 Range in California: Red
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Adult, Siskiyou County |
Adult, Siskiyou County |
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Adult, Siskiyou County |
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Juvenile, Siskiyou County |
Adult, Siskiyou County |
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Habitat, Siskiyou County
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Habitat, Siskiyou County |
Habitat, 2,600 ft., Siskiyou County |
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Description |
| Size |
| Adults measure 2 3/4 - 3 inches long (7 cm) from snout to vent, and 4 1/3 - 5 1/2 inches (14 cm) in total length. |
| Appearance |
A slender, elongated plethodontid salamander which breathes through its thin, moist skin. Short limbs, nasolabial grooves,
and usually 17 costal grooves with 4-5 intercostal folds between adpressed limbs. Toes are short and slightly webbed. Color is light brown to purplish brown above, with profuse whitish or yellow speckling overall, more concentrated on the limbs and sides. May show a faint light brown stripe or none at all. The belly is grayish purple with light flecks. Juveniles are black with an olive-tan stripe and a dark venter. |
| Behavior |
| Terrestrial, 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 |
| Eats small invertebrates. |
| Reproduction |
| Little is known about breeding or reproduction. As with P. elongtus, 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.
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| Range |
| Found in a very small area of the Siskiyou Mountains in extreme northern Siskiyou county and southern Oregon. |
| Habitat |
| Strongly associated with rocky forested areas, especially talus in older forests. Mostly found in talus slopes or rock crevices, but may move into the forest during very wet periods and reside beneath woody debris. 1,600 - 3,500 ft. (488 -1078 m.) |
| Taxonomic Notes |
| P. stormi was first described in 1965. Some researchers consider Plethodon elongatus to include two subspecies, P. e. elongatus, the Del Norte Salamander, and P. e. stormi, the Siskiyou Mountains Salamander. |
| Conservation Status |
| Designated as a threatened species by the state due to the salamander's limited range and fragile forest talus microhabitat which could be easily destroyed. |
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Taxonomy |
| Family |
Plethodontidae |
Lungless Salamanders |
| Genus |
Plethodon |
Woodland Salamanders |
Species
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stormi |
Siskiyou Mountains Salamander |
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Original Description |
Highton and Brame, 1965 - Pilot Register of Zoology, Card No. 20, 1-2
from Original Description Citations for the Reptiles and Amphibians of North America © Ellin Beltz
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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.
stormi: honors Robert M. Storm
from Scientific and Common Names of the Reptiles and Amphibians of North America - Explained © Ellin Beltz
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Alternate Names |
Plethodon elongatus stormi
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Similar Neighboring Salamanders |
Plethodon elongatus - Del Norte Salamander
Plethodon dunni - Dunn's Salamander
Plethodon asupak - Scott Bar Salamander
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More Information and References |
Natureserve Explorer
California Dept. of Fish and Game
AmphibiaWeb
Thelander, Carl G., editor in chief. Life on the Edge - A Guide to California's Endangered Natural Resources - Wildlife. Berkeley: Bio Systems Books, 1994.
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.
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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 |
USFS:S |
Sensitive |
| Natureserve Global Conservation Status Ranks |
G2 |
Imperiled |
World Conservation Union - IUCN Red List
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IUCN:EN |
Endangered |
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