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Adult, Mariposa County |
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Adult, Mariposa County |
Adult, Mariposa County |
Adult, Mariposa County |
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Adult, Mariposa County |
Adult, Mariposa County |
Adult, Mariposa County |
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| Adult, Mariposa County © Chad M. Lane |
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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Some similar salamander species occuring with or near B. diabolicus |
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Habitat
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Creekside Habitat, 1,500 ft.,
Mariposa County |
Habitat, Merced River,
Mariposa County |
Habitat, Hell Hollow, 1,500 ft.,
Mariposa County
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| Short Video |
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Hell Hollow Slender Salamanders in Mariposa County. |
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Description |
Size |
| Adults are 1 - 1/4 to 1-7/8 inches long (3.2 - 4.7 cm) from snout to vent. |
| Appearance |
A small slim salamander with a relatively broad head and slightly defined neck. 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. Coloration is dark dorsally with a brownish stripe that is usually brighter at it's edges and continues onto head. There is extensive pale speckling on both the dorsal surface and the grey ventral surface.
There are four toes on the front and hind feet, which is typical of all Slender Salamanders. (Other California salamanders have five toes on the hind feet.) Limbs are fairly long, and hands and feet are large compared to most Slender Salamanders. Fingers/toes are long and distinct, with expanded tips. |
| 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, generally from November to March or April. Retreats underground when the soil dries or when air temperature gets below freezing. A sit-and-wait predator, using a projectile tongue to capture prey. Dark coloring helps to disguise them from predators. |
| Diet |
| Eats small invertebrates. |
| Reproduction and Young |
| Reproduction is terrestrial. Lays eggs on land, probably in the rainy season from November to January. Nest sites are not known. Young hatch fully formed. |
| Range |
| Endemic to the foothills of the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada in California, from the north bank of the north fork of the American River, Placer County, to the lower Merced River canyon, Mariposa County. |
| Habitat |
Populations tend to occur along riparian zones in close proximity to large rivers and streams in pine-oak woodland and chaparral communities. North-facing slopes are preferred, and individuals are usually found beneath rock talus and large stones and other surface cover shaded by oak trees that dominate the region. Summer temperatures are extreme with no rainfall.
From 650 feet (200 m) to approximately 2100 feet (650 m) in elevation. |
| Taxonomic Notes |
| The common name of this species reflects the type-locality: Hell Hollow, Mariposa County. B. diabolicus was very recently described in 1998 by Jockusch, Wake, and Yanev, who partitioned B. relictus into four species - B. diabolicus, B. regius, B. kawia and B. relictus. It is the northernmost representative of the relictus group of salamanders. Two clades have been identified, one throughout the range and one only in Calaveras County, indicating that B.diabolicus may actually represent two distinct species. |
| Conservation Issues (Conservation Status) |
| Uncertain. Absent from large areas where the habitat would apparently support them, and not abundant where they do occur. |
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Taxonomy |
| Family |
Plethodontidae |
Lungless Salamanders |
| Genus |
Batrachoseps |
Slender Salamanders |
Species
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diabolicus |
Hell Hollow Slender Salamander |
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Original Description |
Jockusch, E. L., D. B. Wake, and K. P. Yanev. "New species of slender salamanders, Batrachoseps
(Amphibia: Plethodontidae), from the Sierra Nevada of California." Contributions in Science, Natural History
Museum of Los Angeles County, #472 1998.
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Meaning of the Scientific Name |
Batrachoseps: Greek - amphibian, frog lizard - describes lizard-like appearance.
diabolicus: Greek - devilish. Referring to the name of the type locality, Hell Hollow.
from Scientific and Common Names of the Reptiles and Amphibians of North America - Explained © Ellin Beltz
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Alternate Names |
Formerly recognized as Batrachoseps nigriventris - Black-bellied Slender Salamander
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Similar Neighboring Salamanders |
B. attenuatus - California Slender Salamander
B. gregarius - Gregarious Slender Salamander
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More Information and References |
Natureserve Explorer
California Dept. of Fish and Game
AmphibiaWeb
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.
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The following status listings come from the Special Animals List which is published several times each year by 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 Game |
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 |
G2 S2 |
Imperiled |
World Conservation Union - IUCN Red List
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IUCN:DD |
Data Deficient |
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