The speckled black salamander (''Aneides flavipunctatus''), previously known as just the black salamander, is a species of salamander in the family Plethodontidae. It is endemic to the U.S. state of California. Its natural habitats are temperate forests and temperate grassland. It is threatened by habitat loss.

Taxonomy

Previously, it was referred to as the black salamander, and was thought to have a fragmented range across most of California and southern Oregon. However, a 2019 taxonomic study found it to represent a species complex of multiple species: the speckled black salamander (''A. flavipunctatus sensu stricto''), the Shasta black salamander (''A. iecanus''), the Santa Cruz black salamander (''A. niger''), and the Klamath black salamander (''A. klamathensis''). These were thus split off as distinct species.

Description

The speckled black salamander can grow to long. The color varies, black with coarse can be the color or fine white spots, black with yellow spots, or black with a greyish or greenish sheen. The underside is paler. Juveniles are greenish-grey or bronze and have yellow at the base of their legs.

Distribution and habitat

The speckled black salamander is found in forested areas and grassland in the coastal ranges of California, mostly at elevations below but occasionally up to . It ranges from southern

Humboldt Humboldt may refer to: People * Alexander von Humboldt, German natural scientist, brother of Wilhelm von Humboldt * Wilhelm von Humboldt, German linguist, philosopher, and diplomat, brother of Alexander von Humboldt Fictional characters * ...

and Trinity counties south to southwestern Sonoma and northern Napa counties. An ''Aneides'' population in

Glenn County Glenn County is a county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 28,917. The county seat is Willows. It is located in the Sacramento Valley, in the northern part of the California Central Valley. ...

may be of this species but this is debated. In the southern part of its range it hides under logs and rocks in damp places and stream banks in woodland. Northern populations are found in more open country and in the far north of its range it is found among mossy rocks and scree.

Biology

The speckled black salamander is mostly terrestrial but has a prehensile tail so may sometimes climb as does the related arboreal salamander ''

Aneides lugubris The arboreal salamander (''Aneides lugubris'') is a species of climbing salamander. An insectivore, it is native to California and Baja California, where it is primarily associated with oak and sycamore woodlands, and thick chaparral. Descri ...

''. It feeds on small invertebrates such as millipedes, beetles, ants and termites. Juveniles have a similar diet but include flies and springtails. Like other plethodont salamanders, it is mainly nocturnal and hides during the day. The breeding habits of the speckled black salamander have been little studied. The eggs are laid in July or August in underground chambers, where they are attached by short stalks to the moist soil. The female seems to guard the eggs until they hatch. In captivity, the black salamander is aggressive towards its own species and adults in the wild are often scarred, so the species is probably territorial. In the laboratory it has been known to bite the

western garter snake Garter snake is a common name for generally harmless, small to medium-sized snakes belonging to the genus ''Thamnophis'' in the family Colubridae. Native to North and Central America, species in the genus ''Thamnophis'' can be found from the sub ...

when attacked.

Status

The speckled black salamander is listed as least concern in the

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, also known as the IUCN Red List or Red Data Book, founded in 1964, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biologi ...

. In some areas it has been displaced by the planting of vineyards. In addition, this listing is based on the previous definition of the species (prior to other species being split off), when it was thought to have a wider range.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2246834 Aneides Amphibians of the United States Endemic fauna of California Amphibians described in 1870 Taxa named by Alexander Strauch Taxonomy articles created by Polbot