Urodelans Quiz - Vermont Salamanders (PDF)

Update – WFB 2410 Lab +Unfortunately, Brittany is still too sick to meet in- person. Lab is for WFB 2410 students is cancelled for tomorrow (Friday). Next week +Reading check due on Tuesday before class +Urodelans of Vermont quiz in class on Thursday +No other HW due – just study for that quiz an...

Update – WFB 2410 Lab +Unfortunately, Brittany is still too sick to meet in- person. Lab is for WFB 2410 students is cancelled for tomorrow (Friday). Next week +Reading check due on Tuesday before class +Urodelans of Vermont quiz in class on Thursday +No other HW due – just study for that quiz and start preparing for the Amphibians Exam (Feb 18th in class) +Covers all Amphibians material except for herps of VT info Urodelans Quiz – Thursday 2/13 +Same format as the Anurans quiz this week +Our objectives with this (and all) Herps of VT quizzes: +Students are comfortable identifying the herps of Vermont by sight +Students know important contextual clues (e.g., habitat, life history, behaviors) that help them with field identification +Students know the taxonomy of our VT herps (family, genus, species) +Students know the conservation status and general distribution of our VT herps +As with last time, we will present life history, habitat, conservation, and distribution info and leave it to you to add field marks/ID All photos +All photos in today’s presentation are compliments of the Vermont Herp Atlas (https://www.vtherpatlas.org/) +Some other resources from the Atlas you may check out: +https://www.vtherpatlas.org/herp-species-in-vermont/quick-photo- reference/quick-photo-ref-vt-salamanders/ +https://www.vtherpatlas.org/herp-species-in-vermont/detailed-id-life- history-information/ Eastern Newt (Notopthalmus viridescens) Family: Salamandridae (the “true” salamanders) Eastern Newt (Notopthalmus viridescens) Life History - Red efts (the juvenile phase) live exclusively on land for years - Adults change color and morphology, returning to water to breed - Lay their eggs individually on underwater vegetation - Nuptial pads help ID males - Aquatic or terrestrial brumation Overwintering adult newts congregating near an inlet to a pond (likely a source of dissolved oxygen). Photo taken on January 26, 2025 in Williamstown, MA by Quinn Wilson. Eastern Newt (Notopthalmus viridescens) Habitat - Summers and winters in hardwood forests near permanent water - Breeds in beaver ponds, ponds, lakes, marshes, etc. - Common through most of VT except in the conifer-dominated NE Kingdom. Conservation -S5 (common) - Highly susceptible to Bsal (new pathogen not thought to be in US yet) “The Mole Salamanders” +Family Ambystomatidae +We’ve got three in Vermont to consider: +Jefferson salamander +Blue-spotted salamander +Spotted salamander Jefferson Salamander (Ambystoma jeffersonianum) Family: Ambystomatidae Jefferson Salamander (Ambystoma jeffersonianum) Life History - Spends most of their life underground (like a mole) - Overwinters underground - Lays loose masses of 10-40 eggs - Larvae metamorphose in 2-4 months - Hybridized with blue-spotted (“The Jeff Complex”) Jefferson Salamander (Ambystoma jeffersonianum) Habitat - Summer and overwinter in upland forests - Breeds in vernal pools and other semi-permanent wetlands - Found in low, hilly areas in soils of high buffering capacity (sensitive to acidity in breeding pools). Conservation -S2 (rare); please report all sightings - Acid rain Blue-spotted Salamander (Ambystoma laterale) Family: Ambystomatidae Blue-spotted Salamander (Ambystoma laterale) Life History - Spends most of their life underground (like a mole) - Overwinters underground - Lays single gelatinous eggs (but hybrids with Jefferson salamanders lay egg masses of ~10 eggs) Anyone remember what this posture is called? - Larvae metamorphose in 2-4 Unkenreflex! months - “Jeff Complex” Blue-spotted Salamander (Ambystoma laterale) Habitat - Lower elevation vernal pools, flood plains, semi- permanent pools, marshes, and swamps. - Populations scattered Conservation -S3 (uncommon); please report all sightings Largely a Champlain lowlands species Spotted Salamander (Ambystoma maculatum) Family: Ambystomatidae Spotted Salamander (Ambystoma maculatum) Life History - Spends most of their life underground (like a mole) - Overwinters underground - Lays egg masses (that you should be able to identify) of 20-250 eggs - Larvae metamorphose in 2-4 months - Can live for 20 years! Spotted Salamander (Ambystoma maculatum) Habitat - Summer and overwinter in upland hardwood and mixed forests. - Breeding in vernal pools, beaver ponds, and old farm ponds. Conservation -S5 (common) “The Lungless Salamanders” +Family Plethodontidae +Vermont has several, but let’s start with our “Three Slender Salamanders” Eastern Redbacked Salamander (Plethodon cinereus) Family: Plethodontidae Eastern Redbacked Salamander (Plethodon cinereus) Life History - Entirely terrestrial life cycle - Direct development (rather than larval) offspring - Overwinters underground - Lays eggs under logs in moist microhabitat; females will guard nests Eastern Redbacked Salamander (Plethodon