Wintu Shasta salamander

The Wintu Shasta salamander (Hydromantes wintu) is a species of salamander in the family Plethodontidae. It is endemic to Shasta County in California.[2][3]

Wintu Shasta salamander
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Order: Urodela
Family: Plethodontidae
Subfamily: Plethodontinae
Genus: Hydromantes
Species:
H. wintu
Binomial name
Hydromantes wintu
Bingham, Papenfuss, Lindstrand, and Wake, 2018

Taxonomy

It was previously thought to be a population of the Shasta salamander (H. shastae) and is not physically distinguishable, but a 2018 phylogenetic study found it to be a genetically distinct species. It is named in honor of the Winnemem Wintu people who originally inhabited the area until being displaced by early European settlers, and had many of their cultural sites inundated by Shasta Lake.[4]

Distribution

It is found in a very small area on the McCloud River arm on the north shore of Shasta Lake, near the vicinity of the former Shasta Iron Mine.[2][5]

Habitat

Its distribution was likely fragmented by the creation of the lake and the construction of the Shasta Dam. Proposals to raise the water levels of the lake would likely flood more habitats and further threaten it. However, in 2021 the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service found the species to not warrant Endangered Species Act protections.[6][7]

References
  1. IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group (2022). "Hydromantes wintu". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2022: e.T181497664A182796948. Retrieved 24 December 2022.
  2. "Hydromantes wintu Bingham, Papenfuss, Lindstrand, and Wake, 2018 | Amphibian Species of the World". amphibiansoftheworld.amnh.org. Retrieved 2021-12-22.
  3. "AmphibiaWeb - Hydromantes wintu". amphibiaweb.org. Retrieved 2021-12-22.
  4. Bingham, Robert E.; Papenfuss, Theodore J.; Lindstrand, Len; Wake, David B. (April 4, 2018). "Phylogeography and Species Boundaries In the Hydromantes shastae Complex, With Description of Two New Species (Amphibia; Caudata; Plethodontidae)". Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology. 161 (10): 403–427. doi:10.3099/MCZ42.1. ISSN 0027-4100. S2CID 43953682.
  5. "Wintu Shasta Salamander - Hydromantes wintu". www.californiaherps.com. Retrieved 2021-12-22.
  6. "Study: California's Shasta Salamanders More Endangered Than Once Thought". www.biologicaldiversity.org. Retrieved 2021-12-22.
  7. on 05.12.2021, David Miller. "Service Finds Salamanders Do Not Warrant Endangered Species Act Protection". www.endangeredspecieslawandpolicy.com. Retrieved 2021-12-22.
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