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Home/Species/ Mount Lyell Salamander

Hydromantes platycephalus

(Camp, 1916)

Mount Lyell Salamander

G4Apparently Secure Found in 16 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G4Apparently SecureGlobal Rank
Least concernIUCN
LowThreat Impact
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.103531
Element CodeAAAAD09020
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVertebrate Animal
IUCNLeast concern
Endemicendemic to a single state or province
KingdomAnimalia
PhylumCraniata
ClassAmphibia
OrderCaudata
FamilyPlethodontidae
GenusHydromantes
Concept Reference
Frost, 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 Comments
This species includes populations that have been referred to as the Owens Valley web-toed salamander (Rovito 2010). Bingham et al. (2018) provided range-wide geographic sampling for mitochondrial and nuclear data to revise the taxonomy of this complex, which had previously been estimated as inadequate by Rovito (2010). They also reported newly discovered populations of the H. shastae complex to the west and south which have not been studied and the taxonomic status of these populations requires further study (Nicholson 2025).
Conservation Status
Review Date2011-05-04
Change Date2011-05-04
Edition Date2011-05-04
Edition AuthorsMacey, J. R., T. J. Papenfuss, and G. Hammerson
Threat ImpactLow
Range Extent5000-20,000 square km (about 2000-8000 square miles)
Number of Occurrences21 - 300
Rank Reasons
Small range in Sierra Nevada, California, but has lost no habitat and there are no known threats; apparently secure.
Range Extent Comments
Range includes the higher elevations of the Sierra Nevada, California , mostly above 8,000 feet (4,000-12,000 feet, 1,200-3,700 meters, overall), from Sonora Pass, Alpine County, to Franklin Pass area and Bullfrog Lakes in Sequoia National Forest, Tulare County (Gonzales 2001; low elevation records are from the Yosemite Valley (1,200-1,300 meters) and the arid eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada in the Owens Valley (1,400-2,000 meters) (Rovito 2010). An isolated population occurs at Smith Lake, Desolation Wilderness, El Dorado County. Distribution may be more continuous than present records indicate.
Occurrences Comments
There are many localities known for this species and probably many others not documented because of remoteness.
Threat Impact Comments
No present threats, due especially to remoteness of habitat. Tolerant of nondestructive intrusion; habitat not easily made unsuitable.
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

Granite rock exposures, talus, and rock fissures, near seepages from streams or melting snow, also in spray zone of waterfalls. Apparently prefers north-facing slopes. Under rocks or in caves or crevices during daylight hours. Terrestrial breeder.

Reproduction

Clutch size 6-14.
Terrestrial Habitats
Bare rock/talus/scree
Palustrine Habitats
Riparian
Other Nations (1)
United StatesN4
ProvinceRankNative
CaliforniaS4Yes
Roadless Areas (16)
California (16)
AreaForestAcres
AgnewSequoia National Forest9,561
ButtermilkInyo National Forest542
Carson - IcebergStanislaus National Forest56,430
DomeStanislaus National Forest11,085
EagleStanislaus National Forest16,116
Granite ChiefTahoe National Forest6,546
Hall Natural AreaInyo National Forest5,236
HortonInyo National Forest5,717
Iceberg - Mill CreekHumboldt-Toiyabe National Forest26,988
Jennie LakeSequoia National Forest2,388
Middle YubaTahoe National Forest7,379
NightStanislaus National Forest3,173
North LakeInyo National Forest2,406
Rock Creek WestInyo National Forest3,626
Table Mtn.Inyo National Forest4,215
Wheeler RidgeInyo National Forest15,744
References (16)
  1. Behler, J. L., and F. W. King. 1979. The Audubon Society field guide to North American reptiles and amphibians. Alfred A. Knopf, New York. 719 pp.
  2. Bingham, R. E., T. J. Papenfuss, L. Lindstrand, III, and D. B. Wake. 2018. Phylogeography and species boundaries in the <i>Hydromantes shastae</i> complex, with description of two new species (Amphibia; Caudata; Plethodontidae). Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology. Cambridge, Massachusetts 161:403-427.
  3. Blackburn, L., P. Nanjappa, and M. J. Lannoo. 2001. An Atlas of the Distribution of U.S. Amphibians. Copyright, Ball State University, Muncie, Indiana, USA.
  4. 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]
  5. Frost, 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.
  6. 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
  7. Gonzales, R. 2001. Geographic distribution: Hydromantes platycephalus. Herpetological Review 32:268.
  8. Gorman, J. 1964. Hydromantes brunus, H. platycephalus, H. shastae. Catalogue of American Amphibians and Reptiles. 11:1-2.
  9. Jennings, M. R., and M. P. Hayes. 1994. Decline of native ranid frogs in the desert southwest. Pages 183-211 in P. R. Brown and J. W. Wright (editors). Herpetology of the North American Deserts, Southwestern Herpetologists society, Special Publication Number 5.
  10. Lanza, B., and S. Vanni. 1981. On the biogeography of plethodontid salamanders (Amphibia, Caudata) with a description of a new genus. Monitore Zool. Ital. 15:117-121.
  11. Nicholson, K. E. (ed.). 2025. Scientific and Standard English Names of Amphibians and Reptiles of North America North of Mexico, with Comments Regarding Confidence in Our Understanding. Ninth Edition. Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles. 87 pp. Online database available at: https://cnah.org/SSARnames.aspx
  12. Petranka, J. W. 1998. Salamanders of the United States and Canada. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, D.C.
  13. Rovito, S. M. 2010. Lineage divergence and speciation in the web-toed salamanders (Plethodontidae: <i>Hydromantes</i>) of the Sierra Nevada, California. Molecular Ecology 19:4554-4571.
  14. Smith, H. M., and D. B. Wake. 1993. <i>Hydromantes </i>Gistel, 1848 (Amphibia, Caudata): proposed designation of <i>Salamandra genei</i> Temminck &amp; Schlegel, 1838 as the type species. Bull. Zool. Namen. 50(3):219-
  15. Stebbins, R. C. 1972. California Amphibians and Reptiles. University of California Press, Berkeley, California.
  16. Stebbins, R. C. 1985a. A field guide to western reptiles and amphibians. Second edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, Massachusetts. xiv + 336 pp.