Range in California: Red
Range Map of Southern Sierra
Nevada Slender Salamanders
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Adult, 7,200 ft., Tulare County |
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Adult, 7,200 ft., Tulare County |
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Adult, 7,200 ft., Tulare County |
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Adult, Tulare County |
Adult, Tulare County |
Adult, Tulare County |
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Juvenile, 6,500 ft., Tulare County |
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Same habitat with vegetation
destroyed by fire with salamanders still persisting along the stream. |
Habitat, small creek in forest,
7,200 ft., Tulare County |
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Description |
| Size |
| Adults are 1 3/4 - 2 1/4 inches long (4.4 - 5.7 cm) from snout to vent. |
| Appearance |
| A medium-sized plethodontid salamander, which breathes through smooth moist thin skin. 16 - 17 costal grooves. 4 toes on both front and hind feet, which is also typical of Batrachoseps. (Other California salamanders have 5 toes on hind feet.) Relatively large and robust when compared with most Batrachoseps, having a fairly broad head, long legs, broad feet, short tail, and large toes. Color is rusty, bronze, gray, reddish, usually with a dorsal stripe and scattered flecks and spots. Gray to black venter. Throat with heavy white mottling. Animals from dryer habitats have lighter coloring of gray or silver, while those from coniferous forest tend to match the darker environment with reds and browns. |
| Behavior |
| Most Batrachoseps are active on rainy or wet nights when temperatures are moderate, retreating underground when the soil dries or when the air temperature drops to near freezing. B. robustus inhabiting higher elevations are active late spring through early fall, while the activity of lower elevation populations is restricted to late winter and spring. Batrachoseps species, 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 |
| Most likely eats a variety of small invertebrates. |
| Reproduction |
| Batrachoseps typically lay eggs in moist places on land. Young hatch fully formed. |
| Range |
| Endemic to California. Occurs on the Kern Plateau of the southern Sierra Nevada Mountains from 5,300 - 9,200 ft. (1,600 - 2,800 m.) |
| Habitat |
| Found in moist habitats of pine and fir forests, and pinon pine, sagebrush, and oaks in drier habitats. Found under logs, bark, rocks, and other debris especially near springs, seeps and outflow streams. |
| Taxonomic Notes |
| B. robustus was officially described in 2002 |
| Conservation Issues (Conservation Status) |
| Listed as imperiled and near threatened. This is probably because its limited forested high-altitude habitat makes it vulnerable to any alteration of the habitat. |
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Taxonomy |
| Family |
Plethodontidae |
Lungless Salamanders |
| Genus |
Batrachoseps |
Slender Salamanders |
Species
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robustus |
Kern Plateau Slender Salamander |
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Original description |
Wake, D.B., K.P. Yanev, and R.W. Hansen. - 1/13/2003. "New species of slender salamander, Genus Batrachoseps, from the southern Sierra Nevada of California." 2002 Copeia 4:1016-1028.
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Meaning of the Scientific Name |
Batrachoseps: Greek - amphibian, frog lizard - describes lizard-like appearance.
robustus: (probably Latin - (robust) referring to the large robust size.)
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Alternate Names |
None
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Similar Neighboring Salamanders |
Batrachoseps simatus
Batrachoseps relictus
Batrachoseps stebbinsi
Batrachoseps campi
Batrachoseps gregarious
Batrachoseps sp. Fairview/Upper Kern Canyon
Breckenridge Mountain Batrachoseps
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More Information and References |
Natureserve Explorer
California Dept. of Fish and Game
AmphibiaWebSalamander Diversity in the Kern Valley Region
Resources List
Wake, D.B., K.P. Yanev, and R.W. Hansen. - 1/13/2003. "New species of slender salamander, Genus Batrachoseps, from the southern Sierra Nevada of California." 2002 Copeia 4:1016-1028.
Stebbins, Robert C. A Field Guide to Western Reptiles and Amphibians, 3rd Edition. Houghton Mifflin, 2003
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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 |
USFS:S |
Sensitive |
| Natureserve Global Conservation Status Ranks |
G2 |
Imperiled |
World Conservation Union - IUCN Red List
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IUCN:NT |
Near Threatened |
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