Inyo Mountains Salamander

About the Inyo Mountains Salamander

The Inyo Mountains salamander (Batrachoseps campi) or Inyo slender salamander is a species of salamander in the family Plethodontidae that is endemic to the Inyo Mountains of California in the western United States. 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.

Batrachoseps campi is endemic to the Inyo Mountains and limited to 20 known localities, located in Inyo County in eastern California, occupying a wide range of elevations from 550–2,450 metres (1,800–8,040 ft). 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... Wikipedia →