Black-bellied slender salamander

The black-bellied slender salamander (Batrachoseps nigriventris) is a small species of salamander that is endemic to California.

Distribution
This salamander prefers California chaparral and woodlands habitats of Coast live oak - Quercus agrifolia and California sycamore - Platanus racemosa.

Description
The black-bellied slender salamander is about 3.1 to 4.3 cm long. It has a worm-like body, a small head and small limbs, and a long cylindrical tail, often twice the length of its body.

The black-bellied slender salamander can have a black, tan, reddish, brown or beige dorsum often with a contrasting broad mid-dorsal stripe of similar colors. It has a purplish or black venter with fine light speckling over the entire surface.

This species will coil its body and tail when handled; it is fragile and easily injured. Batrachoseps nigriventis looks similar to the related species Batrachoseps pacificus and Batrachoseps gabrieli.

Reproduction
These salamanders reproduce by laying eggs, which are usually buried underground and thus rarely seen.

Food web
The diet of the black-bellied salamander is poorly documented but is probably similar to the diet of the garden slender salamander, which includes worms, larva, small terrestrial arthropods and mollusks. Potential predators include gray foxes, skunks, raccoons, skinks, and ringtails.