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Adult 1, San Luis Obispo County |
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Adult 2, San Luis Obispo County
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Adult 1, shown in the top row, was the first live specimen of B. minor found in more than ten years. It was discovered by Tim Burkhardt, a major contributor to this website, with Samantha Winegarner in February of 2001. Chemical analysis by the University of California at Berkeley confirmed the species. More information here.
Adult 2 was found in February 2003 in the same location where adult 1 was found. It is not possible to positively differentiate B. minor from B. nigriventris by sight, only chemical analysis is definitive. Adult 2 was tentatively identified through photographs by its body and limb size by David Wake, but it was not identified through chemical analysis, so there is still a possibility that Adult 2 is not B. minor but an abnormal B. nigriventris.
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A comparison of an adult salamander (adult 2) that is probably Batrachoseps minor shown on the left with a small specimen of the sympatric Black-bellied Slender Salamander, Batrachoseps nigriventris, which was found well outside of the range of B. minor. ( B. nigriventris adults grow larger than this specimen.) You can see that B. minor has distinctly larger hands and feet.
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Habitat, San Luis Obispo County
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Habitat, San Luis Obispo County |
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Description |
| Size |
| Adults are 1 - 2 3/10 inches long (2.5 - 5.8 cm) from snout to vent. |
| Appearance |
| The smallest Batrachoseps. A small, robust plethodontid salamander, which breathes through smooth moist thin skin. 17-18 costal grooves. Short body, fairly long legs, broad head with distinct neck. Small size, a relatively narrow head, long slender body, long tail, and conspicuous costal and caudal grooves create a worm-like appearance. 4 toes on front and hind feet, typical of Batrachoseps. (Other California salamanders have 5 toes on hind feet.) Blackish brown color sometimes with a tan dorsal stripe with pinkish or apricot highlights, most noticable on the tail. |
| Behavior |
| Active on rainy or wet nights when temperatures are moderate, fall through spring. Retreats underground when the soil dries or when air temperature drops to near freezing. Found under rocks, logs, bark, and other debris. 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. Probably a sit-and-wait predator. |
| Diet |
| Most likely eats a variety of small invertebrates. |
| Reproduction |
| Batrachoseps females lay eggs in moist places underground. Young hatch fully formed. |
| Range |
| Endemic to California. Found only in a small area in the southern Santa Lucia Mountains of San Luis Obispo county. |
| Habitat |
| Inhabits moist locations in forests of mixed oak, tanbark oak, sycamore and laurel above 1,300 ft. (400 m). |
| Taxonomic Notes |
Prior to its description in 2001, B. minor was recognized as B. pacificus which has been split into ten species as the result of molecular studies.
"B. minor is now genuinely rare. We (Arden Brame and I) once found 25 salamanders in an area near York Mountain Winery. They could be sorted into two piles of 10 and 15. The B. minor were small but robust, with distinctly larger hands and feet in individuals of the same length, and these also had a somewhat broader head and a "neck", altough the latterfeature is subtle. When examined osteologically the two also differed in one important character, presence or absence of a tibial spur. This is what convinced me that there were two species. It took many years to finally get the genetic information that demonstrated that the two rather similar species are distinct and not even close relatives."
David B. Wake, public web forum correspondence. |
| Conservation Issues (Conservation Status) |
| Previously more common, B. minor is now difficult to find, and is greatly outnumbered by B. nigriventris which it co-exists. B. minor is distinguished by its more robust body, broader head and longer and larger limbs with more conspicuous toes than B. nigriventris. |
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Taxonomy |
| Family |
Plethodontidae |
Lungless Salamanders |
| Genus |
Batrachoseps |
Slender Salamanders |
Species
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minor |
Lesser Slender Salamander |
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Original Description |
Elizabeth L. Jockusch, Kay P. Yanev, and David B. Wake ''Molecular phylogenetic analysis
of slender salamanders, genus Batrachoseps (Amphibia: Plethodontidae), from central coastal
California with descriptions of four new species.'' Herpetological Monographs, #15 2001.
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Meaning of the Scientific Name |
Batrachoseps: Greek - amphibian, frog lizard - describes lizard-like appearance. minor: probably referring to the small size of this salamander compared
to other Batrachoseps species
from Scientific and Common Names of the Reptiles and Amphibians of North America - Explained © Ellin Beltz
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Alternate Names |
Formerly recognized as Batrachoseps pacificus - Pacific Slender Salamander
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Similar Neighboring Salamanders |
Batrachoseps incognitus
Batrachoseps nigriventris
Batrachoseps gavilanensis
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More Information and References |
Natureserve Explorer
California Dept. of Fish and Game
AmphibiaWeb
Elizabeth L. Jockusch, Kay P. Yanev, and David B. Wake ''Molecular phylogenetic analysis of slender salamanders, genus Batrachoseps (Amphibia: Plethodontidae), from central coastal California with descriptions of four new species.'' Herpetological Monographs, #15 2001. 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.
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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 |
None |
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| Natureserve Global Conservation Status Ranks |
G1 |
Critically Imperiled |
World Conservation Union - IUCN Red List
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IUCN:DD |
Data Deficient |
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Range in California: Red
