Salamanders in the Rainforest?

M

mark

Guest
Hey all,

I'm sure this has been asked before, but are there any newts or salamanders that live in or around rainforests? I thought Pacific Giant Salamander (Dicamptodon tenebrosus ) was, but the i saw that it lives in Washington. Any info would help. Thanks.
 
i belive that the conifer forests of NW America are called rainforests, so the species livinig there are rainforest species, but there are many genera of plethodonitdae found in tropical rainforest and cloud forest, bolitoglossa are the most famous.
 
yes, technically most of northwest us forests are temperate rainforests, but I have yet to see a pacific giant after living here for 22 years.
 
Well I guess what I really ment to ask was if there are any salamander/newts that live "in" the rainforest. Like Real rainforest in South America, Central America, the amazon, etc. Rainforest where Poison Arrow Frogs, and RETFrogs live and stuff. Thanks.
 
Hi Mark.

As William mentioned already, there's Bolitoglossa, species of which can be found in rainforests in Central and South America. Some even climb trees!
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The salamanders in Central and South America are also much more difficult to find (in my opinion). I have seen several species, but mainly by sheer luck. I have actively searched for them a few times, but found maybe one ever few days. I usually stumble upon them accidentally on a leaf. I think I have a photo on my site of a Bolitoglossa from Costa Rica, but I haven't found any so far in South America... though I have found a few Caecilians (first time ever in the wild for me...)
j
 
I spent a couple of months in the Amazon a couple of years ago looking for amphibs and although i saw many frogs and toads i didn't see a single newt or salamander. I was most disappointed
 
I'm not Darwin, but I believe it has something to do with being outcompeted by all those frogs in the rain forest. Salamanders are temperate animals by nature. They do not usually fair well during hot weather and the constant rainfall means that there are no vernal pools sans fish for developing larvae.
 
Hi Mindy,
To date all salamanders (which are plethodontids) from the Central and South American have terrestrial development and do not need pools for thier larva.
There is a surpringly high diversity in that region (there are 85 known species of Bolitoglossa when compared to the 56 known species of Plethodon and this does not include the other genera from those regions like Pseudoeurycea or Oedpina).

Ed
 
Yes there are more species of frogs and toads, but there is a huge number of species of salamanders in central to some extent South America.
And there are no "newts" in Central and South America, only salamanders....

Ed
 
unless you include northern mexico in Central America Ed... (Notophthalmus meridionalis)
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