Amphibian Conservation Needs Assessments

Assessment Results

Consolidated Conservation Needs Assessment

Eurycea nana, San Marcos Salamander

Assessed for: United States by: AArk/ASG Assessment Workshop, 26 Oct 2012; Vincent Farallo, 02 Oct 2018;

Order: Caudata Family: Plethodontidae

IUCN Global Red List: Vulnerable (VU)

National Red List: (not assessed)

Distribution: United States

Evolutionary Distinctiveness score: 9.349645983

AmphibiaWeb species account

IUCN Red List assessment

Recommended Conservation Actions: In Situ Conservation (n=2, 100%), Husbandry Research (n=2, 100%), Conservation Education (n=2, 50%),

Additional Comments:
Chippendale/Gluesenkamp/Chamberlain - southern Edwards' Plateau; education for flagship spring species within range (endangered plants, inverts, fish, salamanders all on university property); bred heavily at San Marcos Fed. Fish Hatchery.
AArk/ASG Assessment Workshop, 26 Oct 2012.

Initial assessment data compiled by Paul T. Chippindale and Joe N. Fries from “Amphibian Declines: The Conservation Status of United States Species”, edited by Michael Lannoo (©2005 by the Regents of the University of California), used with permission of the editor. The book is available from UC Press, http://www.ucpress.edu/books/pages/9484.html, and species accounts can be found on AmphibiaWeb, www.amphibiaweb.org. Original species account transcribed by Kevin Johnson. The account was updated by Vincent Farallo in October 2018.
Vincent Farallo, 02 Oct 2018.

