HERPS: Week 1

omg slamanders!

ORDER:

• amphibian

• long tails

• elongated, cylindrical bodies

• well-developed limbs

- hellbender
- lesser siren
- Jefferson salamander
- spotted salamander
- marbled salamander
- eastern tiger salamander
- mudpuppy
- northern dusky salamander
- southern two-lined salamander
- cave salamander
- eastern red-backed salamander
- northern zigzag salamander
- eastern newt

ORDER:

• amphibian

• long tails

• elongated, cylindrical bodies

• well-developed limbs

- hellbender
- lesser siren
- Jefferson salamander
- spotted salamander
- marbled salamander
- eastern tiger salamander
- mudpuppy
- northern dusky salamander
- southern two-lined salamander
- cave salamander
- eastern red-backed salamander
- northern zigzag salamander
- eastern newt

Caudata

FAMILY
- hellbender

Cryptobranchidae

hellbender
- 5 toes front / 4 toes back
- no external gills
- wrinkled skin

Cryptobranchus alleganiensis

FAMILY
- lesser siren

Sirenidae

lesser siren
- no hind legs
- external gills

Siren intermedia

FAMILY
- “mole” salamanders
- 4 toes front / 5 toes back
- blunt heads

- Jefferson salamander
- spotted salamander
- marbled salamander
- eastern tiger salamander

Ambystomatidae

Jefferson salamander
- silver/blue side specks
- wedged snout
- black back/white belly

Ambystoma jeffersonianum

spotted salamander
- 2 irregular rows of spots (yellow)
- NO spots on belly
- black/bluish

Ambystoma macula

marbled salamander
- light dorsal crossbands on black background
- black belly and lower sides

Ambystoma opacum

eastern tiger salamander
- grey/green/black
- yellow spots (on side AND belly)

Ambystoma tigrinum

FAMILY
- mudpuppy

Proteidae

mudpuppy
- 4 feet/4 toes
- dark stripe through eye
- external gills

Necturus maculosus

FAMILY
- largest salamander fam
- skip larval phase
- prominent costal grooves

- northern dusky salamander
- southern two-lined salamander
- cave salamander
- eastern red-backed salamander
- northern zigzag salamander

Plethodontidae

northern dusky salamander
- angled jaw
- keeled tail
- hind limbs shorter than forelimbs

Desmognathus fuscus

southern two-lined salamander
- 2 dark lines border broad light strip
- tail breaks up into dots/dashes

Eurycea cirrigera

cave salamander
- tail longer than body
- orange/red with black speckling

Eurycea lucifuga

eastern red-backed salamander
- leadbacked+redbacked variants
- mottled salt + pepper belly
- long, slender body
- NO zigzag

Plethodon cinerus

northern zigzag salamander
- dorsal stripe is rounded and zigzagged
- mottled orange + red belly
- long + slender

Plethodon dorsalis

FAMILY
- eastern newt

Salamandridae

eastern newt
- rough skin
- black rings w/ red in them
- peppering on side and bottom of body

Notophthalmus viridescens