Range in California: Red
Range Map of Sierra Nevada
Slender Salamanders
Range Map of all Slender
Salamanders in California
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Electronic Field Guide to the
Reptiles and Amphibians of
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| Adult, Tulare County |
Adult, Tulare County |
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| Adult, Tulare County |
Adults, Tulare County |
Adult, Tulare County |
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Adult, Tulare County |
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Adult, Tulare County |
Adult, Tulare County |
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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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Comparisons with some similar sympatric Slender Salamanders. |
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Sympatric B. gregarius (top) B. kawia (bottom.)
Note the larger, more robust limbs and body of B. kawia.
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B. gregarius and B. kawia |
B. regius and B. kawia |
Habitat |
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| Habitat, 3,400 ft., Tulare County |
Habitat, 3,400 ft., Tulare County |
Habitat, Tulare County
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| Habitat, 3,000 ft., Tulare County |
Habitat, Tulare County |
Habitat, Tulare County |
| Short Video |
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A look at several Sequoia Slender Salamanders in Tulare County. |
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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. |
| Appearance |
A small slim salamander, with 18-20 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. Dark brown or black above with a brownish or rusty dorsal stripe which is usually absent or not apparent. Whitish speckling is extensive, especially on the sides. Venter is gray and lighter than 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.)Most Batrachoseps are active on rainy or wet nights when temperatures are moderate, fall through spring, retreating underground when the soil dries or when air temperature drops to near freezing. At low elevation locations, this species has been found under surface cover from November to April. At higher elevations, with more severe winter freezes, activity may be restricted to late spring through early fall.
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.
Occurs in sympatry with B. gregarius. and sympatry with B. relictus is possible. |
| Diet |
| Probably eats a variety of invertebrates. |
| Reproduction and Young |
| Reproduction is terrestrial. LIttle is known about the breeding behavior of this species. Other Batrachoseps species lay eggs in moist places on land. Young hatch fully formed. |
| Range |
Endemic to the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada Mountains in California. Found only in the Kaweah river drainage in Tulare county. Known from only a few localities, the distribution of this species is probably more extensive.
From
1,410 - 7,200 ft. (430 - 2,200 m.) |
| Habitat |
Inhabits diverse habitats, including mixed deciduous woodlands, mossy talus, and mixed coniferous forest.
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| Taxonomic Notes |
Prior to its description in 1998, B. kawia was identified as B. relictus. B. relictus was partitioned into four species - B. diabolicus, B. regius, B. kawia and B. relictus.
Here's a Diagram of the Batrachoseps Complex showing the relationships between species. |
| Conservation Issues (Conservation Status) |
| Listed as imperiled by NatureServe, the reason why is not clear. There appears to have been little change in historical and current population numbers at the few known localities, most of which are on public lands. |
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Taxonomy |
| Family |
Plethodontidae |
Lungless Salamanders |
| Genus |
Batrachoseps |
Slender Salamanders |
Species
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kawia |
Sequoia 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.
kawia: derived from the name of the Native Americans who inhabited the region of the 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, which has been split into several species.
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Similar Neighboring Salamanders |
B. gregarius
B. regius
B. relictus
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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.
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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.
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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 |
G1G2 S1S2 |
Critically Imperiled |
World Conservation Union - IUCN Red List
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IUCN:DD |
Data Deficient |
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