Question #	Short Name	Question Text	Response	Comments
1	Extinction risk	Current IUCN Red List category. [Data obtained from the IUCN Red List.]	Vulnerable (VU) (100%)	This species is only known from Spring Lake (and slightly down-steam the San Marcos River) in Hays County, Texas. It is considered threatened by both the state of Texas and the Federal government. Vincent Farallo, 02 Oct 2018
2	Possibly extinct	Is there a strong possibility that this species might be extinct in the wild?	No / unlikely (100%)
3	Phylogenetic significance	The taxon’s Evolutionary Distinctiveness (ED) score, as generated by the ZSL EDGE program. (These data are not editable by Assessors).	ED value < 20 (100%)
4	Protected habitat	Is a population of at least 50% of the individuals of the taxon included within a well-managed or reliably protected area or areas?	Yes / probably (100%)	The range of Eurycea nana is protected at both the state and federal level and is listed as Threatened by both the state of Texas and the Federal government (Hammerson and Chippindale, 2004). However, some of their habitats are still used for recreation (swimming, floating, etc) and the location of their range is also within the city of San Marcos (not isolated from human activity). Vincent Farallo, 02 Oct 2018
5	Habitat for reintroduction, conservation translocation or supplementation	Does enough well-managed and reliably protected habitat exist, either within or outside of currently protected areas that is suitable for conservation translocation, including population restoration or conservation introduction?	No / unlikely (100%)	This species only exists from one location. Other nearby springs might be able to sustain this species, but it is difficult to say if that would be feasible. Additionally potential sites for translocation would likely also have endemic salamanders present. Vincent Farallo, 02 Oct 2018
6	Previous reintroductions	Have reintroduction or translocation attempts been made in the past for this species?	No (100%)
7	In situ conservation activities	Are any in situ conservation actions currently in place for this species? (Only required if a Red List Assessment has not been completed, or if new actions have been implemented since the last Red List Assessment. (Information from the Conservation Actions section of the Red List assessment should be reviewed and considered when answering this question.).
8	In situ conservation activities	Are additional in situ conservation actions required to help conserve this species in the wild (e.g. habitat restoration and/or protection, control of invasive species, national legislation etc.)?
9	In situ research	Is additional in situ research required to better understand the species, e.g. distribution, population trends, natural history etc.?
10	Threat mitigation	Are the threats facing the taxon, including any new and emerging threats not considered in the IUCN Red List, potentially reversible?	Threats are likely to be reversible in time frame to prevent further decline / extinction (50%) Species is effectively protected (50%)	The main threat to this species is changes to the water level and water quality. The habitat itself is protected, but residential or agricultural runoff could have a severe impact on the species (Hammerson and Chippindale 2004). Given the small range of the species an acute event could have severe consequences. Continued monitoring of the population and surrounding habitat will be critical for preventing future threats to the species. Vincent Farallo, 02 Oct 2018
11	Over-collection from the wild	Is the taxon suffering from collection within its natural range, either for food, for the pet trade or for any other reason, which threatens the species’ continued persistence in the wild?	No / unlikely (100%)
12	Population recovery	Is the known population of this species in the wild large enough to recover naturally, without ex situ intervention if threats are mitigated?	Yes / probably (100%)	Within the species restricted range they are locally abundant (116-129 individuals per m²) (Tupa and Davis 1976; Nelson 1993). Vincent Farallo, 02 Oct 2018
13	Action plans	Does an Action Plan for the species already exist, or is one currently being developed?
14	Biological distinctiveness	Does the taxon exhibit a distinctive reproductive mode, behaviour, aspect of morphology or physiology, within the Order to which it belongs (e.g. Anura, Passeriformes etc.)?	No aspect of biology known to be exceptional (100%)
15	Cultural/socio-economic importance	Does the taxon have a special human cultural value (e.g. as a national or regional symbol, in a historic context, featuring in traditional stories) or economic value (e.g. food, traditional medicine, tourism) within its natural range or in a wider global context?	No (100%)	As there are numerous species of endemic salamanders found in Texas springs they do have some local importance. Vincent Farallo, 02 Oct 2018
16	Scientific importance	Is the species vital to current or planned research other than species-specific ecology/biology/conservation within the Order to which it belongs (e.g. Anura, Passeriformes etc.) e.g. human medicine, climate change, environmental pollutants and conservation science?	No research dependent on this species (100%)
17	Ex situ research	Does conserving this species (or closely related species) in situ depend upon research that can be most easily carried out ex situ?	Yes (50%) No (50%)	Natural history data; thermal tolerances; hormonal. AArk/ASG Assessment Workshop, 26 Oct 2012
18	Ex situ conservation activities	Is any ex situ research or other ex situ conservation action currently in place for this species? (Information from the Conservation Actions section of the Red List assessment should be reviewed and considered when answering this question.)
19	Husbandry analog required	If an ex situ rescue program is recommended for this species, would an analog species be required to develop husbandry protocols first?
20	Husbandry analog	Do the biological and ecological attributes of this species make it suitable for developing husbandry regimes for more threatened related species? i.e. could this species be used in captivity to help to develop husbandry and breeding protocols which could be used for a similar, but more endangered species at a later stage?	Yes (100%)	Analog for the southern clade complex. AArk/ASG Assessment Workshop, 26 Oct 2012 (Tim Herman, pers. comm.). Vincent Farallo, 02 Oct 2018
21	Captive breeding	Has this species been successfully bred and/or maintained in captivity?	Yes, bred to F2 (100%)	Have been maintained at Dallas Aquarium (ZIMS) and have been bred by the City of Austin and the San Marcos Aquatic Resources Center. Vincent Farallo, 02 Oct 2018
22	Conservation education/ecotourism potential	Is the species especially diurnal, active or colourful, or is there an interesting or unusual aspect of its ecology that make it particularly suitable to be an educational ambassador for conservation of the species in the range country, either in zoos or aquariums or within ecotourism activities?	Yes (50%) No (50%)
23	Mandate	Is there an existing conservation mandate recommending the ex situ conservation of this taxon?	Yes (50%) No (50%)
24	Range State approval	If an ex situ initiative was proposed for this species, would it be supported (and approved) by the range State (either within the range State or out-of-country ex situ)?	Yes / probably (100%)
25	Founder specimens	Are sufficient animals of the taxon available or potentially available (from wild or captive sources) to initiate an ex situ program, if one was recommended?	Yes / probably (100%)
26	Taxonomic status	Has a complete taxonomic analysis of the species in the wild been carried out, to fully understand the functional unit you wish to conserve (i.e. have species limits been determined)?	Yes (100%)	Several phylogenetic and systematic studies including Eurycea nana (e.g., Bendik et al. 2013, Chippindale et al. 2000, Lucas et al. 2009) have been completed. Vincent Farallo, 02 Oct 2018

Citation: AArk/ASG Assessment Workshop, 2012. Vincent Farallo, 2018. Conservation Needs Assessment for Eurycea nana, United States.
https://conservationneeds.org/Assessment/AssessmentConsolidated?countryId=98&speciesId=970
Accessed 30 Apr 2025