Shasta black salamander

Not to be confused with Shasta salamander.

The Shasta black salamander (Aneides iecanus) is a species of salamander in the family Plethodontidae. It is endemic to Shasta County in California.^[2][3]

Shasta black salamander
Conservation status
Endangered  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Amphibia
Order:	Urodela
Family:	Plethodontidae
Subfamily:	Plethodontinae
Genus:	Aneides
Species:	A. iecanus
Binomial name
Aneides iecanus (Cope, 1883)

Taxonomy

Described by Edward Drinker Cope in 1883, it was later synonymized with the speckled black salamander (A. flavipunctatus). However, a 2019 taxonomic study confirmed it as being a distinct species, and again split it.^[2][4][5]

Distribution

It is thought to be restricted to western Shasta County, mainly in the vicinity of Shasta Lake, but may extend into extreme southern Siskyou and Tehama counties.^[2][4]

Description

It is a large, black salamander with white spots. It can be distinguished from the rest of the A. flavipunctatus complex by its heavily speckled body, head, and tail, and on average has one less trunk vertebra than A. klamathensis or A. niger.^[4]

Status

It is classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List due to its limited range, much of which was lost during the creation of Shasta Lake, as well as proposals to raise the Shasta Dam, which would have a highly damaging impact on remaining habitat.^[1]