Arboreal salamander

Aneides lugubris
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Order: Urodela
Family: Plethodontidae
Subfamily: Plethodontinae
Genus: Aneides
Species: A. lugubris
Binomial name
Aneides lugubris
(Hallowell, 1849)
Synonyms

Salamandra lugubris Hallowell, 1849 "1848"[2]
Triton tereticauda Eschscholtz, 1833
Ambystoma punctulatum Gray, 1850
Plethodon crassulus Cope, 1886

The arboreal salamander, Aneides lugubris, is a species of climbing salamander.[3] An insectivore, it is native to California and Baja California,[4] where it is primarily associated with oak and sycamore woodlands,[5] and thick chaparral.

Description

Arboreal salamander

Aneides lugubris is 6.5–10 cm (2½-4 inches) SVL (snout-vent length),[6] with plain purplish-brown coloring, usually spotted dorsally with gold or yellow, although it may also be unspotted. The tail is prehensile. The juvenile is dark overall, clouded with greyish color and fine yellow speckling on the back. It has rusty markings on the snout, tail, and on sides above the forelimbs. The male of this species can be distinguished by its broad triangular head, with the front teeth of the jaw extending beyond the bottom lip.

This species is an excellent climber and difficult to capture. It is nocturnal, spending daylight hours and dry periods in the cavities of oak trees, often with many other individuals of its species.[7] A large adult can inflict a painful bite.

An albino Aneides lugubris found in Lafayette, California.

Subspecies

References

  1. Parra-Olea, G., Wake, D. & Hammerson, G.A. (2008). "Aneides lugubris". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2015.2. International Union for Conservation of Nature. Retrieved 20 August 2015.
  2. Hallowell, Edward. 1849. Description of a new species of Salamander from Upper California. Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, vol. 4, p. 126.
  3. Frost, Darrel R. (2015). "Aneides lugubris (Hallowell, 1849)". Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 6.0. American Museum of Natural History. Retrieved 20 August 2015.
  4. "Arboreal Salamander - Aneides lugubris". www.californiaherps.com. Retrieved 2016-03-01.
  5. "Arboreal Salamander - National Wildlife Federation". www.nwf.org. Retrieved 2016-03-01.
  6. Lynch, J.F. and D.B. Wake. 1974. Catalogue of American Amphibians and Reptiles. Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles.
  7. Grismer, L. L. (2002). Amphibians and Reptiles of Baja California. Los Angeles: University of California Press. 56-7.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Aneides lugubris.
Wikispecies has information related to: Aneides lugubris


This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Wednesday, March 02, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.