CA/OR: New salamander species identified

Bakersfield Californian ^ | 5/17/05 | William McCall - AP

[NormsRevenge]

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - A new species of salamander has been identified in the Siskiyou Mountains of southern Oregon and Northern California, demonstrating the biological richness of the region, researchers say.

The Scott Bar salamander, classified as Plethodon asupak, had been considered to be a member of the Siskiyou Mountains salamander species, or Plethodon stormi, until genetic analysis showed a distinct evolutionary line, said Joseph Vaile of the Klamath-Siskiyou Wildlands Center in Ashland.

"Everyone talks about how biologically rich the tropics are, but we are still discovering species right here in the Klamath-Siskiyou," Vaile said.

The word "asupak" is the Shasta Indian name for Scott Bar, an area near the confluence of the Scott and Klamath rivers.

Dave Clayton, a U.S. Forest Service biologist, led the study. The genetic analysis was done at Oregon State University.

The species dates from the Pleistocene era, a geologic period that stretches from 1.8 million years to 10,000 years ago. The newly identified species is believed to have survived the last ice age, Vaile said.

"It's pretty rare to find a new species of something that actually has four legs," Vaile said. "Usually, it's something like a new lichen, or maybe an insect. This is really an exciting discovery."

The Scott Bar salamander lives in the extreme northwestern corner of California on rocky slopes under mature and old-growth forest. The dense forest canopy helps retain moisture that is key for the survival of the salamander, which is highly sensitive to drying out.

The species has no lungs and instead breathes directly through its skin.

Environmental groups petitioned the Bush administration last year to protect the Siskiyou Mountains salamander and any related or distinct populations under the Endangered Species Act.

The research leading to the identification of the new species was funded by the Forest Service. The results will be published in the June edition of the quarterly journal Herpetologica.

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On the Net:

The Herpetologists' League, publisher of Herpetologica: http://www.inhs.uiuc.edu/cbd/HL/HL.html

Klamath-Siskiyou Wildlands Center: http://www.ksweild.org

[muir_redwoods]

"Human's taste like pork."

You need to date a better class of people : )

[hmong]

To all of Feepers....(including myself)

We must recognize that God's creation is not accidentally created for our pleasure. We do have a moral responsibility to God and his creation, which includes us. To live in harmony is easy to talk about but to actually put into action is a headache...ex..ESA, spotted owl, etc... We must admit and understand that the value of a human being is not their usefulness...or what $ they can create.... The same understanding must be applied to Gods creation (Nature), be it on a different level..because plants and salamanders are not moral agents possible of recipricating morality. Stewardship... Gods law can only be interpreted and understood by moral agents....so stewardship was given to man because of the moral responsiblity that we are born with.."..created in the image of God." Law, (paraphrase) as St. Paul puts it, is the comdenmation of the sin that man performs. So stewardship is a commandmant/law from God to us because of our sinful nature...(e.g. murder, rape, pollution, destruction of habitats..etc...) that humans can commit against Nature.

What is God's stewarship commandment?? That, the moral communities will have to figure out...which many have and are on the way of teaching.

God would not need to have commanded Adam with stewardship if it was not a concern or problem with our sin nature. So at least we must deeply think how God wants us to interact with Nature. We as Christians (morally concerned folks) must not flippantly throw the baby out with the bath water. God will destroy the destroyers of the earth...(Revelation).

Politics ($$ interest lobbiest) on both sides of the aisle confuses and entrap through our greedy nature the votes of morally concern folks...i.e. Christians (84% of US). It does not have to be thought of as feed my family or logging. There is a moral way to deal with feeding ones family and logging/development/strip malls/dams etc. Feeding your family is morally important,,,but when/where does development/strip malls become a automatic moral part of feeding your family. Maybe the farmers/developers/LA have to back up a bit with taking all the water?? Maybe we should change our mentality and the laws will improve and our living condition and nature will be more harmonized. Instead of a us vs nature attitude.....

Peace...think about it..