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Adult, Caliente Creek, Kern County |
Adult, Caliente Creek, Kern County |
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Adult, Caliente Creek, Kern County |
Adult, Caliente Creek, Kern County |
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Adult, Caliente Creek, Kern County
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Adult, Caliente Creek, Kern County
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Adult, Fort Tejon area, Tehachapi Moutnains, Kern County
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Adult, Fort Tejon area, Tehachapi Moutnains, Kern County |
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Habitat |
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Habitat, 2,500 ft., Caliente Creek, Kern County |
Habitat, 3,500 ft elevation, Fort Tejon area, Tehachapi Mountains, Kern County
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Habitat, 2,500 ft., Caliente Creek, Kern County |
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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 |
Little is known about this species. Like all Slender Salamanders, it 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. 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 |
| 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. |
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Taxonomy |
| Family |
Plethodontidae |
Lungless Salamanders |
| Genus |
Batrachoseps |
Slender Salamanders |
Species
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stebbinsi |
Tehachapi Slender Salamander |
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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
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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
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Alternate Names |
None
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Similar Neighboring Salamanders |
Batrachoseps relictus
Batrachoseps robustus
Batrachoseps simatus
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
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.
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.
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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) |
ST |
Threatened |
| California Department of Fish and Game |
None |
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| 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
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IUCN:VU |
Vulnerable |
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