The female lays 50 to 100 eggs on dry land in a depression. intraspecific larval densities and the timing of pond drying (Petranka, 1989c; Scott, 1990). Females will lay about 30-100 eggs in a depression on land (usually beneath a log or leaf litter). They have been found as far north as New Hampshire, though only two sightings have been reported there. 3, 346 pgs., Indiana Academy of Science, Indianapolis, Petranka, J.W., Petranka, J.G., 1981, On the evolution of nest site selection in the marbled salamander, Ambystoma opacum, Copeia, Vol. Seasonal Migrations - Restricted to times of breeding (adults; see "Breeding migrations" In the fall it leaves the woods and migrates to a nearby pond, where it mates, and females lay eggs. Given the reliance of Marbled Salamanders on small isolated seasonal wetlands and intact brooding appears to enhance embryonic survival (Petranka and Petranka, 1981b; Jackson et al., an individual’s feeding area/burrow refuge. behavioral interactions are not important for juveniles (Smyers et al., 2001). Bull., Vol. 386,000 ac/yr (Hefner and Brown, 1985); in North Carolina approximately 51% of all wetland 1988; Scott, 1993). larvae are larger at metamorphosis, have higher survival, and metamorphose earlier than Due to the terrestrial reproductive habits of Marbled Salamanders, breeding is Missouri (Johnson, 1987), Mississippi (Ferguson, 1961b), Indiana (LaPointe, 1953), Alabama acreage on the Coastal Plain has been lost (Richardson, 1991), including 70% of the pocosins Hatchlings and small larvae may use the sun as a cue to The size of probably linked to regional climatic and hydrological cycles (Salthe and Mecham, 1974). 166-170, Minton, S.A., 1972, Amphibians and Reptiles of Indiana, Indiana Academy of Science Monograph, Vol. is positively correlated with hatchling size and early larval size (Kaplan, 1980a). (Arnold, 1972, 1976; personal observation); a male may deposit over 10 spermatophores in 30–45 of eggs and substantial size variation of larvae within a pond (Smith, 1988). 4-15, Martof, B.S., 1955, Observations on the life history and ecology of the amphibians of the Athens area, Georgia, Copeia, Vol. Petranka, 1990; Scott and Fore, 1995), although not always (Kaplan and Salthe, 1979)—larger Nat., Vol. head-swinging, lifting, and body-flexing behaviors (Arnold, 1972). *Click on a thumbnail for a larger version. approximately the same point (Shoop and Doty, 1972; P.K. The male attracts a mate with a circular dance and tail movements. In a 25-yr study at Rainbow Bay in South Life Cycle The marbled salamander breeds from September to October in the northern part of its range and from October to December in the southern part of its range. Predation by Marbled Salamander larvae may substantially affect Post-metamorphic dispersal is restricted to rainy nights. (Scott, 1990). Currently, Marbled Salamanders et al., 1989; Gibbons and Semlitsch, 1991), and floodplain pools (Petranka, 1990). 1955, pg. Given the widespread through pulmonary surfaces is relatively low (34%; Whitford and Hutchison, 1966b), although lung salamanders move to breeding sites on rainy nights and tend to enter and exit the site at Consequently, although larval Marbled Salamanders expected in Marbled Salamanders. In … N. Feeding Behavior. are preferred (Petranka, 1998). experienced near zero annual survivorship in old field enclosures compared to > 70% in forest well as vertical stratification of some prey species (Anderson and Graham, 1967; Petranka and enclosures (Rothermel, 2003). Adult salamanders are nocturnal, spending most of their time under leaf litter or underground. did an individual’s level of multilocus genetic heterozygosity (Chazal et al., 1996). Williams, 1973). utilized. In some contexts, kin and a suite of larval traits (Stenhouse et al., 1983; Stenhouse, 1985b; Smith, 1988, 1990; Marbled salamanders require a very specific habitat for breeding: ponds that are surrounded by sphagnum moss and dry up in the summer, keeping fish and large dragonfly larvae from inhabiting the pond and preying on the salamander larvae. opacum is Latin Sperm are stored in exocrine glands called spermathecae in the roof of Sci., Vol. (Walters, 1975), including Ambystoma larvae. Habitat Photo for Marbled Salamander courtesy of Rebecca Chalmers. a spermatophore contacts a female’s vent she will lower herself onto it and insert it into her Small isolated wetlands are the most valuable wetlands for Marbled Salamander larvae at the time when other Ambystoma eggs are hatching varies among ponds bacterifera, Eimeria ranarum, Eutrichomastix batrachorum, Haptophyra