Lungless salamanders (Plethodontidae)

Eastern Red-backed Salamander
(Plethodon cinereus)

Description:  2.5 to 5 inches long head to tail. Three variations or color phases occur. The Redback phase has a broad, straight stripe from it’s head, tapering at the tip of the tail. Stripe is typically red but may also be yellow, orange, pink or gray. The Leadback variation is light gray to black and lacks the stripe. The erythristic phase is rare and has an almost entirely red to pinkish-red back.

Occurrence:  Abundant

Habitat:  Completely terrestrial. Deciduous or coniferous forests. May be found in the interiors of decaying logs and stumps, under stones, moist leaf litter and bark.

Diet:  Small insects, insect larvae, earthworms, snails, slugs, spiders, sowbugs, millipedes and mites.

Reproduction  Breeds and deposits eggs from June to July in Massachusetts. Average of 8 eggs which take 30 to 60 days to hatch. Males sexually mature in the second year, Females often first reproduce in the third year.

Comments:  The Redback is one of the most abundant and commonly encountered salamanders.

Four toed Salamander
(Hemidactylium scutatum)

Description:  2 to 4 inches. Hind feet have four toes. Back is red-brown, gray sides and a white stomach with black spots.

Occurrence:  Uncommon to rare.

Habitat:  Shaded wet forest with sphagnum moss, vernal pools. May be found in moss or under moist decaying wood, stones and wet leaves. Prefers acidic environment.

Diet:  Insects, spiders, earthworms, springtails, ground beetles, ants, snails, true bugs. Larvae subsist on zooplankton.

Reproduction  

Comments:  

Northern Dusky Salamander
(Desmognathus fuscus)

Description:  2.5 to 5.5 inches. Pale line from eye to jaw. Juveniles have round yellow spots that fade with age. Adults have tan or dark brown backs, sometimes with alternating blotches occasionally fused to form a stripe.

Occurrence:  Common

Habitat:  Forests near cool running streams. Clear rocky streams, intermittent streams, seeps and semi-dry brooks. Moves overland only during wet weather. Shelters under wet leaves, moss, rocks and logs.

Diet:  Grubs, worms, crustaceans, spiders and other insects. Aquatic invertebrates, occasionally mollusks and larvae of own species.

Reproduction  Reaches sexual maturity anywhere between 3 and 5 years. Males earlier than females. Breeds in late spring in ponds or streams. 8 to 28 eggs deposited betweeen June and September. Female guards eggs under cover of rocks, bark, logs or moss near water. Eggs hatch after 7 or 8 weeks. Larvae move to water to develop over 7 to 10 months.

Comments:  Nocturnal but active on cloudy and wet days. May hibernate in deep water or remain active in unfrozen deep water and soil

Northern Two lined Salamander
(Eurycea bislineata)

Description:  2.5 to 5 inches. Broad yellowish band on back that may be tinged with brown, green or orange; often speckled. Band bordered by dark stripe running from eye to tail.

Occurrence:  Common to Abundant

Habitat:  Rocky lakeshores, brooks, sandy/silty streams, springs or seeps. Seeks cover under leaf litter and other objects in moist soil or coarse sand/gravel. Will travel overland during wet weather.

Diet:  Insects, beetles, beetle larvae, mayflies, stonefly nymphs, spiders, mites, millipedes, sowbugs and earthworms.

Reproduction  Sexually mature the 2nd fall after metamorphosis (2 to 3 years). Breeds September through May. Deposits 12 to 36 eggs on the underside of stones or logs in running water between May and early June. Many females may use the same nest site but the eggs are guarded by one female. Larvae hatch between 4 and 10 weeks and remain aquatic for 2 to 3 years.

Comments:  Generally nocturnal, even on wet/cloudy days. May hibernate under water or congregate in unfrozen springs streams or soil during winter.

Mole Salamanders (Ambystomatidae)

Blue spotted Salamander
(Ambystoma laterale)

Description:  “The blue-spotted salamander is a slender salamander with short limbs, long digits, and a narrow, rounded snout. A dark blue to black dorsum with brilliant sky-blue spots or specks on the lower sides of the body makes the coloration of this species quite distinct and reminiscent of antique blue enamel pots and dishware. The ventral surface is a paler grey with black pigmentation surrounding the vent. The tail is long and laterally compressed; averaging 44% of the to tal body length. Adults range from 4.0 to 5.5 inches (10 to 14 cm) in total length.”

Occurrence:  Uncommon. Listed as a species of ‘Special Concern’ in Massachusetts. Several documented sightings in Northeastern Massachusetts.

Habitat:  “Blue-spotted salamanders require moist, moderately shaded environments; they favor northern hardwood/hemlock forests occurring in glaciated areas having depressions available for seasonal flooding. Vernal pools, or temporary ponds, are necessary for reproduction and need to be full of dead and decaying leaves for cover and overhanging bushes or grass for egg deposition. Roadside drainage ditches, small kettle holes, and temporary pasture ponds also provide habitat when flooded in the spring.”

Diet:  Adults: Arthropods, annelids, centipedes and slugs.

Reproduction  “The breeding season is brief, lasting from mid March to late April. As soon as the ground surface thaws, males migrate above ground to temporary ponds and females join them a few days later. An elaborate courtship, similar to the Jefferson salamander, occurs including approach, contact, nudging, and tail-fanning routines that takes place in the water between a single male and single female. Following a period of amplexus, the female will follow the male, pick up a deposited sperm atophore, and store it in the cloaca for egg fertilization. Eggs are often laid singly or in a small egg mass, with 6 to 10 eggs per mass, for a total clutch ranging from 82 to 489 eggs. The egg masses cling lightly to overhanging vegetation or fall to the bottom of the pond. Hatching about a month later, larvae are voracious eaters, preying on insect larvae and other small aquatic animals.”

