Black-bellied slender salamander
| Black-bellied slender salamander | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Amphibia |
| Order: | Urodela |
| Family: | Plethodontidae |
| Genus: | Batrachoseps |
| Species: | B. nigriventris
|
| Binomial name | |
| Batrachoseps nigriventris Cope, 1869
| |
The black-bellied slender salamander (Batrachoseps nigriventris) is a small species of salamander that is endemic to California.
Distribution
[edit]This salamander prefers California chaparral and woodlands habitats of Coast live oak - Quercus agrifolia and California sycamore - Platanus racemosa.
Description
[edit]The black-bellied slender salamander is about 3.1 to 4.3 cm long. It has a worm-like body, a small head and small limbs, and a long cylindrical tail, often twice the length of its body.
The black-bellied slender salamander can have a black, tan, reddish, brown or beige dorsum often with a contrasting broad mid-dorsal stripe of similar colors. It has a purplish or black venter with fine light speckling over the entire surface.
This species will coil its body and tail when handled; it is fragile and easily injured. Batrachoseps nigriventis looks similar to the related species Batrachoseps pacificus and Batrachoseps gabrieli.
Reproduction
[edit]These salamanders reproduce by laying eggs, which are usually buried underground and thus rarely seen.[2]
Food web
[edit]The diet of the black-bellied salamander is poorly documented but is probably similar to the diet of the garden slender salamander, which includes worms, larva, small terrestrial arthropods and mollusks.[3] Potential predators include gray foxes, skunks, raccoons, skinks, and ringtails.[3]
References
[edit]- ^ Geoffrey Hammerson (2004). "Batrachoseps nigriventris". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2004: e.T59130A11887356. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2004.RLTS.T59130A11887356.en. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
- ^ "Batrachoseps nigriventris: Black-bellied Slender Salamander". AmphibiaWeb (amphibiaweb.org). University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA. 2008. Retrieved 5 March 2024.
- ^ a b Harvey, T. (2005). "Black-Bellied Salamander - California Wildlife Habitat Relationships System". nrm.dfg.ca.gov.
- Geoffrey Hammerson (2004). "Batrachoseps nigriventris". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2004: e.T59130A11887356. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2004.RLTS.T59130A11887356.en. Retrieved 12 November 2021. Database entry includes a range map and justification for why this species is of least concern
- This article is based on a description from "A Field Guide to the Reptiles and Amphibians of Coastal Southern California", Robert N. Fisher and Ted J. Case, USGS, http://www.werc.usgs.gov/fieldguide/index.htm.