Salamandre à points bleus— Quebec wildlife

The blue-spotted salamander (Ambystoma laterale) is a mole salamander native to the Great Lakes states and northeastern United States, and parts of Ontario and Quebec in Canada. Their range is known to extend to James Bay to the north, and southeastern Manitoba to the west. Blue-spotted salamanders include unisexual lineages that can reproduce without fertilization (gynogenesis).

Description

Blue-spotted salamanders are between 10 and 14 cm (3.9 and 5.5 in) in length, of which the tail comprises 40%. Generally, males are slightly smaller than their female counterparts. Their skin is bluish-black, with characteristic blue and white flecks on its back, and bluish-white spots on the sides of its body and tail. They have elongated bodies. The vent is typically black, which contrasts with the paler belly. Larvae that have transformed may have yellow splotches; these turn blue once the individual becomes terrestrial. Occasionally, a melanistic individual may be found in the wild. They have long toes: four on the front feet and five on the hind feet. Typically, specimens will have 12–14 costal grooves. Males tend to be smaller than females, though they have longer, flattened tails. Blue-spotted salamanders are nocturnal, staying underground during the day and coming out at night to find food.

Habitat and range

Blue-spotted salamanders are primarily found in moist, deciduous hardwood forests and swampy woodlands with sandy soil, though they can be found in coniferous forests and fields too. They prefer vernal pools that retain water into mid-summer, to ensure access to a suitable breeding habitat. Blue-spotted salamanders are philopatric and largely dependent on the availability of ephemeral pools. Underbrush, leaf litter, rocks and logs are commonly used for shelter. Studies are beginning to show that habitat selection may also be affected by factors such as light pollution and chemical hues. Blue spotted salamanders are facing habitat loss.

Diet

Blue-spotted salamanders are carnivorous, eating invertebrates such as worms, snails, slugs, centipedes, and spiders, as well as insects. Like most salamanders, blue-spotted salamanders stay underground during the day. However, at night they will emerge from the soil to feed. They may also emerge to feed when the environment is rainy or moist.

Reproduction

Blue-spotted salamanders mate through the depositing and collecting of a spermatophore. A spermatophore is a packet of sperm that is deposited by the male. Reproduction is initiated by the male by taking hold of the female and rubbing her head with his chin. The female's eggs can be fertilized by the sperm in the spermatophore, but she must be in close proximity to the spermatophore. The male will try to position her so she is close enough that this can happen. Eggs are laid in small agglomerations attached to twigs, rocks or plants at the edge of a woodland pond or ditch. Clutches average a dozen eggs, and females may lay up to 500 eggs yearly. Males and females first mate when two years old.