Range in California: Red
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Adult, Kern County |
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| Adult, Kern County |
Adult, Kern County |
Underside of adult, Kern County |
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Adult, Kern County |
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Adult, Madera County |
Underside of adult, Madera County |
Adult, Tulare County |
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These salamanders were found underneath ground debris along with some eggs. As their name indicates. this species often forms communal nests, but the females typically leave the site after laying. Male and sub-adult salamanders will often still be found under the same cover as the eggs. © 1998 Duncan Parks |
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 some similar sympatric Slender Salamanders
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| Comparison of B. diabolicus and B. gregarius |
Comparison of B. simatus and B. gregarius
B. gregarius has a slimmer body with smaller feet and toes. |
Comparison of B. gregarius with B. relictus (bottom.)
Note the larger, more robust body and limbs on B. relictus.
© 2004 Brad Alexander |
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Comparison of B. gregarius (top) sympatric B. kawia (bottom) Note the larger, more robust body and limbs on B. kawia |
Comparison of B. kawia and B. gregarius
B. gregarius has a slimmer body with smaller feet and toes. |
B. gregarius / B. regius
B. gregarius has a slimmer body with smaller feet and toes. |
Habitat |
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| Habitat, 1,600 ft., Kern County |
Habitat, 3,000 ft., Kern County |
Habitat, 1,200 ft. Mariposa County |
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Habitat, Kern County |
Habitat, 2,300 ft., Kern County |
Habitat, 4,700 ft. Mariposa County |
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Habitat, 3,800 ft. Kern County |
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| Short Video |
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| A look at some Gregarious Slender Salamanders in the Sierra Nevada foothills of Kern County. |
As I lift a fallen branch with a Gregarious Slender Salamander underneath it, the salamander's tail comes off and begins wriggling on the ground. This is a defensive tactic used to distract a predator towards the moving tail and away from the animal which remains still. The salamander may have intentionally released its tail here, or it could have just been a result of lifting the log. I pick up the tail and you can see an edited version of it slowly wriggling to a stop. |
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Description |
Size |
| Adults are 1 1/5 - 1 4/5 inches long (3 - 4.6 cm) from snout to vent. |
| Appearance |
A small slim salamander with 17-19 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. The ground color is dark blackish-brown with a lighter brownish dorsal stripe with tan highlights and dark flecks. Many small white spots mark the ground color. The venter is lighter, dark to pale gray.
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.)
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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.)Surface-active from the beginning of the fall rains until the end of the rainy period, which is typically from late Octorber or November to March or April. It is presumed that they go underground to avoid the extreme temperatures of winter and summer. Typically found under rocks, logs, bark, and other debris.
Typical of most Slender Salamanders, when disturbed, this salamander may coil up and remain still, relying on cryptic coloring to avoid detection. It might also uncoil quickly and spring away, repeatedly bouncing over the ground, or drop its tail to distract a predator. The tail is easily broken off, but it can be regenerated.
Feeding behavior is not known, but other Batrachoseps species are sit-and-wait predators that use a projectile tongue to catch prey. |
| Diet |
| Most likely eats a variety of small invertebrates. |
| Reproduction and Young |
Reproduction is terrestrial. Breeding and egg laying occurs with the beginning of fall rains, which varies from year to year and with elevation (typically November to early January at lower elevations, and late March to late April at higher elevation locations.)
Females lay eggs in communal nests in the spring (fall in southern populations) in moist places under rocks, logs, bark, or leaf litter. Females then abandon the nests. Nest sites have been found with from 10 - 300 eggs. Females at the northen end of the range lay more eggs - an average of 15.3 eggs, than those at the southern end of the range who average 7.3 eggs, according to a 1997 study by Jockusch and Mahoney. Young hatch fully formed. |
| Range |
Endemic to California. Occurs along the west slope of the central and southern Sierra Nevada Mountains from the southern boundary of Yosemite National Park almost to the kern River.
Occurs in sympatry with B. kawia, and possibly with B. relictus, B. regius, B. attenuatus, and B. diabolicus. |
| Habitat |
Mostly found in oak woodlands in the foothills, but they are also found in high-elevation coniferous forests, and grasslands on the floor of the Central Valley, including very hot and dry habitats at the southern end of its range.
From around 1000 - 5,900 ft. (300 - 1800 m.) |
| Taxonomic Notes |
| Prior to its description in 1998, B. gregarius was recognized as B. nigriventris. Lower elevation southern populations are more slender, live in much drier habitats, lay fewer eggs than those in the north, and lay eggs in the fall. Future studies may establish that these are two different forms. |
| Conservation Issues (Conservation Status) |
| Listed as imperiled by one organization, though there are no apparent issues with this salamander other than some possible loss of habitat at the eastern edge of the Central Valley to development and agriculture. |
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Taxonomy |
| Family |
Plethodontidae |
Lungless Salamanders |
| Genus |
Batrachoseps |
Slender Salamanders |
Species
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gregarius |
Gregarious 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.
gregarius: Latin - flock or herd, referring to the habit of laying eggs communally.
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. diabolicus
B. regius
B. kawia
B. relictus
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More Information and References |
Natureserve Explorer
California Dept. of Fish and Game
AmphibiaWeb
Hansen, Robert W. Kern River Research Area Field Notes Spring 1997 Vol. 6, No. 2
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 |
G2G3 S2S3 |
Imperiled |
World Conservation Union - IUCN Red List
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IUCN:LC |
Least Concern |
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