CaliforniaHerps.com

A Guide to the Amphibians
and Reptiles of California




California Salamanders



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This is a complete list of salamanders that occur naturally in California, including non-native species with well-established populations.

California's salamanders are listed by scientific name and sorted by family, genus, species, and subspecies if applicable.
They are listed by common name below the scientific names list.

Follow the blue links to go to a page with information about each kind of salamander along with pictures of them and their habitat and short videos if available.

The names used on this list are based mainly on lists published by the Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles.

More Lists and Information About California Salamanders

Alpha
Code
Scientific Name
Common Name Original Description Alternate Names CA Endemic
           
  Order Caudata Salmanders Scopoli, 1777    
           
  Ambystomatidae Mole Salamanders Gray, 1850    
           
  Ambystoma Mole Salamanders Tschudi, 1838    
AMCA Ambystoma californiense California Tiger Salamander Gray, 1853   Endemic
AMGR Ambystoma gracile Northwestern Salamander (Baird, 1859)    
AMMA Ambystoma macrodactylum Long-toed Salamander Baird, 1849    
AMCR   Ambystoma macrodactylum croceum Santa Cruz Long-toed Salamander Russell and Anderson, 1956   Endemic
AMSI   Ambystoma macrodactylum sigillatum Southern Long-toed Salamander Ferguson, 1961    
           
  Dicamptodontidae Giant Salamanders Tihen, 1958 Ambystomatidae  
           
  Dicamptodon Pacific Giant Salamanders Strauch, 1870    
DIEN Dicamptodon ensatus California Giant Salamander (Eschscholtz, 1833)   Endemic
DITE Dicamptodon tenebrosus Coastal Giant Salamander (Baird and Girard, 1852)    
           
  Plethodontidae Lungless Salamanders Gray, 1850    
           
  Aneides Climbing Salamanders Baird, 1851    
ANEF Aneides ferreus Clouded Salamander Cope, 1869    
ANFL Aneides flavipunctatus Speckled Black Salamander (Strauch, 1870)   Endemic
ANIE Aneides iecanus Shasta Black Salamander (Cope 1883) Aneides flavipunctatus flavipunctatus Endemic
ANKL Aneides klamathensis Klamath Black Salamander Stebbins, 1951 & Dubois and Raffaelli, 2009 Aneides flavipunctatus flavipunctatus  
ANLU Aneides lugubris Arboreal Salamander (Hallowell, 1849)    
ANNI Aneides niger Santa Cruz Black Salamander Myers and Maslin, 1948 Aneides flavipunctatus niger Endemic
ANVA Aneides vagrans Wandering Salamander Wake and Jackman, 1999    
           
  Batrachoseps Slender Salamanders Bonaparte, 1841    
BASI Batrachoseps alta sierrae Greenhorn Mountains Slender Salamander Jockush, Martinez-Solano, Hansen, and Wake, 2012   Endemic
BAAR Batrachoseps aridus Desert Slender Salamander Brame, 1970 Batrachoseps major aridus Endemic
BAAT Batrachoseps attenuatus California Slender Salamander (Eschscholtz, 1833)    
BABR Batrachoseps bramei Fairview Slender Salamander Jockush, Martinez-Solano, Hansen, and Wake, 2012   Endemic
BACA Batrachoseps campi Inyo Mountains Slender Salamander Marlow, Brode & Wake, 1979   Endemic
BADI Batrachoseps diabolicus Hell Hollow Slender Salamander Jockusch, Wake & Yanev, 1998   Endemic
BAGA Batrachoseps gabrieli San Gabriel Mountains Slender Salamander Wake, 1996   Endemic
BAGA Batrachoseps gavilanensis Gabilan Mountains Slender Salamander Jockusch, Yanev & Wake, 2001   Endemic
BAGR Batrachoseps gregarius Gregarious Slender Salamander Jockusch, Wake & Yanev 1998   Endemic
BAIN Batrachoseps incognitus San Simeon Slender Salamander Jockusch, Yanev & Wake, 2001   Endemic
BAKA Batrachoseps kawia Sequoia Slender Salamander Jockusch, Wake & Yanev 1998   Endemic
BALU Batrachoseps luciae Santa Lucia Mountains Slender Salamander Jockusch, Yanev & Wake, 2001   Endemic
BAMA Batrachoseps major Southern California Slender Salamander Camp, 1915 B. m. major
Garden Slender Salamander
 
BAMI Batrachoseps minor Lesser Slender Salamander Jockusch, Yanev & Wake, 2001   Endemic
BANI Batrachoseps nigriventris Black-bellied Slender Salamander Cope, 1869   Endemic
BAPA Batrachoseps pacificus Channel Islands Slender Salamander (Cope, 1865)   Endemic
BARG * Batrachoseps regius Kings River Slender Salamander Jockusch, Wake & Yanev, 1998   Endemic
BARL * Batrachoseps relictus Relictual Slender Salamander Brame & Murray, 1968   Endemic
BARO Batrachoseps robustus Kern Plateau Slender Salamander Wake, Yanev, and Hansen, 2002   Endemic
BASI Batrachoseps simatus
Kern Canyon Slender Salamander Brame & Murray, 1968   Endemic
BAST Batrachoseps stebbinsi Tehachapi Slender Salamander Brame & Murray, 1968   Endemic
BAWA Batrachoseps wakei Arguello Slender Salamander Sweet & Jockusch, 2021   Endemic
           
  Ensatina Ensatinas Gray, 1850    
ENES Ensatina eschscholtzii Ensatina Gray, 1850    
EECR   Ensatina eschscholtzii croceater Yellow-blotched Ensatina (Cope, 1867)   Endemic
EEES   Ensatina eschscholtzii eschscholtzii Monterey Ensatina Gray, 1850    
EEKL   Ensatina eschscholtzii klauberi Large-blotched Ensatina Dunn, 1929 Ensatina klauberi  
EEOR   Ensatina eschscholtzii oregonensis Oregon Ensatina (Girard, 1856)    
EEPI   Ensatina eschscholtzii picta Painted Ensatina Wood, 1940    
EEPL   Ensatina eschscholtzii platensis Sierra Nevada Ensatina (Espada, 1875)   Endemic
EEXA   Ensatina eschscholtzii xanthoptica Yellow-eyed Ensatina Stebbins, 1949   Endemic
           
  Hydromantes Web-toed Salamanders Gistel, 1848    
HYBR Hydromantes brunus Limestone Salamander Gorman, 1954   Endemic
HYPL Hydromantes platycephalus Mount Lyell Salamander (Camp, 1916)   Endemic
HYSA Hydromantes samweli Samwel Shasta Salamander Bingham, Papenfuss, Lindstrand III, and Wake, 2018   Endemic
HYSH Hydromantes shastae Shasta Salamander Gorman and Camp, 1953   Endemic
HYWI Hydromantes wintu Wintu Shasta Salamander Bingham, Papenfuss, Lindstrand III, and Wake, 2018   Endemic
           
  Plethodon Woodland Salamanders Tschudi, 1838    
PLAS Plethodon asupak Scott Bar Salamander Mead, Clayton, Nauman, Olson and Pfrender, 2005   Endemic
PLDU Plethodon dunni Dunn's Salamander Bishop, 1934    
PLEL Plethodon elongatus Del Norte Salamander Van Denburgh, 1916    
PLDU Plethodon stormi Siskiyou Mountains Salamander Highton and Brame, 1965    
           
  Rhyacotritonidae Torrent Salamanders Tihen, 1958    
           
  Rhyacotriton Torrent Salamanders Dunn, 1920    
RHVA Rhyacotriton variegatus Southern Torrent Salamander Stebbins and Lowe, 1951    
           
