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Adult, Los Angeles County |
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Adult, Los Angeles County |
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Adult, coiling defensively |
Adult, Los Angeles County
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Adult, Los Angeles County |
Adult, Los Angeles County |
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Underside of adult, Los Angeles County |
Adult and Juvenile, Los Angeles County (captured and handled under state Scientific Collecting Permit and released at point of capture.) © Adam Clause |
Slender Salmanders (genus Batrachoseps) have only 4 toes on their hind feet. All other California salamanders have 5 toes on their hind feet. |
| Comparisons with sympatric slender salamanders |
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In some areas the Black Bellied Slender Salamander, Batrachoseps nigriventris, shown on the left of the picture on the left, occurs with B. gabrieli, shown on the right. These two salamanders were found next to each other under the same rock. (Note the larger, more robust limbs and body of B. gabrieli.)
© William Flaxington
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Comparison of B. m. major (left) and B. gabrieli (collected with a permit.)
Note the darker color of B. gabrieli and larger feet and toes. |
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Habitat |
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Habitat, 3,800 ft., Los Angeles County |
Habitat, 3,800 ft., Los Angeles County |
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| Habitat, 3,800 ft., Los Angeles County |
Habitat, 3,800 ft., Los Angeles County |
Habitat, San Gabriel Mountains, Los Angeles County |
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Description |
Size |
| Adults are 1 1/2 to 2 inches long (3.8 - 5.1 cm) from snout to vent. |
| Appearance |
A small slim salamander with 18 -19 costal grooves. Appearance is worm-like. Fairly robust for a Batrachoseps, with a fairly broad head, long limbs, large feet, and tapered tail.
Black above with a coppery to orange patchy dorsal stripe, becoming patches on the tail, and white speckling. Black venter with scattered speckles.
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.) |
| 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.)Lives and in moist places on land. Found under large rocks, logs, and bark. Active on rainy or wet nights when temperatures are moderate, limited to the rainy season which is generally November through April. Retreats into deep talus when temperatures rise and the soil dries. Has been found while snow was present on the ground.
A sit-and-wait predator, feeding with a projectile tongue.
Most Batrachoseps, when disturbed, may coil up and remain still, then uncoil quickly and spring away, repeatedly bouncing over the ground. Tail is easily broken off, but it can be regenerated.
Co-exists with B. nigriventris in some localities. B. nigriventris has a narrower head, shorter limbs, smaller feet, longer tail. |
| Diet |
| Eats small invertebrates, including ants. |
| Reproduction and Young |
| Reproduction is terrestrial. Reproduction is thought to occur after the first heavy fall rains. Nest sites have not been recorded, but other Batrachoseps species lay eggs in moist places on land.
It is presumed that eggs are laid deep underneath talus piles. Young develop completely in the egg and hatch fully-formed. |
| Range |
| A California endemic, found in at least 13 locations from San Gabriel Canyon in the San Gabriel Mountains to Waterman Canyon in the San Bernardino Mountains. |
| Habitat |
Closely assosicated with extensive rock talus on forested slopes, often near a stream.
At elevations from 2,800 - 7,800 ft. (850 - 2,380 m.) |
| Taxonomic Notes |
Not discovered until the 1990's, which is unusual due to its close proximity to a heavily populated area. Described officially in 1996.
After the initial discovery of this species, more searches have been made in rocky talus, and more isolated salamander populations have been discovered. These salamanders are included with B. gabrieli, but some could warrant recognition as distinct species. |
| Conservation Issues (Conservation Status) |
| Considered a sensitive species, most likely due to its limited habitat close to a heavily populated area. All known localities are on public lands in the Los Angeles and San Bernardino National Forests. |
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Taxonomy |
| Family |
Plethodontidae |
Lungless Salamanders |
| Genus |
Batrachoseps |
Slender Salamanders |
Species
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gabrieli |
San Gabriel Slender Salamander |
| Original Description |
Wake, David B. "A new species of Batrachoseps (Amphibia: Plethodontidae) from the San Gabriel Mountains,
southern California." Contributions in Science, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County. 463. 1996.
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Meaning of the Scientific Name |
Batrachoseps: Greek - amphibian, frog lizard - describes lizard-like appearance.
gabrieli: of the San Gabriel Mountains (type-locality.)
from Scientific and Common Names of the Reptiles and Amphibians of North America - Explained © Ellin Beltz
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Alternate Names |
San Gabriel Slender Salamander
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Similar Neighboring Salamanders |
Batrachoseps nigriventris
Batrachoseps major major
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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 |
USFS:S |
Sensitive |
| 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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