THE CENTER FOR NORTH AMERICAN HERPETOLOGY

Amphibia    Caudata    Plethodontidae  

Mount Lyell Salamander
Hydromantes platycephalus (Camp, 1916)
HY-droh-MAN-teez — PLAT-ee-SEF-ah-lus

SSAR 9th Edition Comments:
 There are no current SSAR comments for this taxon.

Range maps are based on curated specimens and provided gratis by CNAH.
(Created by Travis W. Taggart; Version: 2023.04.08.22.52.47)
Download GeoJSON polygon range file: - 1.3 MB

Province/State Distribution:
United States: California

Taxonomic Etymology:
A broad-headed salamander native to high elevations in California.
Hydromantes — From Greek hydro- (ὕδωρ), “water,” and mantēs (μάντης), “seer” or “diviner.” While the exact etymology is obscure, it likely evokes a poetic sense of “water spirit” or “creature of wet places,” appropriate for this lungless, moisture-dependent genus.
platycephalus — From Greek platus (πλατύς), “broad,” and kephalē (κεφαλή), “head.” The name means “broad-headed,” referencing the species’ wide, flattened skull.

First instance(s) of published English names:
Mount Lyell Salamander (Hydromantes platycephalus: Schmidt, Karl P. 1953. A Check List of North American Amphibians and Reptiles. 6th Edition. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, Illinois. 280pp.);

Taxon Links:

  
Catalog of American Amphibians and Reptiles
  
Amphibian Species of the World
  
NatureServe
  
iNaturalist
  
GenBank
  
USGS - Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Database

Selected References:
1916 Camp, C. L. Spelerpes platycephalus, a new alpine salamander from Yosemite National park, California. University of California Publications in Zoology 17:11–14
1938 Myers, George S. Hydromantes platycephalus in Sonora Pass, California. Copeia 1938(2):
1964 Gorman, Joe. Hydromantes. Catalogue of American Amphibians and Reptiles (10):1-2
1964 Gorman, Joe Hydromantes brunus, H. platycephalus, and H. shastae. Catalogue of American Amphibians and Reptiles (11):1-2
1999 Nardi, Irma, Renata Batistoni, Silvia Marracci, and Benedetto Lanza. Repetitive DNA components of the large Hydromantes genome: Phylogenetic and molecular aspects. Herpetologica 55(2):131-139
2005 Wake, David B., Alfredo Salvador, and Miguel A. Alonso-Zarazaga. Taxonomy of the Plethodontid Salamander Genus Hydromantes (Caudata: Plethodontidae). Amphibia-Reptilia 26(4):543-548

THE CENTER FOR NORTH AMERICAN HERPETOLOGY — Accessed: Friday 05 December 2025 15:52 CT