  Salamandridae Newts Goldfuss, 1820    
           
  Taricha Pacific Newts Gray, 1850    
TAGE Taricha granulosa Rough-skinned Newt (Skilton, 1849)    
TARI Taricha rivularis Red-bellied Newt (Twitty, 1935)   Endemic
TASI Taricha sierrae Sierra Newt (Twitty, 1942) Taricha torosa sierrae -
Sierra Newt
Endemic
TATO Taricha torosa California Newt (Rathke, in Eschscholtz, 1833) Taricha torosa torosa -
California Newt
Endemic
 
 
Non-Native Species  (More information about non-native reptiles and amphibians reported in California)

  Ambystomatidae Mole Salamanders Gray, 1850    
           
  Ambystoma Mole Salamanders Tschudi, 1838    
AMMA   Ambystoma mavortium Western Tiger Salamander Baird, 1850 “1849” Ambystoma tigrinum  
 
 
 
Alpha Code Common Name        
           
  Mole Salamanders        
NOSA Northwestern Salamander        
  Tiger Salamanders        
CATS California Tiger Salamander        
  Long-toed Salamanders        
SCLT Santa Cruz Long-toed Salamander        
SOLT Southern Long-toed Salamander        
           
  Giant Salamanders        
CAGS * California Giant Salamander        
COGS * Coastal Giant Salamander        
           
  Newts        
RBNE Red-bellied Newt        
RSNE Rough-skinned Newt        
CANE California Newt        
SINE Sierra Newt        
           
  Lungless Salamanders        
           
  Climbing Salamanders        
ARSA Arboreal Salamander        
CLSA Clouded Salamander        
KBSA Klamath Black Salamander        
SCBS Santa Cruz Black Salamander        
SHBS * Shasta Black Salamander        
SPBS * Speckled Black Salamander        
WASA Wandering Salamander        
  Slender Salamanders        
BBSS Black-bellied Slender Salamander        
CSSA California Slender Salamander        
CISS Channel Islands Slender Salamander        
DSSA Desert Slender Salamander        
FSSA Fairview Slender Salamander        
GMSS Gabilan Mountains Slender Salamander        
GASS * Garden Slender Salamander        
GMSS Greenhorn Mountains Slender Salamander        
GRSS * Gregarious Slender Salamander        
HHSS Hell Hollow Slender Salamander        
IMSS Inyo Mountains Slender Salamander        
KCSS Kern Canyon Slender Salamander        
KPSS Kern Plateau Slender Salamander        
KRSS Kings River Slender Salamander        
LSSA Lesser Slender Salamander        
RSSA Relictual Slender Salamander        
SGMS San Gabriel Mountains Slender Salamander        
SSSS San Simeon Slender Salamander        
SLMS Santa Lucia Mountains Slender Salamander        
SSSA Sequoia Slender Salamander        
TSSA Tehachapi Slender Salamander        
  Ensatina        
LBEN Large-blotched Ensatina        
MOEN Monterey Ensatina        
OREN Oregon Ensatina        
PAEN Painted Ensatina        
SNEN Sierra Nevada Ensatina        
YBEN Yellow-blotched Ensatina        
YEEN Yellow-eyed Ensatina        
  Web-toed Salamanders        
LISA Limestone Salamander        
MLSA Mount Lyell Salamander        
SASA Shasta Salamander        
WSSA Wintu Shasta Salamander        
           
  Woodland Salamanders        
DNSA Del Norte Salamander        
DUSA Dunn's Salamander        
SBSA Scott Bar Salamander        
SMSA Siskiyou Mountains Salamander        
           
  Torrent Salamanders        
STSA Southern Torrent Salamander        
           
           
  Alien Species (More information about alien reptiles and amphibians reported in California)    
WTSA Western Tiger Salamander 
       

* Making the standard alpha codes for these names would create duplicates, so a variation of the code has been created. This code may not be the same as those used elsewhere.










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