The Imperial Cave Salamander is a micro-endemic species, with very restricted range.

Ficetola et al. explored more than 350 caves to assess the microhabitat of eight species of cave salamanders, and measured salamander’s niche using both microhabitat and macroclimatic variables. Salamanders with narrow niche for both microhabitat and climatic parameters exploited much smaller ranges, and microhabitat data provided an effective measure of selected conditions. Combining environmental data collected at multiple scales provides more complete niche information and improves tests of the relationship between niche breadth and range size.

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