Larch Mountain salamander
species of amphibian
The Larch Mountain salamander (Plethodon larselli) is a species of salamander in the family Plethodontidae endemic to the United States. It occurs in the Cascade Mountains of southern Washington and northern Oregon. In Washington, it occurs from the Columbia River Gorge to just north of Snoqualmie Pass. Its natural habitats are temperate forests and rocky areas. It is threatened by habitat loss.
Taxonomy
The Larch Mountain salamander was originally described as a species by D.M. Burns in 1962. Originally considered a subspecies of Van Dyke's salamander, the Larch Mountain salamander's closest genetic relative is the Jemez Mountains salamander, endemic to New Mexico.
Description
The Larch Mountain salamander is a small, terrestrial salamander. The species is characterized by a variable dorsal stripe, typically orange, light brown, or yellow, which is often blotchy. The ground color is brown, with light speckling in certain areas.
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This entry incorporates text from “Larch Mountain salamander” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.