Jump to content

Black-bellied slender salamander

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Black-bellied slender salamander
Scientific classification Edit this 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]
  1. ^ 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.
  2. ^ "Batrachoseps nigriventris: Black-bellied Slender Salamander". AmphibiaWeb (amphibiaweb.org). University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA. 2008. Retrieved 5 March 2024.
  3. ^ a b Harvey, T. (2005). "Black-Bellied Salamander - California Wildlife Habitat Relationships System". nrm.dfg.ca.gov.