Assessment Results
Consolidated Conservation Needs Assessment
Hydromantes brunus, Limestone Salamander
Assessed for:
United States
by:
AArk/ASG Assessment Workshop, 26 Oct 2012;
Todd Pierson, 19 Aug 2018;
Order:
Caudata
Family:
Plethodontidae
IUCN Global Red List:
Vulnerable (VU)
National Red List:
(not assessed)
Distribution:
United States
Evolutionary Distinctiveness score:
15.18125273
Recommended Conservation Actions:
In Situ Conservation (n=2, 100%), In Situ Research (n=2, 100%), Conservation Education (n=2, 50%),
Additional Comments:
AArk/ASG Assessment Workshop, 26 Oct 2012.
Initial assessment data compiled by David B. Wake and Theodore J. Papenfuss 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. Edited by T.W. Pierson in August 2018.
Todd Pierson, 19 Aug 2018.
AArk/ASG Assessment Workshop, 26 Oct 2012.
Initial assessment data compiled by David B. Wake and Theodore J. Papenfuss 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. Edited by T.W. Pierson in August 2018.
Todd Pierson, 19 Aug 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%) |
Limestone salamanders are listed as a state Threatened species by the California Department of Fish and Game (www.dfg.ca.gov) and are protected. Todd Pierson, 19 Aug 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 IUCN report from Hammerson and Wake (2004) says the following: "Limestone Salamander Ecological Reserve (LSER) protects 120 acres of habitat. The Bureau of Land Management has designated an additional 1,600 acres as the Limestone Salamander Area of Critical Environmental Concern (LSACEC) (encompasses both confirmed and potential habitat) (California DF&G 1990)." Todd Pierson, 19 Aug 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? |
Yes / probably (100%) |
Suitable habitat exists within the distribution of this species, but because there is no documentation of extirpated populations within this area, reintroduction does not seem likely in the foreseeable future. Todd Pierson, 19 Aug 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? |
Species is effectively protected (100%) |
This species has limited habitat, but it appears that it is under no immediate threat. I could find no further information about the threat posed by a "proposed gold mine operation in Hell Hollow" (Hammerson and Wake 2004). Todd Pierson, 19 Aug 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 (50%) Unknown (50%) |
|
| 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? |
Unknown (50%) Yes / probably (50%) |
|
| 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 (50%) Aspect of biology shared with < 6 other species (50%) |
Some members of the genus Hydromantes have ballistic tongues (e.g., Deban and Wake 1997), use their tails as "walking sticks" (e.g., Stebbins 1947), and curl up and roll away from predators (e.g., García-París and Deban 1995). It's unclear how widespread these behaviors are within this genus. Todd Pierson, 19 Aug 2018 |
| 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%) |
|
| 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 (50%) Research dependent upon < 6 species (incl. this taxon) (50%) |
Some research on tongue projection, for example, is unique to this genus. Todd Pierson, 19 Aug 2018 |
| 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? |
No (100%) |
|
| 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? |
No (100%) |
|
| 21 | Captive breeding | Has this species been successfully bred and/or maintained in captivity? |
Not held in captivity to date (100%) |
|
| 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? |
No (100%) |
|
| 23 | Mandate | Is there an existing conservation mandate recommending the ex situ conservation of this taxon? |
No (100%) |
|
| 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%) |
See Rovito (2010) for information about genetic variation within this species and its relationship to other Hydromantes. Todd Pierson, 19 Aug 2018 |
Citation:
AArk/ASG Assessment Workshop, 2012.
Todd Pierson, 2018.
Conservation Needs Assessment for Hydromantes brunus, United States.
https://conservationneeds.org/Assessment/AssessmentConsolidated?countryId=98&speciesId=991
Accessed 30 Apr 2025
