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Home/Species/ Greenhorn Mountains Slender Salamander

Batrachoseps altasierrae

Jockusch, Martínez-Solano, Hansen, and Wake, 2012

Greenhorn Mountains Slender Salamander

G2Imperiled Found in 8 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G2ImperiledGlobal Rank
Near threatenedIUCN
MediumThreat Impact
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.889908
Element CodeAAAAD02200
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVertebrate Animal
IUCNNear threatened
Endemicendemic to a single state or province
KingdomAnimalia
PhylumCraniata
ClassAmphibia
OrderCaudata
FamilyPlethodontidae
GenusBatrachoseps
Concept Reference
Jockusch, E. L., I. Martínez-Solano, R. W. Hansen, and D. B. Wake. 2012. Morphological and molecular diversification of slender salamanders (Caudata: Plethodontidae: Batrachoseps) in the southern Sierra Nevada of California with descriptions of two new species. Zootaxa 3190:1-30.
Taxonomic Comments
This species includes some populations that formerly were included in B. relictus.
Conservation Status
Rank Method Rank calculation - Biotics v2
Review Date2021-10-28
Change Date2021-10-28
Edition Date2021-10-28
Edition AuthorsHammerson, G. (2013), Hunting, K. (2021)
Threat ImpactMedium
Range Extent1000-5000 square km (about 400-2000 square miles)
Number of Occurrences6 - 20
Rank Reasons
Inferred evidence of habitat loss, degradation, and fragmentation from intense fires suggest a decline in Greenhorn Mountain slender salamander populations.
Range Extent Comments
The Greenhorn Mountain slender salamander is a California endemic species occurring in the southern Sierra Nevada Mountain Range in an area comprising Greenhorn Mountain and the Upper Kern Plateau from about 900-2440 m elevation in northern Kern and southern Tulare Counties (Jockusch 2012, Gogol-Prokurat 2016). Based on the expert opinion range polygon developed by Gogol-Prokurat (2016), the range of the Greenhorn Mountain slender salamander is about 1,720 km2.
Occurrences Comments
The California Natural Diversity Database host 43 extant element Occurrences of the Greenhorn Mountain slender salamander. Analysis of the distribution of these occurrences by watershed, descriptions of locations in Jockusch et al (2012), and descriptions in USFS (2017), there are likely 10 -12 occurrences of the Greenhorn Mountain slender salamander.
Threat Impact Comments
The Cedar fire impacted a substantial part of the Greenhorn Mountain slender salamander range. Although this is likely a fire adapted species (Jockusch et al. 2012), the extent and intensity of fires in Sierra Nevada has increased and post-fire management actions (e.g., salvage logging) is likely an additional impact.
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

Mixed coniferous forest at high elevations in the southern Sierra Nevada from the northern side of the Lower Kern River to the Tule River and upper portions of the Little Kern River. Also found on the western edge of the Kern Plateau.
Terrestrial Habitats
Forest - Conifer
Palustrine Habitats
Riparian
Other Nations (1)
United StatesN2
ProvinceRankNative
CaliforniaS2Yes
Threat Assessments
ThreatScopeSeverityTiming
4 - Transportation & service corridorsRestricted (11-30%)Slight or 1-10% pop. declineHigh (continuing)
5 - Biological resource usePervasive (71-100%)Moderate or 11-30% pop. declineHigh (continuing)
5.3 - Logging & wood harvestingPervasive (71-100%)Moderate or 11-30% pop. declineHigh (continuing)
7 - Natural system modificationsPervasive (71-100%)Moderate or 11-30% pop. declineHigh (continuing)
7.1 - Fire & fire suppressionPervasive (71-100%)Moderate or 11-30% pop. declineHigh (continuing)
7.1.1 - Increase in fire frequency/intensityPervasive (71-100%)Moderate or 11-30% pop. declineHigh (continuing)

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Roadless Areas (8)
California (8)
AreaForestAcres
Black Mtn.Sequoia National Forest15,102
ChannellSequoia National Forest45,429
ChicoSequoia National Forest39,836
Domeland Add.Sequoia National Forest3,046
Greenhorn CreekSequoia National Forest28,226
MosesSequoia National Forest22,077
Slate Mtn.Sequoia National Forest12,299
WoodpeckerSequoia National Forest11,936
References (5)
  1. Crother, B. I. (editor). 2012. Scientific and standard English names of amphibians and reptiles of North America north of Mexico, with comments regarding confidence in our understanding. 7th edition. SSAR Herpetological Circular 39:1-92.
  2. Crother, B. I. (editor). 2017. Scientific and standard English names of amphibians and reptiles of North America north of Mexico, with comments regarding confidence in our understanding. 8th edition. SSAR Herpetological Circular 43:1-104. [Updates in SSAR North American Species Names Database at: https://ssarherps.org/cndb]
  3. Frost, D.R. 2020. Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 6.0. American Museum of Natural History, New York, USA. Online: http://research.amnh.org/herpetology/amphibia/index.html
  4. Gogol-Prokurat, M. 2016. Species Range Layer for the Greenhorn Mountain slender salamander. California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Sacramento, CA. GIS data depicting the area occupied by Greenhorn Mountain slender salamander (expert opinion). California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Biological Information and Observation System (BIOS), ds 1184. https://apps.wildlife.ca.gov/bios/?bookmark=326 (Accessed 21 October 2021).
  5. Jockusch, E. L., I. Martínez-Solano, R. W. Hansen, and D. B. Wake. 2012. Morphological and molecular diversification of slender salamanders (Caudata: Plethodontidae: <i>Batrachoseps</i>) in the southern Sierra Nevada of California with descriptions of two new species. Zootaxa 3190:1-30.