cinereus) Habitat - Hardwood and mixedwood associated, especially in areas with deep leaf litter - Not a fan of acidic soils (e.g., coniferous woodlands) - Found statewide Conservation -S5 (common) - Sensitive to forest management activities Four-toed Salamander (Hemidactylium scutatum) Family: Plethodontidae Four-toed Salamander (Hemidactylium scutatum) Life History - Will lay 15-60 eggs in moss or debris near water, sometimes in communal nests - Larval development rapid, 3-6 weeks - Overwinters underground and under cover, sometimes in mixed species groups Four-toed Salamander (Hemidactylium scutatum) Habitat - Moist and dry woodlands, and also in forests adjacent to swamps. Conservation -S2 (rare). Please report all sightings. Northern Two-lined Salamander (Eurycea bislineata) Family: Plethodontidae Northern Two-lined Salamander (Eurycea bislineata) Life History - Lays masses of 10s of eggs on underside of a rock in streams - Communal nesting - Long larval stage of 2-3 years! - Overwinters in running water or in nearby terrestrial habitat Northern Two-lined Salamander (Eurycea bislineata) Habitat - A stream-associated salamander - Found in wet soil or under cover in or around streams or seeps Conservation -S5 (common) The Lungless Salamanders +Family Plethodontidae +Let’s continue on to the remaining 2 Plethodontids, which are larger than the first three. Northern Dusky Salamander (Desmognathus fuscus) Family: Plethodontidae Northern Dusky Salamander (Desmognathus fuscus) Life History - One egg mass of up to 40 eggs is laid in moist mosses on logs in seeps and is guarded by the female - Long larval period of 7-12 months - Overwinters in streams or nearby deep soils Northern Dusky Salamander (Desmognathus fuscus) Habitat - Another stream-associated salamander. - streams, springs, and/or areas with seepage. Muck! - Rocks, logs, or other debris for shelter. - May share habitat with Northern two-lined and spring salamanders Conservation -S5 (common) Spring Salamander (Gyrinophilus porphyriticus) Family: Plethodontidae Spring Salamander (Gyrinophilus porphyriticus) Life History - One egg mass of up to 130 eggs is laid on the underside of rocks in streams - Long larval period of 3-4 years! - Overwinters in streams and may be active year round Spring Salamander (Gyrinophilus porphyriticus) Habitat - Well-oxygenated, cold, clear mountain streams or springs - Will feed on land near streams at night Conservation -S4 (relatively common) A higher elevation species, absent from the Champlain lowlands Mudpuppy (Necturus maculosus) Family: Proteidae Mudpuppy (Necturus maculosus) Life History - 50-100 eggs laid under rocks, logs, etc. and guarded by female - Larval characteristics (e.g., gills) persist for life, but 5+ years to sexual maturity - Active year-round, even in winter (below the ice) Mudpuppy (Necturus maculosus) Habitat - In VT, spend most time at depths of up to 60 feet in Lake Champlain, the Connecticut River and some tributaries. - May move upstream or to shorelines to shallower water to lay their eggs. Conservation Note: Native range in Lake Champlain - S2 (rare) Basin, introduced (as released bait?) in CT River Basin. - May be impacted by lampricide Some reminders and tips +Use info from Gibbs or the Vermont Reptile and Amphibian Atlas to understand field marks for all 10 salamanders. +Be especially aware of things like size, belly patterns, etc. and how they compare with other similar species in VT. Some reminders and tips +Size can be a helpful feature to consider. Check out these next few slides. Can you identify each species? Our Slender Salamanders +About pencil-width and ~3-4 inches long Our Medium Salamanders +A bit thicker than a pencil and up to ~5 inches long Our Large Salamanders +Thick – think of a big magic marker, and more like 6-8 inches long XL Sally +Girth of a garden hose as adults, up to a foot (or more) long Another way to group salamanders  Mole Salamanders +Ambystoma laterale +Ambystoma +Ambystoma + Black with blue jeffersonianum maculatum spots/flecks (especially on + Solid gray-brown, + Yellow spots on a black the sides) sometimes with flecks background + Narrow, fairly rounded + Broad head, widely spaced + Broad head snout, nostrils close nostrils + Rounded tail together + Laterally compressed tail + Rounded tail Mole Salamanders  Slender Salamanders +Hemidactylium +Plethodon cinereus +Eurycea bislineata scutatum + Dark red, sometimes dark + Yellow-brown with black brown-gray or reddish- lines bordering a yellow- + Orange-brown coloration orange brown stripe + “Salt and pepper” belly + Red stripe (usually) down + Yellow under tail (i.e., black spots on white center of back background) + Cream colored belly with dark vermiculations (worm trails) Slender Salamanders  Large Aquatic Salamanders + Gyrinophilus porphyriticus +Necturus maculosus + Salmon-pink body with dark + Dark brown body with black spots reticulations + External gills throughout life + No external gills as adults + Sharply keeled tail + Laterally compressed tail + Clean, fast-moving mountain streams + Large tributaries below first fall line Large Aquatic Salamanders