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Electronic Field Guide to the
Reptiles and Amphibians of
Southern California
Available Now at the
iTunes App Store. |
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Adult, Del Norte County |
Adult, Humboldt County |
Adult, Contra Costa County |
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Adult, Santa Cruz County |
Adult, Santa Cruz County |
Adult, Santa Cruz County |
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Adult, Contra Costa County,
coiled in defense after being disturbed. |
Adult, underside, Santa Cruz County |
Adult, Butte County
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Adult, Del Norte County |
Adult, Contra Costa County. When uncovered, slender salamanders are often found resting in this coiled position. |
Adult, Glenn County |
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3 different variatins of adult salamanders from Del Norte County © Alan Barron |
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Adult from Whaler Island, Del Norte County © Alan Barron |
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Adult, Del Norte County |
A Mendocino County adult found under a piece of bark with this Ensatina. |
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In Southern Santa Cruz County, the range of Batrachoseps gavilanensis overlaps that of B. attenuatus. The two species appear very similar, but you can see here that B. gavilanensis has proportionally larger fingers and toes. |
In the central Sierras, the range of Batrachoseps diabolicus overlaps that of B. attenuatus. The two species appear very similar, but this comparison shows that B. diabolicus has proportionally larger legs and toes (even though the salamanders are not of equal size.) |
A careful look underneath the fallen bark of this dead tree in Contra Costa County turned up one Arboreal Salamander, two Coast Range Newts, one Yellow-eyed Ensatina, and 12 California Slender Salamanders, illustrating how dead wood and bark on a forest floor is an important microhabitat for salamanders and other wildlife.
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Slender Salmanders (genus Batrachoseps) have only 4 toes on their hind feet. All other California salamanders have 5 toes on their hind feet. |
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Habitat |
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Urban backyard habitat,
Alameda County |
Habitat, Butte County |
Habitat, Glenn County |
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Habitat, Mendocino County |
Habitat, Humboldt County |
Habitat, Del Norte County
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Short Video |
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A few quick looks at several California Slender Salamanders sitting still, coiled up, and quickly wriggling away. |
On a late winter day in Northern California when the ground is green and wet it seems like there's a California Slender Salamander under everything you turn over. |
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Description |
Size |
| Adults are 1 1/4 - 1 7/8 inches long (3.2 - 4.7 cm) from snout to vent, 3 - 5 1/2 inches ( 7.5 - 14 cm) in total length. |
| Appearance |
A small slim salamander with 18 -21 costal grooves. Short limbs, a long slender body with a narrow head and a long tail, and conspicuous costal and caudal grooves give this species the worm-like appearance typical of most Slender Salamanders. Variable in color; generally black or dark above, with red, brown, yellow, or tan coloring forming a dorsal stripe, sometimes with a herringbone pattern. The venter is dark, with fine white speckles.
There are four toes on the front and hind feet, which is also typical of Slender Salamanders. (Other California salamanders have five toes on the hind feet.)
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| Behavior and Natural History |
A member of family Plethodontidae, the Plethodontid or Lungless Salamanders.
Lungless Salamanders breathe through their skin which requires them to live in damp environments on land and to move about on the ground only during times of high humidity. (In California, they do not inhabit streams or bodies of water, but they are capable of surviving for some time if they fall into water.)
Lungless salamanders are distinguished by their naso-labial grooves, which are vertical slits between the nostrils and upper lip that are lined with glands used in chemoreception. All California Lungless Salamanders lay eggs in moist places on land. The young hatch from the egg directly into a tiny terrestrial salamander with the same body form as an adult. (They do not hatch in the water and begin their lives as tiny swimming larvae breathing through gills, as occurs with other types of salamanders.)Active on rainy or wet nights when temperatures are moderate, beginning with the first fall rains until the spring or summer dry period. In coastal forests which remain moist most of the year, activity may continue all year long. Retreats underground when the soil dries or when air temperature gets below freezing. Individuals tend to remain in a small area most of their lives, rarely moving beyond two meters. Longevity has been estimated at 8 - 10 years.
A sit-and-wait predator, catching prey with a projectile tongue.
Defensive behaviors include: coiling and remaining still, then uncoiling quickly and springing away, repeatedly bouncing over the ground for a distance, then remaining still; releasing sticky noxious skin secretions which can glue shut a predator's mouth; and releasing the tail to let its movement distract a predator. A released or severed tail will regenerate. |
| Diet |
| Diet consists of a variety of invertebrates, including springtails, small beetles, snails, mites, spiders, and isopods. |
| Reproduction and Young |
Reproduction is terrestrial. Adults reach sexual maturity from an estimated 2 - 4 years. Courtship probably occurs underground, but when it occurs is not known.
