AMPHIBIANS. 37 



iiare?!;. Toiijj;iie attached i)()sl(M'i()i'ly and anteriorly but free on the 

 sides. 



Ground color varies from reddisli brown to olive green above; 

 lower surface pale yellow. ]>ody covered with small black spots 

 especially noticeable on the lower surface because of the lighter 

 ground color. On either side of the vertebral line a row of small 

 red spots, each having a black border. 



J\feasi(rc)n€ntf<: ^prc'imoi Xo. Sl'037. 



Total length 100 



Length of head and body 04S 



Width of head 008 



Habits (Hid Hahitat: This newt is aquatic in its habits, the 

 adult spending most of its time in the water. It frequents places 

 with a soft bottom and hides under leaves and water plants. In 

 large ponds it is usually found in the more sheltered ])laces. It is 

 carnivorous in food liabit and extremely voracious. Tlic food con- 

 sists cliietly of Avater insects, small molluscs, worms and tadpoles. 

 When kept in captivity the animal beconies very tame and will read- 

 ily eat small pieces of meat, worms and small tad]>oles. It some- 

 times emits a sharp squeak when disturbed. The breeding season 

 extends from April to Jttne. During this season the genital open- 

 ings of the male become swollen, and transverse horny ])lates a])pear 

 on the posterior surface of the hind limbs and on the under side of 

 the tips of the toes. A spotted crest also appears along the upper 

 and lower sides of the tail. The male deposits spermatophores 

 similar to those of Amlji/stoiiia punctatum except that they are 

 fewer in number. In order to insure the fertilization of the eggs 

 there is a preliminary ^'Liebes spiel". The eggs are laid singly be- 

 tween the leaves of water plants or in other like situations. Ac- 

 cording to Jordan (189/)), the egg laying season for one individual 

 lasts about seven or eight weeks. The young larvae hatch after a 

 l>eriod of about thirty days. After the gills are absorbed, the young 

 animal leaves the water and the color chant>es to a dark red. This 

 stage was formerly considered a distinct s])ecies and called D. 

 miniatus; careful observation, however, has shown that, after the 

 first two or three years of its life, the animal returns to the water 

 and assumes the adult viridescent coloration. 



Distrihutioii : Eastern United States, abundant north and north- 

 east. (Jordan. 181)0.) 



Michigan : Specimens in the University Museum from Houghton, 



