Salamanders/Caecilians ecology and pictures

Notophthalmus viridescens

Central Newt
2.5 to 4 inches
Found in woodland ponds and wetlands
Mate in autumn, lay eggs in April, metamorphosis in late summer

Ambystoma laterale

Blue-spotted Salamander
3 to 5 inches
Found in hardwood forest with sandy soils
Breed in early spring, metamorphosis in late summer
Triploid Tremblay's variant found in northern Wisconsin

Ambystoma tigrinum

Eastern Tiger Salamander
7 to 11 inches
Found in ponds and marshes in forests, grasslands, and farm lands
Breed in early spring, metamorphosis in late summer

Ambystoma maculatum

Spotted Salamander
4 to 7 inches
Found in northern hardwood forests
Breed early spring, metamorphosis in autumn

Plethodon cinereus

Red-backed Salamander
3 to 4 inches
Found in northern hardwood forests
Breed in fall, lay eggs in June, female guards eggs
Most abundant terrestrial vertebrate in eastern U.S.
Lead-back (all gray) and erythristic (all red) phases

Hemidactylium scutatum

Four-toed Salamander
3 to 4 inched
Found in hardwood forests and conifer swamps
Breed in fall or spring, lay eggs in April , female guards eggs
Wis status: special concern

Necturus maculosus

Mudpuppy
12 to 16 inches
Fully aquatic, found in lakes and rivers
Breed in fall, lay eggs in late May/early June, female guards eggs
Active under ice throughout the year
Wis. Status: special concern

Order Caudata

Salamanders

Salamandriae

Newts and European Salamanders
139 species worldwide
3 stage life cycle: aquatic larva, terrestrial eft, aquatic adult newt
Costal grooves and nasolabial grooves absent
1 species in Wisconsin: central newt

Ambystomatidae

Mole Salamanders
32 species worldwide
Heavy bodies with broad heads
Costal grooves present, no nasolabial groove
Live underground for most of the year
3 species in Wisconsin: blue-spotted, tiger, and spotted salamanders

Plethodontidae

Lungless Salamanders
Largest family: 516 species worldwide
Slender body, long tail, large eyes
Costal grooves and nasolabial groove present
2 Wisconsin species: red-backed and four-toed salamander

Proteidae

Mudpupies
8 species worldwide
Fully aquatic adults with external gills and tail fin
Large and heavy bodied
1 Wisconsin species - mudpuppy