Identification
The
Northern Red Salamander is a stout-bodied, bright reddish-orange salamander
with small irregular black spots and a yellow iris. The lower sides and belly
are light salmon or red, and the lower jaw may have dark spotting. Older specimens
tend to become darker with spots that spread and fuse, and the ground color
may darken to dull orangish or purplish-brown. Adult Northern Red Salamanders
may reach lengths of 10-18.1 cm (3.9-7.4 in) and have 16-17 grooves along the
sides of the body (costal grooves).
Distribution and Status
The Northern Red Salamander can be found from southern New York through Ohio to northeast Alabama, with the exception of parts of the Appalachians where two subspecies occur. Within the Midwest, the Northern Red Salamander is found only in Ohio and Indiana. It is listed as State Endangered in both states.
Ecology
The Northern Red Salamander has the potential to be quite long-lived, surviving
for 3-4 years as aquatic larvae, and may mature to a ripe 20 years of age! Living
in or near cool, clear springs or streams, adults tend to be mostly aquatic
in the fall and winter, and become more terrestrial in the warmer months of
spring and summer. On land, they stay mostly underground in burrows, or they
may seek a variety of shelter including under rocks or logs.
Threats
and Management Issues
The Northern Red Salamander requires deciduous forests with clean siltless
streams in order to thrive and reproduce. Deforestation, acid drainage from
coal mining operations, stream siltation, and other forms of pollution has lead
to population decreases in this species.
Resources
General reference guides
and websites.
Reference guides and websites specific to Amphibians.
Links to more information on the Northern Red Salamander outside the Herp Center
Bruce Kingsbury, Director
Center for Reptile and Amphibian Conservation and Management
Science Building
Indiana-Purdue University
2101 East Coliseum Blvd.
Fort Wayne, IN 46805-1499