Genus Account

The genus Rhyacotriton contains 4 species of small salamanders (up to 11.7 cm in length) that are very similar in appearance and habitat. All of them occur in cool, old-growth coniferous forests of the U.S. states of California, Oregon, and Washington. They inhabit clear, cold streams, springs, and adjacent terrestrial habitat. The Rhyacotriton (except R. variegatus) are completely protected in the states in which they occur and can only be collected with scientific permits. This essentially makes them unavailable and/or illegal to the private hobbyist. The required temperature range of 5-15°C (41-59°F) also makes them impractical to keep in captivity.

References

Petranka, James W. (1998). Salamanders of the United States and Canada. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington and London.

Raffaelli, Jean (2007). Les Urodeles du Monde.

Welsh, H. H., Jr., and A. J. Lind (1996). "Habitat correlates of the southern torrent salamander, Rhyacotriton variegatus (Caudata: Rhyacotritonidae), in northwest California." Journal of Herpetology, 30, 385-398.

Additional Resources

CC Observations on Torrent Salamanders (Rhyacotriton) in Oregon and California, an article by Henk Wallays
Tree Of Life - Rhyacotritonidae In-depth information on morphology and taxonomy.
AmphibiaWeb - Rhyacotritonidae Detailed information on the four individual species.

©Caudata Culture. Written by N. Nelson in June 2001. Revised by J. Macke in January 2009.