Arboreal salamander

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.

Arboreal salamander
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

Description

Aneides lugubris is 6.5–10 cm (2.6–3.9 in) 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. 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. Arboreal Salamanders hatch from eggs laid and guarded in burrows.[8] Hatchling size is 24 mm SVL, age at maturity is 2.69 yr, and average adult age is 8–11 yr.[9] Annual survival probability increases with age from 0.363 in age 0 to 0.783 in ages >4 yr.[9]

Because they are plethodontid (plethodontidae) salamanders they are lungless and breath through their skin. They can produce sounds which have been compared to a faintly barking dog.

Subspecies
  • Farallon Island salamander – A. l. farallonensis (Van Denburgh, 1905)
  • A. l. lugubris (Van Denburgh, 1905)

These subspecies have been proposed in the past due to genetic and morphological differences, but they are not currently recognized.

References
  1. Parra-Olea, G.; Wake, D. & Hammerson, G.A. (2008). "Aneides lugubris". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2008: e.T59118A11884773. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2008.RLTS.T59118A11884773.en.
  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.
  8. Wake, D B; Hanken, J (2004-07-01). "Direct development in the lungless salamanders: what are the consequences for developmental biology, evolution and phylogenesis?". International Journal of Developmental Biology. 40 (4). doi:10.1387/ijdb.8877460 (inactive 2021-01-10). ISSN 0214-6282.CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of January 2021 (link)
  9. Lee, Derek E.; Bettaso, James B.; Bond, Monica L.; Bradley, Russell W.; Tietz, James R.; Warzybok, Peter M. (2012). "Growth, age at maturity, and age-specific survival of the arboreal salamander (Aneides lugubris) on Southeast Farallon Island, California". Journal of Herpetology. 46 (1): 64–71. doi:10.1670/10-282. ISSN 0022-1511. S2CID 86315867.


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