Observations on the Ecology, Distribution, and Status of the Inyo Mountains Salamander.

Authors: Christopher Norment

Year: 2018

Abstract

The Inyo Mountains Salamander, Batrachoseps campi (IMS), is one of only two salamanders in the world whose range is restricted to desert ecosystems. The IMS has been documented from 21 localities in the Inyo Mountains of California; all but one of these are in riparian habitat. In 2017 and 2018 I conducted intensive fieldwork on the species, to gather information for a status review by the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which will determine if listing of the species under the federal Endangered Species Act is warranted. I visited 17 of the 21 documented IMS localities, and gathered data on its abundance, distribution, and basic ecology, and evaluated possible threats to the species, including the chytrid fungus, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis. My observations suggest that although the IMS population as a whole appears reasonably healthy and currently is chytrid-free, severe flash floods occurring after 2000 have negatively impacted at least five local populations. Ongoing climate change in the Southwest could exacerbate the frequency and/or severity of future flash floods, and damage or destroy additional IMS habitat.