Sierra Newt
Taricha sierrae
Description
Distribution Range
General range map taken from CWHR, modified.
Museum records taken from following institution: MVZ Herps.
Typical Elevation
We do not yet have enough records from distinct localities to calculate typical elevation. We need 18 more distinct localities.
Taxonomy
The Sierra Newt (Taricha sierrae) was originally described in 1942 by Twitty as Triturus sierrae. See Amphibian Species of the World.
There are no currently recognized subspecies.
Pronunciation
The assumed IPA pronunciation of this species: /tɑ ˈri kɑ/ /si ˈɛər eɪ/
Taxonomic Etymology
Taricha is from the Greek τάριχος and means “dead body preserved by embalming”. It may be a reference to the rough skinned appearance (Beltz 2006).
sierrae references the Sierra Nevada Mountains, where the type specimen was collected.
Taxonomy Notes
The genus Taricha was described in 1850 using Triton torosa as the type species (Gray 1850), though that genus name was not initially widely adopted.
In 1951 Stebbins suggested this species was a subspecies of Triturus torosus [= Taricha torosa] (Stebbins 1951). Many publications and field guides followed Stebbins and refer to this species as Taricha torosa sierrae.
However, a recent study (Kutchta 2007) supports recognization of Taricha sierrae as a distinct species from Taricha torosa based on diagnosable morphological characteristics that follow distinct mtDNA lineage and evidence of selection against the hybrid genotype in the contact zone.
Additional Information
Images
Unless otherwise noted, all images are of wild specimens in Shasta County.
Please be kind, do not hotlink images and do not use images without permission of the copyright owner.
There currently are no images to display.
Habitat Shots
Unless otherwise noted, these habitat shots are from within Shasta County where this species is known to occur.
There currently are no images to display.
Similar Species
Pacific Newts can readily be distinguished from other Shasta County salamander species by their lack of costal grooves. Distinguishing between the two species of Pacific Newts that occur in our area can be a bit more difficult.
Rough-skinned Newt
Rough-skinned Newts (Taricha granulosa) have dark lower eyelids and the teeth in the roof of mouth make a “V” shaped arrangement.
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