The Shasta black salamander (Aneides iecanus) is a species of salamander in the family Plethodontidae. It is endemic to Shasta County in California.[2][3]
| Shasta black salamander | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Amphibia |
| Order: | Urodela |
| Family: | Plethodontidae |
| Subfamily: | Plethodontinae |
| Genus: | Aneides |
| Species: | A. iecanus
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| Binomial name | |
| Aneides iecanus (Cope, 1883)
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Taxonomy edit
Described by Edward Drinker Cope in 1883, it was later synonymized with the speckled black salamander (A. flavipunctatus). However, a 2019 taxonomic study confirmed it as being a distinct species, and again split it.[2][4][5]
Distribution edit
It is thought to be restricted to western Shasta County, mainly in the vicinity of Shasta Lake, but may extend into extreme southern Siskyou and Tehama counties.[2][4]
Description edit
It is a large, black salamander with white spots. It can be distinguished from the rest of the A. flavipunctatus complex by its heavily speckled body, head, and tail, and on average has one less trunk vertebra than A. klamathensis or A. niger.[4]
Status edit
It is classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List due to its limited range, much of which was lost during the creation of Shasta Lake, as well as proposals to raise the Shasta Dam, which would have a highly damaging impact on remaining habitat.[1]
References edit
- ^ a b IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group (2022). "Aneides iecanus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2022: e.T77855686A119001141. Retrieved 24 December 2022.
- ^ a b c "Aneides iecanus (Cope, 1883) | Amphibian Species of the World". amphibiansoftheworld.amnh.org. Retrieved 2022-01-02.
- ^ "AmphibiaWeb - Aneides iecanus". amphibiaweb.org. Retrieved 2022-01-02.
- ^ a b c Reilly, Sean B.; Wake, David B. (2019-08-01). "Taxonomic revision of black salamanders of the Aneides flavipunctatus complex (Caudata: Plethodontidae)". PeerJ. 7: e7370. doi:10.7717/peerj.7370. ISSN 2167-8359. PMC 6679913. PMID 31396443.
- ^ "Speckled Black Salamander - Aneides flavipunctatus flavipunctatus". www.californiaherps.com. Retrieved 2022-01-02.
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