Genus Account
The genus Rhyacotriton contains 4 species of small salamanders (up to 11.7 cm in length) that are very similar in appearance and habitat. All of them occur in cool, old-growth coniferous forests of the U.S. states of California, Oregon, and Washington. They inhabit clear, cool streams, springs, and adjacent terrestrial habitat. At present, all 4 species are completely protected in the states in which they occur and can only be collected with scientific permits. This essentially makes them unavailable and/or illegal to the private hobbyist.

Rhyacotriton kezeri

References
Petranka, James W. (1998). Salamanders of the United States and Canada. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington and London.

Welsh, H. H., Jr., and A. J. Lind (1996). "Habitat correlates of the southern torrent salamander, Rhyacotriton variegatus (Caudata: Rhyacotritonidae), in northwest California." Journal of Herpetology, 30, 385-398.

Rhyacotriton olympicus

Links to additional resources
Observations on Torrent Salamanders (Rhyacotriton) in Oregon and California, an article on this site by Henk Wallays
Tree Of Life - Rhyacotritonidae In-depth information on morphology and taxonomy of the family Rhyacotritonidae.
AmphibiaWeb's Rhyacotriton Species Accounts Detailed information on the four individual species of torrent salamanders.

Rhyacotriton variegatus

Written by N. Nelson in June 2001.