Range in California: Red
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| Juvenile, San Benito County |
Adult, San Benito County |
Adult, eastern Monterey County |
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Adult, Monterey County |
Adult, San Benito County |
Adult, Monterey County |
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Adult, eastern Monterey County |
Adult, eastern Monterey County |
Adult, northern Monterey County |
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Adult, San Benito County |
Adult, Monterey Bay sand dunes, northern Monterey County |
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Underside of adult |
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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Comparisons with some similar sympatric species. |
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Batrachoseps nigriventris occurs close to the southern range of B. gavilanensis. B. nigriventris has slightly smaller fingers and toes. |
In Southern Santa Cruz County, the range of B. gavilanensis overlaps that of Batrachoseps attenuatus. The two species appear very similar, but here you can see that B. gavilanensis has proportionally larger fingers and toes.
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Batrachoseps luciae and B. gavilanensis occur close to each other, and were once considered the same species. They are identical in appearance. |
Habitat |
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| Habitat, San Benito County |
Habitat, San Benito County |
Habitat, Gabilan Mountains,
San Benito County
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Monterey bay coastal sand dunes habitat, Monterey County |
Habitat, Monterey County |
Habitat, San Benito County |
| Short Video |
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Several Gabilan Mountains Slender Salamanders are seen on a cold late winter day along with some of their habiat. |
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Description |
Size |
| Adults are 1 1/2 to 2 3/5 inches long (3.8 - 6.6 cm) from snout to vent, or 3 3/4 to 6 1/2 inches (9.5 - 16.5 cm) in total length. |
| Appearance |
A small thin salamander with 19-22 costal grooves. Short limbs, a narrow head, long slender body, very long tail, and conspicuous costal and caudal grooves give this species the worm-like appearance typical of most Slender Salamanders. Gray with brownish black ground color and there may be a distinct brownish gray to coppery tan dorsal stripe extending onto the tail and bordered by blackish dots. Small whitish speckling mark the sides.
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.)Active on rainy or wet nights when temperatures are moderate, late fall through spring, mostly December to April. Retreats underground when the soil dries or when air temperature drops to near freezing.
A sit-and-wait predator, using a projectile tongue to catch prey.
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. |
| Diet |
| Eats a variety of small invertebrates. |
| Reproduction and Young |
| Reproduction is terrestrial. Egg deposition sites are unknown. It is assumed that females lay eggs in moist places underground as with other species of Batrachoseps. Young develop completely in the eggs and hatch fully formed. |
| Range |
Endemic to California. Occurs along the central coast of California from the base of the Santa Cruz mountains at Rodeo Gulch, Santa Cruz County, southward to the eastern margin of the city of Monterey, at Jack's Peak. Occurs inland into the Gabilan and Diablo mountains and the east slope of the Santa Lucia mountains south into northern San Luis Obispo county, and the Temblor Range in Kern County (where salamanders are tentatively assigned to this species.)
Co-exists with B. attenuatus, in Santa Cruz County (Hecker Pass is one location), and B. nigriventris in the southern part of its range (Mustang Ridge and Peachtree Valley). May coexist with B. luciae in Carmel Valley and near Arroyo Seco. |
| Habitat |
Habitats include moist redwood forests, gray pine and mixed evergreen forests, oak woodlands, chaparral, and open grasslands with scattered oaks. Habitat at the southern end of the range tends to be hot and semi-arid, and populations are localized in moist areas on north-facing slopes. Typically found under rocks, logs, bark, driftwood, and other surface debris.
From sea level to around 5,000 ft. (1,500 m). |
| Taxonomic Notes |
B. gavilanensis was described in 2001. Salamanders now known as B. gavilanensis were formerly recognized as Batrachoseps pacificus which has been split into ten different species due to molecular studies.
Here's a Diagram of the Batrachoseps Complex showing the relationships between species. |
| Conservation Issues (Conservation Status) |
| No known critical conservation concerns. Common and widespread throughout their range, some of which is relatively undisturbed publicly owned lands. |
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Taxonomy |
| Family |
Plethodontidae |
Lungless Salamanders |
| Genus |
Batrachoseps |
Slender Salamanders |
Species
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gavilanensis |
Gabilan Mountains Slender Salamander |
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Original Description |
Elizabeth L. Jockusch, Kay P. Yanev, and David B. Wake ''Molecular phylogenetic analysis
of slender salamanders, genus Batrachoseps (Amphibia: Plethodontidae), from central coastal
California with descriptions of four new species.'' Herpetological Monographs, #15 2001.
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Meaning of the Scientific Name |
Batrachoseps: Greek - amphibian, frog lizard - describes lizard-like appearance.
gavilanensis: of the Gabilan 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 |
Formerly recognized as Batrachoseps pacificus - Pacific Slender Salamander
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Similar Neighboring Salamanders |
Batrachoseps attenuatus
Batrachoseps luciae
Batrachoseps nigriventris
Batrachoseps minor
Batrachoseps incognitus
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More Information and References |
Natureserve Explorer
California Dept. of Fish and Game
AmphibiaWeb
Elizabeth L. Jockusch, Kay P. Yanev, and David B. Wake ''Molecular phylogenetic analysis of slender salamanders, genus Batrachoseps (Amphibia: Plethodontidae), from central coastal California with descriptions of four new species.'' Herpetological Monographs, #15 2001.
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.
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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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