Ensatina
| Ensatina | |
|---|---|
| Monterey Ensatina (Ensatina eschscholtzii eschscholtzii) | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Amphibia |
| Order: | Urodela |
| Family: | Plethodontidae |
| Subfamily: | Plethodontinae |
| Genus: | Ensatina Gray, 1850 |
| Species: | E. eschscholtzii |
| Binomial name | |
| Ensatina eschscholtzii Gray, 1850 | |
| Synonyms | |
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The ensatina (Ensatina eschscholtzii) is a species complex of plethodontid (lungless) salamanders found in coniferous forests, oak woodland and chaparral from British Columbia, through Washington, Oregon, across California (where all seven subspecies variations are located), all the way down to Baja California in Mexico. The genus Ensatina originated approximately 21.5 million years ago. It is usually considered as monospecific, being represented by a single species, Ensatina eschscholtzii, with several subspecies forming a ring species.