A Guide to the Amphibians
and Reptiles of California
Batrachoseps sp. - Breckenridge Mountain Slender Salamander
Click on a picture for a larger view
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| Adult, Kern County, 5,700 ft., Breckenridge Mountain. © William Flaxington | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Adult, Breckenridge Mountain, Kern County © Rob Schell | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Habitat, 6,500 ft. Kern County |
Habitat, 6,500 ft. Kern County | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| According to a 1994 report to the California Department of Fish and Game (Mark R. Jennings, Hayes, Marc P. Amphibian and Reptile Species of Special Concern in California. 1994) this salamander was first found in 1977, unpublished genetic data indicate that it is a unique taxon, and David B. Wake and Robert W. Hansen, are working on a description of it. For many years it has been known only from a single location at aprox.6,300 ft. (1920 m), but because the steep, rugged, and dry habitat that occurs away from the springs where it was discovered make finding this salamander difficult, it is likely that it is more widespread. William Flaxington found some at a different location in 2009. Little is known yet of the life history, but some eggs have been found, showing that oviposition sites are probably communal, and that young probably undergo direct development and with all other members of the genus. Gravid females and eggs were seen in June. Known habitat is a seep with a sandy substrate on a slope facing southeast. Individuals were found under rocks and rotting logs. 26 individuals were observed in 1977, and 22 were observed in 1979. Between the time of discovery in 1977 and 1983, a logging road was routed through a large part of the seep habitat, and black oaks which bordered the habitat were cut down. Since that alteration of the structure and hydrology of the habitat, very few salamanders have been found. |
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| More Information Mark R. Jennings, Hayes, Marc P. Amphibian and Reptile Species of Special Concern in California. 1994 Salamander Diversity in the Kern Valley Region Stebbins, Robert C. A Field Guide to Western Reptiles and Amphibians, 3rd Edition. Houghton Mifflin, 2003 Hansen, Robert W. Kern River Research Area Field Notes Spring 1997 Vol. 6, No. 2 |
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| Similar Neighboring Salamanders Batrachoseps simatus Batrachoseps relictus Batrachoseps robustus Batrachoseps stebbensi Batrachoseps gregarious Batrachoseps sp. Fairview/Upper Kern Canyon
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