Eggs are laid in October and November, shortly after the beginning of the fall rains. Sierra Nevada populations may lay eggs in December and January. Females deposit eggs in moist areas under objects such as rocks and logs or underground. Several females may lay eggs in the same location creating a communal nest, but they apparently do not remain with the eggs. However, adult salamanders have been found at egg deposition sites. Clutch sizes of 4 - 13 eggs have been recorded.
Young develop completely in the egg and hatch fully formed. Incubation time in a laboratory ranged from 72 - 86 days. In the wild, hatchlings have been observed in late December, January, and February. |
| Range |
| Endemic to California and extreme southwest Oregon. Occurs from central California south of the Bay Area in San Benito County, north along the coast and coast ranges into Oregon and in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains from Butte County to Calaveras County. Isolated populations occur in scattered areas in the northern Central Valley and in Shasta County. |
| Habitat |
| Found in a variety of habitats: chaparral, woodland, grassland, forests, urban yards, vacant lots, marshes, and beach driftwood. Generally found in moist locations, under logs, rocks, bark, leaf litter, stumps, debris. Can be very abundant in an area. |
| Taxonomic Notes |
| Here's a Diagram of the Batrachoseps Complex showing the relationships between species. |
| Conservation Issues (Conservation Status) |
| Still present over most of their historical range except in the Central Valley where their habitat of narrow strips of riparian oak woodlands are being replaced with drainage ditches. |
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Taxonomy |
| Family |
Plethodontidae |
Lungless Salamanders |
| Genus |
Batrachoseps |
Slender Salamanders |
Species
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attenuatus |
California Slender Salamander |
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Original Description |
Eschscholtz, 1833 - Zool. Atlas, Pt. 5, p. 1, pl. 21, figs. 1-14
from Original Description Citations for the Reptiles and Amphibians of North America © Ellin Beltz
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Meaning of the Scientific Name |
Batrachoseps: Greek - amphibian, frog lizard - describes lizard-like appearance.
attenuatus: Latin - slender, narrow.
from Scientific and Common Names of the Reptiles and Amphibians of North America - Explained © Ellin Beltz
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Alternate Names |
None
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Similar Neighboring Salamanders |
Batrachoseps diabolicus
Batrachoseps gregarius
Batrachoseps gavilanensis
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More Information and References |
Natureserve Explorer
California Dept. of Fish and Game
AmphibiaWeb
Stebbins, Robert C., and McGinnis, Samuel M. Field Guide to Amphibians and Reptiles of California: Revised Edition (California Natural History Guides) University of California Press, 2012.
Stebbins, Robert C. California Amphibians and Reptiles. The University of California Press, 1972.
Stebbins, Robert C. A Field Guide to Western Reptiles and Amphibians. 3rd Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, 2003.
Behler, John L., and F. Wayne King. The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Reptiles and Amphibians. Alfred A. Knopf, 1992.
Powell, Robert., Joseph T. Collins, and Errol D. Hooper Jr. A Key to Amphibians and Reptiles of the Continental United States and Canada. The University Press of Kansas, 1998.
Bartlett, R. D. & Patricia P. Bartlett. Guide and Reference to the Amphibians of Western North America (North of Mexico) and Hawaii. University Press of Florida, 2009.
Bishop, Sherman C. Handbook of Salamanders. Cornell University Press, 1943.
Lannoo, Michael (Editor). Amphibian Declines: The Conservation Status of United States Species. University of California Press, June 2005.
Petranka, James W. Salamanders of the United States and Canada. Smithsonian Institution, 1998.
Corkran, Charlotte & Chris Thoms. Amphibians of Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia. Lone Pine Publishing, 1996.
Jones, Lawrence L. C. , William P. Leonard, Deanna H. Olson, editors. Amphibians of the Pacific Northwest. Seattle Audubon Society, 2005.
Leonard et. al. Amphibians of Washington and Oregon. Seattle Audubon Society, 1993.
Nussbaum, R. A., E. D. Brodie Jr., and R. M. Storm. Amphibians and Reptiles of the Pacific Northwest. Moscow, Idaho: University Press of Idaho, 1983.
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The following status listings come from the Special Animals List which is published by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.
This salamander is not included on the Special Animals List, meaning there are no significant conservation concerns for it in California according to the California Department of Fish and Game.
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Organization
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Status Listing
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| U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA) |
None |
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| California Endangered Species Act (CESA) |
None |
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| California Department of Fish and Wildlife |
None |
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| Bureau of Land Management |
None |
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| USDA Forest Service |
None |
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| Natureserve Global Conservation Status Ranks |
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World Conservation Union - IUCN Red List
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