© Henk Wallays

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Taxonomy [top]

Kingdom	Phylum	Class	Order	Family
Animalia	Chordata	Amphibia	Caudata	Ambystomatidae

Scientific Name:	Dicamptodon tenebrosus
Species Authority:	(Baird and Girard, 1852)
Common Name(s): English – Coastal Giant Salamander, Pacific Giant Salamander
Synonym(s):	Amblystoma tenebrosum Baird & Girard, 1852
Taxonomic Source(s):	Frost, D.R. 2015. Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 6.0. New York, USA. Available at: http://research.amnh.org/herpetology/amphibia/index.html.

Assessment Information [top]

Red List Category & Criteria:	Least Concern ver 3.1
Year Published:	2015
Date Assessed:	2015-08-25
Assessor(s):	IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group
Reviewer(s):	Stuart, S.N.
Contributor(s):	Hammerson, G.A.
Facilitator/Compiler(s):	Sharp, D.
Justification: Listed as Least Concern in view of the large extent of occurrence, large number of sub-populations and localities, and large population size.
Previously published Red List assessments:	2004 – Least Concern (LC) Download assessment

Geographic Range [top]

Range Description:	This species occurs in western North America from southern British Columbia (Chilliwack River drainage) south through western Washington and western Oregon to northwestern California (Good 1989, Farr 1989, Petranka 1998, Stebbins 2003, COSEWIC 2014).
Countries occurrence:	Native: Canada (British Columbia); United States (California, Oregon, Washington)
Additional data:
Range Map:	Click here to open the map viewer and explore range.

Population [top]

Population:	Total adult population size is unknown but probably exceeds 10,000 and is stable. Larvae are often abundant and are far more common than the adults.
Current Population Trend:	Stable
Additional data:	♦ Population severely fragmented: No

Habitat and Ecology [top]

Habitat and Ecology:

Larvae and paedomorphic adults usually inhabit clear, cool or cold, well-oxygenated streams and often take cover under stones (Parker 1991); aquatic stages also occur in some mountain lakes and ponds. Metamorphosed adults are found in humid forests under rocks and logs, near mountain streams or rocky shores of mountain lakes (Stebbins 1985). Eggs are attached to logs or rocks in creeks (Nussbaum and Clothier 1973, Jones et al. 1990).

Systems:

Terrestrial; Freshwater

Use and Trade [top]

Use and Trade:

There are no records of the species being utilized.

Threats [top]

Major Threat(s):

Overall, this species is not significantly threatened at present. However, logging and associated water temperature increases and siltation are a potential threat locally. Abundance is much greater in old growth and mature forests than in young forests (see Petranka 1998).

Conservation Actions [top]

Conservation Actions:

Conservation Actions This species exists within the boundaries of protected areas, including Department of National Defence lands which are federal lands protected under SARA. Conservation Needed Habitat protection is needed in areas where logging is occurring throughout some of its range.