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Arboreal salamander

Aneides lugubris · Salamanders and newts · Amphibians

Arboreal salamander (Aneides lugubris): 4 to 7 1/4 in long, dark brown to grey back with yellowish or white spotting (spotting varies or may be absent). Solid cream underside; large head relative to body; 15-16 costal grooves. This profile does not establish whether taking it is legal anywhere.

Check rules for a place and date

Certified rules currently represented in Hunt: coverage in development. This is coverage, not a legal answer.

Arboreal salamander — verified North Ground species photograph
Adobe Stock · Standard License (asset 376156131)
Scientific name
Aneides lugubris
Family
Plethodontidae
In North America
Native
Range
California Coast Ranges from Humboldt County into Baja California, the central Sierra Nevada foothills, and offshore islands (South Farallon, Santa Catalina, Los Coronados); sea level to about 5,000 ft.
Biology

How to identify it

4 to 7 1/4 in long, dark brown to grey back with yellowish or white spotting (spotting varies or may be absent). [1][2]

Solid cream underside; large head relative to body; 15-16 costal grooves. [1][2]

Expanded toe tips, elongated digits and a moderately prehensile tail for climbing. [1][2]

Field knowledge

Where it lives

Coastal live-oak woodland, and yellow pine and black oak forest in the Sierra Nevada foothills; on ground under leaf litter, rocks and logs, and in trees. [1][2]

A direct developer, not dependent on water for breeding. [1][2]

Field knowledge

How it behaves

Excellent climber, found up to about 60 ft above ground; nocturnal, hiding by day in leaf litter and retreats. [1][2]

Surfaces with the first heavy fall rains and stays out until early to mid spring; retreats to tree cavities, rodent burrows and caves in summer. [1][2]

May share a retreat with up to about eleven others; bites and squeaks when handled. Eats crickets, termites and other invertebrates. [1][2]

Regulatory handoff

Limited legal take

Legal take of this species exists only under narrow conditions — a quota, a draw, a permit, a small area, or animals released or held on private land — set by the authorities below. Nowhere else is a legal opportunity implied, and Hunt shows one only where a certified rule establishes it.

Where legal take is listed

Being listed is not an open season. Seasons, zones, licences, methods and limits decide whether this animal may be taken on a given day and place — check Hunt or the authority before you go. Listings read 2026-09-30.

Geospatial intelligence

Where it is found

California Coast Ranges from Humboldt County into Baja California, the central Sierra Nevada foothills, and offshore islands (South Farallon, Santa Catalina, Los Coronados); sea level to about 5,000 ft.

Biology

Sources

Every claim above is attributed to one of these published sources.

  1. NatureServe · reviewed 2026-09-30

    NatureServe

  2. University of Michigan Museum of Zoology · reviewed 2026-09-30

    University of Michigan Museum of Zoology