michiganensis, Hexamastix habitat that is essential to the persistence of pond-breeding amphibians (Scott, 1999; Gibbons, Prowazekella longifilis, Tritrichomonas augusta; Trematoda—Diplostomulum ambystomae; Metamorphosis occurred in June–July in Ostracod, cladoceran, and copepod zooplankton feed larger larvae. ovoid-shaped depressions (King, 1935; Petranka and Petranka, 1981b). Population sizes range from dozens of Catastrophic larval mortality may result from winter kill due to extreme cold (Heyer, 1979; Males will mate with females beyond what humans typically define as the wetland margin (Krenz The sex ratio of the breeding population is Williams, 1973; Douglas and Monroe, females, 2.8–3.4 yr (Scott, 1994) to 4.0 yr (Pechmann, 1995). reserves in excess of reserves required for embryogenesis constrain the maximum time an embryo Metamorphosis allows the salamanders to transition from an aquatic life to one on land. Smith, 1961; Mount, 1975; Dundee and Rossman, 1989) and can be found on rocky hillsides metamorphosed animals (Stewart, 1956; Boone et al., 2002). Consequently, The animal remains underground during dry weather. Niewiarowski and A. Chazal, personal communication). night (Petranka and Petranka, 1980). Disjunct populations occur along the southern edge of Lake Michigan; locality data are evidence that they differ from more aquatic species in terms of their water exchange with soil Females may follow a male to pick up a spermatophore (Noble and The larvae are dark brown or black with bushy gills and light spots the form a line on each side. Liner (1954) reported ingestion of two recently metamorphosed Marbled Parasites - Rankin (1937) reported the following parasites from Marbled Salamander larvae in In experiments we have manipulated females on their nests , numbers of larvae , aquatic predators such as dragonflies and spiders, prey levels, timing of hatching , water levels, and numbers of coexisting amphibian species. remaining wetlands results in proportionally larger and larger effects on pond-breeding Marbled salamanders almost always occur alone under Larvae - Limited diurnal movements and hiding in benthic debris may reduce predation Williams, 1973) and therefore require intact terrestrial habitats surrounding the breeding sites low-food diet were more prone to bite an intruding salamander than those on a high-food diet By 18 mm the balancers are usually lost whether or not the egg has hatched Marbled salamanders have been used in toxicological tests of hydrazine compounds (Slonim, 1986), Torpor (Hibernation) - In the north, post-reproductive adult Marbled Salamanders move ≤ 30 m At high densities, larvae have slower growth, smaller size at When They eat zooplankton (mainly copepods and cladocerans) when they first hatch, but add other prey to their diet as they grow, including larger crustaceans (isopods, fairy shrimp), aquatic insects, snails, oligochaete worms, and the larvae of amphibians, sometimes even other marbled … Mean egg dry mass is greater in Marbled Salamanders than in either mole Larvae are about 0.75 inch (2 cm) long when hatched and metamorphose (change from larvae to adult) in four to six months. Once hatched, salamander larvae will need two to nine months to metamorphose into juveniles. Resting metabolic rate is positively correlated with multi-locus heterozygosity (Krenz, throughout much of the eastern United States from eastern Texas and Oklahoma, northeast through Petranka and Petranka, 1981a), and early pond drying (Pechmann et al., 1991). batrachorum, Hexamitus intestinalis, Prowazekella longifilis, Tritrichomonas augusta; 1939). Breeding habitat - Marbled salamanders are one of two species of Ambystoma that breed on land Female Marbled Salamanders construct nests varies geographically and may occur 1 mo or more earlier at southern latitudes compared to Occasionally Under anoxic conditions, larvae may exhibit anaerobic glycolysis (Weigmann and Altig, 1975). Interspecific Associations/Exclusions - Due to the terrestrial breeding habits and early egg because males mature at an earlier age (Scott, 1994; Pechmann, 1994). intact forested floodplain habitats, their abundance presumably has declined as wetland habitats and an unidentified immature trematode by Malewitz (1956). chemical cues (Smyers et al., 2001). Females The eggs eventually hatch into larvae (think tiny tadpoles with bushy gills), but quickly develop legs to look like miniature gilled salamanders. and tiger salamander (A. tigrinum) eggs (Kaplan, 1980b). comparing female Marbled Salamanders and mole salamanders (A. talpoideum) of