Comments:  In certain parts of it’s range the Blue Spotted Salamander hybridizes with the Jefferson Salamander. Rarely encountered above ground except during breeding season. These salamanders secrete toxins from poison glands in the tail to avoid predation. When living in secure habitat may live for decades.

Source: Massachusetts Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program

Spotted Salamander
(Ambystoma maculatum)

Description:  6 to 10 inches. Black, blu-black, dark gray or dark brown on it’s back with 2 irregular rows of round yellow or orange spots. Stomach is blue-gray.

Occurrence:  Common but declining.

Habitat:  Entirely subterranean, except when traveling to and from breeding pools. Moist deciduous or mixed woods and streambanks under stones and logs. Requires vernal pools free of fish for breeding.

Diet:  Earthworms, snails, slugs, insects, spiders, adult and larval beetles.

Reproduction  Sexually mature during second year. Breeds between March and Mid-April in vernal pools. Individuals often use the same pools each year. Deposits 100 to 200 eggs within a week of breeding. Larvae hatch between 30 and 60 days and metamorphosis occurs 60 to 110 days after hatching.

Comments:  Nocturnal. High temperature (>50F) and wet weather required for migration to vernal pools.

Marbled salamander
(Ambystoma opacum)

Description:  ” The marbled salamander is a short and stout salamander, with a stocky body, short limbs, and a broad, rounded snout. The dorsum has a dark brown to black background, splashed with bold silver-white or grey band-like markings that converge to create black spots—this “marbled” effect is what earned the salamander its common name. Unique among the New England salamanders, marbled salamanders exhibit sexual dichromatism; the males have brilliant white markings and the females have dull grey markings.
Sometimes the cross-banding is incomplete,forming stripes on the back, sides, and tail. The ventral coloration is uniformly dark gray”

Occurrence:  Rare. Listed as Threatened in Massachusetts. Possibly extirpated in Northeastern Massachusetts. Last Essex County sighting was 1983 in Boxford.

Habitat:  “Marbled salamanders are largely terrestrial and generally occur in deciduous to mixed woods of the southern hardwood type, do minated by oak and hickory species with white pine. They can live in a variety of habitats including moist, sandy areas and dry hillsides. They hide beneath surface materials such as logs, bark, boards, stones, and drift that piles up along the margins
of streams. Wooded vernal pools or shallow depressions are required as breeding sites.”

Diet:  “Small invertebrates such as larval and adult insects, crustaceans, snails, earthworms, slugs, beetles and ants.”

Reproduction  “Unlike most other Ambystoma species which breed in the spring (mid-March to April), marbled salamanders breed and deposit their eggs in autumn (September to October) in dry vernal pools. During the late summer, on nights just after heavy rainfall, adults migrate to the edges of dry vernal pools and congregate under the leaf litter. Males generally arrive at the breeding sites a few days prior to the females. Courtship occurs on land, involving circular “dancing” and snout-to-vent nuzzling. This activity induces the males to deposit a gelatinous spermatophore (a tiny packet of sperm) on the ground which is then picked up and stored in the female’s cloaca for internal fertilization. Eggs are spherical and opaque, between 2.7 and 5 mm in diameter. Numbering between 50 and 150, the eggs are deposited individually in a nest, usually in a small cavity under a log or leaf litter on the bottom of a vernal pool depression. They are almost invariably flooded when autumnal rainwater fills the pool. The moist eggs become covered with leaf detritus and become difficult to detect. The female remains to guard the eggs, curling her body protectively around them until they hatch. Eggs hatch within a few days after water fills the depression. Newly-hatched larvae are 3/4 inch (1.9 cm) in length in the fall and remain active through the winter under the ice, growing slowly. If the pool doesn’t fill, the female will leave the eggs for an underground wintering lair. Eggs are capable of withstanding extended desiccation without mortality, and in some cases, may overwinter to hatch the following spring. Larvae from eggs that overwinter grow larger before hatching, emerging at a full inch long. In the spring, growth accelerates for all larvae as temperatures increase and food items become more abundant. Larvae are voracious eaters, preying on copepods, aquatic insects and their larvae, other amphibian larvae, and even each other. The schedule of larval metamorphosis is largely dependent on vernal pool water levels or hydroperiod during summer. In years of high water, larvae will remain in the pool longer, sometimes until fall, before transforming; the recently-metamorphosed juveniles will be leaving the pond, as the adults begin arriving to breed. Juveniles take 15-18 months to reach breeding size.”

Comments:  “Nocturnal and generally less active than other salamander species. Adults have a distasteful milky secretion from the tail that protects them from potential predators.”

Source: Massachusetts Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program

Newts (Salamandridae)

Eastern Newt
(Notophthalmus viridescens)

Description:  2 to 3 inches long. Small slender and aquatic with two red stripes running down the body. Olive green to dark brown on it’s back. Yellow underside with some black specks and occasional red spots on sides. Eft stage is Orange-Red and terrestrial.

Occurrence:  Common

Habitat:  Adults found in ponds with aquatic vegetation. Eft stage found in moist wooded areas under wet leaves, brush, logs and stumps.

Diet:  Insects and insect larvae including; mayfly, caddisfly, midge, mosquito, springtails. Also tadpoles, frog eggs, worms, leeches, small mollusks, crustaceans. Snails are important food source for the Eft stage.

Reproduction  Age of sexual maturity varies greatly from 2 to 8 years. Breeds April to June, August to October and sometimes November to December in lakes ponds and swamps. Deposits 200 to 375 eggs in water attached to the leaves of aquatic plants. Larvae hatch in 3 to 5 weeks and migrate to terrestrial habitat after approximately 2 months.

Comments:  Skin secretions of the red eft stage are highly toxic as an adaptation to avoid predation.