A small plethodontid salamander which breathes through smooth moist thin skin. 18 -21 costal grooves. Very short limbs, narrow head, long slender body and very long tail, conspicuous costal and caudal grooves give a worm-like appearance. 4 toes on front and hind feet, typical of Batrachoseps. (Other California salamanders have 5 toes on hind feet.) Variable in color. Generally black or dark above, with red, brown, yellow, or tan coloring forming a dorsal stripe, sometimes with a herringbone pattern. Black or dark ventrally, with fine white speckles.

Ranges along the coast from extreme southwest Oregon to San Benito County and in the foothills of the northern Sierra Nevada mountains and scattered locations in the Sacramento valley and in Shasta county. Found in a variety of habitats: chaparral, woodland, grassland, forests, urban yards, vacant lots, driftwood. Generally found in moist locations, under logs, rocks, bark, leaf litter, stumps, debris. Can be very abundant in an area.

Endemic to California and extreme southwest Oregon. Occurs from central California south of the Bay Area in San Benito County, north along the coast and coast ranges into Oregon and in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains from Butte County to Calaveras County. Isolated populations occur in scattered areas in the northern Central Valley and in Shasta County.

Eggs are laid in fall and winter. Young hatch fully formed in winter and spring. Often use large communal nests.

Diet consists of a variety of invertebrates.

Active on rainy or wet nights when temperatures are moderate, beginning with the first fall rains until the spring or summer dry period. Retreats underground when the soil dries or when air temperature gets below freezing. Lives and lays eggs in moist places on land. When disturbed, may coil up and remain still, then uncoil quickly and spring away, repeatedly bouncing over the ground. Tail is easily broken off, but it can be regenerated. A sit-and-wait predator.

Conservation Actions In-Place
This species occurs in several protected areas. It is not listed at the federal or state level. 

Conservation Needed
This species would likely benefit from improved habitat protection and management at sites where it is known to occur.

Research Needed
Further research on this species' distribution, population size and trends is recommended. This species likely represents a complex, and it is necessary to investigate this species complex and elucidate the taxonomic identity of its members.

Batrachoseps diabolicus - Hell Hollow Slender Salamander

Batrachoseps gavilanensis - Gabilan Mountains Slender Salamander

Batrachoseps gregarius - Gregarious Slender Salamander

Petranka, James W.. Salamanders of the United States and Canada. Washington & London: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1998

Behler, John. Familiar Reptiles and Amphibians of North America. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1988