The black-bellied slender salamander (''Batrachoseps nigriventris'') is a small species of salamander that is endemic to California.

Distribution

This salamander prefers

California chaparral and woodlands The California chaparral and woodlands is a terrestrial ecoregion of southwestern Oregon, northern, central, and southern California (United States) and northwestern Baja California (Mexico), located on the west coast of North America. It is a ...

habitats of Coast live oak - ''Quercus agrifolia'' and California sycamore - ''Platanus racemosa''.

Description

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 The San Gabriel slender salamander (''Batrachoseps gabrieli'') is a species of salamander. It has a worm-like body, a large head and large limbs, and an elongate cylindrical tail of less than 1.5 times its body length. An adult salamander is betw ...

''.

References

* 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. {{Taxonbar, from=Q646444 Batrachoseps Salamander, Black-Bellied Slender Salamander, Black-Bellied Slender Fauna of the California chaparral and woodlands Amphibians described in 1869