To David's original inquiry

R

russ

Guest
David

Yes you are legal to catch either species of Dicomp existing in CA with your fishing license. But I agree with Josh, netting larvae is easier and quicker than trapping them. I've actually caught them by hand before with a little persistence. Just keep in mind the CA bag and possession limit of 4.

Don't give up on finding an adult. Though not the easiest to find, I have found them during trips out to the coast. You just have to keep in mind the size of the animal you are looking for in relation to the size of the objects you look under, they are large. Almost all of them I have found were under logs that had a gap between the bottom of the log and the ground surface.
 
You're welcome. Post some habitat and specimen pics if you can.
 
Who has had luck in Washington state? I am eager to photograph some and I have yet to see one. I would really like to know the confirmed distrabution, as I know they do exist in this state.
 
When I was there in August at a conference a good friend took me out and we found some in some streams in a park near Mt. St. Helens area. I can't remember the name of the place, but we found a lot of the juveniles with relatively low effort. It was the first time I saw them as well as tailed frogs.
j
 
Russ: Just curious but how large of logs did you find the Dicampton under? I found my Dicampton under a small log(2-3 feet) which was buried over halfway underground. It was about 20 feet away from the stream. When I flipped it the place looked very clean(no bark pieces or anything)...scanning down the crevice in the ground and then I realized their was something big at the end!

Also, do the larvae hide under rocks or similar?
 
thanks for the info Justin
smile7.gif
 
The juveniles were under decent sized rocks all half submerged in the steam (didn't find any in any seepage sites, but did find other species there). The rocks were anywhere between the size of a saucer to a dinner plate. I didn't disturb anything much larger. Some were in areas where the flow was stronger, but the majority were in areas to the side-- pretty much were you'd expect other salamanders to be. It's just kind of using your instinct and developing a search image.
j
 
The one posted in the species accounts on this sight is from near Snoqualmie Pass (sp?). It was under a log probably 7' long and 40" diameter with a 3+" gap to the surface (no where near water). I found an adult on a previous trip on the south end of the Willapa Hills that was under a large flat rock with a significant gap (it was next to a large stream).
 
"Snow"qualmie pass is a big area, what section or region of it were you talking about Russ?
 
While I cannot speak for Russ, giving out locale information is typically frowned upon on the forums. Perhaps your question should be directed in a private message.
 
Yes, I've seen the rants about locales before. Commenting on the pass (or a city) is hardly a locale. A specific landmark (under the the bridge 1.5 miles east on Hwy 17) is a locale.
 
If you know the habitat requirements and have the time, a topo map and a general location, then it isn't that hard to locate a species......
This is why locality information is no longer published in papers except in the most general sense as there have been a number of different species that have been extirpated by collection from those sites.
Ed
 
Thanks Ed...at least I think we are both on the same page. If one truly wants to find their target species it really doesn't take much effort on one's part. I do not think sites are the type of information that should flagrantly be flaunted on open forums. A little research and exploration (are these really so bad anyway?) can go a very long way. Or I suppose you could also just opt for sheer dumb luck...
 
This is a problem we encounter a lot in South America with Dendrobatids and Atelopus. We have to be very vague, but even with that people will still find out. If you give a region the smugglers will spend a month traveling around there asking where gringos have been looking for frogs. The extirpation is a real threat. In my recent video we had to refer to the South East part of the country when we talked about where we were. The other problem is with musieum speciments as they have too much locality information usually.
j
 
I concur, my point is that you have to take the species being discussed into consideration (rare or common, widespread or limited). I could give you an exact log to look under for adult Dicomp and you may not come up with one within 5 square miles. Whereas with a species with a more limited microhabitat regional info could be a problem (especially if it is a rare or endangered species). Researching info on habitat and going out and finding your first specimen is definitely the most rewarding.
 
So in your example, I may not find the adult dicamp but if I was unethical, I could then go into the nearby streams and remove several hundred (or more larva) severly impacting the future recruitment. This is why even giving "vague" locality data such as a pass or city can be sufficient to ensure overcollection. This has been a documented problem ever since Kauffield published Snakes and Snake keeping, where he gave basic locality data ensuring that those areas would then be overcollected. With the advent of access to better maps (like pulling up topo maps online courtsey of the USGS), even vague locality data is often enough to find a species.

Ed
 
Well, I'll be off for the weekend and will be on the lookout for Dicamptodon...if I succeed(and even if I don't) I will bring back a few photos.
 
D. copei are easy enough to find on the Olympic peninsula, in the right habitat.
 
D tenebrosus can be quite common as well in certain areas. As Simon said, it's all a matter of the right habitat.
 
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