Santa Cruz Long-toed Salamander
| Santa Cruz long-toed salamanders | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Amphibia |
| Order: | Caudata |
| Family: | Ambystomatidae |
| Genus: | Ambystoma |
| Species: | A. macrodactylum |
| Subspecies: | A. m. croceum |
| Trinomial name | |
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Ambystoma macrodactylum croceum Russell & Anderson, 1956 |
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The Santa Cruz long-toed salamander (Ambystoma macrodactylum croceum) is an endangered subspecies of the long-toed salamander, which is found only close to a few isolated ponds in Santa Cruz and Monterey Counties in California. It has a black body, broken yellow or orange irregular striping along its spine, and a tail fin well evolved for swimming. Like other mole salamanders, it is found near pools or slow-moving steams and has a very secretive lifestyle, making it difficult to find.
The Santa Cruz long-toed salamander range is geographically separate from other subspecies of the long-toed salamander (A. macrodactylum) by over 240 kilometers (150 mi). Whereas the nearest subspecies, A. m. sigillatum ("Southern long-toed salamander") ranges from Tuolumne County north, the Santa Cruz long-toed salamander is found only near a few isolated ponds in Santa Cruz and Monterey Counties. Like other long-toed salamanders, its belly is sooty to dark brown, and it has tubercles on its feet. The Santa Cruz long-toed salamander has an irregular broken yellow stripe on its back, whereas the common long-toed salamander has a more regular yellow, vertical stripe. Both species have 12 or 13 costal grooves visible from the side. The Santa Cruz long-toed salamander has a measurable degree of genetic distance from the 'coastal' or 'western' subspecies of long-toed salamander. The genetic relationship, however, is still unclear, as more evidence is needed from additional genes and individuals In both species, eggs are laid singly near the water surface on rush-like spikes, but sometimes in small clusters at the base of logs or sticking to vegetation in the deeper parts of a pond. Hatching larvae are about 10 mm long, and in their first summer, they grow to 50 to 100 mm, but the Santa Cruz long-toed salamander is generally considered the smaller species. The precise times of migration for both species, to and from the breeding ponds, occur during periods of sustained nighttime rainfall.
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