A Guide to the Amphibians
and Reptiles of California

Batrachoseps stebbinsi -Tehachapi Slender Salamander

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Range in California: Red

Dot-locality Range Map

Range Map of all Slender
Salamanders in California

Adult, Caliente Creek, Kern County

Adult, Fort Tejon area, Tehachapi Moutnains, Kern County

Adult, Caliente Creek, Kern County

Herpetologist Sam Sweet has made a well-illustrated public forum post about Tehachapi Slender Salamanders and their habitat, including a shot of the place where the first specimen was found, and a range extension from a considerably dryer habitat than is typically expected for this species. (In 1957, when the salamander was discovered, they actually thought that it was a variation of B. attenuatus!) You can see it and the ensuing discussion here.

Habitat

Habitat, 2,500 ft., Caliente Creek,
Kern County

Habitat, Caliente Creek, Kern County

Habitat, 2,500 ft., Caliente Creek,
Kern County

Habitat, 3,500 ft elevation, Fort Tejon area, Tehachapi Mountains, Kern County

Short Video

A fallen branch is overturned exposing a Tehachapi Slender Salamander.

Description

Size

Adults are 2 - 2 2/5 inches long (5.1 - 6.1 cm) from snout to vent, 3.5 - 5 inches (9 - 13 cm) in total length.

Appearance

A small slim salamander, with 18 - 19 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.) Relatively large and robust when compared with most Slender Salamanders, having a fairly broad head, long legs, broad feet, shorter tail, and toes that appear to be slightly more webbed than with other Batrachoseps species. Color is reddish or brownish. Light beige, tan, black, patches and blotches may form an indistinct dorsal stripe with uneven edges.

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.)Little is known about this species. 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. Most surface activity for this species has been observed from February to March or April.

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

Eats a variety of small invertebrates.

Reproduction and Young

Little is known about the breeding behavior of this species. Reproduction is terrestrial. Breeding and egg-laying probably occurs during the unpredictable rainy period which can occur anywhere from from November to February. All species of Slender Salamanders lay eggs, typically in moist places on land. Young hatch fully formed. Possibly gravid females have been discovered in mid Februrary and early April. Juvenile salamanders are rarely found, suggesting that they hatch underground at the end of the wet season and remain underground during the beginning of their lives.

Range

Endemic to California. Found in scattered populations in the Caliente Creek drainage at the juncture of the Sierra Nevada and the Tehachapi Mountains, and in isolated canyons on the northern slopes of the Tehachapi Mountains from Tejon Canyon to Fort Tejon. One specimen was collected in 1957 near Tehachapi Pass, but none have been found in that area since.

Habitat

Inhabits north-facing moist canyons and ravines in oak and mixed woodlands in arid to semi-arid locations. Found under rocks, logs, bark, and other debris in moist areas, especially in areas with a lot of leaf-litter, often near talus slopes. At elevations of 2,000 - 4,600 ft. (610 - 1,400 m).

Taxonomic Notes

B. stebbinsi as it is currently known might actually consist of two species:
In their species account of B. stebbinsi in Amphibian Declines: The Conservation Status of United States Species, Robert Hansen and David Wake cite unpublished data indicating that "…high levels of genetic differentiation, as well as differences in coloration and size, between the two principal distributional units of B. stebbinsi (Caliente Canyon versus Tehachapi Mountains) strongly suggest that 2 species are represented. (Jockusch, 1996; Jockusch and Wake, 2002; D.B. Wake and colleagues, unpublished data)."

Coexists with B. nigriventris at several locations in the Tehachapi Mountains where it can be distinguished by its long legs, large feet, distinct toes, and broad head.

Conservation Issues (Conservation Status)

Listed as a threatened species by the State of California because the limited sites it inhabits makes it extremely vulnerable to any changes in its habitat. Planned developments in the Tehachapi Mountains could disturb habitat and threaten some populations.

Taxonomy
Family	Plethodontidae	Lungless Salamanders
Genus	Batrachoseps	Slender Salamanders
Species	stebbinsi	Tehachapi Slender Salamander
Original Description
Brame and Murray, 1968 - Sci. Bull. Nat. Hist. Mus. Los Angeles Co., No. 4, p. 18 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. stebbinsi: Honors Robert C. Stebbins. from Scientific and Common Names of the Reptiles and Amphibians of North America - Explained © Ellin Beltz
Alternate Names
None
Similar Neighboring Salamanders
Batrachoseps relictus Batrachoseps robustus Batrachoseps simatus Batrachoseps gregarious Batrachoseps sp. Fairview/Upper Kern Canyon Breckenridge Mountain Batrachoseps
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., 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. Thelander, C. G., ed. Life on the Edge: A Guide to California's Endangered Natural Resources Volume I: Wildlife. Biosystems Books, Santa Cruz, California. 1994.

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)	ST	Threatened
California Department of Fish and Game	None
Bureau of Land Management	BLM:S	Sensitive
USDA Forest Service	USFS:S	Sensitive
Natureserve Global Conservation Status Ranks	G2 S2	Imperiled
World Conservation Union - IUCN Red List	IUCN:VU	Vulnerable

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