Slender Salamanders can be distinguished from other species of Lungless Salamanders by the presence of only four toes on both the fore and hind feet. Other species of western salamanders have five toes on the hind feet. The 14 species of Batrachoseps are difficult to distinguish and one should rely heavily on geographic location to narrow down the possibilities - some new species have been identified by differences in their DNA, something of little use in the field!

The Garden Slender Salamander is Pale brown to reddish brown above, rarely with a band. Frequently with rust colored markings on the tail, snout and shoulders. Belly is light gray with darker speckles. The Desert Slender Salamander has a dark dorsum and belly, covered with many small flecks that can give the animal a pale appearance. Underside of the tail is flesh colored. This endangered pecies is only found in Hidden Palm Canyon and Guadalupe Canyon, in the northern slopes of the Santa Rosa Mountains, Riverside County, California, where it inhabits limestone seeps.

The photo below is of a Relictual Slender Salamander This species has a dorsal stripe of dark, reddish or yellowish brown on a dark background. Belly is dark gray. Relictual Slender Salamanders can be found up to 8000 feet in the Sierra Nevada.

The Channel Islands Slender Salamanders (not shown) is found on East Anacapa, Middle Anacapa, West Anacapa, Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa and San Miguel Islands, while the Garden Slender Salamander (B. m. major) is found on Santa Catalina, Coronados, and Todos Santos Islands.

The eggs of these species hatch directly into small terrestrial salamanders, skipping the aquatic larval stage.

Reference:

Crother B.I. (ed.)  2000.  Scientific and Standard English Names of Amphibians and 
     Reptiles of North America North of Mexico, with Comments Regarding Confidence 
     in Our Understanding.  SSAR Herpetological Circular 29. iii + 82 pp.

This publication may be purchased from the Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles (SSAR).