Salamandre maculée— Quebec wildlife

The spotted salamander (Ambystoma maculatum), also known commonly as the yellow-spotted salamander, is a species of mole salamander in the family Ambystomatidae. The species is native to the eastern United States and Canada. It is the state amphibian of Ohio and South Carolina. The species ranges from Nova Scotia, to Lake Superior, to southern Georgia and Texas. Its embryos have been found to have symbiotic algae, Chlorococcum amblystomatis, living in and around them, the only known example of vertebrate cells hosting an endosymbiont microbe (unless mitochondria are considered).

Description

The spotted salamander is about 15–25 cm (5.9–9.8 in) long (tail included), with females generally being larger than males. It is stout, like most mole salamanders, and has a wide snout. The spotted salamander's main color is black, but can sometimes be a bluish-black, dark gray, dark green, or even dark brown. Two uneven rows of yellowish-orange spots run from the top of the head (near the eyes) to the tip of the tail (dorso-lateral ranging). The spotted salamander's spots near the top of its head are more orange, while the spots on the rest of its body are more yellow. The underside of the spotted salamander is slate gray and pink. Sexual dimorphism (physical differences between males and females) is displayed in the form of larger-bodied females having brighter-coloured spots. Males will have a larger portion of the dorsal surface covered in spots that are less bright. There is also a correlation between body condition and spots having lower chroma. The scientific name Ambystoma maculatum comes from Ambystoma – amblys (Greek) for blunt; -stoma (Greek) meaning mouth; or anabystoma (New Latin) meaning "to cram into the mouth"; maculatum – macula (Latin) for spot; maculosus (Latin) for spotted. A. maculatum develops a larger tail fin and body to compete with other predators. It typically lives around 20 years, but some have lived up to 30 years.

Reproduction

During the majority of the year, spotted salamanders live in the shelter of leaves or burrows in deciduous forests. However, when the temperature rises and the moisture level is high, the salamanders make their abrupt migration towards their annual breeding ponds. Recent studies, however, indicate that temperature may be a more important factor than precipitation, as precipitation in winter months increase, yet salamanders do not migrate. In just one night, hundreds to thousands of salamanders may make the trip to their ponds for mating. Males will start a dance-like behavior called a liebsspiel, where afterward they lay down their spermatophore. This dance includes the salamanders circling around one another and putting their head's on one another's tail. Then, the male will swim away wiggling his tail. If the female wants to mate she will follow him to a sperm pack he made earlier. ("Spotted Salamander Ambystoma Maculatum") Males will migrate at higher rates than females early in the migration season.