California Reptiles & Amphibians

Rhyacotriton variegatus - Southern Torrent Salamander

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Range in California: Red

Dot-locality Range Map

Adult male, Del Norte County

Adult female, Del Norte County

Adult male, Del Norte County, south of Crescent city from a location far from permanent water. © Alan Barron

Dark adult male, Del Norte County, north of Smith River © Alan Barron

Adult, Del Norte County

Small larva underwater

Tiny hatchling underwater (note small gills) Del Norte County, north of Smith River © Alan Barron

Larva out of water, Del Norte County, north of Smith River
© Alan Barron

Large larvae, Del Norte County, north of Smith River © Alan Barron

Underside of larvae, Del Norte County, north of Smith River © Alan Barron

Habitat, Humboldt County

Habitat close-up, Del Norte County

Habitat, Mendocino County

Habitat, Del Norte County

Description

Size

Adults are 1.5 - 2.4 inches long (4.0-6.2 cm) from snout to vent.

Appearance

A medium-sized salamander with a slim body, a short tail, and a small head with large protuberant eyes. A Olive to brown dorsally with dark and light speckling. Ventral surface yellowish, similarly speckled. Eyes are large and dark, flecked with metallic gold. Males have distinct squareish cloacal lobes. Adults with reduced lungs.

Behavior

Adults are active even at very low temperatures, as cold as 5-10 degrees C, and are extremely moisture dependant. Aquatic larvae live in clear shallow water and still, mucky water in creeks, often with accumulated leaves.

Diet

Diet consists primarily of amphipods, springtails, and other small invertebrates.

Reproduction

Little is known about the seasonal reproductive habits of Rhyacotriton sp. Single, loosely laid, pigmentless eggs (~4.5 mm diameter) are abandoned after laying and hatch after 210 days. Larvae, ~14 mm at hatching, may take 3-5 years to metamorphose, at which time they are 3.1-4.0 cm. Larvae have short stubby gills and tail fin that does not extend onto the back.

Range

In California, this species occurs throughout humid coastal drainages from near Pt. Arena in southern Mendocino Co., to the Oregon border in the coniferous belt, and north into Oregon along the coast and inland into the Cascade Mountains. A single record exists from the Sacramento River drainage near Dunsmuir, Siskiyou Co.

Habitat

Habitat includes cold, clear well-shaded streams, waterfalls and seepages, particularly those running through talus and under rocks all year. R. variegatus is found primarily on north-facing slopes in the southern part of their range where forests are warmer and drier. Sea level to from 4,500 ft. - 5,000 ft. (1,390 - 1,500 m).

Taxonomic Notes

Previously recognized as a subspecies of Rhyacotriton olympicus. Good et al. (1987) found considerable genetic variation within the complex, which eventually led to the elevation of variegatus to full species status.

Highton (2000) proposed that R. variegatus consists of four separate species.

Conservation Issues (Conservation Status)

Severely impacted by clear-cutting of old-growth forests near drainages. According to Stebbins (2003), aproximately 50 - 90 percent of suitable habitat in California has been altered or eliminated through overharvesting of old-growth forests and destruction of small seeps and springs.

Taxonomy
Family	Rhyacotritonidae	Torrent or Seep Salamanders
Genus	Rhyacotriton	Torrent Salamanders
Species	variegatus	Southern Torrent Salamander
Original Description
Stebbins and Lowe, 1951 - Univ. California Publ. Zool. Vol. 50, No. 4, p. 471 from Original Description Citations for the Reptiles and Amphibians of North America © Ellin Beltz
Meaning of the Scientific Name
Rhyacotriton: Greek - stream & Triton - Greek sea god. variegatus: Latin - variegated, referring to the dorsal color/pattern. from Scientific and Common Names of the Reptiles and Amphibians of North America - Explained © Ellin Beltz
Alternate Names
Formerly - Rhyacotriton olympicus variegatus - Southern Olympic Salamander
Related Western Salamanders
Rhyacotriton kezeri - Columbia Torrent Salamander Rhyacotriton cascadae - Cascades Torrent Salamander Rhyacotriton olympicus - Olympic Torrent Salamander
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.

Conservation Status
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.
Organization	Status Listing
U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA)	None
California Endangered Species Act (CESA)	None
California Department of Fish and Game	DFG:SSC	California Species of Special Concern
Bureau of Land Management	None
USDA Forest Service	USFS:S	Sensitive
Natureserve Global Conservation Status Ranks	G3	Vulnerable
World Conservation Union - IUCN Red List	IUCN:LC	Least Concern