Marbled Salamander Breeds

Instead of breeding ponds or other water sources in spring months ambystoma opacum is a fall breeder and breeds entirely on land.

Marbled salamander breeds.

The marbled salamander ambystoma opacum is a species of mole salamander found in the eastern united states. The marbled salamander breeds from september to october in the northern part of its range and from october to december in the southern part of its range. Most michigan salamanders begin breeding in the spring months with a few exceptions. The female lays 50 200 eggs one at a time in a depression under a log or in a clump of vegetation that will fill with water when it.

The marbled salamander mates and lays its eggs on land. This is opposite from other mole salamanders that breed during early spring. These include the marbled salamander and the mudpuppy which breed in the fall the four toed salamander that breeds in late summer and fall and the red backed salamander which breeds in the fall through winter and early spring in some places. Females will lay about 30 100 eggs in a depression on land usually beneath a log or leaf litter.

The marbled salamander varies in length from 9 10 7 cm 3 5 4 2 in. We were amazed to find so ma. Marbled salamanders emerge from their underground homes in early fall to migrate to their breeding grounds. The larger larval marbled salamanders feed on spotted salamander larvae and wood frog tadpoles as well as zooplankton.

These salamanders are occasionally can be found around dry hillsides but never far from a moist environment. Adults can grow to about 11 cm 4 in small compared to other members of its genus. Adult marbled salamanders breed only in dried up pools ponds and ditches and females lay their eggs under the leaves there. Marbled salamanders spend most of their lives in self excavated burrows or those dug by small mammals and are most commonly found in deciduous or mixed pine forests on sandy soil.

The marbled salamander is a stocky boldly banded salamander. Petranka 1998 unlike most other mole salamanders this species does not breed in water. The bands of females tend to be gray while those of males are more white. The female stays with her developing eggs until rain fills the wetland and triggers.

September is the peak breeding period in massachusetts for one of its most attractive yet unorthodox amphibian species the marbled salamander ambystoma opacum during rainy foggy or very humid nights adults emerge from underground burrows in the forest and migrate overland to swamps and vernal pools to breed and deposit eggs.