UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA PUBLICATIONS 
IN 
ZOOLOGY 
Vol. 17, No. 3, pp. 11-14 September 18, 1916 
SPELERPES PLATYCEPHALUS, ANEW ALPINE 
SALAMANDER FROM THE YOSEMITE 
NATIONAL PARK, CALIFORNIA 
BY 
CHARLES LEWIS CAMP 
(Contribution from the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology of the University of California) 
One of the results of the Yosemite Natural History Survey recently 
carried on under the auspices of the California Museum of Vertebrate 
Zoology is the discovery of a new salamander from the high Sierra 
Nevada. This alpine species is apparently most nearly related to 
some of the forms of Spelerpes inhabiting the central Mexican plateau 
and Mount Orizaba, and constitutes an interesting addition to the 
Pacific fauna, Inasmuch as this genus has not hitherto been recorded 
from west of New Mexico. The present species appears to be one of 
a number of forms far removed geographically from the center of 
abundance of the genus, and its locality of occurrence makes it seem 
likely that the boreal salamanders of this group had a much wider 
range during glacial times than at present. One is led to expect that 
other species of Spelerpes may yet be found in western America, par- 
ticularly in the higher regions of northern Mexico. 
Spelerpes platycephalus, new species 
Mount Lyell Salamander 
Type—Female, adult, no. 5693, Mus. Vert. Zool.; head of Lyell 
Canon, 10,800 feet altitude, Yosemite National Park, California; 
July 18, 1915; collected by C. L. Camp; orig. no. 2215. 
Diagnosis—Body elongate; tail shorter than head and body; 
palatine teeth in two slightly arched series, separated from the para- 
sphenoid patches and extending beyond the choanae; head broad and 
