Tokyo Salamander

A small, slender salamander typically measuring 3.5–5.5 inches (9–14 cm) in total length. Body is elongate and graceful with relatively short limbs. Dorsal coloration is dark brown to nearly black, often with a bronze or coppery sheen, marked with a thin, continuous yellowish or golden vertebral stripe running from the head to the tail tip. This vertebral stripe is the most distinctive field mark. Lateral surfaces are slightly lighter than the dorsum. The head is small and somewhat flattened. Eyes are small and dark. Costal grooves are distinct and typically number 12–13 between the fore and hind limbs. Skin is smooth and moist. Tail is laterally compressed, comprising roughly half the total length. Ventral surface is dark gray to brown, occasionally with lighter spotting or mottling. Males are generally smaller and more slender than females. Primarily inhabits cool, moist mountain forests and valleys in and around Tokyo and central Honshu, Japan, preferring areas with seepage, small streams, and dense moss and leaf litter near flowing water. More terrestrial than many salamanders but dependent on high moisture. Diet consists of small arthropods, primarily tiny insects, arachnids, and other invertebrates encountered in the leaf litter and moss habitat.