Bold black-and-white-banded mole salamanders that buck the family trend by laying eggs on land in the fall, in dry pool basins, where they wait for autumn rains to fill the pool and hatch them.
§ Quick facts
§ Encyclopedia
The marbled salamander is a species of mole salamander found in the eastern United States.
Source: Wikipedia — Marbled salamander Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
§ Identification
Field marks. Stout black salamander with bold contrasting silver-white crossbands across body (more vivid in males); broad short head; relatively short tail.
Similar species. Spotted Salamander (yellow rounded spots, not bands). Other Ambystoma species (different patterns or ranges).
Voice. Silent.
§ Diet & behavior
Diet. Earthworms, insects, spiders, slugs, snails, occasional small invertebrates.
Behavior. Unique among US Ambystoma salamanders for fall breeding (vs. spring for nearly all other species). Females lay eggs in dry vernal pool depressions in autumn, then guard them until fall rains flood the pool. Eggs hatch when flooded; larvae have weeks of head start on spring-breeding species — giving marbled salamander larvae the predator advantage in mixed-species pools.
§ Range
Eastern US from Massachusetts to Florida
§ Habitat
Mature deciduous forests with vernal pools
§ Threats
Vernal pool destruction, road mortality, ranavirus disease, climate-driven seasonal shifts.
§ Conservation status
According to the IUCN Red List, the marbled salamander is currently classified as Least Concern.
§ What helps
Protect vernal pools and surrounding upland forests. Volunteer for "Big Night" salamander crossings. Support forest land trusts.
§ Further reading
- Wikipedia — Marbled salamander
- www.nwf.org — authoritative profile of Ambystoma opacum
- IUCN Red List · taxon 59065
- iNaturalist · taxon 27549
- GBIF occurrence records
- Encyclopedia of Life — Ambystoma opacum
§ Sources cited
- AmphibiaWeb
- USGS PWRC Amphibian Research and Monitoring Initiative
- Davidson College Herpetology
- IUCN Red List 2014
