Description: This salamander has along body, with small fore and hind limbs. Adults are generally brown with fine, brassy flecks. Throats and under tails are lighter. This species has distinct grooves, usually 19, on each side. The total length is 1 1/2 inches to 4 1/2 inches, of which about half is tail.

Habitat: This species can be found in moss-covered talus, under bark, rocks, beneath and inside logs and in and near mixed coniferous forests of fir, spruce, and aspen. It occurs underground except during periods of warm seasonal rains. It is assumed to lay its eggs underground as no egg clutch has ever been found in the wild, and breeds by direct development. Subpopulations decline but persist after clear-cutting and slashing of forest, and the species has been observed post wildfires, but likely in reduced numbers and possible changes size/age distributions; long-term persistence in areas with clear cuts or wildfire remains understudied.

Range: This species is restricted to the Jemez Mountains in Sandoval, Los Alamos, and Río Arriba Counties, New Mexico. It occurs at high elevations between 2,133 to 3,435 meters asl.

Found in these States: NM

Diet: The salamanders eat ants, mites, spiders, and small beetles.

Reproduction: The salamander is secretive, and many aspects of its ecology, especially reproduction, are poorly understood.

Status: Listed as Endangered because its extent of occurrence (EOO) is 1,020 km2, it occurs in five or fewer threat-defined locations, and there is continuing decline in the extent and quality of its habitat.

Taxonomy: