Marbled Salamander In The Northeast

Disjunct populations are found in eastern missouri central illinois in northwest ohio.

Marbled salamander in the northeast. The marbled salamander is a stocky boldly banded salamander. Ambystoma opacum the marbled salamander is found throughout most of the eastern united states from massachusetts west to central illinois southeastern missouri and oklahoma and eastern texas south to the gulf of mexico and the carolina coast it is absent from peninsular florida. Climate projections for the northeast suggest that higher temperatures and a longer growing season will lead to increases in evapotranspiration evaporation and transpiration from plants 8. The belly is black and unmarked.

These changes are expected to increase the frequency of short term. Adults can grow to about 11 cm 4 in small compared to other members of its genus. Disjunct populations occur along the southern edge of lake. Occasionally the crossbands run together on the sides encasing a black area within a striking outline of white.

On the female these bands tend to be a bit more gray. Despite its name its color varies. They are also found northward in tennessee kentucky and indiana. The marbled salamander a member of the mole salamander family ambystomatidae tends to occupy drier more sandy or gravelly habitat than most of pennsylvania s salamander species.

Marbled salamanders range from the northeast united states down through georgia and across the gulf states to texas. They may be inactive and underground during the hot summer months. The marbled salamander ambystoma opacum is a species of mole salamander found in the eastern united states. This species is sexually dimorphic males tend to have white crossbands and females tend to have gray silvery crossbands.

The bands of females tend to be gray while those of males are more white. This small salamander may be the most abundant vertebrate backboned animal in the northeast and it s found all across the state. Marbled salamanders grow to about 3 5 4 25 in 9 10 7 cm in size and are stout bodied and chubby in appearance. They can be identified by their black dark brown body including its venter with light white silvery crossbands on the dorsum.

Marbled salamanders are dependent on very specific pool hydrology for reproduction. And while most of us have seen salamanders few are aware of their extraordinary diversity. It s often gray with a red stripe down its back but it may be entirely red or entirely gray. It is lungless and breathes through its moist skin.

The body is dark gray to black with bold white or silvery crossbands.