San Gabriel Mountain Slender Salamander (Batrachoseps gabrieli)
San Gabriel Mountain Slender Salamander (Batrachoseps gabrieli)
General Distribution
All known localities of San Gabriel Mountain slender salamander are in the San Gabriel Mountains on
the Angeles and San Bernardino National Forests. Known locations on the Angeles National Forest
include Cow Canyon, San Antonio Canyon, Alpine Canyon and south of Alpine Canyon, Cloudburst
Canyon, and San Antonio Canyon. Specimens have also been found in the middle, south, and north
forks of Lytle Creek on the San Bernardino National Forest (Stephenson and Calcarone 1999), and in
East Kimbark, Waterman, and Devil Canyon in the San Bernardino Mountains. Systematics
San Gabriel Mountain slender salamander is one of 19 recognized Batrachoseps salamanders. An
additional Batrachoseps species is currently being described from the southern Sierra Nevada; several
others from the southern Sierra have been identified but not described (Hansen pers. comm.). San
Gabriel Mountain slender salamander is a relict species that is strongly differentiated genetically from
all other Batrachoseps species. Genetic studies suggest that this lineage has been separated from other
lineages in the genus for 8-13 million years (Petranka 1998, Wake 1996). There is now evidence to
suggest that there are two groups of Batrachoseps salamanders in the eastern San Gabriel and western
San Bernardino Mountains, which probably represent two different species (Jockusch and Wake 2002). Habitat Requirements
San Gabriel Mountain slender salamander has been found on northwest-facing talus slopes or near water
in mixed hardwood-conifer forest habitats containing oaks (Quercus spp.), pines (Pinus spp.), big cone
Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga macrocarpa), white fir (Abies concolor), California laurel (Umbellularia
californica), Oregon big-leaf maple (Acer macrophyllum), and incense cedar (Calocedrus decurrens)
(Wake 1996). The known elevational range of this salamander is 3,800–7,780 feet (1,158–2,372 meters)
(Wake 1996). When active near the surface, San Gabriel Mountain slender salamander typically occurs
in talus and under large rocks, rotting logs, downed tree limbs, and bark. Specimens have been collected
within 50 feet (15 meters) of a stream (Wake 1996). Reproduction
There is no information on reproduction, longevity, or dispersal movements of this newly described
species. Daily/Seasonal Activity
Surface activity of San Gabriel Mountain slender salamander is probably limited to a few months in the
winter and early spring (Wake 1996). Individuals are relatively common during February and March
near the surface, even when soil surface temperature is just above freezing. Presumably, these
salamanders move deep within the talus, where conditions are cooler and moister, during the dry months
of summer and early fall (Wake 1996). Adult San Gabriel Mountain slender salamanders are not thought to be aggressive or strongly territorial
because as many as three adults have been observed under the same rock (Petranka 1998, Wake 1996). Diet and Foraging
If San Gabriel Mountain slender salamander conforms to patterns exhibited by Tehachapi slender
salamander (Batrachoseps stebbinsi), which resembles it and is also a talus dweller (Wake 1996), it
forages in leaf litter and under bark and rotten logs for food. The two species' diets may also be similar,
consisting of small spiders, mites, and various insects (Hansen and Stafford 1994). Predator-Prey Relations
Predators of San Gabriel Mountain slender salamander are unknown. Literature Cited
Hansen, R.W.; Stafford, R. 1994. Tehachapi slender salamander. In: Thelander; Carl G., ed. in chief;?Crabtree, Margo; managing ed. Life on the edge: a guide to California's endangered natural
resources. Santa Cruz, CA: Biosystems Analysis, Inc.
Jockusch, E.L.; Wake; D.L. 2002. Falling apart and merging: diversification of slender salamanders
(Plethodontidae: Batrachoseps) in the American West. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 76:
361-391.
Lind, A.J. 1998. Batrachoseps stebbinsi. Region 5 U.S. Forest Service Sensitive Animal Species
Evaluation and Documentation Form. Unpublished Document. Vallejo, CA: USDA Forest Service,
Pacific Southwest Region.
Petranka, J.W. 1998. Salamanders of the United States and Canada. Washington and
London: Smithsonian Institution and Press.
Stephenson, J.R.; Calcarone, G.M. 1999. Southern California mountains and foothills assessment:
Habitat and species conservation issues. General Technical Report PSW-GTR-172. Albany, CA: Pacific
Southwest Research Station, Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Wake, D.B. 1996. A new species of Batrachoseps (Amphibia: Plethodontidae) from the San Gabriel
Mountains, southern California. Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County Contributions in
Science 463: 1-12.
Information gathered from California DFG - California Interagency Wildlife Task Group
