Cope's giant salamander
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Order: Urodela
Family: Ambystomatidae
Genus: Dicamptodon
Species:
D. copei
Binomial name
Dicamptodon copei
Nussbaum, 1970

Cope's giant salamander (Dicamptodon copei) is a species of salamander in the family Dicamptodontidae, the Pacific giant salamanders.[2][3] It is native to Washington and Oregon in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States.[1][3]

Description

This species can attain lengths up to 19.5 centimeters. It exhibits neoteny rarely undergoing metamorphosis to the adult form, and resembles the larvae of similar salamander species. It usually becomes sexually, but not physically, mature. It is gold and brown in color. The costal grooves are inconspicuous. It has a rounded snout and the laterally compressed, fin-like tail of a typical larva. It retains its gills.[4]

Dicamptodon copei larva

Behavior

Little is known about the species' habitat requirements, but it has been found in mountain pools and streams.[5] It feeds on smaller animals, such as fish, amphibians and their eggs,[5] including the larvae of its own species.[6]

The female lays a clutch of around 50 and up to 115 eggs in wet habitat near water bodies. She guards them and possibly defends them aggressively.[5]

Conservation

The range of this species extends from the Olympic Peninsula to northern Oregon. Its populations are likely stable to slightly declining. Threats include water temperature change and silt from nearby logging operations.[6]

References

  1. 1 2 Geoffrey Hammerson (2004). "Dicamptodon copei". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2004: e.T59079A11866541. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2004.RLTS.T59079A11866541.en. Retrieved 17 November 2021.
  2. ↑ Behler, J. L. and F. W. King. (1979) National Audubon Society Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians, Knopf, ISBN 0394508246
  3. 1 2 Frost, Darrel R. (2016). "Dicamptodon copei Nussbaum, 1970". Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 6.0. American Museum of Natural History. Retrieved 26 June 2016.
  4. ↑ Hallock, L. A. and McAllister, K. R. 2009. Cope's Giant Salamander. Archived 2016-06-19 at the Wayback Machine Washington Herp Atlas.
  5. 1 2 3 Dicamptodon copei. AmphibiaWeb. 2016.
  6. 1 2 NatureServe. 2015. Dicamptodon copei. NatureServe Explorer Version 7.1. Accessed 25 June 2016.
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