Family: Plethodontidae, Lungless Salamanders view all from this family

Description 3-5 1/2" (7.6-14 cm). Elongated body and tail. Small narrow feet; only 4 toes. Sooty or black above, with broad yellow, brownish, or reddish band on black; colors vary with locality. Belly black or dusky, finely speckled with white. Costal grooves, 18-22.

Breeding Late fall and winter. Clutches of 4-21 eggs are seen in pockets beneath rocks or logs; hatch in spring. No aquatic larval stage.

Habitat Coastal mountains and interior foothills; redwood forests, grasslands with scattered trees.

Range Extreme sw. Oregon south along Coast Ranges to sw. California; also, along base of Sierra Nevada adjacent to Sacramento - San Joaquin Valley.

Discussion Common, especially during rainy periods. Spends its days in moist forest litter or in channels of rotted-out tree roots; forages at night for worms and small arthropods. It occurs with the Ensatina Salamander over much of its range. Specimens from southern California are now recognized as Black-bellied Slender Salamander, B. nigriventris.