Slender salamander

Batrachoseps is a genus of lungless salamanders (Plethodontids) often called Slender salamanders. They can be distinguished from other lungless salamanders by the four toes they have on each foot.

Slender salamanders
Batrachoseps attenuatus
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Order: Urodela
Family: Plethodontidae
Subfamily: Hemidactyliinae
Genus: Batrachoseps
Bonaparte, 1839
Species

See table

Their genus name Batracho-seps means "frog-lizard", in reference to their projectile tongues.

Diet and physiology

The lungless salamanders, in addition to having no lungs, have long slender snake-shaped bodies with very small limbs that appear almost vestigial in several species.[1] Their main diet consists of small insects, such as springtails, small bark beetles, crickets, young snails, mites, and spiders. Like all salamanders in this family, they have long frog-like projectile tongues which they use to grab their prey in a flash.

Unlike all other amphibians (and birds, and lizards, and nearly all fish) mature red blood cells in of species in the genus Batrachoseps have no nucleus, which is a trait that is only known to occur in mammals and certain species of antarctic fish.[2]

Distribution

Batrachoseps range from Oregon and California (USA) to northern Baja California (Mexico). Slender salamanders in California tolerate diverse variety of environments, as long as their basic needs are met.[3]

Species

21 species are recognized in this genus, but their taxonomy is uncertain. Some species may in fact be subspecies of others, and some subspecies may be distinct species of their own. Genetic analysis is in process.

Batrachoseps gavilanensis – Gabilan Mountains slender salamander
ImageCommon NameScientific nameYear describedDistribution
California slender salamanderBatrachoseps attenuatusEschscholtz, 1833Sierra Nevada, California, and northern Central Valley of California, and southwestern Oregon.
Inyo Mountains slender salamanderBatrachoseps campiMarlow, Brode & Wake, 1979Inyo County of eastern California
Hell Hollow slender salamanderBatrachoseps diabolicusJockusch, Wake & Yanev, 1998California, in Mariposa County
San Gabriel slender salamanderBatrachoseps gabrieliWake, 1996San Gabriel Mountains of Los Angeles County, California
Gabilan Mountains slender salamander Batrachoseps gavilanensisJockusch, Yanev & Wake, 2001Central Coast region from Santa Cruz to northern Kern County, California
Gregarious slender salamanderBatrachoseps gregariusJockusch, Wake & Yanev, 1998western Sierra Nevada and the eastern Central Valley in California
San Simeon slender salamanderBatrachoseps incognitusJockusch, Yanev & Wake, 2001south-western Monterey and northern San Luis Obispo Counties, California
Sequoia slender salamanderBatrachoseps kawiaJockusch, Wake & Yanev, 1998Tulare County, California
San Lucia Mountains slender salamanderBatrachoseps luciaeJockusch, Yanev & Wake, 2001Monterey County, California
Garden slender salamanderBatrachoseps majorCamp, 1915northern Baja California in Mexico and Southern California, United States
Lesser slender salamanderBatrachoseps minorJockusch, Yanev & Wake, 1998San Luis Obispo County, California
Black-bellied slender salamanderBatrachoseps nigriventrisCope, 1869California.
Pacific slender salamanderBatrachoseps pacificus(Cope, 1865)Channel Islands of California.
King's River slender salamanderBatrachoseps regiusJockusch, Wake & Yanev, 1998Fresno County, California.
Relictual slender salamanderBatrachoseps relictusBrame & Murray, 1968Kern County, California.
Kern Plateau slender salamanderBatrachoseps robustusWake, Yanev & Hansen, 2002Tulare and Inyo, and Kern Counties, California.
Kern Canyon slender salamanderBatrachoseps simatusBrame & Murray, 1968Kern Counties, California.
Tehachapi slender salamanderBatrachoseps stebbinsiBrame & Murray, 1968Kern Counties, California.
Oregon slender salamanderBatrachoseps wrighti(Bishop, 1937)Oregon,
Fairview slender salamanderBatrachoseps brameiJockusch, et al., 2012California
Greenhorn Mountains slender salamanderBatrachoseps altasierraeJockusch et al., 2012(Kern and Tulare counties, California, USA

References
  1. Burton, M.; Burton, R. (2002). International Wildlife Encyclopedia: Leopard - marten. International Wildlife Encyclopedia. Marshall Cavendish. p. 1503. ISBN 978-0-7614-7277-3. Retrieved January 3, 2020.
  2. Cohen, W. D. (1982). "The cytomorphic system of anucleate non-mammalian erythrocytes". Protoplasma. 113: 23–32. doi:10.1007/BF01283036.
  3. "Slender salamander". www.fritzhaeg.com. Animal Estates / 5.2 California quail. Retrieved 3 February 2019.
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