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GARDENSLENDERSALAMANDER

BatrachosepsMajor

1) LifeHistory
a) Reproduction
i)
B.majorisanocturnalspeciesthatisactiveabovegroundduringthe
rainsfromfalltospring,andremainsbelowgroundduringthedrier
months.Itdoesnotcreateitsownburrowsbutratherusesthoseofother
animalsorcracksinthesoiltogounderground.Itsreproductiveseason
hasbeenobservedtobeearlytolatespring.
ii)
Seasonalmovementsassociatedwithreproductiveactivityhavenotbeen
described.Althoughunrecorded,courtshipprobablyoccursinthefall
(NovemberDecember)afterthestartoftherainyseason.
iii)
Breedinghabitatisunknown.Eggsarelaidundergroundinburrows
(Cunningham,1960),butthelocationofspermatophoredepositionand
captureisunrecorded.
b) Lifestages
i)
Eggsarelaidunderground.AtnightinlateJanuary,hatchlingswere
observedingroupsof312nearburrowsfollowingheavyrains
(Cunningham,1960).Communalnesting(JockuschandMahoney,1997)
issuggestedbythemassemergenceof158hatchlingsfollowingheavy
rainsinlateJanuary.
ii)
Differencesinhabitatusebetweenjuvenilesandadultshavenotbeen
noted.
iii)
PriortoextensivemodificationofsouthernCalifornianativelandscapes,
gardenslendersalamandersoccupiedareasofcoastalsagescrub,
chaparral,andcoastliveoakwoodlands,mostlyinopenareaswithlittle
relief.InpresentdaysouthernCalifornia,gardenslendersalamanders
frequentlyareassociatedwithsuburbanlandscapesthatreceiveregular
irrigation.Adultsreach50millimetersstandardlength.

c) Behavior
i)
AntiPredatorMechanisms.Individualsofgardenslendersalamanders
mayexhibitcoiling,vigorouslateralthrashing,orimmobilityupondiscovery
orwhenhandled(Cunningham,1960Schoenherr,1976).Cunningham
(1960)observedindividualsalamanderspartlyemergedfromhome
burrows,withtailstillanchoredwithintheburrowthesalamanderswould
quicklyretreatuponhisapproach.Gardenslendersalamanders
consistentlyarethelightestcoloredspeciesofBatrachoseps,perhapsan
exampleofcrypsis,asStebbins(1954a)notedtheirfrequentassociation
withlightcoloredsubstrates.Captivesnakes(twostripedgartersnakes
[Thamnophishammondii]andcommonkingsnakes[Lampropeltisgetula])

diedafterconsuminggardenslendersalamanders,presumablybecause
oftheeffectsofskintoxins(Cunningham,1960).Thediscoveryoftwo
bodiesandsixtailtipsofgardenslendersalamandersinthestomachofa
twostripedgartersnakeclearlyatteststotheefficacyoftailautotomyasa
defensiveresponseinthisspecies
2) GeneralEcology
a) Habitat(descriptionex:warmareas,dryenvironments,etc.)
i)
Itresidesindensechapparal,foothillforests,andriperiancorridorswithin
theCaliforniaregion,butalsooccursinlocallymoistareasinthesouthern
aridregions,andinriperianandmeadowhabitatsintheSierraSanPedro
Mrtir.Itusuallyisfoundbeneathrocks,logs,largeleaves,andother
surfacelitter.ItwasalsoreportedlyfoundintheVizca
noRegionbeneath
decayingDesertAgave(Grismer2002).Italsolivesinruralgardens,
urbanareas,andtrash(IUCN).Substratetemperaturesforother
Batrachosepsspeciesarewithintherangeof5.2
25.0C,andsimilar

