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Dicamptodon copei

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Taxonomy [top]

Kingdom Phylum Class Order Family
ANIMALIA CHORDATA AMPHIBIA CAUDATA AMBYSTOMATIDAE

Scientific Name: Dicamptodon copei
Species Authority: Nussbaum, 1970
Common Name/s:
English – Cope's Giant Salamander

Assessment Information [top]

Red List Category & Criteria: Least Concern ver 3.1
Year Published: 2004
Assessor/s: Geoffrey Hammerson
Reviewer/s: Global Amphibian Assessment Coordinating Team (Simon Stuart, Janice Chanson, Neil Cox and Bruce Young)
Contributor/s:
Justification:
Listed as Least Concern in view of its relatively wide distribution, presumed large population, and because it is unlikely to be declining fast enough to qualify for listing in a more threatened category.

Geographic Range [top]

Range Description: This species can be found in the Olympic Peninsula, Washington, south through the southern Cascades and Willapa Hills to streams that drain into the Columbia River Gorge in northwestern Oregon, USA (Stebbins 1985). It can be found from near sea level to about 975m asl (Leonard et al. 1993).
Countries:
Native:
United States
Range Map: Click here to open the map viewer and explore range.

Population [top]

Population: The total adult population size is unknown but it probably exceeds a few thousand. Trend is poorly known. Declining to stable in Oregon (M. Stern pers. comm., 1997). Probably stable for the past 20 years in Washington where at least 100 localities are known (J. Fleckenstein pers. comm., 1997).
Population Trend: Stable

Habitat and Ecology [top]

Habitat and Ecology: It can be found in streams and rivers in moist coniferous forests (water temperatures usually range from 8-14 C) (Nussbaum et al. 1983). It is sometimes found in clear, cold mountain lakes and ponds, and sometimes occurs on land along water courses (Jones and Corn 1989). It lays eggs in nest chambers under stones, cutbanks, or logs (Nussbaum et al. 1983).
Systems: Terrestrial; Freshwater

Threats [top]

Major Threat(s): Logging is the biggest threat to this species; logging could increase water temperatures to unsuitably high levels and result in siltation, which might detrimentally affect food resources. Overall, it is considered to be only locally threatened.

Conservation Actions [top]

Conservation Actions: Numerous sites are protected in Washington.
Citation: Geoffrey Hammerson 2004. Dicamptodon copei. In: IUCN 2012. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2012.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 18 June 2013.
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