The Santa Cruz long-toed salamander is a relict species, previously widespread throughout California after the Pleistocene era, and is now concentrated in the area of Santa Cruz, California.(Hukill 1997) Upon time of its discovery in 1954 until the present, this species has inhabited four locations around Santa Cruz County. They include the cities of Ellicott, Valencia, Seascape, and Bennett.(U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 1986)

Biogeographic Regions: nearctic (Native )

endemic to a single state or province

United States

Origin: Native

Regularity: Regularly occurring

Currently: Present

Confidence: Confident

Type of Residency: Year-round

Global Range: (<100-250 square km (less than about 40-100 square miles)) Known from 4 localities in Santa Cruz County and 3 localities in Monterey County, California (California Department of Fish and Game 1990); near the towns of Bennett, Ellicott, Seascape, and Valencia. Several new populations recently have been discovered (USFWS 1990).

Historic Range:
U.S.A. (CA)

Ambystoma macrodactylum croceum is a small salamander, reaching a full-grown adult length of approximately 127 mm, (5 inches). The body of an adult is a glossy black-charcoal color, with brilliant yellow and orange spots covering its back, decreasing in abundance at the top of the head, and virtually disappearing at the small black eyes. Their head is broad, blunt, and torpedo-shaped.(Duellman and Trueb 1986, Westphal 1996) Two pairs of limbs of approximately equal size are set at right angles from the rib cage.(Ferguson 1961) The four toes on the front legs and five on the back are extremely long. The adult tail is laterally flattened, metamorphosed from the larval stage of a fin. True teeth form a row across the roof of the mouth. In the larval stage, salamanders resemble the adults except that they have caudal fins, four external gill slits on either side of the head, and are a mottled, greenish color.(Duellman and Trueb 1986 Westphal 1996)

These salamanders live in ponds, streams or lagoons in the larval stage. As terrestrial adults, the salamanders live in isolated populations in upland and mixed forests and estivate in aquatic habitats. They favor living conditions that allow their skin to stay moist and cool, and residing under forest litter does just this.(Larson 1997)

Terrestrial Biomes: forest

Aquatic Biomes: lakes and ponds; rivers and streams

Comments: Coastal woodland and chaparral near ponds and marshes used for breeding (California Department of Fish and Game 1990). Shade and abundant soil humus are prime requirements. Spends most of time underground in animal burrows or in spaces among root systems of woody plants. Breeds in shallow ponds with abundant submerged vegetation; ponds fill in winter and spring, dry by late summer, must hold water for at least 90 days. Eggs are laid on submerged stalks of spike rush or similar aquatic plants.

Non-Migrant: No. All populations of this species make significant seasonal migrations.

Locally Migrant: No. No populations of this species make local extended movements (generally less than 200 km) at particular times of the year (e.g., to breeding or wintering grounds, to hibernation sites).

Locally Migrant: No. No populations of this species make annual migrations of over 200 km.

Adults migrate from upland habitats to breeding ponds on wet or foggy nights in September or October, return to upland habitat in March (Matthews and Moseley 1990).

Both aquatic larvae and terrestrial adults are carnivorous. The larvae primarily eat small aquatic insects and arthropods. The adults also prey upon tree frog tadpoles, earthworms, slugs and various terrestrial insects.(Ferguson 1961)

Note: For many non-migratory species, occurrences are roughly equivalent to populations.

Estimated Number of Occurrences: 1 - 5

Comments: Three metapopulations; known from seven breeding sites (Federal Register, 9 July 1999).

