NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
California Slender Salamander
Batrachoseps attenuatus (Eschscholtz, 1833)
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
California slender salamander (Batrachoseps attenuatus)
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Open encyclopedia reference
The California slender salamander (Batrachoseps attenuatus) is a lungless salamander found primarily in coastal mountain areas of Northern California, United States as well as in limited areas of the western foothills of the Sierra Nevada, California, the northern Central Valley of California, and in extreme southwestern Oregon. This species is one of a handful quasi-endemic amphibians in the state of California.
In 2001, Elizabeth L. Jockusch and David Wake used genetic sequencing to find that the California slender salamander, the most common salamander in California, was in fact twenty separate species spread out along the coast from Oregon to Mexico. Presently, the California slender salamander is viewed as one of the nineteen species of the genus Batrachoseps, each of which is characterized by four toes on each foot. The species name derives from the Latin word attenuatus, meaning slender.
Wikipedia contributors, California slender salamander; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T12:08:41.131618+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Batrachoseps attenuatus (Eschscholtz, 1833)
- Name authority
- (Eschscholtz, 1833)
- Common name
- California Slender Salamander
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Amphibia
- Order
- Caudata
- Family
- Plethodontidae
- Genus
- Batrachoseps
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classAmphibia
- orderCaudata
- familyPlethodontidae Gray, 1850
- subfamilyHemidactyliinae Hallowell, 1856
- genusBatrachoseps Bonaparte, 1839
- speciesBatrachoseps attenuatus (Eschscholtz, 1833)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Batrachoseps. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Desert Slender SalamanderBatrachoseps aridus Brame, 1970 | PlethodontidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Fairview Slender SalamanderBatrachoseps bramei Jockusch, Martínez-Solano, Hansen & Wake, 2012 | PlethodontidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Gabilan Mountains Slender SalamanderBatrachoseps gavilanensis Jockusch, Yanev & Wake, 2001 | PlethodontidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Sequoia Slender SalamanderBatrachoseps kawia Jockusch, Wake & Yanev, 1998 | PlethodontidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Lesser Slender SalamanderBatrachoseps minor Jockusch, Yanev & Wake, 2001 | PlethodontidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Relictual Slender SalamanderBatrachoseps relictus Brame & Murray, 1968 | PlethodontidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Kern Plateau SalamanderBatrachoseps robustus Wake, Yanev & Hansen, 2002 | PlethodontidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Kern Canyon Slender SalamanderBatrachoseps simatus Brame & Murray, 1968 | PlethodontidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Kings River Slender SalamanderBatrachoseps regius Jockusch, Wake & Yanev, 1998 | PlethodontidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Batrachoseps attenuatus attenuatus (Eschscholtz, 1833) (Eschscholtz, 1833) | synonym |
| Batrachoseps attenuatus caudatus Cope, 1889 Cope, 1889 | synonym |
| Batrachoseps caudatus Cope, 1889 Cope, 1889 | synonym |
| Salamandrina attenuata Eschscholtz, 1833 Eschscholtz, 1833 | synonym |
| Batrachoseps attenuata (Eschscholtz, 1833) (Eschscholtz, 1833) | synonym |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=173706 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:5WG5X. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.