San Gabriel Mountains Slender Salamander (B. gabrieli)
Description: 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 between 3 and 5 cm long. It has a black dorsum with white, coppery, and orange blotches, and an immaculate black venter. It may have red spots on tail.
Habitat: Closely assosicated with extensive rock talus on forested slopes, often near a stream.
Range: This species is restricted to the San Gabriel and San Bernardino Mountains in Los Angeles and San Bernardino Counties, California.. All known sites are in southern (coastal) drainages; no records yet exist from the northern (desert) slopes of the mountains. Sites occupied by this species in the San Gabriel Mountains include the upper North Fork San Gabriel River drainage, the San Antonio Canyon drainage near Mount Baldy town, and the lower reaches of the three forks of Lytle Canyon. In the San Bernardino Mountains this species is reported from Kimbark, Devil, and Waterman Canyons. The species is documented from 23 localities, and it occurs at elevations from 850 to 2,380 m asl. Further surveys are needed to clarify the geographic and elevational range of this species. Survey efforts have been recommended not only in the San Gabriel and San Bernardino Mountains, but also in the San Jacinto Mountains to the south.
Diet: Eats small invertebrates, including ants. A sit-and-wait predator, feeding with a projectile tongue.
Reproduction: Reproduction is terrestrial. Reproduction is thought to occur after the first heavy fall rains. Nest sites have not been recorded, but other Batrachoseps species lay eggs in moist places on land. It is presumed that eggs are laid deep underneath talus piles. Young develop completely in the egg and hatch fully-formed.
Status: Listed as Near Threatened since this species has an extent of occurrence (EOO) of 1,796 km2 and is likely known from fewer than five threat-defined locations within the Angeles and San Bernardino National Forests lands. If future research indicates that this species is declining or likely to decline due to the potential threats of climate change, wildfire, or disease, and if it remains known from only a handful of localities on the coastal slopes of the San Gabriel and San Bernardino Mountains, then it would likely warrant re-categorization as Threatened. If, however, further survey efforts indicate that this species is more widespread than currently known and if populations appear stable, then Near Threatened would remain the most appropriate category. While there is a degree of uncertainty surrounding this species' status, if future threats were to be confirmed this species could be driven to Vulnerable or Endangered in a very short time, thus making Near Threatened the most appropriate category based on currently available data.
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Disclaimer: ITIS taxonomy is based on the latest scientific consensus available, and is provided as a general reference source for interested parties. However, it is not a legal authority for statutory or regulatory purposes. While every effort has been made to provide the most reliable and up-to-date information available, ultimate legal requirements with respect to species are contained in provisions of treaties to which the United States is a party, wildlife statutes, regulations, and any applicable notices that have been published in the Federal Register. For further information on U.S. legal requirements with respect to protected taxa, please contact the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
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