Cascade Torrent Salamander
Rhyacotriton cascadae
Good and Wake, 1992
RY-ah-koh-TRI-ton — kas-KAH-day
SSAR 9th Edition Comments:
There are no current SSAR comments for this taxon.
(, Museum Voucher)
(, Observation)
(, Literature Record),
(, Citizen Science),
( Fossil)
Open icons indicate questionable records, including those with coordinate uncertainty greater than 10,000 m (approximately 6 miles); click a marker to view record details.
Occurrences:;
942
Total;
461
Museum;
481
Other
The locality database contains 8,049,984 records, and geographic and taxonomic errors exist. Click a marker to display its metadata. Logged-in, registered users may report a potential issue directly from the marker popup.
Range maps are based on curated specimens and provided gratis by CNAH.
- (Version: 2026.07.15.13.56.45)
Download map data (GeoJSON):
Taxonomic Etymology:
Named for its occurrence in the Cascade Mountains.
Rhyacotriton — From Greek rhyax (ῥυάξ), meaning “torrent” or “stream,” and triton (Τρίτων), the name of a Greek sea god often used in salamander nomenclature. The name means “torrent triton,” referring to the species’ preference for cold, fast-flowing mountain streams.
cascadae — Latinized form of “Cascade,” referring to the Cascade Range of Oregon and Washington, where the species is found. The suffix -ae marks it as a feminine genitive singular: “of the Cascades.”
First instance(s) of published English names:
Mountain Salamander (Rhyacotriton olympicus: Schmidt, Karl P. 1953. A Check List of North American Amphibians and Reptiles. 6th Edition. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, Illinois. 280pp.);
Catalog of American Amphibians and Reptiles
Amphibian Species of the World
GenBank
USGS - Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Database
Selected References:
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1920
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Dunn, Emmett R. Notes on two Pacific Coast Ambystomidae. Proceedings of the New England Zoological Club 7:55–59
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1968
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Anderson, James D. Rhyacotriton and R. olympicus.. Catalogue of American Amphibians and Reptiles (68):1-2
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1992
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Good, David A., and David B. Wake. Geographic variation and speciation in the torrent salamanders of the genus Rhyacotriton (Caudata: Rhyacotritonidae). University of California Publications in Zoology 126:1–91
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2006
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Wagner, R. Steven, Mark P. Miller, and Susan M. Haig. Phylogeography and genetic identification of newly-discovered populations of Torrent Salamanders (Rhyacotriton cascadae and R variegatus) in the central cascades (USA). Herpetologica 62(1):63-70
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2026
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Cousins, Christopher D., Deanna H. Olson, Lindsay S. Millward, Michael J. Adams, Christopher A. Pearl, Jennifer C. Rowe, and Tiffany S. Garcia. Genomics reveals extensive population structure and undescribed phylogenetic relationships in the Cascade Torrent Salamander (Rhyacotriton cascadae). Journal of Biogeography 53(2):e70167
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