California Reptiles & Amphibians

Batrachoseps pacificus - Channel Islands Slender Salamander

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Range in California: Red

Range Map of South Coast
Slender Salamanders

Dot-locality Range Map

Adult, Santa Cruz Island, Santa Barbara County

Adult, Santa Cruz Island,
Santa Barbara County

Habitat

Santa Cruz Island,
Santa Barbara County

Habitat, beach driftwood on Santa Cruz Island

Habitat, near sea level, Santa Cruz Island, Santa Barbara County

Description

Size

Adults are 1 2/3 - 2 3/4 inches long (4.2 - 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. There are four toes on the front and hind feet, which is also typical of Slender Salamanders. (Other California salamanders have five toes on the hind feet.) Fairly robust for a Slender Salamander, with relatively long legs. Color is brown to pinkish above with a wide dorsal stripe with indefinite borders, and may be made up of many light speckles. The throat and underside of the tail are pale and the venter is whitish or slate, with light and dark speckling.

Coexists with B. nigriventris on Santa Cruz Island. Differentiated by ventral color - dark on B. nigriventris, and light on B. pacificus, and by the darker color, smaller, slimmer body, and thinner limbs of B. nigriventris.

Behavior and Natural History

Little is known about this species.
Breathes through thin moist skin instead of lungs. Most Slender Salamander species 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. The cool marine climate of the Channel Islands, including summer fog, provides enough moisture for this species to be active all year. 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 well 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

Little is know about the breeding behavior of this species.
Other species of Slender Salamanders lay eggs in moist places on land. Young hatch fully formed.

Range

Endemic to California. Found on Santa Cruz, San Miguel, Santa Rosa, and Anacapa Islands off the coast of Santa Barbara.

Habitat

Inhabits coastal scrub, grassland, oak woodland, and beach driftwood.
From sea level to around 1,410 ft. elevation (430 m).

Taxonomic Notes

Several Slender Salamander species found on the south coast, in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, and in southern California were formerly known as Batrachoseps pacificus. In 2000, Wake and Jockusch placed all but the Channel Islands species in other taxa.

Conservation Issues (Conservation Status)

No threats are known to this species, but it might be vulverable due to its limited isolated island habitat.

Taxonomy
Family	Plethodontidae	Lungless Salamanders
Genus	Batrachoseps	Slender Salamanders
Species	pacificus	Channel Islands Slender Salamander
Original Description
Cope, 1865 - Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, Vol. 17, p. 195 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. pacificus: of the Pacific Ocean, referring to its occurance on Northern Channel Islands, off the California coast. from Scientific and Common Names of the Reptiles and Amphibians of North America - Explained © Ellin Beltz
Alternate Names
None
Similar Neighboring Salamanders
B. nigriventris B. m. 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. 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.

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.
Organization	Status Listing
U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA)	None
California Endangered Species Act (CESA)	None
California Department of Fish and Game	None
Bureau of Land Management	None
USDA Forest Service	None
Natureserve Global Conservation Status Ranks	G3QT2 S2	Vulnerable
World Conservation Union - IUCN Red List	IUCN:LC	Least Concern

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