Coastal Giant Salamander
Dicamptodon tenebrosus
Description
Distribution Range
General range map taken from CWHR.
Museum records taken from following institutions: CAS Herps, CAS-SUA, MVZ Herps.
Typical Elevation
We do not yet have enough records from distinct localities to calculate typical elevation. We need 13 more distinct localities.
Taxonomy
The Coastal Giant Salamander (Dicamptodon tenebrosus) was originally described in 1852 by Baird and Girard as Amblystoma tenebrosum. See Amphibian Species of the World.
There are no currently recognized subspecies.
Taxonomic Etymology
Dicamptodon is a combination of three Greek words. The prefix δι indicates "twice" or "having two of", κάμπτω is a verb that translates as "to bend", and ὀδών means tooth. The name is thus probably a reference to bent or curved teeth (Beltz 2006).
tenebrosus is from the Latin masculine adjective tenebrōsus and means dark or gloomy, possibly a reference to the adult coloration of this species.
Taxonomy Notes
In 1870 the genus Dicamptodon was first defined (Strauch 1870). In 1887 the genus Chondrotus was defined using Amblystoma tenebrosum as the type species (Strauch 1870). In 1892, Chondrotus was made a synonym of Dicamptodon (Hay 1892) resulting in the taxon Dicamptodon tenebrosus.
Additional Information
Images
Unless otherwise noted, all images are of wild specimens in Shasta County.
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Habitat Shots
Unless otherwise noted, these habitat shots are from within Shasta County where this species is known to occur.
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