44 



BREEDING HABITS OF AMPHIBIA 



A. punctatum. The background color is deep brown to black and this is the largest of the 

 salamanders except the mudpuppy and siren. It measures about 10 inches in length. The 

 males are the larger sex and their vents protrude. 



Mature larva of tiger salamander 



(Courtesy C. H. Pope 1944: 

 Chicago Mus. Nat. History) 



Amblystoma tigrinum, 

 the tiger salamander. 



Amblystoma punctatum, 

 the spotted salamander. 



Breeding begins in early spring, generally a bit earlier than for A. punctatum, in Febru- 

 ary, (January in the Carolinas). The egg clusters (about 100) are attached to twigs about 

 a foot below the surface of the water, and are enclosed in a very loose fitting jelly. The 

 egg is a bit darker than that of A. punctatum but the egg species can be readily distin- 

 guished by the consistency of the jelly. Development is rapid, with hatching in less than 

 28 days and metamorphosis in about 75 days. Laboratory larvae at 20 C. may not meta- 

 morphose for 4 months, 156 days at 1 5°C. , or 80 days at 25°C. Temperature tolerance 

 is great, and development from stage #7 to stage #25 takes about 200 hours at 10°C. 



EURYCEA BISLINEATA , the two-lined salamander. This form is found in central and 

 eastern States, having a maximum size of 4 inches, and is characterized by having five 

 toes on the hind limb and a distinct labio-nasal groove. It is a slender salamander, round 

 like a lead pencil, and is found is streams, springs, and bogs. Sex differences are not 

 clear cut, except that the males upper front teeth are bicuspid. 



Breeding extends from April to June. After an elaborate courtship, the female picks up 

 the spermatophores and then lays the 20 to 30 eggs, one at a time, on the under side of 

 stones or other objects. Incubation takes about a month, metamorphosis in about a year 

 and sexual maturity the following Spring. 



HEMIDACTYLIUM SCUTATUM , the four-toed salamander. This salamander has a wide 

 distribution in the eastern United States, measuring no more than 4 inches in length. Ex- 

 cept for the mudpuppy this is the only common salamander with four-toes. The color of 

 the back is orange-brown with a pseudo-reptilian appearance of overlappying plates. 



