California Reptiles & Amphibians

Batrachoseps nigriventris - Black-bellied Slender Salamander

Click on a picture for a larger view

Range in California: Red

Range Map of South Coast
Slender Salamanders

Dot-locality Range Map

Adult, San Luis Obispo County

Underside of adult , San Luis Obispo County

Adult, Santa Cruz Island,
Santa Barbara County

Adult, Santa Cruz Island, Santa Barbara County

Adults, Los Angeles County

Habitat, San Luis Obispo County

Habitat, 3,800 ft., Los Angeles County

Habitat, San Luis Obispo County

Santa Cruz Island

Batrachoseps major major, Garden Slender Salamander (bottom) and B. nigriventris (top). Note the larger body and legs of B. m. major. B. nigriventris is black underneath, while B. m. major is light gray.

Batrachoseps incognitus, the San Simeon Slender Salamander (top) occurs with B. nigriventris (bottom) in northern San Luis Obispo County. B. incognitus has slightly larger legs and toes and neck.

B. nigriventris (left) occurs along with Batrachoseps gabrieli (right) at some locations in Los Angeles County. Note the larger more robust limbs and body of B. gabrieli. These two were found next to each other. © William Flaxington

Batrachoseps minor, the Lesser Slender Salamander, shown to the left, occurs entirely within the range of B. nigriventris. It is shown here with a small adult specimen of B. nigriventris which was found outside of the range of B. minor. B. minor has distinctly larger hands and feet.

The ranges of Batrachoseps gavilanensis, Gabilan Mountains Slender Salamander, and B. nigriventris overlap slightly.

Description

Size

Adults are 1 1/4 - 1 7/8 inches long (3.2 - 4.7 cm) from snout to vent.

Appearance

A small plethodontid salamander, which breathes through smooth moist thin skin. 18 - 21 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. 4 toes on front and hind feet, also typical of Slender Salamanders. (Other California salamanders have 5 toes on the hind feet.) The tail may be up to twice the body length on mainland adults, but only body length on adults from Santa Cruz Island. Color above is dark brown or blackish with a reddish, brown, or tan dorsal stripe. The venter is dark with fine white speckling.

Behavior

Most Batrachoseps are active on rainy or wet nights when temperatures are moderate, fall through spring, retreating underground when the soil dries or when the air temperature drops to near freezing. Batrachoseps, when disturbed, may coil up and remain still, then uncoil quickly and spring away, repeatedly bouncing over the ground. The tail is easily broken off, but it can be regenerated. Batrachoseps are generally sit-and-wait predators.

Diet

Eats a variety of small invertebrates.

Reproduction

Batrachoseps typically lay eggs in moist places on land. Young hatch fully formed. In southern California, B. nigriventris lays eggs in the winter which hatch in winter and early spring. Eggs have been found in early December in the Coast Range.

Range

Endemic to California. Found in several isolated areas - Santa Cruz Island, the mountains of the south coast, from southern Monterey county to the Santa Ana mountains, and inland in the Transverse Ranges to Cajon pass.

Habitat

Inhabits mostly oak woodlands but also found in grasslands, streamsides, and oak and pine forests. Found under rocks, logs, bark, and other debris in moist areas. T. Burkhardt and G. Nafis observed B. nigriventris on Santa Cruz Island in streamside Eucalyptus forest, under coastal driftwood, in oak woodland, and in open grassland. From sea level to around 8,200 ft. (2,500 m.)

Taxonomic Notes

Animals from the western slope of the central and southern Sierra Nevada mountains previously identified as B. nigriventris,
were re-described as B. gregarius in 1998. Coexists with B. gabrieli in the San Gabriel mountains, with B. minor, B. gavilanensis and B. incognitus in the Coast Range, with B. m. major in Los Angeles and Orange counties, with B. stebbinsi in the Tehachapi mountains, and with B. pacificus on Santa Cruz Island.

Conservation Issues (Conservation Status)

None

Taxonomy
Family	Plethodontidae	Lungless Salamanders
Genus	Batrachoseps	Slender Salamanders
Species	nigriventris	Black-bellied Slender Salamander
Original Description
Cope, 1869 - Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, Vol. 21, p. 98 from Original Description Citations for the Reptiles and Amphibians of North America © Ellin Beltz
Meaning of the Scientific Name
Batrachoseps: Greek - amphibian, frog lizard - describes lizard-like appearance. nigriventris: Latin - black ventris of the belly, referring to the dark venter. from Scientific and Common Names of the Reptiles and Amphibians of North America - Explained © Ellin Beltz
Alternate Names
Blackbelly Slender Salamander
Similar Neighboring Salamanders
Batrachoseps incognitus Batrachoseps minor Batrachoseps gavilanensis Batrachoseps gabrieli Batrachoseps major major
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., & F. Wayne King. The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Reptiles and Amphibians. Alfred A. Knopf, 1992. Bishop, Sherman C. Handbook of Salamanders. Cornell University Press, 1943. Petranka, James W. Salamanders of the United States and Canada. Smithsonian Institution, 1998.

Conservation Status
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. 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.
Organization	Status Listing
U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA)
California Endangered Species Act (CESA)
California Department of Fish and Game
Bureau of Land Management
USDA Forest Service
Natureserve Global Conservation Status Ranks
World Conservation Union - IUCN Red List