Spotted Salamander (Ambystoma maculatum)

County List:

Rule:

Forested or Mixed Forested/Nonforested Landscapes

      (Northern Hardwoods (Pole or Sm Saw or Lg Saw or Uneven))
      or (Mixed Northern Hardwoods (Pole or Sm Saw or Lg Saw or Uneven))
   containing:
      (Dead Down Woody Debris and Vernal Pools)

Habitat List:

view size class definitions

Literature:

This species is less tolerant of habitat disturbance than its smaller relative, the blue-spotted salamander. Acidification of breeding ponds can inhibit the development of spotted salamander eggs and larvae; thus acid precipitation may threaten the species in some areas of Michigan.

This species inhabits moist woodlands near vernal ponds. They avoid cutover forests and those subject to flooding. Spotted salamanders spend much of their time underground and are rarely seen after the spring breeding season. Warm rains and thawing ground in March or early April can spur the migration of spotted salamanders to their breeding ponds. Each salamander may return to the same pond year after year.

Spotted salamanders are carnivorous, eating small insects, worms, slugs, snails, centipedes, and similar prey. The larvae mainly eat small aquatic invertebrates.

Habitat: Fossorial; found in moist woods, streambanks, beneath stones, logs, boards. Prefers deciduous or mixed woods on rocky hillsides and shallow woodland ponds or marshy pools that hold water through the summer for breeding. Usually does not inhabit ponds containing fish. Terrestrial hibernator. In summer often wanders far from water source. Found in low oak-hickory forests with creeks and nearby swamps in Illinois. Have been found in the pitch pine-scrub oak community of the Albany Pine Bush, dense oak forests in Rhode Island.

Special Habitat Requirements: Mesic woods with semi-permanent water for breeding. Eggs tolerate pH range 6 to 10 with best hatching success at pH 7 to 9. High embryonic mortality occurred in temporary pools with pH below 6.0 in New York.

Habitat: The spotted salamander is a member of the family, Ambystomatidae, the mole salamanders. As the name suggests, mole salamanders are characterized by burrowing habits and typically occur in areas with suitable substrate for digging.

Spotted salamanders seem to prefer deciduous or mixed mesic woods in which there are slow streams or vernal pools. Vernal pools, small temporary ponds that form in depressions from snow melt or spring rains, most likely are preferred habitat due to the absence of fish, which prey on eggs and larvae.

Spotted salamanders are nocturnal and spend most days under leaves, rotting wood, stones, or in underground burrows. Semlitsch (1983) studied the burrowing ability of mole salamanders and discovered that spotted salamanders do not actively dig their own burrows, but exploit crack, crevices, and invertebrate or small mammal burrows. This passive burrowing is accomplished by using the snout and body to enlarge already existing burrows. Spotted salamanders did not attempt to burrow if there were no cracks or crevices already present in the substrate.

To hibernate, spotted salamanders burrow beneath leaf mold or stumps, or burrow down into the ground in the winter. The increase in temperature and humidity in spring will end hibernation and signal the start of migration to the breeding ponds.

The biggest threat to spotted salamanders in Maine, as in the rest of their range is loss of suitable habitat by destruction of wetlands and woodland pools. Because spotted salamanders return to the same pool for breeding, if it is destroyed, breeding may not occur. In the Northeast, acid precipitation is another potential threat to the species. Permanent lakes or ponds may have a natural buffer system against acid precipitation. Temporary pools, however, are created by snow melt and spring runoff, which tend to concentrated amounts of acid in the water. There is no chance for dilution of low pH in temporary pools, as in the case with permanent water bodies. Therefore, the eggs must develop in a dangerously low pH, with no chance for acclimation. Maximum hatching results when pH is between 7-9. Below that level, mortality rises sharply and is associated with distinctive embryonic malformations such as a curved spine.