Unknown

The reproductive behavior of Ambystoma macrodactylum croceum is highly unique. After a period of estivation, the salamanders travel great distances to their original breeding site. The males stay for approximately one month, while the females stay for only two weeks. The males spend this time competing with each other for resources in order to increase their fitness, (strength and virility). This increases the brightness of the yellow-orange markings, ultimately augmenting mate sexual preference. In the final courtship ritual, the male nudges the female, and if she is receptive, the male then places his chin on the female's head, rubbing his chin gland in a display of preference. The male then moves away, and the female follows snout-to-tail. The male deposits a mushroom-shaped spermatophore (gelatinous blob of sperm) at the bottom of the lake (pond, or slow-moving stream) for the female. She later takes the spermatophore into her "vent" to fertilize the eggs internally. Approximately 200-400 eggs are laid on a submerged vegetative stalk, and hatch 2-3 weeks later.(Hukill 1997) These jelly-encased eggs are the largest eggs of all salamanders in the area.(Westphal 1996) Larvae live in the pond until about March, when their tails will lose their fin, toes lengthen, and the gills disappear. Sexual maturity is reached at 3-4 years.(U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 1986)

Mating reaches peak in January-February, when heavy rains have filled breeding ponds. Eggs hatch in about a week; larvae metamorphose in 90-140 days, depending on temperature, then leave pond. Sexually mature in 3-4 years, before which the young do not return to the breeding pond.

Since being placed on the first Endangered Species List on March 11, 1967, significant steps have been taken in order to ensure their survival, including the reservation of a 139 acre Ellicott Slough National Wildlife Refuge, in San Francisco Bay, California.(U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 1986, Westphal 1996) Since the loss of habitat is one major source of impending danger to these salamanders' population, the established refuge has been a large step towards saving this rare species.

US Federal List: no special status

CITES: no special status

United States

Rounded National Status Rank: N1 - Critically Imperiled

Rounded Global Status Rank: T1 - Critically Imperiled

Reasons: Small range in west-central California; some occurrences are at least partially protected, but others are threatened by habitat loss/degradation resulting primarily from human activities and by introduced aquatic predators.

Intrinsic Vulnerability: Moderately vulnerable

Environmental Specificity: Narrow. Specialist or community with key requirements common.

Current Listing Status Summary

Status: Endangered
Date Listed: 03/11/1967
Lead Region:   California/Nevada Region (Region 8) 
Where Listed:


Population detail:

Population location: entire
Listing status: E

For most current information and documents related to the conservation status and management of Ambystoma macrodactylum croceum , see its USFWS Species Profile

Global Short Term Trend: Unknown

Comments: Status of populations at all but one locality was unknown in 1990 according to California Department of Fish and Game (1990). USFWS (1990) categorized the status as "stable."

Global Long Term Trend: Increase of 10-25% to decline of 50%

Degree of Threat: B : Moderately threatened throughout its range, communities provide natural resources that when exploited alter the composition and structure of the community over the long-term, but are apparently recoverable

Comments: Decline is attributable primarily to direct habitat loss from agriculture, urbanization, and road building. Threats include pollution, siltation, and declining water quality in breeding ponds due to nearby development and agricultural activities; loss of nonbreeding habitat and food resources due to the spread of exotic plants; predation by introduced fishes, bullfrogs, and tiger salamanders; and parasites (USFWS, Federal Register, 9 July 1999).

Management Requirements: A draft revised recovery plan became available in July 1999 (contact U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Ventura, California, 805-644-1766). The plan focuses on providing sufficient breeding and upland habitat to maintain self-sustaining populations in each of the metapopulations and minimizing or eliminating impacts and threats.

Global Protection: Few (1-3) occurrences appropriately protected and managed

Comments: Two localities are partially protected by a Department of Fish and Game ecological reserve (Santa Cruz Long-toed Salamander Ecological Reserve) and a USFWS wildlife refuge (at Ellicott). Original Valencia Lagoon breeding site has been replaced by an artificial pond managed to maintain water levels in dry years (Matthews and Moseley 1990). See recovery plan (1976; unpublished revision in 1986).

Needs: It is important to protect not only breeding ponds but also adequate upland woodlands (summer feeding habitat).

Much of the 139 acres set aside for the species is of high economic value, which is lost if left undeveloped.

Comments: Proposed as a distinct species by Collins (1991), who expressed the opinion that any allopatric subspecies that is in some way morphologically distinct should be treated as a distinct species. Dowling (1993) and others cited by Dowling rejected Collins's taxonomic proposals and emphasized that taxonomic decisions should be based on adequate data deriving from a careful examination of specimens, not on a simple examination of generalized (and often inaccurate) range maps and old subspecies descriptions.