Rhyacotriton olympicus (Gaige, 1917)
Olympic Torrent Salamander | family: Rhyacotritonidae genus: Rhyacotriton |
Species Description: Gaige HT. 1917. Description of a new salamander from Washington. Occ. Papers of the Museum of Zoology, U Michigan 40: 1–3. |
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Description Stebbins and Lowe (1951) described the aquatic larvae as similar to adults in coloration, but with a more mottled appearance. Very young larvae may have whitish venters, but larger larvae are more similar to adult in ventral coloration. They have short gills and adult proportions and are of the stream larva type(Stebbins 1985). Distribution and Habitat Country distribution from AmphibiaWeb's database: United States U.S. state distribution from AmphibiaWeb's database: Washington
Life History, Abundance, Activity, and Special Behaviors The larval diet may include a variety of aquatic invertebrates, an varies with availability and location (Nussbaum et al. 1983). The diet of metamorphosed Rhyacotriton includes aquatic and semi-aquatic invertebrates, as well as larval and adult beetles, flies, earthworms, snails and other invertebrates (Nussbaum et al. 1983). Predators of Rhyacotriton probably include the giant salamander, Dicamptodon, and garter snakes, but have not been reported (Nussbaum et al. 1983). Large larvae and adults may exhibit a defensive behavior consisting of coiling the body and elevating and undulating the tail, exposing the bright yellow underside (Nussbaum et al. 1983). Trends and Threats Possible reasons for amphibian decline General habitat alteration and loss Comments
References
Arnold, S.J. (1977). ''The evolution of courtship behavior in New World salamanders with some comments on Old World salamanders.'' The Reproductive Biology of Amphibians. D.H.Taylor and S.I. Guttman, eds., Plenum Press, New York, 141-183. Dunn, E.R. (1920). ''Notes on two Pacific Coast Ambystomidae.'' Proceedings of the New England Zoological Club, 7, 55-59. Edwards, J.L. (1976). "Spinal nerves and their bearing on salamander phylogeny." Journal of Morphology, 148, 305-328. Gaige, H.T. (1917). "Description of a new salamander species from Washington." Occasional Papers of the Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan, (40), 1-3. Good, D. A., Wake, D. B., and Wurst, G. Z. (1987). ''Patterns of geographic variation in allozymes of the Olympic salamander Rhyacotriton olympicus (Caudata: Dicamptodontidae).'' Fieldiana, Zoology, 32, 1-15. Good, D. A., and Wake, D. B. (1992). ''Geographic variation and speciation in the torrent salamanders of the genus Rhyacotriton (Caudata: Rhyacotritonidae).'' University of California Publications in Zoology, 126, 1-91. Nussbaum, R. (1969). ''A nest site of the Olympic Salamander, Rhyacotriton olympicus (Gaige).'' Herpetologica, 25, 277-278. Nussbaum, R. A., Brodie, E. D., Jr., and Storm, R. M. (1983). Amphibians and Reptiles of the Pacific Northwest. University of Idaho Press, Moscow, Idaho. Nussbaum, R., and Tait, C. K. (1977). ''Aspects of the life history and ecology of the Olympic Salamander, Rhyacotriton olympicus.'' American Midland Naturalist, 98, 176-199. Regal, P.J. (1966). "Feeding specializations and the classification of terrestrial salamanders." Evolution, 20, 392-407. Sever, D M. (1988). "Male Rhyacotriton olympicus (Dicamptodontidae: Urodela) has a unique cloacal vent gland." Herpetologica, 44, 274-280. Stebbins, R. C. (1985). A Field Guide to Western Reptiles and Amphibians. Houghton Mifflin, Boston. Stebbins, R.C., and Lowe, C.H., Jr. (1951). ''Subspecific differentiation in the Olympic salamander Rhyacotriton olympicus.'' University of California Publications Zoology, 50, 465-484. Tihen, J.A. (1958). ''Comments of the osteology and phylogeny of ambystomatid salamanders.'' Bulletin of the Florida State Museum, 3, 1-50. Originally submitted by: Tate Tunstall (first posted 2000-03-06) Edited by: M. J. Mahoney (2001-06-04) Species Account Citation: AmphibiaWeb 2001 Rhyacotriton olympicus: Olympic Torrent Salamander <https://amphibiaweb.org/species/4234> University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA. Accessed Feb 8, 2025.
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Citation: AmphibiaWeb. 2025. <https://amphibiaweb.org> University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA. Accessed 8 Feb 2025. AmphibiaWeb's policy on data use. |