The Great Northwest Herp ID Contest: Week 3

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jonathan
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The Great Northwest Herp ID Contest: Week 3

Post by jonathan »

For the week 3 contest, we’re tackling the most species-rich genus in the Northwest: the Plethodons. There are 8 species to be found in our broader region, with some covering nearly all of western Oregon/Washington and others limited to very specific geographical regions. I’ve only included 5-6 of the species from the Washington/Oregon core (no idahoensis or asupak, sorry). But which is which?

I originally did it without naming the location, but then realized that was WAY too tough. So to narrow down the possibilities in each case, I've included the general geographic region for each salamander:



A. SW Washington
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B. NW Washington
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C. SW Oregon
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D. SW Oregon
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E. SW Washington
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F. NW Oregon
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G. SW Washington
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H. SW Oregon
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I. NW Oregon
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J. NW Oregon
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K. SW Washington
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L. SW Oregon
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M. NW Oregon
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N. NW Oregon
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O. SW Oregon
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P. NW Oregon
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Q. NW Oregon
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R. NW Oregon
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jonathan
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Re: The Great Northwest Herp ID Contest: Week 3

Post by jonathan »

Was this too intimidating of a challenge or just too boring? :lol:


These were the three main salamander challenges that I could think of. I guess I could have done a Torrent Sali one, but I've already posted on them in detail, and you figure them out by range first anyway. If someone wants to post a frog challenge or a reptile challenge, go for it! I can think of....

Northwestern Garter, Aquatic Garter, or Wandering Garter?

Desert Horned Lizard, Pygmy Short-horned Lizard, or Greater Short-horned Lizard?

Southern Alligator Lizard or Northern Alligator Lizard?

Fence Lizard or Sagebrush Lizard?

Pond Turtle, Painted Turtle, or Slider?

Red-legged Frog, Yellow-legged Frog, Cascades Frog, or Spotted Frog?

Bullfrog or Green Frog?

Western Toad or Woodhouse's Toad?
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Fieldnotes
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Re: The Great Northwest Herp ID Contest: Week 3

Post by Fieldnotes »

This does look daunting...

A. Red-backed
B. Red-backed
C. Del Norte
D. Siskiyou
E. Red-backed
F. Red-backed (yellow stripe reaches tail tip)
G. Dunn's
H. Red-backed
I. Dunn's
J. Larch Mtn (backdrop rock and moss)
K. Red-backed
L. Siskiyou
M. Dunn's
N. Dunn's (Stripe does not reach tail tip)
0. Siskiyou
P. Red-backed
Q. Dunn's
R. Larch Mtn (appears to have a short toe)
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jonathan
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Re: The Great Northwest Herp ID Contest: Week 3

Post by jonathan »

Here's what I have for them:

A. vehiculum

From Wahkiakum County in the Willapa Hills, my identification on the thing has remained “Western Redback”, but with jowls like that there’s certainly something a bit Van Dyke-y looking about it. I gave the trickiest angle though - the other angles look redbacky.

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B. vehiculum

From the Tacoma area in Pierce County, pretty clear Western Redback.

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C. elongatus

From central Curry County, range and appearance says Del Norte

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D. stormi

From old growth forest in Jackson County in a Del Norte/Siskiyou overlap area, but everyone who has looked at it has said “probably Siskiyou”

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E. vehiculum

Fairly typical redback from the exact same spot as A (but see how different they look morphologically?)

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F. vehiculum

Yellow-phase redback from central Columbia County

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G. dunni

From the same spot in the Willapa Hills as A and E

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H. elongatus

Only 10 miles north of the California border in southwest Curry County, I think that by range it has to be Del Norte. Coloration isn’t very typical Western Redback either.

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I. dunni

From Clackamas County in the greater Portland metro area

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J. larchi

From Columbia Gorge, locality, shape, dorsal coloration, and distinctive orange ventral coloration all prove Larch Mountain

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K. vehiculum

From the Willapa Hills in Pacific County, another redback that looked a bit "funny" to me, but not enough to think van dykei

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L. stormi

Another “probably Siskiyou” from the same locality as D

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M. dunni

From Washington County, really weird, extremely slender Dunn’s found out on the crawl in non-raining midday on a forest trail

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N. dunni

Little dunns found in Columbia County within sight of the Columbia River

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O. stormi

Yet another “probably Siskiyou” from the same locality as D and L

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P. vehiculum

Yellow-phase redback from the extreme SW corner of Columbia County

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Q. vehiculum

From the St. Helens area of Columbia County, by locality, habitat, and size, I believe this is a melanistic Western Redback

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R. larchi

Another Larch Mountain from the Columbia River Gorge

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jonathan
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Re: The Great Northwest Herp ID Contest: Week 3

Post by jonathan »

Nice hits Fieldnotes, especially on the stormi!

As you can see, I disagree on H and Q, partly because I have locality/habitat information that I didn't give you.

If you want more photos and habitat angles

Here's the Curry County red-striped "elongatus"

And here's the Columbia County all-black "vehiculum"
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