Rising from a sea of pinyon-juniper lowlands, the Sacramento Mountains in south-central New Mexico rise above the clouds to elevations of 3,655 m. At the higher elevations, and in the nearby Capitan and White mountains, the Sacramento Mountain salamander occurs. A locality record of 3,600 m gives it the distinction of being the only North American salamander to occur in alpine tundra habitat. It is one of two species of lungless salamanders known to inhabit New Mexico.
Most individuals occur within the mixed-conifer forest of firs and spruce at elevations above 2440 m, where they can be found within and under logs and moist litter, and under rocks and bark. Unlike other salamanders which must return to water to lay eggs, the Sacramento Mountain salamander is completely terrestrial. But despite its independence from free-standing water, the salamander needs to maintain a moist skin for gas exchange, making it vulnerable to activities such as logging that dry the habitat.
Concerns on the impact of logging on populations of the salamander have prompted several studies in the past 11 years. The longest-running study is one by the U.S. Geological Survey's Biological Resources Discipline that was initiated in 1986. Results have shown that salamanders are not eliminated from logged sites, and where logging has occurred, the number of salamanders is relatively stable after several years. However, size-class distributions of salamanders show that juveniles comprise a significantly smaller proportion of all salamanders on logged plots, which suggests that populations on logged plots produce fewer young in some years.
Overall, the distribution of the salamander appears to be consistent with that of its historical range, and in fact, some populations at the southern end of its range are locally abundant and widespread. A document synthesizing the biology and conservation status of the salamander was recently published ("Conservation Assessment of the Sacramento Mountain salamander" by C.A. Ramotnik, Gen. Tech. Rep. RM-GTR-293, Fort Collins, CO, USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Forest and Range Experiment Station, 19 pp). The U.S. Forest Service will use the report in developing a plan that will provide guidelines and recommendations for the management of the salamander on forest lands.
For more information, contact:
Cindy Ramotnik
ramotnik@unm.edu
505-346-2870
Arid Lands Field Station
Museum of Southwestern Biology
Albuquerque, NM 87131
U.S. Department of the Interior | U.S. Geological Survey
URL: http://www.fort.usgs.gov/resources/research_briefs/nm-salamanders.asp
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