Tottori Salamander

A small, slender lungless salamander typically measuring 3.5–5.0 inches (9–13 cm) in total length. Body is elongate and gracile with a relatively long tail comprising approximately 50 percent of total length. Limbs are short and delicate. Dorsal coloration is dark brown to blackish-brown, often with a faint reddish or russet tinge along the vertebral region. A distinct pale yellow or cream-colored dorsolateral stripe runs from the eye region posteriorly along each side of the body, terminating near the tail base; these stripes are a key diagnostic feature. The stripe is typically narrow and well-defined. Dorsal surfaces are finely granular. Ventral surface is dark gray to brownish-gray, sometimes with lighter spotting or flecking. The tail is laterally compressed and may show faint lighter coloration or fine lineations. Costal grooves are typically 13–14, running from axilla to groin. Eyes are relatively small and dark. Confined to cool, humid montane and submontane forests in the Tottori Prefecture region of western Honshu, Japan, where it inhabits leaf litter, decaying logs, mossy rocks, and seepage areas near small streams. Terrestrial and largely nocturnal. Diet consists of small arthropods including mites, springtails, small insects, and other invertebrates encountered in the leaf litter.