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The lungless salamanders, in addition to having no lungs, have long slender snake-shaped bodies with very small limbs that appear almost vestigial in several species. [1] Their main diet consists of small insects, such as springtails, small bark beetles, crickets, young snails, mites, and spiders.
Plethodontidae, or lungless salamanders, are a family of salamanders. [ 1 ] [ 2 ] 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 British Columbia to Brazil.
The California slender salamander (Batrachoseps attenuatus) is a lungless salamander [2] that is found primarily in coastal mountain areas of Northern California, United States as well as in a limited part of the western foothills of the Sierra Nevada, California, in patches of the northern Central Valley of California, and in extreme southwestern Oregon.
While Batrachoseps major is a small salamander, it is larger than most other Batrachoseps slender salamanders. Adults are 3.2–5.9 centimetres (1.3–2.3 in) in length and have 17-21 costal grooves. [3] Like other Batrachoseps, B. major has only four toes on its hind feet. Color is variable, but individuals are usually some form of gray.
The gregarious slender salamander (Batrachoseps gregarius) is a species of salamander in the family Plethodontidae. [2] Its natural habitats are California interior chaparral and woodlands and temperate grasslands in the lower foothills of the western Sierra Nevada and the eastern Central Valley in California , United States.
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. [2]
However, it has a more robust appearance than other slender salamanders due to its longer legs. [3] Adults are 4.2 - 7 centimeters long (1.67 - 2.75 in) from snout to vent. [4] Dorsal surface coloration ranges from brown to pinkish, with a prominent dorsal stripe made up of light speckles.
They are considered salamander specialists in some areas, such as the mountains of North Carolina, where between 40 and 50% of their adult diets may consist of other salamanders. [7]: 13 [8] Although deforestation is a potential threat, the spring salamander occurs in many protected areas and is not listed as threatened in the IUCN Red List. [1]