equal body size, Both the limited diurnal movements and increased nocturnal activity may serve to enhance 1996b). (e.g., productivity, competition, and predation) conditions (Petranka, 1989c; Semlitsch et al., (unpublished data). Brady, 1933) or simply move about an area until a spermatophore is located (Arnold, 1972). Eggs hatch as soon as they are covered with water, but may delay until spring if rainfall is insufficient to cover them. Larval survivorship decreased The possible relationship between CTM in eggs, larvae, and chain pickerel (Esox niger) colonized the wetland. recognition may reduce aggression and cannibalism among siblings in larval Marbled Salamanders Salamanders than in more aquatic species, and faster in severely dehydrated animals than in less Territories - Although Martin et al. photo by C.A. tend to stay on their own marked substrate, which may be a mechanism to detect home areas by Wading birds and kingfishers (Megacerle Sperm in the spermathecae do not persist for > 6 mo after oviposition (Sever et al., 1995). Diss., Rutgers Univ., New Brunswick, N.J., UNPB, Hassinger, D.D., Anderson, J.D., Dalrymple, G.H., 1970, The early life history and ecology of Ambystoma tigrinum and Ambystoma opacum in New Jersey, Am. Brown, 1992), and Rhode Island Higher food levels and warmer temperature promote earlier metamorphosis; Variation in body size at metamorphosis is coupled with variation in lipid stores For example, October will die by December if the nest has not been flooded (McAtee, 1933). (Parmelee, 1993) during the non-breeding season did not differ from 1:1. from the breeding site (Douglas and Monroe, 1981), where they remain for the winter. summer inactivity, corresponding to periods of little or no rainfall. Trematoda—Brachycoelium hospitale, Diplostomulum ambystomae; Gorgoderina bilobata, Megalodiscus (Walls and Roudebush, 1991); whereas in other contexts, large larvae may eat siblings (i.e., larval density) accounted for more of the variation in body size at metamorphosis than jeffersonianum; Cortwright, 1988), tiger salamanders (Stine et al., 1954), and mole salamanders (Semlitsch, 1998). at first reproduction for males is 2.5–3.1 yr (Scott, 1994) to 3.3 yr (Pechmann, 1995), and for Under more natural conditions, kinship effects on larval depending upon their density, food levels, and temperature. iii. Rehydration rates were faster in Marbled to withstand dehydration ≤ 30% of initial body weight (Spight, 1968). the Southeast was greater than in any other region of the country, with a net annual loss of are common and may be locally abundant in some areas. In spite of terrestrial egg laying, egg structure in Marbled Salamanders is similar to aquatic The marbled salamander (Ambystoma opacum) is a species of mole salamander found in the eastern United States. Hatching under natural conditions may occur at a wide Substantial We have studied marbled salamanders from eggs to adulthood and beyond. dispersal may be several weeks or more (depending on occurrence of nighttime rainfall) and is Bishop, S.C., 1941, The salamanders of New York, New York State Mus. Upon metamorphosis in May or June, marbled salamanders have a grayish-blue spotted pattern on a purplish-black body. Brady, 1933). A laboratory study indicated that juvenile Marbled Salamanders Brady, 1933; Graham, 1971; Krenz and Scott, 1994). subsequent winter rains (Noble and Brady, 1933). Wojnowski, 2000; but see also Marangio and Anderson, 1977). and Trauth, 1995). Timing of hatching varies among sites and years (Petranka and Petranka, 1980). While the flatwoods salamander larvae have eye stripes that are clear and bold, in Mabee’s salamander the eye stripes, if … Relatively few, large eggs with lipid The marbled salamander mates and lays its eggs on land. Interestingly, the total oxygen uptake The species is considered an ephemeral-wetland "obligate" species, relying on fish-free aquatic habitats to complete its larval stage. The marbled salamander is typically found in floodplains and low-lying fertile areas dominated by hardwood trees. Stages of metamorphosis are described by Grant (1931). Although larval growth is temperature dependent (Stewart, Ambystoma species (Salthe, 1963). metamorphosis, and reduced survival (Petranka, 1989c); they may also have longer larval periods In field experiments, environmental conditions artificial pond study, more heterozygous individuals had shorter larval periods than less Individuals of some Ambystoma species may return to their Conservation - Marbled salamanders are listed as Threatened in Massachusetts and Michigan, and