temperaturesareprefferedbymostmembersofthisgenus(Wakeet.Al
2002).
ii)
Duringperiodsofsurfaceactivity,salamandersmaybefoundunder
rocks,logs,boards,andothersurfacecover,aswellaswithinmoistleaf
litter,mostlyoncoarse,welldrainedsubstrates.Individualsoccasionally
arefoundclimbinginlowvegetation(Cunningham,1960).
iii)
Itisaterrestrialspeciesthatlivesinchaparral,coastalliveoak
woodlands,canyons,washesatthebaseofgrasscoveredhills,rural
gardens,urbanareas,andintrash.Itretreatstoburrowsorunderground
crevicesinsandyorgravellysoilduringcoldordryweather.Itcanbe
foundunderrocksandlitterinthewetseason.Itspeciesreproducesby
development.
b) Diet
i)
PreyreportedforaLosAngelesCountypopulationstudiedby
Cunningham(1960)includedannelidworms,sowbugs,earwigs,and
otherinsects.
c) Predators
i)
DespitetheirbroaddistributionandlocalabundanceinsouthernCalifornia,
reportsofnaturalpredatorsofgardenslendersalamandersarerare.
Ringneckedsnakes(Diadophispunctatus)havebeenobservedfeeding
ongardenslendersalamanders(HollandandGoodman,1998D.Holland,
personalcommunication).Ervinetal.(2003)reportedpredationbya
twostripedgartersnake(Thamnophishammondii).Feralpigsare
reportedtopreyonthesalamanderspeciesoccurringonSantaCatalina
Island,althoughspecificreferencetoBatrachosepsislacking
(Schoenherretal.,1999).
d) Seasonalcycle

i)

activeabovegroundduringtherainsfromfalltospring,andremains
belowgroundduringthedriermonths.
e) Range(whereitsfoundgeographically)
i)
rangesintonorthwesterncismontaneandmontaneBajaCalifornia.Its
rangeextendsfromLosAngelescountysouthtothenorthwesternBaja
peninsula,endingintheregionofArroyoGrande,approximately24km
southeastoftheElRosariovicinity.ItcanalsobefoundonthePacific
islandsCoronadoNorte,Media,andSur,TodosSantosSur,andperhaps
SanMart
n,andatelevationsupto1785m(Grismer2002)
3) HumanUses(economicvalue)
?
4) Linkagestootherplants/animals

Gardenslendersalamandersaresympatricwithblackbelliedslender
salamandersfromsouthernLosAngelesCountytothesouthernlimitsfor
blackbelliedslendersalamanders(B.nigriventris)inOrangeandRiverside
counties(Brame,1970Glaser,1970Wake,1996).Inareaswherebothspecies
occur,thereisageneralpatternofecologicalsegregation,withgardenslender
salamandersoccurringinopen,grassyareas,mostlyabsentfromslopes,while
blackbelliedslendersalamandersarelargelyrestrictedtoareaswithtreecover
(Campbell,1931bLoweandZweifel,1951Cunningham,1960).However,at
somesiteswithnorthernexposures,bothspecieshavebeentakenunderthe
samecover(Campbell,1931b).
5) InterestingFacts
Nocturnal
ItisamemberofthefamilyPlethodontidae,thelargestfamilyofsalamanders,
whicharelungless.Becauseoftheirsmallsizeandmoistskintheyareableto
obtainalltheoxygentheyneedthroughtheirskin.

Gallery


TopLeft:
http://www.tgpslideshow.com/gallery.html?4574
TopRight:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_horned_jew_lizard/2320702282
BottomLeft:
http://www.californiaherps.com/identification/salamandersid/salamanders.id2.html
BottomRight:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_horned_jew_lizard/4468499339

Sources:

http://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/196974Batrachosepsmajoraridus
http://amphibiaweb.org/cgi/amphib_query?wheregenus...
http://www.californiaherps.com/salamanders/pages/b.m.major.html
http://www.fritzhaeg.com/garden/initiatives/animalestates/animals/slendersalamander.html
http://creagrus.home.montereybay.com/CABatrachoseps.html
http://www.reptilegardens.com/amphibiansbugs/amphibians/salamanders.php

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