Mount Lyell Salamander

Open encyclopedia reference

The Mount Lyell salamander (Hydromantes platycephalus) is a species of web-toed salamander in the family Plethodontidae. This species was first observed in 1915 on Mount Lyell in Yosemite National Park, during the Yosemite Natural History Survey conducted by the California Museum of Vertebrate Zoology. It is endemic to the Sierra Nevada mountains of California in the United States. It is usually found at high elevation, in microhabitats such as rock fissures, talus, caves and crevices. Its altitudinal range is 1,220–3,670 m (4,000–12,040 ft) above sea level. No significant threats to this species are known.

Wikipedia contributors, Mount Lyell salamander; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T10:10:12.533056+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.

Identity & source status

Scientific name

Hydromantes platycephalus (Camp, 1916)

Name authority

(Camp, 1916)

Common name

Mount Lyell Salamander

Rank

species

Accepted status

accepted

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Chordata

Class

Amphibia

Order

Caudata

Family

Plethodontidae

Genus

Hydromantes

Extinction status

Recorded extant

Classification family tree

Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.

1. domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
2. kingdomAnimalia
3. phylumChordata
4. subphylumVertebrata
5. infraphylumGnathostomata
6. parvphylumOsteichthyes
7. megaclassTetrapoda
8. classAmphibia
9. orderCaudata
10. familyPlethodontidae Gray, 1850
11. subfamilyPlethodontinae Gray, 1850
12. genusHydromantes Gistel, 1848
13. speciesHydromantes platycephalus (Camp, 1916)

Close classified relatives

These entries share the source’s genus, Hydromantes. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.

Browse 371 records assigned to Plethodontidae.

Names & synonyms

Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.

Documented distribution

Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.

Source literature & publication evidence

References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.

1. https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=173720 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references

Origins, evidence & remaining research

Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.

Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.

Dataset citation & attribution

This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11

Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.

Stable key: col:3N7KK. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.