Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.100555
Element CodeAAAAD12270
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVertebrate Animal
IUCNLeast concern
Endemicoccurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations
KingdomAnimalia
PhylumCraniata
ClassAmphibia
OrderCaudata
FamilyPlethodontidae
GenusPlethodon
Other Common NamesCoeur D'Alene Salamander (EN) Salamandre de Coeur d'Alène (FR)
Concept ReferenceFrost, D. R. 1985. Amphibian species of the world. A taxonomic and geographical reference. Allen Press, Inc., and The Association of Systematics Collections, Lawrence, Kansas. v + 732 pp.
Taxonomic CommentsPelletier et al. (2015) found support for two independently evolving lineages within this species based on eight nuclear genes along with mitochondrial data (Crother 2017).
The Coeur d'Alene salamander has been the subject of taxonomic controversy nearly since its initial discovery. Upon first identification, Slater and Slipp (1940) classified it as a new species, Plethodon idahoensis. Lowe (1950) later reclassified it as a subspecies (idahoensis) of a western Washington Plethodon, Van Dyke's salamander (P. vandykei). Some experts cite biochemical evidence that indicates the Coeur d'Alene salamander is a separate species (Highton and Larson 1979, Howard 1993), whereas others hold that the biochemical evidence is weak, and that insufficient morphological variation exists to justify specific designation (Brodie 1970, Nussbaum et al. 1983). Results of a morphometric analysis led Wilson and Larsen (1999) to support recognition of P. vandykei and P. idahoensis as distinct species. Whether considered a species or a subspecies, the Coeur d'Alene salamander represents a unique genetic resource in Idaho, Montana, and British Columbia and should be managed as such (Howard 1993).
Conservation Status
Rank MethodExpertise without calculation
Review Date2016-05-10
Change Date2002-02-13
Edition Date2002-09-20
Edition AuthorsK. Jurist, J. D. Reichel, E. F. Cassirer, C. R. Groves, and G. Hammerson
Threat ImpactUnknown
Range Extent20,000-200,000 square km (about 8000-80,000 square miles)
Number of Occurrences81 - 300
Rank ReasonsSmall range in northern Idaho, western Montana, and southeastern British Columbia; habitat loss and fragmentation are the primary threats; recent surveys have greatly expanded the known range in British Columbia; apparently secure.
Range Extent CommentsThe Coeur d'Alene Salamander is a remnant of a once diverse plethodontid salamander fauna in the central Rocky Mountains that was likely reduced by climatic changes over the last 10-14 million years (Nussbaum et al. 1983, Tihen and Wake 1981). The species maintains a disjunct distribution at elevations up to 1,524 m (5,000 ft) in northern Idaho, western Montana, and southeastern British Columbia (Wilson et al. 1997; Wilson and Ohanjanian 2002). The North Fork of the Clearwater and the St. Joe drainages in Idaho, and the lower Clark Fork and Kootenai Rivers in Montana, comprise the core of the species distribution (Wilson and Simon 1987, Genter et al. 1988, Groves 1988). The Selway River drainage comprises the southern limit of the known range in Idaho (Wilson 1990) and Copper Creek and the Moyie River drainage the northern limit (Wilson et al. 1989). In Montana, the southern limit of known distribution is Lake Como Falls in the Bitterroot River drainage (Maxell 2002) and the northernmost population is along the South Fork of the Yaak River (Wilson and Simon 1987; Maxell et al. 2003). Coeur d'Alene Salamanders are currently known from about 15 locations in British Columbia, from 95 km north of Revelstoke to a cluster of locations mostly along the southeast corner of Kootenay Lake (Holmberg et al. 1984; Orchard 1990; Charland 1992; Wilson and Ohanjanian 2002).
Although not all localities of occurrence have been identified, the southern, eastern and western edges of the distribution are likely limited by lack of moisture, discontinuous geological formations, and high temperatures (Wilson and Larsen 1998). The species was probably eliminated from most of British Columbia during the last ice age. The northern limit of current distribution probably represents the extent of successful recolonization of suitable habitat (Lynch 1984).
Occurrences CommentsThere are 97 to 192 documented U.S. sites: 164 in northern Idaho (69 if all within 2 km of each other are combined) and 28 in Montana (Cassirer et al. 1994). In British Columbia, as of 2001, there were 44 confirmed sites on 42 distinct watercourses (Ohanjanian 1997a, 1997b, 1998, 1999, 2000; Dulisse 1999; Ohanjanian and Beaucher 2000; Ohanjanian et. al 2001).
Threat Impact CommentsPotential threats to the Coeur d'Alene Salamander include road and trail construction, water diversion projects, pollution, timber harvest, exotic species, fire, and illegal collecting. None of these has yet been documented as a cause of population loss or serious mortality for this species.
Habitat fragmentation is a result of road construction, timber harvest, and fire, and it raises additional concerns for Coeur d'Alene Salamanders related to population genetics. Genetic evidence indicates there is little, if any exchange between widely separated (> 100 km) Coeur d'Alene Salamander populations (Howard 1993). However, the extent of dispersal between adjacent sites is unknown. Because Coeur d'Alene Salamanders are typically semi-aquatic, their movements over terrestrial habitats are restricted, particularly in arid forests or areas with little canopy cover. Small populations tend to lose variation by genetic drift more rapidly than larger populations (Lacy 1987). Likewise, they are more susceptible to inbreeding depression, and catastrophic events (e.g., fire, floods) that eliminate or alter habitat and kill individuals. The apparent small size of many Coeur d'Alene Salamander populations, and their apparent isolation, is cause for concern about their continued viability.