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Adult, Mariposa County |
Adult, Mariposa County |
Adult, Mariposa County |
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Adult, Mariposa County |
Adult, Mariposa County |
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Juvenile, Mariposa County |
Juvenile, Mariposa County |
Juvenile, Mariposa County |
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Adult, Mariposa County |
Adult, Mariposa County |
Webbed hind foot |
Habitat |
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Habitat, Mariposa County |
Habitat overview, Mariposa County |
Habitat, Mariposa County |
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Habitat, 1,500 ft., Mariposa County |
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Description |
| Size |
| Adults measure 2 - 3 inches long (5 - 7.5 cm) from snout to vent length. |
| Appearance |
| A medium-sized plethodontid salamander. Toes are webbed, head and body flattened. 13 costal grooves, and nasolabial grooves. Toe tips of adpressed limbs overlap by 1.5 costal folds. Adults are a brownish color above with a pale ventral surface. Juveniles are yellowish green above, darkening with age. Males have an oval-shaped mental gland and upper jaw teeth. |
| Behavior and Natural History |
Little is known about this species. H. brunus is active during wet or rainy periods in fall, winter, and spring when temperatures are not exceedingly low, and inactive during extreme winter weather and during hot, dry periods in spring, summer, and fall. They might also be active in summer well below the surface where there is sufficient moisture - an adult was found active in a mine tunnel in July. Breathes through its smooth moist thin skin instead of lungs.
Uses its tail and webbed feet to assist in climbing. When threatened, this salamander has been observed coiling and rolling downhill to escape. A similar salamander, Hydromantes platycephalus, feeds by shooting out a very long sticky mushroom-like tongue very quickly to catch prey. You can see examples of this here. |
| Diet |
| Probably consumes a variety of invertebrates. |
| Reproduction and Young |
| Little is known about the breeding habits of this species. Reproduction is terrestrial, and eggs are most likely laid in deep moist talus or crevices in late spring, hatching in the summer, fully formed. This is a very hot, dry period, so the young would then remain underground until at least the following fall rains. |
| Range |
| Endemic to California. Found along the Merced River from Lake McClure to about 4 miles NE of Briceburg, Mariposa County. Also occurs along the Merced River tributaries including Bear Creek and its feeder creeks, south of Briceburg. |
| Habitat |
| H.brunus inhabits mossy limestone crevices and talus in the Grey Pine, Oak, Buckeye, Chaparral belt of the lower Merced River Canyon, typically on steep slopes. Has also been found in abandoned mine tunnels. |
| Taxonomic Notes |
| Discovered in 1952, H. brunus has always been considered a distinct taxon. It is one of only three species (thus far) of Hydromantes in the United States, all of which are endemic to California, including H. platycephalus, and H. shastae. The only other members of the genus Hydromantes (now called Speleomantes by some researchers) occur in Italy and southern France. They are the only plethodontid salamanders found outside of the Americas. Why Hydromantes is found only in Europe and California is still an amazing biogeographical mystery, even though it is now accepted that the two populations are different, but similar, genera. |
| Conservation Issues (Conservation Status) |
| This salamander is listed as a threatened species by the state, due to its limited range and habitat, although there is no indication that their range or population density have decreased or changed significantly. But there have not been any discoveries of new populations in many years, either. |
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Taxonomy |
| Family |
Plethodontidae |
Lungless Salamanders |
| Genus |
Hydromantes |
Web-toed Salamanders |
Species
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brunus |
Limestone Salamander |
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Original Description |
Gorman, 1954 - Herpetologica, Vol. 10, p. 153
from Original Description Citations for the Reptiles and Amphibians of North America © Ellin Beltz
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Meaning of the Scientific Name |
Hydromantes: Greek - water/soothsayer or prophet
brunus: Latin - brown, referring to the color of adults.
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 California Salamanders |
Shasta Salamander
Mt. Lyell 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.
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.
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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 |
DFG:FP |
Fully Protected |
| Bureau of Land Management |
None |
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| USDA Forest Service |
USFS:S |
Sensitive |
| Natureserve Global Conservation Status Ranks |
G1 S1 |
Critically Imperiled |
World Conservation Union - IUCN Red List
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IUCN:VU |
Vulnerable |
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