About Batrachoseps luciae Jockusch, Yanev & Wake, 2001
The Santa Lucia Mountains slender salamander, scientifically named Batrachoseps luciae, is a species of salamander belonging to the family Plethodontidae. It is endemic to California, the United States, and is only known to occur in Monterey County. Its distribution is limited to the Santa Lucia Range within California's Central Coast region. This salamander inhabits moist montane chaparral, woodlands, and temperate coniferous forest, and can survive in disturbed habitats if sufficient cover is available. In 2001, this species and several other native California salamanders were formally described as new distinct species, after phylogenetic analysis results led to the splitting of the Batrachoseps pacificus species complex.
