Siskiyou Mountains salamander

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Siskiyou Mountains salamander
Conservation status
Endangered  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Amphibia
Order:	Urodela
Family:	Plethodontidae
Subfamily:	Plethodontinae
Genus:	Plethodon
Species:	P. stormi
Binomial name
Plethodon stormi Highton & Brame, 1965

The Siskiyou Mountains salamander (Plethodon stormi),^[2] also called the Siskiyou Mountain salamander, exists only in isolated locations along the Klamath River in northern California and southern Oregon. It is a close relative of the Del Norte salamander, and some herpetologists believe it may be a subspecies of that animal.^{[citation needed]}

The specific name, stormi, is in honor of Canadian-American herpetologist Robert Macleod Storm.^[3]

The Siskiyou Mountains salamander is rich brown in color with white speckles. It is about 9 cm (4 in) long, not counting the tail, which is variable in length. Like all of the plethodontids, it lacks lungs and respires through its moist skin. It is nocturnal, prefers cool, moist environments, and is most active during rainfall or high humidity. It stays underground during hot periods and freezes.^{[citation needed]}

The preferred natural habitat of P. stormi is rocky areas of forest, at altitudes of 490–1,463 m (1,608–4,800 ft).^[1]

The adult female P. stormi lays a clutch of 2–18 eggs every other year.^[1]

Plethodon stormi is an IUCN Red List endangered species in California. Logging and damming have reduced its habitat.^{[citation needed]}

In 2005, researchers discovered through genetic analysis that a larger, darker variant of this salamander is in fact a separate species. It has been named the Scott Bar salamander (Plethodon asupak).^{[citation needed]}

Other prominent amphibians within the range of P. stormi include the rough-skinned newt, Taricha granulosa.^[4]

• Siskiyou Mountains

• Bishop,Sherman C., and Brodie, Edmund D., Jr. (1994). Handbook of Salamanders: The Salamanders of the United States, of Canada, and of Lower California. Ithaca, New York: Cornell University Press. 555 pp. ISBN 0-8014-8213-5.

• Hogan, C. Michael (2008). "Rough-skinned Newt (Taricha granulosa)". Globaltwitcher, ed. Nicklas Stromberg. [1]
• Photos of the Siskiyou Mountains salamander & its habitat