''Batrachoseps'' is a genus of

lungless salamander Plethodontidae, or lungless salamanders, are a family of salamanders. Most species are native to the Western Hemisphere, from British Columbia to Brazil, although a few species are found in Sardinia, Europe south of the Alps, and South Korea. In ...

s (plethodontids) often called slender

salamander Salamanders are a group of amphibians typically characterized by their lizard-like appearance, with slender bodies, blunt snouts, short limbs projecting at right angles to the body, and the presence of a tail in both larvae and adults. All ten ...

s. They can be distinguished from other lungless salamanders by the four toes they have on each foot. 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. 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 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.

Distribution

Batrachoseps range from

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

and

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

(USA) to northern

Baja California Baja California (; 'Lower California'), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Baja California ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California), is a state in Mexico. It is the northernmost and westernmost of the 32 federal entities of Mex ...

(Mexico). Slender salamanders in California tolerate diverse variety of environments, as long as their basic needs are met.

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 01

Batrachoseps gavilanensis - Gabilan Mountains Slender Salamander 01

References

External links

* Electronic Database accessible at http://research.amnh.org/herpetology/amphibia/index.php

American Museum of Natural History The American Museum of Natural History (abbreviated as AMNH) is a natural history museum on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City. In Theodore Roosevelt Park, across the street from Central Park, the museum complex comprises 26 inter ...

. * AmphibiaWeb is available at http://amphibiaweb.org/. * * {{Taxonbar, from=Q786876 Amphibians of North America Amphibians of the United States Neogene amphibians of North America Quaternary amphibians Quaternary animals of North America Taxa named by Charles Lucien Bonaparte

Diet and physiology

Distribution

Species

See also

References

External links