The Inyo Mountains salamander (''Batrachoseps campi'') or Inyo slender salamander is a species of

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 t ...

in the family

Plethodontidae Plethodontidae, or lungless salamanders, are a family of salamanders. With over 500 species, lungless salamanders are by far the largest family of salamanders in terms of their diversity. Most species are native to the Western Hemisphere, from B ...

that is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...

to the

Inyo Mountains The Inyo Mountains are a short mountain range east of the Sierra Nevada in eastern California in the United States. The range separates the Owens Valley to the west from Saline Valley to the east, extending for approximately south-southeast f ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

in the western

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

Description

''Batrachoseps campi'' is one of the largest slender salamanders, a genus otherwise mainly made up of very small species, and can grow to over 6 cm in length. It has a relatively broad head, and is colored brown with numerous gray speckles. These speckles often cover most of the salamander, making it appear silvery-gray. Like all ''Batrachoseps'' salamanders, it has only four toes on its hind feet. It has no dorsal stripe, a trait shared within ''Batrachoseps'' only with '' Batrachoseps gabrieli''.Jockusch, Elizabeth L. "Batrachoseps campi." ''Catalogue of American Amphibians and Reptiles (CAAR)'' (2001).

Distribution and habitat

''Batrachoseps campi'' is endemic to the

and limited to 20 known localities, located in Inyo County in eastern California, occupying a wide range of elevations from . The Inyo Mountains are extremely dry, especially at low elevations, resulting in ''Batrachoseps campi'' being largely restricted to small permanent springs inside steep canyons on both sides of the range. However, pitfall traps have recorded individuals far from these water sources, indicating that the species' underground distribution may occupy significantly more of the mountain range. Despite the nearby White Mountains (which are connected to the Inyo Mountains to the south) having similar canyon springs with riparian-restricted endemic species that overlap with the range of this species (such as the Panamint alligator lizard), ''Batrachoseps campi'' has never been recorded in the White Mountains or at any springs north of Waucoba canyon. The northernmost and southernmost localities where ''B. campi'' has been recorded are separated by only about 40 km.

Ecology

''Batrachoseps campi'' eats small insects and invertebrates. No eggs have ever been found, but it is assumed that this species reproduces like all other ''Batrachoseps'' slender salamanders without an aquatic larval stage.

Taxonomy

''Batrachoseps campi'' has no described subspecies. However, the springs it occupies are effectively completely isolated from each other due to the vast expanses of extremely dry desert mountain terrain separating them, and as such some subpopulations show significant genetic deviation from salamanders in other localities.Yanev, Kay P., and David B. Wake. "Genic differentiation in a relict desert salamander, Batrachoseps campi." ''Herpetologica'' (1981): 16-28. It is genetically most closely related to '' Batrachoseps robustus'' (Kern Plateau slender salamander), a species found across the

Owens Valley Owens Valley (Mono language (California), Mono: ''Payahǖǖnadǖ'', meaning "place of flowing water") is an arid valley of the Owens River in eastern California in the United States. It is located to the east of the Sierra Nevada (U.S.), Sierra ...

on the Kern Plateau i the

Sierra Nevada The Sierra Nevada ( ) is a mountain range in the Western United States, between the Central Valley of California and the Great Basin. The vast majority of the range lies in the state of California, although the Carson Range spur lies primari ...

, and '' Batrachoseps wrighti'' (Oregon slender salamander), a species found in northern

Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...

. This is of particular note because ''B. wrighti'' is the furthest slender salamander geographically from either of the other two species, implying that ''B. campi'' has been isolated from the rest of the slender salamanders for a relatively long time.

Conservation

''Batrachoseps campi'' is listed as a California species of special concern and as a sensitive species by the

Bureau of Land Management The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior responsible for administering federal lands, U.S. federal lands. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the BLM oversees more than of land, or one ...

. The mountain range where it resides is extremely remote and primarily consists of publicly owned land managed by the Bureau of Land Management and the Inyo National Forest, resulting in limited threats from private development (though mining and stream diversions have historically threatened various subpopulations). Habitat damage from grazing cattle has also been reported.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q306801 Slender salamanders Endemic amphibians of the United States Endemic fauna of California Fauna of the Great Basin Fauna of the Mojave Desert Natural history of Inyo County, California Inyo Mountains Inyo National Forest Endangered fauna of California Taxonomy articles created by Polbot Amphibians described in 1979