SPAWN AND LARVA OF AMBYSTOMA JEFFER- 

 SONIANUM 



PROFESSOR W. H. PIERSOL 

 University of Toronto 

 Spawn 



Among the various accounts of the habits and spawn 

 of Ambystoma punctatum occasional mention may be 

 found of Ambystoma jeffersonianum but always in such 

 connections as to suggest that A. jeffersonianum is by 

 far the less common species in the locality. This along 

 with the considerable similarity existing between the 

 spawn of the two species may explain why no account 

 of the spawn of A. jeffersonianum has as yet appeared. 

 Descriptions of the spawn of A. tigrinum sufficient for 

 distinguishing it from that of the other two species is 

 given by B. G-. Smith (1907). 



In most localities near Toronto A. punctatum is a 

 much more common species than A. jeffersonianum, 

 however in one piece of woodland that is quite isolated 

 from all the others examined, the former species is 

 rarely to be found, while the latter is very abundant. 

 This woodland contains four pools that last throughout 

 the year, although they become heavily choked by vege- 

 tation during the late summer and autumn. The 

 value of these pools as a collecting ground for spawn, 

 Branchippus, etc., was discovered some years ago by 

 my colleague, Dr. Huntsman and his observations on 

 the Ambystoma spawn suggested to him the possibility 

 of distinguishing in it two kinds. Later the writer also 

 became familiar with this woodland in connection with 

 observations on Plethodon and witli the consent of Dr. 

 Huntsman undertook also the investigation of the Amby- 

 stoma spawn of the pools. 



The writer first visited these pools in spawning time 

 732 



