Batrachoseps stebbinsi
Brame and Murray, 1968
Tehachapi Slender Salamander
G2ImperiledGlobal Rank
EndangeredIUCN
MediumThreat Impact
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.100216
Element CodeAAAAD02090
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVertebrate Animal
IUCNEndangered
Endemicendemic to a single state or province
KingdomAnimalia
PhylumCraniata
ClassAmphibia
OrderCaudata
FamilyPlethodontidae
GenusBatrachoseps
Concept ReferenceFrost, D. R. 1985. Amphibian species of the world. A taxonomic and geographical reference. Allen Press, Inc., and The Association of Systematics Collections, Lawrence, Kansas. v + 732 pp.
Taxonomic CommentsBased on biochemical data, populations scattered through the Tehachapi Mountains to Fort Tejon, Kern County, tentatively were assigned to this species by Stebbins (1985).
Conservation Status
Review Date2015-07-14
Change Date2015-07-14
Edition Date2013-05-22
Edition AuthorsMacey, J. R., T. J. Papenfuss, and G. Hammerson
Threat ImpactMedium
Range Extent1000-5000 square km (about 400-2000 square miles)
Number of Occurrences6 - 20
Rank ReasonsSpotty distribution in a small area of southern California; less than 20 known occurrences; some threats to populations, mainly habitat destruction.
Range Extent CommentsThis species is known from scattered sites in the Caliente Creek drainage, Piute Mountains, southern Sierra Nevada, Kern County, California; scattered populations in the Tehachapi Mountains to Fort Tejon, Kern County, California, tentatively have been assigned to this species on a biochemical basis; elevational range 2000-4600 ft (610-1400 m) (Stebbins 1985). Distribution is probably spotty but somewhat continuous in good habitat.
An historical report of B. stebbinsi (Richman 1973) actually pertains to B. robustus.
Occurrences CommentsThere are eight localities over an area of about 50 by 30 miles. All populations are believed to be extant.
Threat Impact CommentsMajor threat is of development of Tejon Ranch for housing; may not do very well in developed areas. Logging may cause extirpation of populations. Flood control in Caliente Creek Canyon could adversely impact habitat (California Department of Fish and Game 1990). Detrimental activities include wood cutting or gathering, road building, and other activities involving land clearing (Biosystems Analysis 1989).
Ecology & Habitat
Description
A large Batrachoseps with long legs and large feet.
Habitat
Moist talus slopes and canyons; oak and mixed pine-oak woodlands; typically under rocks and decomposing logs in dense leaf litter. Usually on north-facing slopes (California Department of Fish and Game 1990). Blue oak savanna, digger pine-oak woodlands, mixed conifer forest, and deciduous riparian areas (Biosystems Analysis 1989). Terrestrial breeder.
Reproduction
Little information available. Apparently clutches number about 10-20 eggs. There is probably only 1 clutch per year. Terrestrial breeder, no aquatic larval stage.
Terrestrial HabitatsForest - HardwoodForest - ConiferForest - MixedWoodland - HardwoodWoodland - ConiferWoodland - MixedSavannaBare rock/talus/scree
Palustrine HabitatsRiparian
Other Nations (1)
United StatesN2
| Province | Rank | Native |
|---|
| California | S2 | Yes |
Roadless Areas (1)
California (1)
| Area | Forest | Acres |
|---|
| Antimony | Los Padres National Forest | 40,911 |
References (14)
- AmphibiaWeb: Information on amphibian biology and conservation. [web application]. 2005. Berkeley, California: AmphibiaWeb. Available: http://amphibiaweb.org/.
- Behler, J. L., and F. W. King. 1979. The Audubon Society field guide to North American reptiles and amphibians. Alfred A. Knopf, New York. 719 pp.
- Biosystems Analysis, Inc. 1989. Endangered Species Alert Program Manual: Species Accounts and Procedures. Southern California Edison Environmental Affairs Division.
- Biosystems Analysis, Inc. 1989. Endangered Species Alert Program Manual: Species Accounts and Procedures. Southern California Edison Environmental Affairs Division.
- Blackburn, L., P. Nanjappa, and M. J. Lannoo. 2001. An Atlas of the Distribution of U.S. Amphibians. Copyright, Ball State University, Muncie, Indiana, USA.
- Bury, R. B., C. K. Dodd, Jr., and G. M. Fellers. 1980. Conservation of the Amphibia of the United States: a review. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Washington, D.C., Resource Publication 134. 34 pp.
- California Department of Fish and Game (CDF&G). 1990. 1989 annual report on the status of California's state listed threatened and endangered plants and animals. 188 pp.
- Crother, B. I. (editor). 2017. Scientific and standard English names of amphibians and reptiles of North America north of Mexico, with comments regarding confidence in our understanding. 8th edition. SSAR Herpetological Circular 43:1-104. [Updates in SSAR North American Species Names Database at: https://ssarherps.org/cndb]
- Frost, D. R. 1985. Amphibian species of the world. A taxonomic and geographical reference. Allen Press, Inc., and The Association of Systematics Collections, Lawrence, Kansas. v + 732 pp.
- Frost, D.R. 2020. Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 6.0. American Museum of Natural History, New York, USA. Online: http://research.amnh.org/herpetology/amphibia/index.html
- Petranka, J. W. 1998. Salamanders of the United States and Canada. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, D.C.
- Richman, J. B. 1973. A range extension for the Tehachapi slender salamander, <i>Batrachoceps </i>[sic]<i> stebbinsi</i>. Herpetological Information Search Systems News-Journal 1:97.
- Stebbins, R. C. 1972. California Amphibians and Reptiles. University of California Press, Berkeley, California.
- Stebbins, R. C. 1985a. A field guide to western reptiles and amphibians. Second edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, Massachusetts. xiv + 336 pp.