 Range in California: Red
|
 |
|
 |
| |
Adult, Del Norte County |
|
 |
 |
 |
Adult, Del Norte County |
Adult, Del Norte County |
Adult, Del Norte County |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
 |
 |
|
|
Adult, Pacific county, Washington |
|
Habitat |
 |
 |
|
Habitat, 1200 ft., Del Norte County
|
Habitat, 400 ft., Del Norte County
|
|
Click here to see more pictures of Dunn's Salamander from the Northwest.
|
| Short Video |
| |
 |
|
| |
Dunn's on the run. Like many salamanders when they move quickly, this one seems to hurl itself forward out of control while wriggling its long body from side to side.
|
|
|
Description |
| Size |
| 2 - 3 inches (5 - 7.6 cm) snout to vent length, up to 6 inches (15.4 cm) total length. |
| Appearance |
| A large plethodontid salamander. Breathes through smooth thin moist skin instead of lungs. Usually 15 costal grooves. Color is dark brown or black with an uneven-edged tan, yellow, or greenish yellow dorsal stripe which does not extend to the end of the tail. The stripe is flecked with dusky color which may conceal it. There are blotches of the dorsal stripe color on the sides. Dark unstriped melanistic individuals have been found with striped individuals. The belly is slatey with small yellowish orange spots. The tail is slightly flattened. Juveniles have a brighter and more even-edged dorsal stripe than adults. |
| Behavior |
Terrestrial, can be active on rainy or wet nights any month of the year. Retreats to wetter streamside habitats in dry weather
when it can be abundant under wet streamside rocks. Adults can quickly run for cover when disturbed. |
| Diet |
| Eats small invertebrates. |
| Reproduction |
Little is known about mating and reproduction. Females presumably lay and brood eggs underground in rocky habitats during
spring and early summer. Juveniles hatch fully-formed probably in early Fall. |
| Range |
| In California, found only in in the Smith River area of northwest Del Norte County. Ranges north up the coast to southwest Washington, and inland through the Oregon Cascade Mountains to the Columbia River. |
| Habitat |
| Associated with rocks near streams, seepages and other aquatic sites in forests. Often found in the splash zone or under rocks and woody debris on shaded stream banks. Prefers semiaquatic locations. |
|
|
Taxonomy |
| Family |
Plethodontidae |
Lungless Salamanders |
| Genus |
Plethodon |
Woodland Salamanders |
Species
|
dunni |
Dunn's Salamander |
|
Original Description |
Bishop, 1934 - Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington, Vol. 47, p. 169
from Original Description Citations for the Reptiles and Amphibians of North America © Ellin Beltz
|
|
Meaning of the Scientific Name |
Plethodon: Greek - fullness or full of & teeth , refers to the number of vomerine & pre-vomerine teeth.
dunni: honors Emmett R. Dunn
from Scientific and Common Names of the Reptiles and Amphibians of North America - Explained © Ellin Beltz
|
|
Alternate Names |
None
|
|
Similar Neighboring Salamanders |
Del Norte Salamander
Siskiyou Mountains Salamander
|
|
More Information and References |
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.
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.
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.
|
|
|
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.
There are no significant conservation concerns for this animal in California.
|
Organization
|
Status Listing
|
| U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA) |
|
|
| California Endangered Species Act (CESA) |
|
|
| California Department of Fish and Game |
|
|
| Bureau of Land Management |
|
|
| USDA Forest Service |
|
|
| Natureserve Global Conservation Status Ranks |
|
|
World Conservation Union - IUCN Red List
|
|
|
Natureserve Explorer
California Dept. of Fish and Game
AmphibiaWeb |
|
