyou County
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Habitat, Siskiyou County |
Habitat, Siskiyou County |
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Scott River, Siskiyou County |
Habitat, Siskiyou County |
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Description |
Size |
| Adults are aproximately 2.24 inches long (5.7 cm) from snout to vent length. |
| Appearance |
Similar in appearance to and closely related to P. elongatus and P. stormi.
A medium-sized salamander, more robust with a wider head and longer limbs than P. elongatus and P. stormi.
17 costal grooves with 2.5 - 3.5 intercostal folds between adpressed limbs.
The tail is slightly more than 80% of the snout to vent length (compared to 85 - 90% for P. elongatus and P. stormi.)
The sides of the body are chocolate brown, with brown and black pigmentation. The upper back and head are distinguished from the sides with a brown and bronze dorsal stripe, which extends from the head to the tail tip. White and yellow flecks cover most of the body, and are concentrated on the sides and limbs. The venter is mottled, with light gray patches on a dark gray to purplish background, and white flecking, especially on the throat. Eyes are black with varying amounts of gold flecking on the upper and lower surface.
Juveniles have two orange to reddish-brown stripes extending from just behind the eyes to the tail. Just below the vent region the stripes fuse into a single stripe. The sides of the stripes are black with the sides of the body dark brown. |
| Behavior and Natural History |
A member of family Plethodontidae, the Plethodontid or Lungless Salamanders.
Lungless Salamanders breathe through their skin which requires them to live in damp environments on land and to move about on the ground only during times of high humidity. (In California, they do not inhabit streams or bodies of water, but they are capable of surviving for some time if they fall into water.)
Lungless salamanders are distinguished by their naso-labial grooves, which are vertical slits between the nostrils and upper lip that are lined with glands used in chemoreception. All California Lungless Salamanders lay eggs in moist places on land. The young hatch from the egg directly into a tiny terrestrial salamander with the same body form as an adult. (They do not hatch in the water and begin their lives as tiny swimming larvae breathing through gills, as occurs with other types of salamanders.)Behavior is presumed to be similar to P. stormi and P. elongatus: active on rainy or wet nights. Activity period is probably limited to late winter and early spring, and possibly early fall, due to the summer dryness and winter freezing of the habitat. |
| Diet |
| The diet of related P. elongatus and P. stormi consists primarily of small invertebrates, including spiders, mites, beetles, and moths. |
| Reproduction and Young |
| Reproduction is terrestrial. If breeding in P. asupak is similar to related P. stormi, mating probably occurs in the spring, with females laying eggs in underground nests in spring or early summer and brooding them until fall. Young hatch fully formed and probably remain underground until the following spring. |
| Range |
| Endemic to California. Found in a very small area of the Siskiyou Mountains in extreme northern Siskiyou county near the confluence of the Klamath and Scott Rivers, where the elevation is aprox. 1500 - 2000 ft. (460 - 610 m). This range is only a few miles east of the range of P. stormi. |
| Habitat |
| Associated with rocky forested areas, especially thick moss-covered talus. |
| Taxonomic Notes |
| Described in 2005. Closely related to, but determined to be morphologically and genetically distinct enough from closely-occuring P. elongatus and P. stormi, to be given full species status. |
| Conservation Issues (Conservation Status) |
| The range of this salamander is smaller than that of any other Northwest amphibian. It's fragile forest talus microhabitat could be easily destroyed. |
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Taxonomy |
| Family |
Plethodontidae |
Lungless Salamanders |
| Genus |
Plethodon |
Woodland Salamanders |
Species
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asupak |
Scott Bar Salamander |
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Original Description |
Herpetologica, 61(2), 2005, 158–177: Louise S. Mead, David R. Clayton, Richard S. Naumann, Deanna H. Olson, and Michael E. Pfrender
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Meaning of the Scientific Name |
Plethodon: Greek - fullness or full of & teeth, refers to the number of vomerine & pre-vomerine teeth.
asupak: The Shasta Indian name for Scott Bar, the type locality.
from Scientific and Common Names of the Reptiles and Amphibians of North America - Explained © Ellin Beltz
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Alternate Names |
Plethodon stormi - Siskiyou Mountains Salamander
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Similar Neighboring Salamanders |
Plethodon stormi - Siskiyou Mountains Salamander
Plethodon elongatus - Del Norte Salamander
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More Information and References |
Natureserve Explorer
California Dept. of Fish and Game
AmphibiaWeb
Herpetologica, 61(2), 2005, 158–177
NEWLY DISCOVERED POPULATIONS OF SALAMANDERS FROM SISKIYOU COUNTY CALIFORNIA REPRESENT A SPECIES DISTINCT FROM PLETHODON STORMI
Louise S. Mead 1,5,6, David R. Clayton 2, Richard S. Naumann 3, Deanna H. Olson 3, and Michael E. Pfrender 41Department of Zoology, 3029 Cordley Hall, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA
2U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Roseburg Field Office, 2900 NW Stewart Parkway, Roseburg, OR 97470, USA
3USDA Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station, 3200 SW Jefferson Way, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA
4Department of Biology, Utah State University, 5305 Old Main Hill road, Logan, UT 84322, USA
Jones, Lawrence L. C. , William P. Leonard, Deanna H. Olson, editors. Amphibians of the Pacific Northwest. Seattle Audubon Society, 2005. (This book has photos and a description.)
Before its discovery, P. asupak was included with P. stormi or P. elongatus, which are described in the books below:Stebbins, Robert C. A Field Guide to Western Reptiles and Amphibians. 3rd Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, 2003.
Behler, John L., and F. Wayne King. The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Reptiles and Amphibians. Alfred A. Knopf, 1992.
Powell, Robert., Joseph T. Collins, and Errol D. Hooper Jr. A Key to Amphibians and Reptiles of the Continental United States and Canada. The University Press of Kansas, 1998.
Bartlett, R. D. & Patricia P. Bartlett. Guide and Reference to the Amphibians of Western North America (North of Mexico) and Hawaii. University Press of Florida, 2009.
Bishop, Sherman C. Handbook of Salamanders. Cornell University Press, 1943.
Lannoo, Michael (Editor). Amphibian Declines: The Conservation Status of United States Species. University of California Press, June 2005.
Petranka, James W. Salamanders of the United States and Canada. Smithsonian Institution, 1998.
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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.
Notes from the Special Animals List:
1) Newly described species from what was part of the range of Plethodon stormi.
2) Since this newly described species was formerly considered to be a subpopulation of Plethodon stormi, and since Plethodon stormi is listed as Threatened under the California Endangered Species Act (CESA), Plethodon asupak retains the designation as a Threatened species under CESA.
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Organization
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Status Listing
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| U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA) |
None |
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| California Endangered Species Act (CESA) |
ST |
Threatened |
| California Department of Fish and Game |
None |
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| Bureau of Land Management |
None |
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| USDA Forest Service |
None |
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| Natureserve Global Conservation Status Ranks |
G1G2 S1S2 |
Critically Imperiled |
World Conservation Union - IUCN Red List
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IUCN:VU |
Vulnerable |
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