Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities Journal

Tehachapi Slender Salamander (Batrachoseps stebbinsi) is endemic to the Tehachapi Mountains to the Piute Mountains and is listed as a threatened species by the State of California. This species is found in scattered populations from the San Andreas Fault to Walker Basin. Previous studies have found that northern and southern populations of this species have high levels of genetic, color, and size differences. It has been suggested that northern and southern populations of B. stebbinsi, divided by the Tehachapi Valley, could be separate species. We obtained morphological measurements from images of preserved specimens from northern (N = 27) and southern (N = 10) populations. No significant differences in shape or size were detected between these two populations. In future work, we will explore local adaptation, increase sample sizes, and incorporate the evolution of color variation across the range of this species.