Endangered Species Protection Program (ESPP) Ambystoma californiense californiense Ambystoma The U.S.Environmental Threatened speciesareplants The Californiatigersalamander Program (ESPP)willhelp Endangered SpeciesProtection Protection Agency’s(EPA) Endangered speciesare not jeopardizethesurvivalof numbers aresolowthatthey becoming extinct. plants andanimalsthatare may becomeendangeredinthe in immediatedangerof is bothan ensure thatpesticideusedoes and animalswhosepopulation and athreatenedspecies. listed species. future. California tiger salamander fr salamander tiger California endangered species © Gary Nafis, CaliforniaHerps.com Nafis,CaliforniaHerps.com © Gary om Alameda County Alameda om Office ofPesticide Programs (7507P) Endangered Spec Endangered black. pale yellow, oravariegated patternofwhite,paleyellow and of itsback,sides,legsandtail.Theirbelliesmay bewhite, or barsinpaleyellow orwhiteagainsttheblackbackground All Californiatigersalamandershave someamountofdots eyes protrudefromthehead;itsdarkirisesappearlarge. and roundeditswidemouthappearstosmile.Small for bothisabout3.6inches.Thesalamander’s headislarge females areabout6.8inchesinlength,andsnout-vent length salamander. Adultmalesareabout8.0inchesinlength, members ofthecomplexitisafairlylargeandstocky widespread now consideredtobeadistinctspecieswithinthemore Appearance Critical Habitat Threatened, listedAugust4,2004. Central CaliforniaDPS, Endangered, listedJuly22,2002. SonomaDPS, (DPS), Threatened,listedJanuary19,2000. Status Description andEcology Range 2004, SonomaDPS2005,andCentral CaliforniaDPS2005. Critical habitat hasbeendesignatedinYolo, Solano, northern Tulare County. Yolo Countysouthward tonorthwesternKern Countyand foothills theCaliforniatigersalamander occursfromnorthern time. IntheCentral Valley andthe surroundingSierra Nevada genetic exchange with theCentral California DPSforsome classified asseparate DPSsmeansthattherehasbeenlittle is “endangered.” Thatthesetwopopulationshave been Sonoma Countyisalsoconsideredaseparate DPSand a separate DPSandis“endangered.” Thepopulationin Barbara County. TheSantaBarbara populationisconsidered Luis Obispo, andalsointhevicinityof northwesternSanta it occursinsouthernSanMateoCountysouthtocentral San any otherspeciesoftigersalamander. Alongthecoastranges, feet) ofcentral Californiaanddoesnotoverlap therange of limited tothegrasslands andfoothills(toelevations of1,500 California TigerSalamander Therange oftheCaliforniatigersalamanderis SantaBarbara DistinctPopulation Segment Ambystoma tigrinum TheCaliforniatigersalamanderis Designated forSantaBarbara DPS complex.Like other Ambystoma californiense californiense Ambystoma http://www.epa.gov/espp/ U.S. EnvironmentalProtectionAgency reach metamorphosis. Otherestimatesfurther suggestthat female Californiatigersalamander, just11ofheroffspringwill reproduce. Itisestimatedthat duringthelifeofanaverage they willbeandthemorelikely theyaretosurvive and However, thelongerlarvae remaininthepond,larger larvae develop fasterinsmaller, morerapidly dryingponds. as permanent ponds,tobehabitablebymajorpredatorssuch and metamorphose,butnotlongenough,asinthecaseof long enoughforsalamanderstocompletetheirlarval stage “normal” amountsofrainfall thesepondswillretainwater even stockpondsthatmimicseasonalponds.Inyears of seasonal pondswithinthegrasslands oroaksavannah, or their wetlandbreedingponds.Thesearevernal poolsor their burrowstofeedandmigrate asfaronemileto of thewinterrains, thesesalamanderswillemergefrom and asaresultrequiretwodistincthabitats.At theonset California tigersalamandersexhibitabiphasiclifecycle grassland oroaksavannah, andsometimesoakwoodland. majority oftheirlifeinuplandhabitat.Thishabitatisusually the survival ofCaliforniatigersalamandersthatspendthe the ongoingco-locationwiththeseanimalsiscriticalfor gopher tunnelscollapsewithin18monthsofabandonment, to thesalamanders.Becausegroundsquirrelandpocket Habitat Benito, Monterey, Kern andSanLuisObispocounties. Merced, Madera, Alameda,Fresno, Tulare, SantaClara, San Sacramento, SanJoaquin,Amador, Calaveras, Stanislaus, nor harmstheburrowingmammals,butisofgreatbene gopher iscalledacommensalrelationship;itneitherhelps burrows ofCaliforniagroundsquirrelsandBota’s pocket mammals areessential.Theirdependenceupontheupland California tigersalamandersdigpoorly, theburrowsofsmall the warm, drymonthsofsummerandautumn.Because California tigersalamander, aestivation andshelterduring burrows forhibernationandshelteror, asinthecaseof referred toasmolesalamandersbecauseoftheiruse fish andbullfrogs.Withinthat range ofwater retention, ies Salamanders ofthegenus Facts Ambystoma February 2010 are fi t California Tiger Salamander

