Aneides ferreus

Aneides vagrans formerly was included in this species (see Jackman 1998).

Mahoney (2001) used mtDNA data to examine phylogenetic relationships of western and eastern Plethodon and Aneides. She found strong support for eastern Plethodon as a clade, but monophyly of Aneides was only weakly supported in some analyses, though "the monophyly of this clade is not in doubt." Analyses indicated that Plethodon stormi and P. elongatus are clearly sister taxa, and P. dunni and P. vehiculum also are well-supported sister taxa. Plethodon larselli and P. vandykei appear to be closely related, whereas P. neomexicanus did not group with any other lineage. All analyses yielded a paraphyletic Plethodon but constraint analyses did not allow rejection of a monophyletic Plethodon. Mahoney recommended continued recognition of Aneides as a valid genus and adoption of the metataxon designation for Plethodon*, indicating this status with an asterisk. (A metataxon is a group of lineages for which neither monophyly nor paraphyly can be demonstrated.)

Occurs in coniferous forest/woodland in western Oregon and northern California; occurs in burned areas and tolerates a certain amount of logging; generally most common in forests where there are large decaying logs o the ground, but this resource is increasingly uncommon; current status is not well documented.

Patchy distribution extends from Del Norte and Siskiyou counties, California, north through western Oregon to the Columbia River (Jackman 1998). Elevational range extends from sea level to around 1,650 meters (Stebbins 2003).

The number of distinct occurrences has not been determined using standardized criteria, but clearly this species is represented by a fairly large number of recently documented occurrences (subpopulations) and locations (as defined by IUCN).

This species has declined in areas where intensive, short-rotation logging practices have resulted in increasing scarcity of coarse woody debris on the forest floor (Corn and Bury 1991, Butts and McComb 2000). These salamanders are thought to thrive initially after logging but then decline as stumps and logs decay and critical microhabitats are eliminated (Petranka 1998). However, they readily occupy disturbed areas, and recent observations suggest that the species is persisting in many areas and is not now of high conservation concern (R. B. Bury, pers. comm., 2013).

Climate change may render some habitat less suitable, but the scope and severity of this potential threat are uncertain.