Coal Black Salamander

B.anthracina is a large, moderately robust, uniformly black salamander with digits that have very little webbing . It differs from other large black salamanders in Panama and Costa Rica because it has a large number of maxillary teeth. The standard length of the species reaches more than 70 mm, and is 4.4 times head length and 7 times head width. The snout has small proturberances at the termination of the nasolabial grooves. The nostrils and eyes are small. Teeth are numerous (more than 24 vomerine and 66 maxillary teeth). The limbs are only moderately long, and the hands and feet have short, blunt digit tips. There is little webbing, and the fingers (in order of decreasing length) are 3-4-2-1; toes are 3-4-2-5-1. Tails are longer than SL. The salamander is uniformly black except for the palms and soles, which are gray.B. anthracina may occur in sympatry with B. robusta and B. colonnea. The species name is derived from the Greek word anthrakinos, meaning coal-black, in reference to the dark coloration of this salamander. This species occurs in cloud forests that remain moderately inaccessible and the species is known only from three specimens.

The species is found in the Carribean Tropical Premontane Rainforest in western Panama and near the border of Costa Rica. The elevational range for this species is from 1100-1450 m.

The coal-black salamander (Bolitoglossa anthracina) is a species of salamander in the family Plethodontidae. It is endemic to Panama. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests. It is threatened by habitat loss.