California Tiger Salamander Information Sources only 5 percent of juveniles survive to become breeding adults. Listing Notice Santa Barbara DPS - US. Fish and Wildlife Service, 2000. Federal Regis- Adult California tiger salamanders have been found as far ter 65, No. 12, pp. 3096-3109, January 19, 2000. as 1.3 miles from their breeding pond; most remain closer. http://ecos.fws.gov/docs/federal_register/fr3498.pdf One study located 95 percent of the salamanders within California tiger salamander breeding pond, Merced County 2,100 feet of their breeding pond in Solano County. Sonoma DPS – US Fish and Wildlife Service, 2002. Federal ©Gary Nafis, CaliforniaHerps.com Register 67 No. 140, pp. 47726-47740, July 22, 2002. Biology and Behavior Following metamorphosis in http://ecos.fws.gov/docs/federal_register/fr3498.pdf late spring or early summer, juvenile salamanders migrate into the uplands and settle into animal burrows. Like adults Central DPS - US. Fish and Wildlife Service, 2004. Federal they will leave their burrows to feed on insects and worms Register 69, No. 149, pp. 47212-47248, August 4, 2004. during nights of high humidity, and return to the burrow http://ecos.fws.gov/docs/federal_register/fr4278.pdf before morning. Eventually, they will aestivate there until Critical Habitat Designation Santa Barbara the onset of the next rainy season. DPS - US. Fish and Wildlife Service, 2004. Federal Register It will take two or more (as much as 4 to 6) years for 69, No. 226, pp. 68568-68609, November 24, 2004. California tiger salamander larvae to reach maturity. Like http://ecos.fws.gov/docs/federal_register/fr4355.pdf other adults, they will then leave their burrows as the rainy Sonoma DPS – US Fish and Wildlife Service, season begins and migrate to the breeding pond, most 2005. Federal Register 70 No. 239, often their natal pond. Males will go first and stay longest. pp. 74137-74163, December 14, 2005. Females will leave the pond shortly after laying their eggs. http://ecos.fws.gov/docs/federal_register/fr4495.pdf They attach the eggs singly, or in groups of two or four, to California tiger salamander larva, Sonoma County/ © 2006 Jeffrey Mitchell twigs, grass and plant stems, boards, rocks and debris. In Central California DPS - US. Fish and Wildlife Service, 10 to 14 days the eggs hatch. 2005. Federal Register 70, No. 162, pp. 49379-49458, August 23, 2005. http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi- Salamander larvae look very little like the adults. They bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=2005_register&docid=fr23au05- are yellowish-gray with a broad dorsal fin extending well 22 onto the back. The head is large and broad with feathery gills on each side. They are among the top predators of Species Account U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the seasonal pond system. During the first six weeks they Sacramento Fish and Wildlife Office, 2009. http://www. eat zooplankton, small crustaceans and aquatic insects fws.gov/sacramento/es/animal_spp_acct/california_tiger_ and then switch to larger prey such as the small tadpoles salamander.pdf of Pacific treefrogs and California red-legged frogs. They will remain in the pond for 3-6 months depending on the season. In seasons of drought many of the ponds may not be able to retain larvae fully to a critical body size that would enable metamorphosis. In extreme droughts, California tiger salamander, Santa Barbara County a seasonal pond that fails to fill means there will be no ©Gary Nafis, CaliforniaHerps.com breeding season.